Satan seduced many into separating the Holy Spirit and the Bible—pitting them against each other. The Bible not only predicted this deception—it exposed the motive behind it.
2 Timothy 4:3 says “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers…” What they can’t endure is the Bible. They drop the God card to fulfill their lusts and blame the Holy Spirit.
The drinking, the carousing, and the blatant new age preaching, did not creep into the church overnight. It insinuated itself slowly, quietly and under the cover of good intentions.
It began in small doses. One preacher said, “Why do we trust a book they didn’t have more than the Spirit they did have?” Another preacher said, “we’re not supposed to worship a book.”
They will tell you they are trusting in the voice of the Spirit more than a book. What they are really hearing is their own voice…or worse. They don’t deny the inerrancy of scripture; they simply claim direct revelation from God that’s equal to the Bible.
Bible study has become passé. Many seek constant prophetic words. They trust these words without comparing them against scripture.
The Holy Spirit has become on demand. You’ve all seen the Facebook ads where “prophets” will give you a daily word from the Lord. Some even charge money to give you a prophetic word.
A young revivalist claimed to get more from “an angel” than from the Bible. He even wrote on his website, “I have had experiences in the Spirit that cannot be explained by the Bible.” Not long after this, he left his wife and children for his secretary. He is still in ministry defending his experience.
People blame all kinds of things on “leadings of the Holy Spirit.” “The Spirit told me I can leave my husband and children because He wants me to be happy.” “You may not like the way I dress, but the Holy Spirit does.” One preacher even compared the Spirit to marijuana and said, “I am toking the Ghost.”
Here’s a typical conversation with one of these:
“I am not just forgiven of the sins I have committed, and I am also forgiven in advance of the ones I will commit. Therefore, I never need to repent or confess my sin.”
“That’s crazy, 1 John 1:8 says, ‘If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.’”
“Oh, well that was not written to Christians.”
“No Bible scholar believes that. In any case, that means the Apostle John wasn’t a Christian because he said “if we.”
You can’t prove that. Where did you get it?”
“It was revealed to me by the Spirit.”
Addiction to alcohol, drugs, pornography and a host of other vices overtake believers because the natural protection of the Bible is erased. Psalm 119:11 says, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.”
Why am I condemning all of this? Because the Bible commands me to do so: 2 Corinthians 4: 2 says, “But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.”
Tuning out the Bible to hear the Spirit has flooded the church with the most carnal and self-centered believers ever. To reject the Bible while seeking a word from God is to toy with witchcraft.
The Holy Spirit and the Bible exist in unbreakable agreement. The Spirit will take you to the Bible, and the Bible will take you to the Holy Spirit.
One of the prime purposes of the Holy Spirit is to help us understand and remember the Bible. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” – John 14:26
You can be sure that if you are not regularly reading the Bible, God will avoid speaking to you through prophecy. To do so creates a dangerous habit. Without a biblical foundation, you will have no way to judge prophetic words.
The superiority the Bible over the prophetic is clearly shown by the fact we are told to judge prophecy but never to judge scripture. 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness…”
Daily Bible study is a hallmark of those who seek truth. Acts 17: 11 “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” True revival is always Bible based. True preaching will quote scripture liberally.
We are at a crucial point. If the Body doesn’t repent of this foolishness, America is sunk. That is no longer the mindless wrangling of doomsday prophets…it’s a clear reality.
However, there is great hope. The combination of the Word of God revealed by the Holy Spirit will more than match today’s wickedness. God not knew the insanity of today was coming—He took steps to prepare a special relationship, that would produce special powers for His children.
But, if even a small remnant repent, gets back in the Word, and obeys the Holy Spirit, He will build an army and it can prevail. 1 Samuel 14: 6 promises this: “Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few.”