excellent way" in which the gifts are used. The gifts become a channel through which God's
love can flow to those around us. Love is the key to using spiritual gifts effectively.
A WARNING: SATAN'S COUNTERFEIT
Satan counterfeits the gifts of the Holy Spirit. A counterfeit is something that imitates something
real, but it is not genuine. Satan is a deceiver. The Bible says he sometimes even appears as an
angel (II Corinthians 11:14). In the final days of time, there will even be a Satanic counterfeit of
Christ called the antichrist (I John 2:18,22).
Much counterfeiting of the gifts is accomplished through the occult. For example, the word of
knowledge is counterfeited by witches pretending to foretell the future and the unknown. A
witch is a person who seeks to know things and perform acts through supernatural sources other
than God. Their source is Satan. Counterfeiting of the gift of discerning of spirits is done by
mind reading.
Even miracles are counterfeited by Satan (Exodus 7) and will be performed by the antichrist
(Revelation 13:14). The Bible also speaks of false prophets (Acts 13:6-12). The question is,
how do you distinguish the counterfeit from the real?
The counterfeit does not fulfill the Scriptural purposes of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Read
again Ephesians 4:12-15. Any true gift of the Holy Spirit will accomplish these spiritual
purposes and objectives.
Counterfeit gifts do not agree with what the Bible teaches about Jesus. When anyone ministers a
gift, what do they say about Jesus? Does it agree with the written Word of God?
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his
subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in
Christ.For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached,
or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel,
which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
(II Corinthians 11:3-4)
You can also recognize counterfeiters by their personal characteristics. These are listed in II
Peter 2 and the book of Jude. Study these chapters in your Bible to help you distinguish the real
from the counterfeit.