Good comments

Here are some great comments from friends regarding false teaching:

"First time I saw him (Todd Bentley) in a video I could feel evil spirits off of him. He is a truly an evil man. This was an excellent post. Way to discern!"

"Lisa Bedrick, when we measure a person's talk and action against the Word of God, they'd better match up!  I totally agree with you about your assessment.  I've never heard, nor heard of, the man.  But if someone is "soaking" all day, but not immersing themselves in the Word, they can easily open themselves up to doctrines of evil.  These "holy" men give the true holy men a very bad reputation.  That's the intention of the enemy - to cause confusion, so we get baffled and befuddled and deceived.  I attended a meeting very recently where the leader (whom I respect) was up on stage praying and asking God's Spirit to move in our midst.  However, there was someone else leading the worship music, and it was a hypnotic drone of the same chorus and same chords, over and over and over and over again, putting people into a trance.  Then the worship leader started twirling around, and said that everyone else should be twirling too, or else they were not free in the Spirit.  Everything in me said "NO WAY!  This is a post-hypnotic suggestion!"  The Lord gave me a vision -- I saw a portal opened to the spirit realm, and demons were entering into the room through the portal.  My husband, who has a very keen discernment, nudged me and said, "I've got to get out of here!  There are demons all over this place!"  So we left.  The next day, a pastor friend of ours (who had been sitting behind us that night) asked us for feedback about the meeting.  We told him our experience.  He said he left five minutes after us, because he was feeling evil, and felt like he was having a heart attack.  Sadly, the leader is someone we respect, and yet, she did not sense what was going on in the spirit realm.  Mind you, all three pastors (the one I mentioned, and my husband and I) are "charismatic", if you want to label us.  Being charismatic is not the issue.  It is operating outside the Word of God that is the problem.  The enemy is very, very subtle and sly, and even the elect can be deceived.  TEST EVERYTHING against the Word!"

"You're absolutely right about Todd Bently, Lisa.

At one time I was quite impressed with Bentley. At the time I was attending a non-denominational church that leaned toward Word of Faith. I had bought a teaching CD of Bentley's called "Baptisms of Fire" from Rick Joyner's MorningStar Ministries. I don't recall why I bought that teaching because up to that point I had never heard of Bentley. This was around late 2006 or early 2007. At the time I was really impressed with the teaching and began following Bentley's ministry online. I never did read the book you referenced, though I recall it being advertised on Bentley's ministry website, and I ate everything up that he wrote in his ministry blog and listened to a lot of his mp3's. Looking back it is a little embarrassing because I just believed all kinds of kooky things he said about hanging out with the Apostle Paul in his log cabin in heaven, or having visions of King David dripping with oil. I suppose now that at the time I was hungry in an unhealthy way for supernatural experiences, and I wanted more, just as you describe Bentley.

I was not at all surprised by Bentley being the central figure in Lakeland. The NAR/Elijah List types I followed then had been hyping some new revival on the horizon (as they always are). I and some men at my church discussed visiting the revival.

Our senior pastor was suspicious of Bentley from the start. Of course, he turned out to be correct. Bentley's adultery and drunkenness was exposed shortly. The positive outcome was that I became much more discerning of who I listened to, and became interested in apologetics and theology."

Amen!