The genuine.

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:6-7

How can you tell what is genuine unless it is tested or scrutinized? Do you automatically believe spiritual teaching, or do you go and check it for yourself? Does the Holy Spirit act as a ‘Truth’ filter within you? Have you learned to converse with Him about Truth? Does the Holy Spirit bring you scripture to confirm what is being presented to you?

The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. Acts 17:10-12

When one is being trained to spot the counterfeit, the person is given the genuine to examine and study in the greatest of detail. When the person becomes such an expert in the genuine the fake is easily detected. But when it comes to ourselves, we’ve been trained to deceive ourselves, rather than believe our conscience or the Voice of the Holy Spirit. Who trains us in deception? Who deceived Eve in the garden? Where did it all begin?

Jesus speaking to the spiritual leaders of His time…

You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44

 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. John 10:10a

So where does lying, stealing, killing and destroying come from? With whom does the root of those things begin? The counterfeit becomes obvious in His Light. Can you see the works of darkness in the wanton destruction happening all around us?

To deceive others we must first deceive ourselves by choosing to do so (an act of our will). Do you choose to engage with the Holy Spirit in the matters of the Truth? Do you ask Him to help you discern the Truth of things?

About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:11-14

Who is teaching you? Who are you listening to? Do you ask the Holy Spirit what is truth and who actually is speaking truth? We are inundated with frequencies and voices in this time. How do we combat this deception?

In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; Ephesians 6:16

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.  “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:14-16

Learn to discern the genuine.

Ask the Holy Spirit. Listen to Him.