When He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way. And they cried out, saying, "What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?" Now there was a herd of many swine feeding at a distance from them. The demons began to entreat Him, saying, "If You are going to cast us out, send us into the herd of swine." And He said to them, "Go!" And they came out and went into the swine, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the waters. The herdsmen ran away, and went to the city and reported everything, including what had happened to the demoniacs. And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they implored Him to leave their region. [Matthew 8:28-34 NASB]The first thing I see in this passage is that demons may have more spiritual insight than humans. Even though they feared Him, they recognized Jesus as the Son of God.
A similar incident happened to Paul. "It happened that as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave-girl having a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing her masters much profit by fortune-telling. Following after Paul and us, she kept crying out, saying, “These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.” She continued doing this for many days. But Paul was greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out at that very moment." [Acts 16:16-18 NASB]
You will encounter many people in life who are "spiritual". Many of these will talk about God, and identify Jesus as the Son of God. They will come in the guise of believers. Remember the warning, "You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder." [James 2:19 NASB] Jesus was speaking of false prophets when he said, "“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.’" [Matthew 7:22-23 NASB]
I believe that there are psychics in this world who are con artists who are very good at reading the subtle clues given off by their marks. I also believe that there are real psychics who are in league with a demon that gives them knowledge and spiritual insight. It's easy to spot a psychic when they hang a "psychic readings" sign in a window. It's harder when they come into the church claiming to have a gift of prophecy or words of knowledge.
Their purpose in doing so would be to sow confusion and discord within the church. Don't simply accept a person as a "gifted man of God" simply because he can show signs and wonders. Look at the fruit of his life. Listen to his words. Do they divide or unite? Do they injure or heal? Is the gospel he preaches true and pure from the Bible, or does it seem "off"?
Jesus responded to the demons by casting them out. I am not, of course, implying that you should cast demons out of everybody who's theology you disagree with.
Don't by taken in by somebody just because they seem to have spiritual knowledge. A godly person may have spiritual knowledge because of the Spirit of God that lives in him. A worldly person may have spiritual knowledge because of demonic influence. The difference lies, not in the accuracy of the knowledge, but in the truth of the message. As Jesus said, "“You will know them by their fruits." [Matthew 7:16 NASB]
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