There are polls that suggest that roughly half the world's people believe that they have had divine encounters at various points in their lives. Though most skeptics will mock the very idea as something that is completely detached from reason and scientific proof, actual scientists will admit that their instruments and methods have revealed but little of the universe and that there is much they do not know. If you're among the many who believe that you've had spiritual experiences with God, you need to learn how to confirm the fact.
That begins by understanding that the Creator is not the only spirit that contacts man. The West's three primary faiths all agree that there is some level of evil supernatural activity working against man's interests. As a result, it is quite possible that you may have encountered a dark spirit that intended to bring harm to your life and your spiritual walk.
It is critically important, therefore, to examine the nature of any such encounter. If a spirit's presence leaves you questioning your own worth or thinking evil thoughts, that is generally a sign that you've encountered one of those darker forces. After all, faithful people understand that God's intent is to add to the love we feel for others, promote goodness, and console us in times of need.
For those who lack faith, however, the reverse holds true. God will speak to such people and sear their consciences so that they repent of their sinful ways and seek His path. For those people, voices and feelings that urge them to make excuses for sinfulness are surely not from the Creator, since such excuses continue to separate those people from Him.
The scholar Ignatius long ago described another critical aspect of the discernment process. His teaching concerned the current spiritual state of the person in question. For people who are believers trying to live according to their faith's dictates, no supernatural encounter should leave them feeling cast off or separated from their Creator. For such people, God is an ever-present consolation in their lives.
The Scripture is the best benchmark for such judgments, since those encounters cannot run contrary to the Word. When someone lays claim to an encounter that contradicts those things taught by Scripture, the spirit involved was most definitely not of a divine nature. The fact is that all encounters of this kind must not contradict the Word if they are truly from the Creator of the universe.
People who have such encounters should be aware of critics who doubt their accounts. Those critics will call them delusional or members of mythological cults, but those words are no substitute for evidence. The truth is that science confirms that we know almost nothing about our universe when compared to that which remains unknown.
Remember also that even the most experienced believers find this discernment challenging at times. However, if you remain aware of your own level of faith, examine the actual encounter, and search the Scriptures for guidance, you can invariably determine if you have truly been blessed by contact from God.
That begins by understanding that the Creator is not the only spirit that contacts man. The West's three primary faiths all agree that there is some level of evil supernatural activity working against man's interests. As a result, it is quite possible that you may have encountered a dark spirit that intended to bring harm to your life and your spiritual walk.
It is critically important, therefore, to examine the nature of any such encounter. If a spirit's presence leaves you questioning your own worth or thinking evil thoughts, that is generally a sign that you've encountered one of those darker forces. After all, faithful people understand that God's intent is to add to the love we feel for others, promote goodness, and console us in times of need.
For those who lack faith, however, the reverse holds true. God will speak to such people and sear their consciences so that they repent of their sinful ways and seek His path. For those people, voices and feelings that urge them to make excuses for sinfulness are surely not from the Creator, since such excuses continue to separate those people from Him.
The scholar Ignatius long ago described another critical aspect of the discernment process. His teaching concerned the current spiritual state of the person in question. For people who are believers trying to live according to their faith's dictates, no supernatural encounter should leave them feeling cast off or separated from their Creator. For such people, God is an ever-present consolation in their lives.
The Scripture is the best benchmark for such judgments, since those encounters cannot run contrary to the Word. When someone lays claim to an encounter that contradicts those things taught by Scripture, the spirit involved was most definitely not of a divine nature. The fact is that all encounters of this kind must not contradict the Word if they are truly from the Creator of the universe.
People who have such encounters should be aware of critics who doubt their accounts. Those critics will call them delusional or members of mythological cults, but those words are no substitute for evidence. The truth is that science confirms that we know almost nothing about our universe when compared to that which remains unknown.
Remember also that even the most experienced believers find this discernment challenging at times. However, if you remain aware of your own level of faith, examine the actual encounter, and search the Scriptures for guidance, you can invariably determine if you have truly been blessed by contact from God.
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