Test the Spirits
April 9, 2025
Who to believe?
These days, as many writers have affirmed, it is an almost impossible question to answer, isn’t it? I mean, there are so many falsehoods with so many people pushing them…
Haven’t you noticed?
Now, there’s these old sayings, “See which way the wind is blowing;” “Put your finger to the wind;” and “Test the waters;” — all with the same purpose — usually referring to political workarounds…
In the same way, should we all be following this pattern in similar noncommittal ways?
Or perhaps, we should be thinking longer and harder until we figure out a solid answer and determine a clear way forward.
Please allow me to apply the Bible’s advice to the general question, “Who to believe?”
…until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. — Ephesians 4:14, New International Version. https://biblehub.com/ephesians/4-14.htm
Maybe you don’t want to hear this from my Biblical source, but still and all, the Bible does address my question with practical advice for everyone — no matter what their beliefs, politics, philosophy, or life situation…
Do you see what is enshrined in this verse?
Grow up.
Use your head.
Don’t be easily swayed — by me or anyone else.
When I use the phrase, “test the spirits” I don’t mean a Halloween ghostly apparition — not at all…
So, when I use the word “spirit,” what does the Bible mean by “spirit”?
Whether talking about Bible specifics or just the many ideas floating about, here is the Greek definition from the website https://biblehub.com/greek/4151.htm:
“Definition: Spirit, wind, breath
Meaning: wind, breath, spirit.
Word Origin: Derived from the root verb πνέω (pneō), meaning “to breathe” or “to blow.”
Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: — H7307 — רוּחַ (ruach): Often translated as “spirit,” “wind,” or “breath,” similar to “pneuma” in Greek.
When God created man He breathed into him the breath of life.
When we talk we breathe.
When we dive into the water we hold our breath.
When right after we are born, everyone is waiting anxiously for the baby’s first breath.
When, after being born a second time — from above — we can receive a new breath from God. We can be baptised into the Holy Spirit. (read Acts 19:4–6, and others)
All things considered, here’s a little bit of advice from me:
Don’t spit into the wind.
Don’t choke on your own words.
Listen first; talk later.
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” — John 3 26–27, NLT.
Finally, while Patty was editing this essay, she discovered that I had left out something essentially important. She said she had never thought about having an inner person. While she was growing up, she recalled, she never knew anything about the soul. So, she convinced me that I had better say something about it! So, here I go…
People sometimes talk about the “inner child.” Merriam Webster.com defines it in this way: “the childlike, usually hidden part of a person’s personality that is characterized by playfulness, spontaneity, and creativity — usually accompanied by anger, hurt, and fear attributable to childhood experiences.”
A more complex discussion should be had about the expanded
view that people have a triune existence of body, mind,and soul. They are intertwined, but I think they can be defined individually.
The body is physical and has dynamic functions through the biological workings — voluntary and involuntary — which needs to be fed and tended to.
Eventually, the physical body dies.
The mind goes further than the complex biological operations of the brain. Maybe a simple working definition would be that the mind encompasses consciousness and conscience.
Descartes defined “mind” as I would “soul,” and he theorized that the mind was eternal and would go on without the body eternally, even though he neither could explain why or how or exactly, where it would go — some sort of ether, he supposed.
In typical British ironic humor, British philosopher Gilbert Ryle referred to it as “the ghost in the machine.” — reference: https://dictionary.apa.org/mind.
Like the physical body, eventually, the physical brain dies… but I am not at all sure about the mind…
Nevertheless, the soul, in my way of thinking, is the inner person of who I am, the “me” of my humanity…
Now, this is a surprising and unexpected gift to me! It is a spontaneous thought I just had — believe it or not — and perhaps I just discovered a significant precept from the Old Testament, the verse, “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM’ has sent me to you.’ ”
It took me a minute to consider this surprise revelation…
Now, I am kind of sorting this out as I go here, so, please bear with me… but this perspective of the inner person, the soul, makes all kinds of sense to me…
Just the same… This does make sense to me, and I hope it makes sense to you, also, since God originally made us humans in His image…
Yes. I am convinced.
Of course it’s true!
He is who He is, and so we are who we are…
Just like our Creator in Heaven, we are persons.
We exist complete and whole — each of us, a complete person, with a body, a mind, and a soul…
