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Personal charisma
is not power, nor is a naturally gifted speaker necessarily speaking
in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is easy to confuse confidence and natural ease with gifts that God gives, if one is not in fellowship with the Lord. A Soldier who has been to the battle front and has had to lean on Him, can see through a phony in a second. The problem is, many phonies don't see through themselves. There are quite a few on television and on the radio, and they are skillful and interesting. They often have all the lingo and matching dramatic hand motions, but if they have never experienced the actual supernatural power of God, they don't know the difference. We must listen to those who preach the Word, and allow the Holy Spirit to open up hidden things to the listener. If a preacher has a pet theme and that theme makes life easier, beware! You may be listening to doctrines of demons, and it is possible that preacher is deceived. How do we become discerning? By humbly and regularly coming to Him in faith, asking that He take our lives and do whatever He wants. Those Christians are soldiers - that is called taking up the Cross. The Cross is the dividing line between a lack of discernment and clear sight. Those who have come to embrace the Cross recognize that the voice of the preacher who want listeners to be rich and healthy is not the voice of the shepherd. His sheep know Him, and another they will not follow! (John 10) |
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