Growing up in a Pentecostal church, we often focused heavily on spiritual experiences. We felt that signs and wonders, healings, and emotional highs placed us on a higher spiritual level. Occasionally, a prophet would stand and deliver a prophecy. Those who accepted the prophecy immediately were viewed as more spiritual, while anyone who hesitated or questioned it was considered less spiritual. The mind—thinking, evaluating, taking thought—was seen almost as an obstacle to faith.
What we failed to realize is that Scripture actually commands us to test spiritual claims.
1 John 4:1–3 instructs believers not to “believe every spirit,” but to “try the spirits whether they are of God,” precisely because false prophets exist. This passage does not tell us to seek a subjective feeling but rather to evaluate claims using sober judgment.
Similarly, Deuteronomy 13:1–3 teaches that even if a sign or wonder comes to pass, we must consider whether the message aligns with God’s truth. The standard is not emotional confirmation but objective discernment rooted in God’s Word.
In Deuteronomy 18:20–22, God gives a clear test for a true prophet: if the prophecy does not come to pass, it is not from Him. The text warns us not to fear such a prophet, emphasizing again the importance of critical evaluation.
Paul makes the same point in Galatians 1:8–9, warning believers to reject any message—even from an angel—that contradicts the gospel already received. The standard is the truth of the message, not the intensity of the spiritual experience surrounding it.
From Scripture, it is clear that God does not expect us to base our faith or eternal destiny on feelings or emotional experiences. He does not want us to be deceived. Instead, He calls us to examine, discern, and test all things. As 1 Thessalonians 5:21 states, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”



