Polls reveal that somewhere around one-half of all the world's people lay claim to some sort of interaction with a force they recognize as divine. Thought many of the modern skeptics of such things might believe such claims to be unscientific or illogical, actual scientists know that they understand but a small fraction of our reality and that denying such things without evidence would be the true crime against rational thought. Here are some basic ways to determine whether you've had spiritual experiences with God.
You should first understand that there are nefarious spirits in the world, so not every supernatural encounter is necessarily from the Creator of the universe. This belief is confirmed by the major Western faith systems, which all attest to the fact that evil spirits often contact people to tempt them and sway them from the paths that they should be following.
Because of that fact, the first thing to consider during any supernatural encounter is its nature. Often times, these encounters leave those who experience them with dark thoughts or worries about their own self-worth. For people of faith, such interactions are almost never divinely oriented, for the works of God are designed to console His people and increase their love for others.
For those who lack faith, however, the reverse holds true. God will speak to such people and sear their consciences so that they repent of their sinful ways and seek His path. For those people, voices and feelings that urge them to make excuses for sinfulness are surely not from the Creator, since such excuses continue to separate those people from Him.
The scholar Ignatius long ago described another critical aspect of the discernment process. His teaching concerned the current spiritual state of the person in question. For people who are believers trying to live according to their faith's dictates, no supernatural encounter should leave them feeling cast off or separated from their Creator. For such people, God is an ever-present consolation in their lives.
The Scripture is the best benchmark for such judgments, since those encounters cannot run contrary to the Word. When someone lays claim to an encounter that contradicts those things taught by Scripture, the spirit involved was most definitely not of a divine nature. The fact is that all encounters of this kind must not contradict the Word if they are truly from the Creator of the universe.
Despite the vast number of such reported incidents, the skeptics still mock those who make such claims. Still, their arguments about how religious people are delusional or following ancient cults have little weight when one considers that they offer no rational explanations to explain away such an experience. In most instances, they simply fail to acknowledge that there is much that science cannot know.
Regardless, even serious people of faith can face difficulty discerning such encounters. By considering their own state of belief, the results of that encounter, and its fealty to the revealed Word of God, however, any believer can better determine the likelihood of his having been contacted by God's presence.
You should first understand that there are nefarious spirits in the world, so not every supernatural encounter is necessarily from the Creator of the universe. This belief is confirmed by the major Western faith systems, which all attest to the fact that evil spirits often contact people to tempt them and sway them from the paths that they should be following.
Because of that fact, the first thing to consider during any supernatural encounter is its nature. Often times, these encounters leave those who experience them with dark thoughts or worries about their own self-worth. For people of faith, such interactions are almost never divinely oriented, for the works of God are designed to console His people and increase their love for others.
For those who lack faith, however, the reverse holds true. God will speak to such people and sear their consciences so that they repent of their sinful ways and seek His path. For those people, voices and feelings that urge them to make excuses for sinfulness are surely not from the Creator, since such excuses continue to separate those people from Him.
The scholar Ignatius long ago described another critical aspect of the discernment process. His teaching concerned the current spiritual state of the person in question. For people who are believers trying to live according to their faith's dictates, no supernatural encounter should leave them feeling cast off or separated from their Creator. For such people, God is an ever-present consolation in their lives.
The Scripture is the best benchmark for such judgments, since those encounters cannot run contrary to the Word. When someone lays claim to an encounter that contradicts those things taught by Scripture, the spirit involved was most definitely not of a divine nature. The fact is that all encounters of this kind must not contradict the Word if they are truly from the Creator of the universe.
Despite the vast number of such reported incidents, the skeptics still mock those who make such claims. Still, their arguments about how religious people are delusional or following ancient cults have little weight when one considers that they offer no rational explanations to explain away such an experience. In most instances, they simply fail to acknowledge that there is much that science cannot know.
Regardless, even serious people of faith can face difficulty discerning such encounters. By considering their own state of belief, the results of that encounter, and its fealty to the revealed Word of God, however, any believer can better determine the likelihood of his having been contacted by God's presence.
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