Chuck Bridges Blog

The Bible says in 1 John 4:1: “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Have you ever meditated on the underlying “force” or “motivation” behind human behavior? While complex, it is intriguing to try and identify what causes people to act like we do. Would it surprise you to know that every action, attitude, response, etc. that we manifest stems from something outside ourselves?

Before you write me off as some kind of ranting lunatic try a little exercise. Try to get off the beltway of your daily activity for a few minutes and just observe the populace in your world. Actually this is a very popular pasttime for some people called “People watching!” (It is the only legitimate reason I can imagine for going to the Mall!) Are you not just amazed by the way people act, interact, and react? (Maybe I am a lunatic)

Actually, since my life purpose involves working with people in all different kinds of circumstances, I constantly think about what lies beneath the behaviors we see in others. Trust me, this can be a very frustrating exercise. Just when you think that there is a “measurable pattern” behind similar behavior, someone steps up and reminds me that we don’t have anything figured out. The point is, human behavior is an enigma wrapped in a mystery!! And, people are looking for answers to the mysteries that surround us.

The Bible actually gives us the greatest insight into Human Behavior. Our dilemmas find solutions when we take the time to examine the wisdom of Scripture. (we are not always happy about what we learn) In our study on Heaven I have entered a new realm of understanding ab0ut our enemy’s activity all around us. (yes I am talking about the devil and his evil presence in our world — only a fool could deny the many manifestations of evil in our world! Do you watch the news?)

There are actually ONLY TWO forces in our world dictating the vastly different behavior of the human race. One is called the “Spirit of Truth” (or The Spirit of Christ) and the other is called “The spirit of falsehood” (which is also known as THE spirit of Anti-Christ). When the Apostle John instructs us to “Test the spirits” he is admonishing us to examine measurable data through the microscope of God’s Word to determine if something is being stimulated by the Spirit of Christ or the spirit of Anti-Christ.

We are going to list a few examples of how to “TEST” these spirits in upcoming articles. For now, stop to look and listen in your daily lives. When you acknowledge the simple fact that everything manifested in “real time” is motivated by only one of two forces, it brings some light to even the most enigmatic behaviors. Why don’t you start with yourself. What motivates your actions, attitudes, reactions, etc.? Are there some things about yourself you would like to change? Good News: Change is not only possible but is very probable IF we can identify what is motivating our behavior. (This is not voodoo or spiritism, just a process of learning to “Test the spirits”) Happy Testing!