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IMPOSTERS Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of
The story is told that Emperor Napoleon III of France offered a prize to anyone who could make a satisfactory butter substitute to feed his army. The result was a combination of vegetable oils and animal fat that evolved into the product known today as margarine. Although this inventive spread had the taste and texture of butter, its gray-white color made it unappetizing to the masses. Only after yellow food dyes were added to the manufacturing process did the product gain broad acceptance. The addition of yellow food coloring made it difficult to distinguish margarine from butter by its appearance. As recently as the mid-1960s it was impossible to buy colored margarine in the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin, due to strong opposition from the dairy industry. The manufacturing of margarine has increased in sophistication over the years to package its enhanced color with improved texture and taste. Now only someone with discerning taste buds can tell the difference between these two popular spreads. It’s easy to mistake margarine for the real thing! Imposters on the food front are one thing; imposters in the spiritual realm are another. Food manufacturers expend considerable resources and effort to test food products, analyze their content, and ensure their safety. The apostle John suggests that we make a similar effort in the spiritual realm: “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4 :1). But such careful testing of the spirits is not done from a distance, nor can it be done in ignorance. John goes on in
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