“The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” – 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 NIV
Here we see that just because something miraculous happens doesn’t mean that it came from God. Satan can work miracles too and do wonderful signs as the man of lawlessness. A lot of churches and church folk based their belief on miracles happening and that’s how they tell that God is working. But this clearly, based on this passage, can lead to one being led by Satan and his followers. We need to focus less on miracles and supernatural things and more on the fruits of our actions and the fruits of things because they are better indicators. Galatians speaks to Godly fruit:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” – Galatians 5:22-23 NIV
If something produces this type of fruit then it is from God, but if it doesn’t, then it may not be. James speaks to demonic wisdom and is effects:
“But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.” – James 3:14-16 NIV
Demonic wisdom produces envy, selfish ambition, and disorder not to mention a denial of the truth. If you find these characteristics in a situation, then you know the situation is not of God and that it’s not producing Godly fruit. Again, all of this is to say that miracles and spiritual things are not good indicators of what is godly and good, fruit is.
