[TL;DR at bottom]
Greetings patriots and pedes (and even the handshakes and glowies). Good day to you all.
This started as a response to a comment that Jesus never dressed like the devil. I was going to day Jesus dressed like the devil in disguise. Because, you know, the devil tricks people or something.
As my response grew longer, I came to realize I was conducting a "Gedankenexperiment" - a thought experiment. Religious, metaphysical, philosophical? I'm not sure. I'm serious, by the way - I'm not trolling believers. I'm looking for answers. Anyway, I present it below.
Thought Experiment:
The Devil/Lucifer/Satan/Shaytan desires to fool a normal person, and present himself ss an Jesus/God/Angelic Being.
This normal person is neither particularly pious nor an unrepentant mortal sinner. Normal Joe. Goes to church. Pays his Taxes. Helps his senior citizen neighbor take out her garbage. Likes beer. Sometimes drinks a little too much. Has a bit of a bad temper. Feels guilty when he has occasional lustf thoughts about some of the attractive female coworkers, but thinks his wife is hot and awesome and is totally faithful. Etc, etc.
So, the devil appears to him in the guise of a holy being. Telling him whatever the devil tells people, asking him to do whatever the devil asks people to do. Tempting him in whatever manner the devil tempts people.
How does this person know whether the being with whom he is communing is the devil, or Jesus, or an angel, or demon, or a messenger from God, or a trickster?
What methods allows him to discern the intention of the otherworldly being?
What steps can be taken NOW to reveal their purpose? What steps can be taken before-hand, or after the fact?
How does normal guy discover the true nature of the situation?
What guarantees does normal guy have that the method and steps taken will provide correct information?
What protection does he have against being deceived and led into darkness?
(end thought experiment)
I must add that in NO way am I seeking to incite drama or contention. I am not religious myself, but I'm a seeker. There really is more to this world than meets the eye. And I'm looking for concrete, real answers. You won't get a "but science says this" from me. Yes, I trust science (not "the science") because it makes a lot of sense and explains many things. But it didn't explain everything.
It doesn't explain my coworker who's going through a hard time, and she starts singing a song that's WAY older than I am, and then later that same day, hearing that same song on a 19yo kid's playlist - at the EXACT moment I'm thinking and worrying about said coworker. Synchronicity? Coincidence? I just know there's more.
My task is to walk in darkness. I do so without complaint and for the greater good. And I'm happy to do it.
But lately I feel lost. Lie the fireflies say, when lost in the darkness, look for the light.
That's all I'm looking for folks. A little bit of light.
[TL;DR how do you tell God from the devil if devil tries to trick you?]
God is GOOD! All that is GOOD. And God is for you!!
I totally agree with this. You will know the truth if you know God. Seek and you will find. Ask and it shall be given. That’s a promise!
Don't follow any outside being. Christ is in you, you get to know Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit in you and through scripture. Don't follow men, follow the living Lord Jesus Christ. He's not trying to trick you.
Simple. Pray for faith. God will give you what you need. I was in a similar place in my 20's. I wasn't sure of what to be sure of. Didn't know what to believe. I simply prayed every day asking God to increase my faith. After a few months, the doubts and questioning had gone away. After a few years I knew. I still ask God to help me know what to do to fight this battle we are facing. But as the scripture says in Mt 7:11, "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"
It is my firm belief that God gave us the gift of intuition to help us discern truth. It's that gut feeling you get when you know something isn't quite right. I've learned to trust it and it has never done me wrong. I would encourage you to build your relationship with God through prayer and meditation and reading the scripture for guidance and then learn to read your intuitive feelings and see if it doesn't work for you too.
I believe that the Holy Spirit IS our intuition!! He guides us. Because we do not know better!
Dutch word for conscience is geweten.Translation for geweten;forgotten Knowledge Weet :know ge ; verb together in past.
This is actually an excellent question as I believe far too many people see the devil as this dude in red with horns, a tail, and a pitchfork. If you looked nefarious and were capable of all manner of deception, would you appear like your nefarious self or like somebody whom the tempted person might see as attractive, cool, hip, etc?
As for the answer to said question: Is this figure trying to push you toward selflessness or selfishness? Are they pushing love or lust? Are they pushing love or hate? Are they pushing community or division? Are they pushing for lack of accountability or accountability? Are they pushing for masterhood or servanthood? Are they pushing for sharing or hoarding? Are they pushing for growth or complacency? Are they pushing for your (or anyone not God) glory or God's glory? There is no magic bullet and, as humans, we will fail more often than we like, but these are the sorts of ideas to consider. That having been said, this is just my personal take on things, I could be wrong.
There is only 1 true answer to your excellent question:
Scriptural literacy.
To clarify:
The Word of God IS truth. God never contradicts His Word. The Enemy is a liar and he hates God’s Word.
Bottom line - if you expect to hear from/receive revelation from God and you aren’t actively searching for it in Scripture… you don’t really want to hear from God.
You have come this far in your awakening. It seems that you trust things you cannot see. Why stop there? I encourage you to trust the God you cannot see. He is the Almighty
Think if you have to "pay",bad. If he "appears" look for his credentials.If he appears out of nothing,you got bigger problems(lol). Personal tip,stop following "the light" be the light.Stop with the inner dialoge with questions with no answer.Start with enjoying something simple a butterfly ,flower ect. Was a seeker to trying to anwser big questions.Thinking ,i need to know .Every "answer can lead to another answer".When stop doing that.You begin to feel alive.And dont question that.(is how it all started ,isn't it?) ps only "payment" i need is to be a light for others.
Listening to the right classical music can also calm you down.Proof every movie is using this.Used for almost every emotion ,try watching scary part movie with no sound.Even the youth listen to classical music without knowing it.