Well, know that we do have such a tool in our arsenal... the Holy Spirit... HE is our continuity tester. How did Jesus do all the miracles he performed? How did he always know the right words to speak, or when to be silent? "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works" John 14:10. "I and my Father are one" John 10:30. He did not live according to his intellect or natural talents. He functioned solely by the spirit of God... and He has charged us to do no less than follow his example.

"Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" John 31-32. We often fail to understand just what it is that we need to be 'free from.' "[The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love" Colossians 1:13 (Amplified). This is speaking of being delivered here and now. We may 'think' that we are independent creatures making our own choices. This may appear to be so when it comes to functioning in this world. But what we fail to understand is that there is no neutral gray area in the spirit where we can hang out while we are making up our minds. We are on one side or the other... In or out. We are only deceiving ourselves if we believe that we are exempt or immune from the darkness that envelops this world and all of its systems. Truth is found when we stop trying to figure it all out with our carnal understanding, and learn to rest in Him. This freedom does not come with years of extensive study. It does not come from dutifully adhering to a code of conduct or complying with the commandments of men. It comes from our submission to the trials and testings of this life. Jesus came to free us from slavery to our flesh and the cares of this world. In John 8:36 Jesus said, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." Only Jesus can liberate us from our carnality... by spiritually re-birthing us into the household of God. As our Lord prayed in Matthew 6:13 "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." We must learn the same lessons the early church learned... "And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen" 2 Timothy 4:18. "That no flesh should glory in his presence" 1 Corinthians 1:29.

We talk about 'walking in the spirit' all the time. Yet for all of our good intentions and diligent efforts, we still haven't quite figured out how to actually do it. It is so much easier to involve ourselves with fulfilling the 'great commission' (as we perceive it to be), than it is to hear the voice of God in our spirit and walk in obedience... only doing and saying what the spirit leads us to. Of course, there is not a ministry anywhere that would not loudly declare that whatever it is that they are saying and doing is absolutely inspired by God. Yet where is the fruit of all man's efforts? We can mentally agree with verses like "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing" John 15:5. "And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him" John 8:29. We strive to convince ourselves that we are the exception to the rule, and it is easy to believe that we are the only ones complying, while everyone else is falling short. Sadly, it is far too easy for us to deceive ourselves. Our fallen flesh is exceedingly adept at seeing and hearing only what it wants, while ignoring everything that even suggests we could have any lack. Still, the only criterion for judging is summed up here: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" Romans 8:14.

The primary goal of every believer should be, that of being 'led by the Spirit of God,' just as our Lord was.

"What is born of [from] the flesh is flesh [of the physical is physical]; and what is born of the Spirit is spirit" John 3:6. Our confusion or conflict arises because our flesh and our newly born spirit are constantly at odds. Our natural man wants to operate from the physical realm, employing his own intellect, strengths and understanding. While the spirit of God within requires that we totally lay down all that is from self, and live solely in and by the power of God's Holy Spirit. This makes absolutely no sense to the carnal mind, if anything it borders on insanity. Yet it is God's way. Reason would cry, "God gave you those talents for a reason, so you could use them for his glory." Turning a blind eye to what God has actually said concerning what we have to offer Him that He will accept. "But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price" 1 Peter 3:4. We expose the spirit we are operating from, in how we treat others. Are we meek... or arrogant? Are we humble... or full of pride? We still only see and know 'in part.' We need the guidance of the Holy Spirit in all that we do. As we turn to the Lord to lead us in the performance of the most mundane daily tasks, we discover that without Him we can do nothing. He cares about every aspect of our lives. If we cannot do the mundane 'as unto the Lord,' then we will never be used to perform the 'mighty deeds.'

The flesh cannot go beyond superficially complying with our Lord's commandments to us. Jesus said, "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" Matthew 5:44. I say superficially, because man's basic nature from birth on is consumed with the protection and preservation of self. We may succeed in maintaining a pious appearance, but God sees our heart and knows our true motivation.

