Test every spirit, teaching, and experience by lining it up with the Word of God.
Les Feldick's only criteria for determining whether something is from God is the written Word of God. He says you don't go by what a preacher says, what a seminary says, or even what he himself says. If a claim does not agree with Scripture, it should be rejected.
1 John 4:1 — This verse is the direct biblical command to test spirits because false prophets have gone out into the world.
Exodus 7:10-12 — This account shows that supernatural signs can be duplicated by Satan, so miracles are not enough to prove divine origin.
Scripture commands believers not to accept every spiritual claim automatically. 1 John 4:1 says, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." The word "try" means to test or examine, and the reason given is that false prophets are actively in the world. Scripture also shows that a supernatural sign alone is not proof of God's involvement. In Exodus 7:10-12, Moses and Aaron performed a God-given sign when Aaron's rod became a serpent. Yet Pharaoh's magicians produced the same sign through their enchantments. Aaron's rod then swallowed up their rods, demonstrating that God's power is greater, but the sign itself did not prove divine origin.
Les Feldick says the only criteria for discerning whether a spirit, teaching, or experience is from God is the Word of God. He stresses that every believer has the wherewithal to test these things by lining them up with Scripture, and that this standard applies regardless of who is speaking: "You don't go by what some preacher says, you don't go by what I say, you don't go by what some seminary says, you line it up with the Word of God." Les emphasizes that the spirits in 1 John 4 are lowercase because they are not the Holy Spirit but spirits involving the mental attributes of man and Satan. The command is to "try" or "test" them. This discernment requires intelligently looking at a thing and determining whether it belongs to God or to Satan, just as the Corinthians needed to separate spiritual things prompted by Satan from those prompted by the Holy Spirit. Les also uses the Exodus account to show that signs can come from Satan as well as from God. Pharaoh's magicians performed the same rod-to-serpent miracle through Satan's power, and Les warns never to sell Satan short. He cites missionaries who saw witch doctors perform real, Satanic power. Supernatural power alone is therefore not evidence of divine origin.
Les points to the Exodus account: Moses and Aaron threw down a rod and it became a serpent through God's power, but Pharaoh's magicians did the same through Satan's power. Aaron's rod then swallowed the magicians' rods, showing that God's power is greater. Yet the miracle itself did not prove its source. Les cautions not to sell Satan short, noting that witch doctors among uncivilized tribes had real, demonic power, and Simon's miracles in Acts were also the power of Satan, not God.
John wrote around A.D. 90, yet the Holy Spirit inspired him to say that many false spirits were already gone out into the world. Les draws the implication that in our day the problem is "far, far greater." He also points to Jesus' warning in Matthew 24 to "not be deceived," which signals that the closing days will be marked by mass deception, even deception that uses the Word of God in a misleading way.
Discernment also includes using Scripture properly. Les cautions against forcing Old Testament commands that were given directly to Israel under the Law onto believers today. He gives the example of a teacher using the Old Testament verse about women not wearing that which pertains to a man to forbid women wearing slacks, while ancient men wore tunics and robes, not pants. God's hatred of things like drunkenness and corruption still applies, but those specific Jewish laws are not to be forced on believers.
Using Scripture in Context
Les shows that part of discernment is knowing which portions of Scripture were written directly to Israel under the Law and should not be forced onto believers today.
The Only Criteria: The Word of God
Les says the only criteria for determining whether a spirit is from God is to line it up with the Word of God—not with a preacher, a seminary, or Les himself.
Testing the Spirits in 1 John 4
Les points out that the 'spirits' in 1 John 4:1 are lowercase, referring to spirits connected with man's mind and Satan, not the Holy Spirit, and the command is to 'try' or test them.
Discerning Spirit From Spirit
Les describes discernment as intelligently looking at something to determine whether it belongs to God or to Satan, a separation the Corinthian believers needed to practice.
Moses' Rod, Pharaoh's Magicians
Les uses the Exodus account to show that the same sign can come from God or from Satan: Aaron's rod became a serpent by God's power, but the magicians did the same by Satan's power.
Mass Deception in the End Times
Les says Jesus' warning not to be deceived in Matthew 24 means end-time deception will be massive, even using the Word of God deceptively.
Satan's Power is Real
Les warns that Satanic power is real and should never be underestimated, so supernatural power alone does not prove something is from God.
Why God Chooses the Weak: Lessons from Moses and the Cross
So now, as we go to the New Testament and look at some of the references that have a direct connection with this, I'd like to look at the fact that the Jews, beginning right here with Moses, all the way up through their history, have had to have signs in order to be convinced of what God was saying and what he was doing. Now, I'm kind of betwixt and between.
1 John 4:1: Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
This is the direct command to test spirits rather than accept every spirit, since many false prophets have gone out.
Exodus 7:10-12: And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.
This account shows that signs can be duplicated by Satan's power, so a miracle alone is not proof that something is from God.
Les says every believer must line whatever is being evaluated up with the Word of God. That is the only criteria—not what a preacher says, not what a seminary says, and not even what Les himself says. If it does not agree with Scripture, it should be rejected.
Yes. Les points to Exodus, where Pharaoh's magicians turned their rods into serpents through the power of Satan, just as God turned Aaron's rod into a serpent. Aaron's rod swallowed the magicians' rods, showing God's power is greater, but the sign itself was not proof of its source.
Les maintains that every believer has the wherewithal to discern spirits by lining the claim up with the Word of God. The test is not a special secret; it is taking what is presented and comparing it with Scripture.
Watch the Teaching: Why the 12 Disciples Never Preached to Gentiles — Acts 1:8