To recognize the real Jesus,
we must know what the word of God says about Him
He is love (God is love)
He is God (1 Corinthians 12:3)
He said I and the father are one (John 10:30)
He looks on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7)
He is no respecter of persons (Romans 2:11)
He knows every thought (Psalm 94:11)
He sent His comforter (John 14:26)
He knows your needs before you ask (Matthew 6:8)
Cares about every care (1 Peter 5:7)
He cares even about the sparrows (Matthew 5:29-31)
He has a Book of Life (Psalm 56:8)
He created Hell for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41)
He has called us friends (John 15:15)
He laid down His life for us (John 15:13)
No one can understand who Jesus is
unless He reveals Himself to you (Matthew 11:27)
Was He in The Old Testament?
Jesus is the same yesterday, and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8)
He hates evil, pride and arrogance (Proverbs 8:13)
His crucifixion was prophesied (Isaiah 53:5)
He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Deuteronomy 10:17 & Revelation 17:14)
If you know Him, you are truly blessed
There are many more attributes to the real Jesus
Like the Bible says:
And there are also many other things which Jesus did,
the which, if they should be written every one,
I suppose that even the world itself
could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. John 21:25
Counterfeit Jesus
Not love
Not truth
Not able to know your thoughts
Not able to see your heart
Not able to answer your prayers
Cares about himself
I once had a man tell me
that when he was praying to another god of a very popular religion,
that he felt a hand on his shoulder
We know false gods can do miracles
The Book of Revelation tells us:
And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death;
and his deadly wound was healed:
and all the world wondered after the beast. Revelation 13:3
and Jesus said:
For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets,
and shall shew great signs and wonders;
insomuch that, if it were possible,
they shall deceive the very elect. Matthew 24:24
There is no place in the Bible you will read that says Satan does not have power
This is one reason, it is so important not to follow miracles
Instead, we are to follow and seek the one true God
who performs miracles: Jesus Himself
If anyone tries to use God’s glory for his or her own gain,
that is one to stay away from
Far away
None of us owns God’s power
He does works through us to glorify Himself,
so that others may know that He lives,
not to make some preacher famous and appear wonderful
A preacher or prophet who touts themselves as great,
instead of leading you to Jesus Himself,
is a false prophet
Stay away,
no matter how likable they are
And no matter how much they use the Word of God to keep you hooked in
I once went forward for prayer at a church for my finances
Instead of praying, maybe something like,
“Lord teach her how to be a good steward,”
which really would have been a very profound prayer,
she said, “Wallet be filled!”
She was not praying, but commanding
She believed she had the power to call things into being
Where was the humility before the Lord?
You can’t just do miracles in His name without Him
Their teaching was that we have all power from Jesus
That it belongs to them now and they may use it however they want
They misunderstood the scriptures
The power of life and death is in the tongue (Proverbs 18:21)
That you speak things into existence (Romans 4:17)
That all power has been given to you:
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying,
All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Matthew 28:18
and this one:
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions,
and over all the power of the enemy:
and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Luke 10:19
All of that is true, but none of it is true without Jesus
without reverence to Him
He is, after all, God
He holds the power
He gives power to use to glorify Him but it remains His power
That’s why the 7 sons of Sceva could not cast out the devils
They were trying to do so in their own strength:
And there were seven sons of one Sceva,
a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.
And the evil spirit answered and said,
Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them,
and overcame them, and prevailed against them,
so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. Acts 19:14-16
Their answer should’ve been:
“We are the 7 sons of Sceva who are counterfeits of Jesus
and we believe we hold His power.”
Humility before the Lord will keep you in a good place
Realizing that His word is higher than your ways and your thoughts:
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9
Submitting to Him in all things
He will use you greatly in the kingdom if you seek to draw near to Him
and desire in your heart to glorify Him in ways you might not expect
He will answer your prayers,
hear the songs in your heart,
allow others to see the love He has given you to share with them in His name,
and draw you close to Him which is the greatest reward we all could hope for
Scriptural References:
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth. Psalm 145:18
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, you sinners;
and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8