Not Everything Supernatural is Holy
- Bishop Keith Butler
- Jul 4
- 2 min read
And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. (Acts 16:16-18)
You might think a girl saying, “These are the servants of the most high God,” wouldn’t be a problem, right? Even though the information she was sharing was accurate, the source was corrupt. Paul didn’t give in to the flattery; he was discerning. He understood that a demonic spirit was behind her words. Discerning of Spirits is needed today more than ever. We live in an age of deception, where falsehood often masquerades as truth. We encounter AI-generated images, fabricated news, and information that contains some truth intertwined with a demonic agenda and lies. Without the discernment of spirits, Christians can easily fall victim to every “good vibes” demonic message of New Age purpose instead of being vessels of God’s glory.
Notice that when Paul realized what was causing the disturbance in this girl, he didn’t schedule a counseling session with her. Paul immediately cast it out. The modern Church needs to stop apologizing for casting out devils or worrying about how it will be perceived by the world around them. Jesus didn’t suggest that we should cast out devils; He commanded that we do it.
Practical Application
If Paul was not being sensitive to the Spirit, he could have welcomed a demonic distraction. Just because it sounds spiritual doesn't mean it’s from God. Just because there is a bit of truth doesn’t mean the source is holy. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes and ears to discern what is happening in the supernatural realm before taking a natural approach.