My friend Steve wrote this in response to a “prophetic word” given this year. He was asked if it was genuinely from FATHER or originated from another spirit:
The Serpent (Satan) always presents an element of truth in every effort he employs to misdirect or deceive. He does this by introducing something God has said in the form of a question, proposition or rationale. This is designed to get us to think rationally about the element using our intellect while diverting (misdirecting) us away from our partnership WITH God. The sole purpose of this tactic is to get us to make decisions that are independent of God while also making us think we’re doing exactly what God wants us to do because our decision is based on the "has God said" element.
We can see the Serpent using this technique with great success in his temptation of Eve in the Garden but with no success with Jesus in the wilderness temptation. The difference between the two was Eve engaged the "has God said" elements independently from God while Jesus engaged the "has God said" elements entirely WITH God (". . .man lives by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God"). As the Serpent tempted them so he tempts us today because the "has God said" elements are the means by which he gains or regains control of what God has initiated. Here’s how it works:
For a lie to be effective it must possess some element (component, aspect, statement, principle, law, promise, etc.) of truth in order to create an effective misdirection. This element of truth then serves as the bait, which lures (misdirects) the unsuspecting into the Serpent’s trap called The Lie. The concept is pretty easy to describe but much more complicated to pull off because of the subtle yet vast differences between how God and the Serpent define truth. So, for the misdirection to be effective, the Serpent must get us to buy into his definition of truth.
To God, truth is a character quality; it’s the distinguishing characteristic of His nature and character. And so, Jesus says of His Father’s word, "Your word is truth." And, of His own words, which come from the Father, "Heaven and earth will pass away but My words will never pass away." God’s word is truth because His nature and character are pure so there’s nothing in His Word that is corrupt causing it to decay. It can only sustain and prosper until it brings about God’s full intent and purpose in His speaking.
No truth can exist apart from God’s nature and character residing in it and no being can fabricate His nature and character independent of Him. So, only God can deliver Truth, which comes out of Himself through what He speaks and does. What this means in real terms is that the only thing that counts in a spiritually inspired message, leading or direction is the nature and character that is resident within it — not the message, not the messenger, not the opportunity, not the accuracy of what God may have said previously, not the feelings that accompany the delivery of the message, leading or direction. Only the nature and character that’s in it counts and that’s what the Holy Spirit works with us to bring into full view. He does this by putting the inspiring spirit(s) to the test as the Apostle John described and exhorted us to engage. God invites this process of testing while the inspiring spirits of darkness resist it at all cost because they know the sure outcome that will occur.
This whole thing presented a deal-killing dilemma for the Serpent right from the beginning because he was fully aware that he and his cohorts were void of God’s nature and character. He was further hamstrung because neither could he manufacture it. So, he employed the very effective strategy of changing the definition of God’s terms to his own. He began by changing the definition of truth from a character quality to being synonymous with fact — something that is actually said, done or promised. This redefinition put forward the misdirecting idea that a person of truth would not alter the meaning or significance of a fact. Even though this is true in God’s domain because of how He defines truth, we also know it to be a Lie in the Serpent’s domain. This Lie is used to his great advantage in virtually every aspect of life, especially in the church, because it disguises the presence of his own nature and character in whatever it is that he is inspiring. But, Jesus says not to be caught off-guard by the Serpent for, ". . .he was a liar from the beginning and whenever he speaks, he speaks from his own nature."
1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
John 8:42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.
43 Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.
44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.”
As always, we are called to be fruit inspectors concerning prophetic words.