Charles Spurgeon said, “It is ever the Holy Spirit’s work to turn our eyes away from self to Jesus; but satan’s work is just the opposite of this.”
Oswald Chambers said it even more succinctly: “satan counterfeits the Holy Spirit.”
It’s true that whenever there is an authentic move of the Holy Spirit, satan will try to pervert it or counterfeit it. He wants Christians disempowered, so he will do all that is within his power to get us off track, especially in regard to the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. That’s why Scripture tells us, “Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21, NLT)
Did you know that the Secret Service―who is tasked with tracking down those who counterfeit U.S. currency―spends more time studying authentic currency than they do counterfeit currency. Why is that? Because there are many ways to make a counterfeit bill, but only one way to make the genuine article! So these agents spend so much time handling and studying the authentic, that they can spot a fraud in a split second.
If we are going to test everything related to the Holy Spirit, we don’t need to focus on all of the counterfeit displays, but simply get to know the authentic. Here are six authenticating proofs we can look for to know the baptism of the Holy Spirit in our lives is genuine.
Our live are producing better quality and more fruit
When you bear much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine. (John 15:8, AMP)
We are experiencing empowered spontaneous ministry
Notice in the first Pentecostal church how the Spirit-baptized Christians just did ministry whenever and wherever (see Acts 2:42-47 and 4:32-37). They didn’t form committees or discuss strategies; they just did what needed to be done to make Jesus known.
We have an increased sensitivity to sin
Things bother us now that didn’t bother us before, because we don’t want there to be anything in our lives that strains our relationship with God (see Galatians 5:16-25).
There’s a noticeable growth in our spiritual maturity
In Acts 4:8-13 the religious leadership was astounded at how Peter and John showed spiritual maturity beyond their training. The Holy Spirit helped them to pull out and apply Scripture to the circumstances they faced.
We experience greater sensitivity to God’s promptings
In Acts 16:6-7, we see the Holy Spirit stopped Paul and his companions from preaching the gospel. He was directing them to the perfect time and place for their ministry. This reminds me of the Old Testament promise: “Your own ears will hear Him. Right behind you a Voice will say, ‘This is the way you should go,’ whether to the right or to the left.” (Isaiah 30:21)
We have a greater desire to tell others about Jesus
The Holy Spirit empowers us to tell more and more people about Jesus with greater boldness than we had before (Acts 1:8 and 4:31).
Don’t worry about trying to study the fakes. Get to know the authentic move of the Holy Spirit, and you will have no problem knowing what a genuine move of the Spirit looks like!
I am continuing my series called Come Holy Spirit this upcoming Sunday. If you are in the area, I would love to have you join me.
Craig T. Owens 