― Pedro Okoro, Crushing the Devil: Your Guide to Spiritual Warfare and Victory in Christ
Holy Swagger. Over the last year I have felt like I was driving a bus unable to travel less than 50 mph or it would blow up. Since I told my story, the bus has doubled it's speed and I have no control. It feels great. That was the problem, I wasn't allowing God to drive when things got a little scary. Those were the times He most definitely should have been behind the wheel.
In the last 10 days I have heard more stories of pain and healing than I ever dreamed. I'm seeing people in the places I was in the last year and people being set free. I have seen people healed physically and was even blessed to take part. There is something amazing when you feel the power of God run through you and restore a person's hearing. I had no idea God was straightening out my life so He could mess me up so good. I am amazed by His love and His power. But I have to admit, it's the emotional healing I love the most. To hear people talk of their painful pasts and how God loved them into wholeness. I have new friendships that blow me away and a new love for friends I have had for years. I have a willingness to risk being hurt and that's just weird. I don't even know who I am, or should I say, I finally know who I am, but I don't recognize me.
The thing God has been talking to me about the last couple days, I haven't quite figured out yet. Maybe I am trying to make it too complicated. Writing it out usually brings it in to focus. I had written a few days ago about a demon being attached to a child when they are molested. This demon's role is to attract people to the victim. This can happen into adulthood. The victim becomes familiar and comfortable even needing the attention and continues abusing themselves and destroying others. It makes sense to me. Perfect sense.
I was reminded of something this morning. How many times as believers do we see it in others. There is something in their eyes. For instance we meet someone and chat with them and we wonder to ourselves if they are a believer. We can almost be sure of it. We aren't all that surprised when we find out they are. It happens to me all the time. Several times this last year it has been revealed that people I have met or even known for awhile are fellow believers. I think that's Jesus in their eyes.
So what about the person who says they are a believer and does things believers do, but something leaves us a little unsettled about them? There is someone like this in my life. This person is very critical and negative, yet always correcting other believers for being the same way. This person talks down to people, unless it is someone in authority then this person scrambles to serve them. I battled with this for a long time. I finally asked God straight out, what is going on? He revealed a demon attached to this person. This was a process, because I really didn't want to believe it. Who wants to believe a Christian can have a demon attached to them? But I did.
So what about that really good person who wants nothing to do with God? The ones who you pray for all the time because they are good people and we want them with us for eternity? We get no bad gut feeling around them, even though they are not believers.
What does this all mean? I believe this is discernment we are born with. I believe God gives us the gift of discernment from birth and our life traumas and orchestrated events by the enemy can distort our ability to "read people". How many times have we seen babies afraid of someone for no obvious reason? It may just be a beard or something that scares them, but other times it is obvious they are seeing something we are not. How many times have we heard an adult say, "I really thought she/he was a good person"? I guess what this all comes down to is the enemy's lies. We think we know, but we all need to pray for more discernment. Sometimes good people are fighting off bad spirits and some times bad people are imitating good. In the days ahead the trickery and the lies from the enemy are only going to increase. There is desperation in his attempts to fool us, because he knows his days are numbered and he knows the truth of the Bible. He knows how this ends and he is not going to give up until the last moment. God is the only one who can help us with discerning spirits, whether it is the spirit of a person or an angel, good or evil. Just remember, 1/3 of the angels fell with Satan. That means we have 2/3 on our side. That's 2 to every one. Also we have the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit on our side. With odds like that I understand why Christ laughs in the face of His enemy. We should too. When the enemy tries to tempt you, laugh. You can fake it at first and it will come to you. Just imagine the battlefield and how pathetic he looks. See, God created the angels, so why would the enemy be stronger than Him? It reminds me of a small child in a Halloween mask growling in a little squeaky voice trying to scare an adult. One big "Boo" and the child runs off in tears. Even if he believes the mask is scary, he knows what's behind it. He knows how small he is.
“There is nothing more important than your eternal salvation.”
― Kirk Cameron
I was reminded of something this morning. How many times as believers do we see it in others. There is something in their eyes. For instance we meet someone and chat with them and we wonder to ourselves if they are a believer. We can almost be sure of it. We aren't all that surprised when we find out they are. It happens to me all the time. Several times this last year it has been revealed that people I have met or even known for awhile are fellow believers. I think that's Jesus in their eyes.
So what about the person who says they are a believer and does things believers do, but something leaves us a little unsettled about them? There is someone like this in my life. This person is very critical and negative, yet always correcting other believers for being the same way. This person talks down to people, unless it is someone in authority then this person scrambles to serve them. I battled with this for a long time. I finally asked God straight out, what is going on? He revealed a demon attached to this person. This was a process, because I really didn't want to believe it. Who wants to believe a Christian can have a demon attached to them? But I did.
So what about that really good person who wants nothing to do with God? The ones who you pray for all the time because they are good people and we want them with us for eternity? We get no bad gut feeling around them, even though they are not believers.
What does this all mean? I believe this is discernment we are born with. I believe God gives us the gift of discernment from birth and our life traumas and orchestrated events by the enemy can distort our ability to "read people". How many times have we seen babies afraid of someone for no obvious reason? It may just be a beard or something that scares them, but other times it is obvious they are seeing something we are not. How many times have we heard an adult say, "I really thought she/he was a good person"? I guess what this all comes down to is the enemy's lies. We think we know, but we all need to pray for more discernment. Sometimes good people are fighting off bad spirits and some times bad people are imitating good. In the days ahead the trickery and the lies from the enemy are only going to increase. There is desperation in his attempts to fool us, because he knows his days are numbered and he knows the truth of the Bible. He knows how this ends and he is not going to give up until the last moment. God is the only one who can help us with discerning spirits, whether it is the spirit of a person or an angel, good or evil. Just remember, 1/3 of the angels fell with Satan. That means we have 2/3 on our side. That's 2 to every one. Also we have the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit on our side. With odds like that I understand why Christ laughs in the face of His enemy. We should too. When the enemy tries to tempt you, laugh. You can fake it at first and it will come to you. Just imagine the battlefield and how pathetic he looks. See, God created the angels, so why would the enemy be stronger than Him? It reminds me of a small child in a Halloween mask growling in a little squeaky voice trying to scare an adult. One big "Boo" and the child runs off in tears. Even if he believes the mask is scary, he knows what's behind it. He knows how small he is.
“There is nothing more important than your eternal salvation.”
― Kirk Cameron
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