Discerning True Divine Power

Revelation 2:1-3 “To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, 'These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lamp stands:  (2)  "I know your works, your labour, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; (3) and you have persevered and have patience, and have laboured for My name's sake and have not become weary.”

This brings us to the second type of manifestation that can, sadly, occur in this area: people pretending to fall under the power of God. There are two dimensions to this display of the flesh. The first dimension, which we will discuss now, grieves the Holy Spirit more than the other. We have already mentioned that the power of the Holy Spirit can come upon individuals in one of two ways: either directly from heaven or through the laying on of hands. It is the second method that can be abused by those pretending to be ministers anointed by the Holy Spirit. Fortunately, this is the only area where those operating in the flesh can try to mimic the work of the Holy Spirit.

In the above passage of scripture, our Lord Jesus commended the church at Ephesus for testing those who claimed to be His ministers and found them to be liars. How did the church at Ephesus test these false ministers? The apostle Paul gives us an indication when he says to the church at Corinth that he would deal with those who spoke against his authority by testing not the words of those who opposed him, but their power. He went on to say that the kingdom of God is not in word but in power (1 Corinthians 4:19-20). Ministers who operate in the flesh have no power. So, if they have no power, how do they try to mimic the power of the Holy Spirit in this area? They do so by forcefully pushing individuals to the floor or making them fall backwards when they lay hands on them. The reason these ministers deliberately push people over is to make it appear as though individuals are falling under the power of the Holy Spirit.

People are not naive, however, and they will not allow themselves to be pushed over backwards if they think they might injure themselves. To overcome this, these ministers have "catchers" stand behind the individuals to catch them when they fall. Because of the catchers, people are more willing to play along and fall backwards, even though they have not encountered the Holy Spirit. Sadly, those in the audience who lack discernment may be deceived into thinking that God's power is present simply because they see people falling. To prevent this abuse, some churches do not condone the practice of having catchers stand behind people being prayed for. The absence of catchers quickly discourages fleshly ministers from trying to push people over.

This brings us to the second dimension of this display of the flesh: people pretending to fall under the power of the Holy Spirit when hands are laid on them. There are two main reasons for this. First, it is often due to learned behaviour in the church. The practice of falling down when hands are laid on people has become so common that it is assumed to be the appropriate response to prayer. The second reason is that people want others to believe that God's power has come upon them and that He is blessing them, even though no such encounter has taken place.

Again, this fleshly practice is almost completely eliminated when catchers are removed from the equation. People who fall in the flesh do not want to risk injuring themselves and thus refrain from falling when hands are laid on them. The question arises: won’t people injure themselves if they genuinely fall under the power of the Holy Spirit and there are no catchers behind them? The answer is that when saints genuinely fall under the power of the Holy Spirit, the Lord's angels are more than capable of ensuring they are not injured. I have laid hands on numerous people who have fallen under the power of the Holy Spirit, and in every instance, they have fallen straight down, never falling over backwards.

Luke 4:33-35 “Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, (34) saying, "Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are--the Holy One of God!"  (35)  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!" And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.”

Luke 9:42 “And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.”

Lastly, we will discuss the demonic manifestations that can and do occur in this area. There are times when individuals are literally thrown to the floor. Some have been thrown backwards, some over chairs, and some have even been thrown against walls. When an individual is thrown to the floor, for example, it means they have been forced to the ground against their will. This is never the work of the Holy Spirit, as God never forces people to do anything against their will. It is surprising to me how many Christians, even some ministers, attribute this type of phenomenon to the Holy Spirit simply because it is unmistakably supernatural. However, we must recognize that not every supernatural manifestation in a Christian meeting is from the Holy Spirit; some are demonic in origin.

So, how is it possible for a demon to be responsible for throwing someone to the floor during a Christian gathering when hands are laid on them? If we look at the ministry of Jesus as an example, we see that demons often manifested themselves when people were brought to Him. The demons threw the individuals to the ground in His presence. Both of the passages of scripture mentioned above describe demons throwing people to the ground when confronted with Jesus’ anointing. In the first passage, the individual who cried out in Jesus’ meeting had not asked for deliverance because he was unaware that he even had a demon. Nevertheless, in the presence of the Holy Spirit (on Jesus), the demon was forced to manifest itself.

Even today, some people, even Christians, have demons oppressing them in some way without realizing that a demon is afflicting them. It is when believers filled with the Holy Spirit lay hands on them that the demon often manifests by throwing the person to the ground. Again, if we look at Jesus' ministry as our example, every time this manifestation occurred, Jesus cast the demon out. Therefore, it is important for the person laying hands on the individual to discern when an unclean spirit is manifesting and to cast the demon out. If the person laying hands does not recognize it as a demonic manifestation, nothing will be done to deliver the individual, and they will remain oppressed. Sadly, many are never delivered because those laying hands lack discernment and attribute the manifestation to the work of the Holy Spirit.

There is a more disturbing aspect of this type of demonic manifestation, however. This occurs when the person laying hands on the individual is themselves operating with demonic powers. In such cases, when the person lays hands on the individual being prayed for, the person is thrown to the ground by a power that is not the Holy Spirit. The person laying hands will do nothing about it because they are most likely convinced that it is the work of the Holy Spirit. In these instances, it is entirely possible that the person being prayed for may leave the meeting with a demon that they did not have before.

I have heard the testimony of a minister who, at one point in his ministry, knowingly operated with demonic powers and has since repented. His testimony is that when he worked with demonic powers, he was amazed at how easy it was for him to simply shout the word “fire” when people came up for prayer, and they would immediately be thrown back and begin rolling on the floor. It is concerning to note that some well-known ministers in the church today perform very similar actions, shouting the word “fire” as they lay hands on people. I am not suggesting that these ministers are knowingly working with demonic powers, but there is the possibility that they may unknowingly be doing so. There is nothing scriptural about the practice of shouting the word “fire” while laying hands on the Lord’s saints.

Therefore, it is unwise for believers to attend meetings where people are thrown around by a supernatural power that is attributed to the work of the Holy Spirit, as they may open themselves up to being influenced by the wrong spirit.

Michael E.B. Maher

Holy Spirit Encounters

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