Devon Dick

According to The Gleaner report of May 23, Benny Hinn said that Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister, Patrick Manning, is a foolish man.

This assessment of Manning was based on an incident in the PM's office in which one of the PM's aides, a prophetess, wanted to touch Hinn in order to pray for him.

Hinn grabbed the woman's hand in mid-air and told her not to touch him because he did not know the woman and did not know 'what spirit is in her'.

I found Hinn's response to the pro-phetess strange based on his performances on TBN. Hinn has the ability to cause persons to fall backwards on his touch. According to believers, this happens as a result of the work of the Holy Spirit and can lead to healing and other miracles. Therefore, I find it strange that Hinn could not discern what spirit the prophetess had in her.

One of the spiritual gifts is discernment, so he should be able to definitely state whether the woman had an evil spirit or the Holy Spirit. Perhaps he does not have the gift of discernment.

However, it is important to heed the advice of Hinn and be careful of the spirit in some persons who want to be engaged in the laying of hands. The Epistle of John also warns us about false prophets and encourages Christians to test the spirits.

I am still amazed how Hinn's action of touching persons causes them to fall backwards and thereafter leading to some miracle. There is no precedent in the Bible for that.

Once a minister of religion told me that the phenomenon was similar to John being slain in the Spirit on the Isle of Patmos.

However, nobody touched John. Furthermore, what is the purpose or significance of falling backwards?

Persons need to test the spirits. On the same TBN channel, I took notice of spirit-filled evangelist Dave Roeder. He is disfigured and has a false ear. While he was in Jamaica preaching, his ear fell off and the people were astonished.

He said he had to be careful because "Voodoo down there [Jamaica]". He then picked up his false ear and attached it to his head.

The people were amazed thinking that he had done some miracle and many gave their lives to Christ because of that incident.

Purple Heart

Roeder is recognised as a Purple Heart. He said that the United States troops should not be withdrawn from Iraq but must be allowed to finish the job and return home as victors. It is a real funny spirit telling him those things. He related with glee, a message he wrote on a bomb that a pilot was going to use to kill Osama.

Then shortly after Roedor, another Christian came on the station. He said that it was only when we have been attacked then we can respond in self-defence.

The enemy is allowed the first shot and then the retaliation will be justified. I was just getting hopeful that the Spirit of God is leading persons into truth. But then he said that America was justified in invading Iraq because Iraq attacked America first in the 9/11 event.

Obviously, the spirit did not lead him to read the government report that said Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. And then in an inspired moment, he said there can also be 'pre-emptive self-defence'.

That took the cake. It seems that the Holy Spirit in some Christians in the U.S. is a parochial, militaristic spirit.

Christians, test the spirits. It is not every one that says Lord, Lord is of God!