Today we are seeing the fruit of what full-blown apostasy looks like. We turn our eyes to men for answers to life's questions, rather than seeking the Lord. We judge by carnal standards, lifting up our achievements, what we have built, how many followers we have, how much knowledge we possess, mistakenly presuming that God places the same value on our accomplishments that we do. We prefer to believe that there is some 'good thing' is us... that we can use for God's glory, rejecting the idea that nothing we can ever make or build or do in our own strength and ability will ever be truly righteous before God. We are much more prone to rejecting the entire notion that God would require the death of self... if we would be holy. We might accept that Paul meant it when under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit he stated: "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not" Romans 7:18. But we have a much harder time believing that the same principle applies to us and our efforts as well, even though Jesus clearly said... "It is the Spirit Who gives life [He is the Life-giver]; the flesh conveys no benefit whatever [there is no profit in it]. The words (truths) that I have been speaking to you are spirit and life" John 6:63.

We cannot reject Christ's words, and still claim to be in possession of His Life. We cannot do what we want, or what seems right in our own eyes with Jesus teachings, and still be 'found pleasing in His sight.' Our life is what others see, and our actions reveal far more than our flowery speeches. Our life is a testimony of our walk with the Lord... revealing our true relationship or lack thereof, far more clearly than our words. "Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men" 2 Cor. 3:2. Many start out on the right path only to step off onto 'another way'...one that seems more reasonable and acceptable. The fact that we are extremely creative in justifying our 'works' before men and God, does not alter the reality that our 'works' are empty... devoid of heavenly spiritual life if the Holy Spirit is not the source of power working through us. There are many spirits at work in the world today, falsely claiming to be of God. We should bear in mind, that false spirits have no qualms about quoting chapter and verse... to their own ends. Deception is at an all-time high in this hour. "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived" 2 Timothy 3:13, and "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" James 1:22.

Are you beginning to see why we so desperately need to make full use of our continuity tester? We must exercise our spiritual senses if we would learn to discern good from evil. When Jesus said Matthew 24:24, "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" ...He was warning us of just how very good these deceivers would be. They cannot be detected except by the witness of the Holy Spirit. Every other tool at our disposal will ultimately fail us. Consider our Lord's words to us: "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever" John 14:16.

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you" John 14:26.

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

"Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you" John 16:7.

"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" John 13:34-35.

"Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice" John 13:38.

We have already entered into a day and hour, when this same question may be put to us at any moment... "will you lay down your life for me?" And just as with Peter, He already knows what our response will be. "That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being..." Acts 17:27-28.

Are we fluent in giving lip service and exceeding the expectations of other people... confident that we are also impressing God with our knowledge and efforts? If so, we may want to reconsider just what spirit we are moving in. Jesus told us what we need to do... "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see" Revelations 3:18.

God's requirements of man have not changed throughout the ages... "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" Micah 6:8.

"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these" Mark 12:30.

"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world" 1 John 4:1.

Each one of us bears the responsibility of testing the spirits, not only in others but in ourselves as well. Errors in others are easily seen. When it comes to examining our own hearts is where our vision is often times distorted. The 'new life in Christ' we have been called to... is a life lived in the Spirit. It goes far beyond what we say or do, it is what we ARE. When we are moving in the Holy Spirit, there is fruit that will remain. The anointing, speaking in tongues and outward manifestations are all things that our flesh participates in, but they are simply vehicles to an end. They are gifts and tools that God has given us to use, that we might 'grow up' in Christ Jesus. Religion often treats them as being the most we can hope to experience, putting the emphasis upon the outward manifestations, while neglecting the life that they are meant to bring us into. Many receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and are told that they now have it all. Consequently, these souls often stop seeking to know God more. Instead they become immersed in 'works' and 'activities,' assured that they are doing God great service. When our focus becomes diverted from worshiping God in all things, giving HIM the pre-eminence in our hearts and minds, we have succeeded in becoming religious, but we are not reflections of Christ. We have an interruption in the line.

Continuity means: the fact of staying the same, of being consistent throughout, or of not stopping or being interrupted. How much continuity is evidenced in our lives? Just as a wire carries the electric current from the power source to the light bulb, so we as believers are called to be the spiritual conduit between God and our fellow man. Our flesh, the things of this world, will all cause an interruption in our connection. Without this direct connection it is impossible to do anything for God.

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is" 1 John 3:2.

"No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world" 1 John 4:12-17.