Slain in the Spirit

Slain:  people who have been slain, dead, killed.

We all have heard the phrase 'slain in the spirit.'  A preacher lays hands on someone-or sometimes not-and then the people fall to the ground, out in somewhat of a 'trance,' supposedly by way of the Holy Ghost.

While 'slain in the spirit,' it is said that the people in a trance are hearing from God...that God is delivering that person from afflictions or bondages of all kinds.  So this practice has been accepted, along with all its various forms.

The word 'trance' is not used often in the Bible, a total of 5 times.  The last time is in the Book of Acts 22:17, when God instructed the Apostle Paul to leave Jerusalem.

The Greek word for trance used here is 'ekstasis,' which means 'a throwing of the mind out of its normal state, alienation of mind, whether such as makes a lunatic or that of a man who by some sudden emotion is transported as it were out of himself, so that in this rapt condition, although he is awake, his mind is drawn off from all surrounding objects and wholly fixed on things divine that he sees nothing but the forms and images lying within, and thinks that he perceives with his bodily eyes and ears realities shown him by God;  amazement, the state of one who, either owing to the importance or the novelty of an event, is thrown into a state of blended fear and wonderment.'

The word 'ekstasis' is where we get the word 'Ecstasy' today.

As we all know, the drug Ecstasy. Ecstasy is a drug that elevates the mood.  It is used at parties called 'raves' where kids take it so that they can party for up to two to three days.  Users of the drug say that it produces profoundly positive feelings, empathy for others, elimination of anxiety, and extreme relaxation.

Or in other words, they are placed in a trance, that is self-induced.

In the Christian world, these trance-like states are said to be moments of prayer and meditation, probably based upon the cases in the Bible where people were in trances.  People have reported receiving messages and special revelations 'from God' while under these 'self-induced' trances.  But I would like to point out that in every case where Balaam, Paul, and Peter were in a trance, the Bible says they were either praying and/or fell into a trance.

The instances in the Word where they were in a trance, in the Old Testament, the Word says that Balaam 'fell' into a trance.  In the instances of Peter and Paul, the Word says they were in prayer before being in a trance.

In both instances, in the Old and New Testament, the trances were brought on by the WILL OF GOD.  They were NOT self-induced trances brought on by the will of man.

It is safe to say that the 'slain in the spirit' movement is a movement self-induced by the hands and will of man.

They are man's yet another attempt to get close to and in communion with God, instead of trusting and relying upon THE HOLY GHOST to give the unction and initiate it.

Whenever we step into the realm of trying to 'make something happen'-even if it's get in communion with God, or to hear from God-we fall into the arena of error and deception that the enemy can EASILY imitate.

The instances of being in a trance (in the Bible) that were induced by the hand of God are OF GOD.

The instances of being in a trance (in the modern-day churches today) where someone in 'slain in the spirit' are-for the most part-NOT OF GOD.

How can I say that?

Because anything that is not initiated in the genuine SPIRIT OF GOD BY THE WILL OF GOD is of the devil.

People who are 'slain in the spirit' are always done so by the motion of someone's hands or by the direct laying on of hands.  Nowhere in the Bible do we ever see an account where someone is 'slain in the spirit.'

And when you have people open up themselves to the things that are (seemingly) of the spirit that is induced by the hands of men, those people are opening up themselves to the demonic realm.

Tell me:  why would someone knowingly open up themselves to something ungodly and demonic-yet they say they are 'seeking after God' or 'wanting to hear a word from God?'

Most of the time, most people who allow themselves to be 'slain in the spirit' do so ignorantly, not knowing what they are allowing into their spirits.  I can tell you...having been saved over 20 years-and actively in ministry for over 5-I have seen plenty of cases where some were slain in the spirit.  I MYSELF have been 'slain in the spirit.'  And in just about every case, either myself or the others who I knew who had hands laid on them and they were 'slain in the spirit' got up off the floor WORSE OFF then what they were before!

If you want to know the benefits of something (in the Spirit), you have to take time to examine the FRUIT OF IT.  And fruit does not just automatically pop up out of the ground or on the tree.  Even Jesus gave the fig tree ample time to bear fruit (the average life expectancy of the fig tree is hundreds of years) in Matthew 21 before He decreed it to wither up and die due to fruitlessness.  So it takes time to wait, watch and see if the fruit of various things that we have allowed in the Body of Christ will be good or bad.

If no fruit is yielded-or bad fruit is borne out of it-then clearly that means it was NOT OF GOD.

And whatever is not of God eventually leads to death.  So it is with being 'slain in the Spirit.'