It is important to know the source from which we speak, either by the Spirit of Truth or from the world’s viewpoint. Some in the Church have leaned dangerously close to the latter and are diminishing the message about the distinctiveness of Jesus Christ.

John defined an anti-Christ spirit and how we should respond to that spirit when it manifests in our lives. Before we engage an anti-Christ spirit it is important to confirm in our minds one important fact, “You have already won a victory over those people” (I John 4:4). That understanding and the confidence it brings will help us know how to address people by speaking to them in humility about the Lord and what He has accomplished.

The victory over the untruth that is being proclaimed by an anti-Christ spirit comes from a realization that “The Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world” (I John 4:6). Whenever we address an anti-Christ spirit, no matter how well-educated or informed it might sound, words of God’s truth will always be able to overcome any well-crafted argument. When truth is spoken in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, miracles of transformation are released whenever we speak. No message of deception can hinder that kind of transformation.

Those who speak an anti-Christ message “Speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them” (vs. 5). An earthly viewpoint may draw an agreeing audience but will not introduce people to Jesus because their arguments are sourced from a worldly viewpoint that is unable to change a person’s heart.

When we proclaim the name of Jesus and His uniqueness, a remnant will agree with what is spoken, as it was for Paul after he preached in Athens. When Paul spoke, he knew he was speaking from a place of victory in Christ. He knew the Spirit of God would enliven his words. Paul did not have to stress out over the mental, emotional, or spiritual condition of his audience. That understanding created a peace in Paul’s heart enabling him to speak the truth never compromising God’s word.

The words that come from that kind of message will sever the cords of bondage that are holding people captive to an anti-Christ spirit.