“No one has seen God at any timeLet no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.”
—James 1:13

Many times people do things that are wrong, but they don’t think they’re wrong because they believe God is the One leading them. For instance, I’ve known too many people who have left their churches or even their marriage partners, claiming God told them to leave, when in reality, although they thought He said that, He didn’t. People are doing things they think are OK with God but that, in fact, are not right. James is warning us not to be deceived.

I want to stress the truth in today’s verse. Often when we love God and are sincerely seeking Him, we can make the mistake of thinking that everything we feel is from Him. We think all the thoughts we’re thinking and all the emotions we’re feeling are from the Lord when sometimes they’re not.

This was a huge lesson I had to learn years ago. I knew that God supernaturally spoke to me, but in my inexperience I made the mistake of thinking that every time I sensed something, it was the Lord. I had to learn the lesson found in 1 John 4:1–3, which says to test the spirits because not every spirit is from God.

The Bible says Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14). How, then, do we know what’s from HaShem and what’s not? First, we have the Word. If a thought, a feeling, a statement, or an action contradicts the written Word, it’s not from the Lord. Second, the Scriptures tell us we gain discernment through experi- ence and maturity. Hebrews 5:14 reveals to us that as our senses are trained by the Lord we are able “to discern good and evil.” And third, counsel from mature and trusted friends in Messiah serves as a safeguard to keep us on track.

Beloved, I want to encourage us today: let’s be on guard against deception and the pride Satan can use to deceive us.

Father God, I ask You to give me a discerning heart so I will know which thoughts and feelings are from You, which ones are from the enemy, and which ones are from my flesh. Father, give me deeper insight so I can test the spirits and know which impulse and voice to follow.

Rabbi Kirt A. Schneider, Rivers of Divine Truth (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2021), Used by permission.