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Spirit of Truth vs. Spirit of Seduction

In Charles Finney’s account of his baptism into the Holy Spirit, he said, “As I went in and shut the door after me, it seemed as if I met the Lord Jesus Christ face to face. It did not occur to me then, nor did it for some time afterward, that it was wholly a mental state. … He said nothing, but looked at me in such a manner as to break me right down at his feet. … I fell down at his feet and poured out my soul to him. I wept aloud like a child, and made such confessions as I could with my choked utterance. It seemed to me that I bathed his feet with my tears …”

I think that this description is a characteristic of a genuine Holy Spirit encounter … our love for and revelation of the Son will grow and blossom. What are we to think about “revivals” and conferences where the Holy Spirit is emphasized, but there is not even the slightest acknowledgment of Jesus? Some sing songs about glory, power, anointing and never mention the name of Jesus. They talk about angels and miracles, visions, encounters and third Heaven experiences, but never talk about Jesus. How can this be? The Holy Spirit does not come to speak of Himself…He points away from Himself to another – Jesus!

John 16:13,14 says, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for HE SHALL NOT SPEAK OF HIMSELF … HE SHALL GLORIFY ME: for he shall receive of mine and shall show it unto you.”

It is impossible to have a genuine encounter with the Holy Spirit and not have an encounter with Jesus. If you ever see this happening be very careful, because while there are many spirits in the world, there is only ONE HOLY SPIRIT!

In Genesis Chapter 24 we read the story of Abraham sending his servant Eliazar to find a wife for His son; Isaac. It is Eliazar who brings Isaac and Rebekah, his bride, together. In this story we see so many types. Abraham is a type of God the Father. Isaac is a type of Jesus. Eliazar is a type of the Holy Spirit, and Rebekah is a type of the Church. There are many spiritual truths that can be drawn out of this story, but there is one that jumped out at me as I read this passage just recently.

Even though Rebekah had never seen Isaac, she seemed to love him greatly. She chose to leave her father, mother and family to be with him. As soon as she saw Isaac, she jumped off her camel and went to meet him. When they finally met face to face there was an instantaneous bonding between them. There were no dates, no courting, no prenuptial agreements or arrangements … they went straight to the honeymoon.

How is it that Rebekah loved Isaac even though she had never seen him? I think you can blame this on Eliazer. From the moment he met Rebekah, he began to talk about his master and brag about him telling Rebekah how wonderful he was, how handsome, kind and gentle. On the entire camel ride back to the south country, Eliazer told Rebekah stories about Isaac and described him in detail. Rebekah was infatuated with this incredible man and could not wait to meet him face to face.

 “And though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory …” (1Peter. 1:8)

Verse 53 says that Eliazer, “… brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold and raiment and gave them to Rebekah …” These gifts that Eliazer lavished on Rebekah are types of the gifts of the Spirit. They were not Eliazer’s, they were Isaac’s and were a sign of Isaac’s love. Of course they made Rebekah look beautiful as well, but the real purpose was to cause Rebekah to fall more in love with her groom … and it worked! When the Holy Spirit is moving and the Gifts of the Spirit are in operation we can expect to find people falling more in love with Jesus.

But consider this: what if Eliazer had flirted with Rebekah and tried to attract her with is own charm? What if Eliazer had given her his own gifts and told stories about his own life to win her over? What if Rebekah had become infatuated with and fallen in love with Eliazer instead of Isaac? He would have been a wicked, unfaithful and seductive servant.
Paul warns us that in the last days there will also be “seducing spirits” in operation. A seducing spirit is one that would seek to divert attention from Jesus and unto itself. Where people love the gifts more than the groom there are seductive spirits in operation. Where people seek manifestations more than “the Man”, Jesus Christ, there are seductive spirits at work. Whenever a preacher or minister is trying to use the anointing to draw people to himself, he is like the “best man” at a wedding trying to seduce the bride. This is wickedness of the highest order!

No one illustrates this better than Simon the Sorcerer. In Acts 8 we read that he had amazed, bewildered and dazzled the people of Samaria with his magic arts. Then he heard Phillip preach and he became a believer and was even baptized. It would seem that the old life of occultism and sorcery was gone. But when he saw how Peter and John were performing great signs and miracles of great power, he remembered what it was like to have the people talking about him as they did in previous times saying, “This man [Simon] is the great power of God” (8:10). He began to lust after the power and praise that he once enjoyed. He imagined how much glory the anointing of the Holy Spirit could bring him and he offered the apostles money “saying, ‘Give me also this power that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.’” (8:19)

He was hoping to use the Holy Spirit to make himself more appealing and his business more successful. To him, the power of the Holy Spirit was a commercial commodity to be purchased as an investment. He would have prostituted the anointing for personal gain. No wonder the Apostles dealt with him so severely. “Thy money perish with thee” Peter said, “because you imagined you could obtain the gift of God with money.”

 A diamond ring on the finger of a betrothed woman may beautify her, but it is never intended to attract new lovers. Rather, it is intended to make all other would be suitors aware of the one who gave it to her. The ring makes her attractive, but it points to the groom. In a similar way, the Holy Spirit comes to us to reveal Christ, to exalt Him and point to Him. The anointing may be fragrant and attractive to everyone around us … it may even make us look good, but it is always intended to point men unto Christ and not to ourselves. When people use the anointing to bring glory to themselves, it is sorcery, prostitution and seduction. In these last days of mighty Holy Spirit outpouring, we must guard against seductive spirits that would seek to steal the limelight from Christ.

Any time Jesus is not the main focus, the supreme attraction, the ultimate fascination, the crowning prize and the preeminent desire – WATCH OUT! The Holy Spirit has nothing to do with it!

The Holy Spirit will always speak about JESUS, reveal JESUS, exalt JESUS, promote JESUS and magnify JESUS … nothing else and nothing less than JESUS!

“But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceeded from the Father, he shall testify of me” (John 15:26).