As we continue the God’s Image study, the first commandment brings me to another question: What am I allowing to guide me?
We have examined the Father’s place as Source, Jesus’ relationship to Him, and the responsibility to remain teachable. Now I want to consider how we examine something we understand as spiritual guidance.
This question is personal for me.
I had not picked up a Bible since my teens. At forty-nine, someone spoke to me about Scripture. At fifty, I experienced what I understand as the Father calling me, before I had returned to reading the Bible.
That sequence matters to my story. My experience prompted questions that I would bring to Scripture and examine there.
But describing something as a call also brings a responsibility: How have I tested my understanding of it?
The Spirit God Gives
Ecclesiastes speaks of death and describes the body returning to the earth. It then says:
“the spirit will return to God who gave it.”
— Ecclesiastes 12:7, LSB
Numbers also identifies God in relation to the spirits of all flesh. That description appears in both Numbers 16:22 and 27:16.
These passages bring me back to God as the giver of life. They also invite careful questions about what Scripture means by spirit in each setting.
I want to distinguish the human spirit, the Spirit of God, and the other spiritual influences Scripture describes. The use of the same word gives us something to investigate; the surrounding passage helps us understand which meaning is present.
The Instruction to Test
John writes:
“test the spirits to see whether they are from God”
— 1 John 4:1, LSB
The instruction appears alongside a warning about false prophets. The following verses examine what is confessed concerning Jesus Christ and whether the apostolic witness is heard.
That gives substance to the testing. The message matters. What it teaches matters. Its agreement with the witness we have received matters.
For me, this raises a question that reaches beyond whether an experience felt powerful or convincing: What led me to identify it as coming from God?
Did I examine it, or did I accept it because it seemed to confirm something I already wanted to believe?
The House and What Dwells Within
In 1 Corinthians 6:19–20, Paul describes the body as a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit received from God. The relationship includes belonging and responsibility.
Luke gives us another use of dwelling language. In Luke 11:24–26, an unclean spirit leaves a person and later returns to what it calls its house, bringing seven other spirits. The account ends by describing the person’s condition as worse than before.
The parallel in Matthew 12:43–45 explicitly describes the house as unoccupied, as well as swept and ordered. Matthew also applies the warning to that generation.
These passages give me reason to examine more than outward order. Within the accounts, the condition of the dwelling and what occupies it are distinct questions.
When I compare this with the human sanctuary, I am following the relationship between a dwelling and the presence within it.
Deception and Claimed Authority
Another part of this comparison comes from 2 Thessalonians 2:3–4, where the man of lawlessness exalts himself and presents himself as God in God’s sanctuary.
I am exploring that beside the passages about people as a dwelling. The connection raises a question about something claiming a place that belongs to God.
Revelation 16:13–14 adds another detail: unclean spirits perform signs and gather rulers. Within that passage, impressive activity accompanies deception.
These are distinct settings. Bringing them together helps me investigate spiritual claims without assuming that a striking experience or sign establishes its source.
What Part Do My Own Desires Play?
James brings the examination close to home. He describes a person being enticed by their own desire, followed by desire giving birth to sin. James 1:14–15
That means I must examine my motives too.
Do I welcome a message because it gives me permission to do what I want? Does it make me feel important, certain, or beyond correction? Am I overlooking something in Scripture because accepting it would require a change?
Genesis also gives us an account of deception affecting human choices. The woman identifies the serpent’s deception when explaining what happened. Genesis 3:13
I want to follow how deception gains influence while remaining attentive to what each passage actually describes. The questions concern what we hear, what we desire, and how we respond.
What Standard Am I Using?
This returns me to Proverbs 3:5–6: trusting YHWH (יהוה), acknowledging Him, and allowing Him to direct our way.
When I test what I believe is guidance, am I relying only on an understanding taught to me as a child? Have I allowed the Father room to challenge it?
I must ask the same question about a new understanding. Being new to me does not establish that it is true.
I want to examine the message against Scripture in context, remain willing to receive correction, and consider the conduct it encourages. Testing requires patience, including patience with questions I cannot yet answer.
Where Is It Leading Me?
Jesus’ answer in Matthew 22:37–40 remains central to this study: wholehearted love for God and love for our neighbor.
So I ask what is becoming visible in my life.
Am I becoming more truthful, faithful, and willing to listen? Do I respect the lives and relationships of others? Can I examine a disagreement without abandoning love?
These questions belong beside the examination of a message’s content. They help me consider how my understanding is shaping the way I live.
The first commandment calls me to keep God first. For me, that includes examining what I allow to speak with authority in my life—even when it agrees with something I deeply desire.
Threads to Follow
The spirit God gives: Examining the wording in Ecclesiastes and Numbers.
Testing spirits: Attending to the message and its agreement with Scripture.
The human dwelling: Following what the temple and house passages actually describe.
Deception and desire: Considering spiritual claims alongside our own motives.
Remaining teachable: Examining inherited beliefs and new impressions alike.
Love in practice: Keeping Matthew 22:37–40 connected to our conduct.
The books were opened…
🌿 By Maria Emilia
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