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one thing that you should be aware of in
this life is that there is a physical
world
and there is a spiritual realm
and oftentimes what happens in the
spiritual realm is manifested in the
physical realm
think about this for a moment
in the bible
when the disciples failed to cast out a
demon
jesus told them that this kind can only
come out by prayer
and fasting
in other words
you need to win in the spiritual world
first before you can win it in the
physical world
praying and fasting are spiritual
matters that can bring tangible results
in the physical world
and so with this understanding i want
you to know that a lot of the time
when we're facing unexplainable
difficulties or what appears to be an
abnormal trial
we are in fact being attacked
in the spirit
and i want you to know that
people can be possessed
by demons
people can be oppressed
by demons
people can even operate and function
under the influence of demons
in fact
demons are cunning
they can have complete control over one
aspect of a person's life
that's why you'll find people who you
thought you knew
will come out with the most horrific
scandals and commit unspeakable acts
they would have what i call hidden
demons
these are clever demons that don't
really show themselves in the open but
operate only behind closed doors in
darkness and secrecy
now i want to talk about a few things
you should look out for when it comes to
recognizing demonic activity
these are key things that can help you
to recognize whether someone is under
demonic influence
one of the clearest signs of demonic
activity is when someone has a
supernatural ability concerning the
future
demons are the driving force behind
divination and fortune telling
and divination is the practice of
seeking knowledge of the future or the
unknown by supernatural means
so how do we know that demons give such
an ability
well
in acts chapter 16 paul and silas
encounter a girl who was possessed by a
spirit of divination
this girl could foretell the future and
the bible says in acts 16 verse 16 to 18
as we were going to the place of prayer
we were met by a slave girl who had a
spirit of divination and brought her
owners much gain
by fortune telling
she followed paul and us crying out
these men are servants of the most high
god who proclaim to you the way of
salvation
and this she kept doing for many days
paul having become greatly annoyed
turned and said to the spirit i command
you in the name of jesus christ to come
out of her
and it came out that very hour
this girl had a demonic spirit that gave
her the ability to fortune tell the
future and discover hidden knowledge and
this spirit had
to be cast out
so be warned
do not ever get involved with anyone who
has this type of demonic influence
as children of god
we are not to consult or involve
ourselves with soothsayers fortune
tellers palm readers or even astrologers
deuteronomy 18 verse 10 explicitly
states
there shall not be found among you
anyone who burns his son or his daughter
as an offering
anyone who practices divination or tells
fortunes or interprets omens or a
sorcerer
now the second sign you should look out
for when identifying if someone is
operating under a demonic spirit is when
that person is volatile and
uncontrollable
this is when you see someone who is
demon possessed will often be
uncontrollable volatile and appear to
have supernatural strength
needing multiple people to restrain them
mark chapter 5 verse 2 to 4 says
and when jesus had stepped out of the
boat immediately
there met him out of the tombs a man
with an unclean spirit
he lived among the tombs and no one
could bind him anymore not even with a
chain
for he had often been bound with
shackles and chains but he wrenched the
chains apart and he broke the shackles
in pieces
no one had the strength to subdue him
note how the bible says
no one could bind him
he had often been bound with shackles
and chains and he tore apart the chains
and broke the shackles into pieces
and no one was strong enough to subdue
and tame him
this volatile and uncontrollable
behavior is a clear sign of demonic
influence
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this behavior is completely the opposite
to what the word of god teaches
god's word teaches us to be slow to
anger
god's word teaches us to have
self-control
god's word tells us to be full of love
and peace
but when demons enter
they have one objective
that objective
is to wreak havoc
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now the third sign you should be aware
of to recognize demonic influence is
when someone claims to have hidden
secret spiritual knowledge or teachings
to explain it another way
be careful of people who claim to have
some type of knowledge inspired by a
spiritual entity
when you listen to people like this
you're in dangerous territory because
this is the realm of false teachings and
false doctrines
the bible says in first timothy chapter
4 verse 1 it says
now the spirit expressly says that in
latter times
some will depart from the faith by
devoting themselves to deceitful spirits
and teachings of demons
people often make the mistake of
thinking that demon possession means
violence and strange noises
but let me tell you demonic possession
can be subtle
it can be undercover
just like the devil masquerades like an
angel of light
a person under the influence of evil can
be disguised as an angel of light
or they can come to you under a false
pretense but yet be a wolf in sheep's
clothing
you need to be prayerful
and filled with the holy spirit so that
you can be discerning
people who are possessed by demons will
teach false doctrines
they will never speak of the pure gospel
of jesus christ
they will never speak
preach or teach about the gospel of
repentance
the bible explicitly tells us to not
believe every spirit but test the
spirits to see whether they are from god
for many false prophets have gone out
into the world
as christian men and women of god we are
to be discerning hearers discerning
observers
and discerning readers of all messages
you can only test the spirits when you
know the word of god
when you know the holy spirit that way
you will be able to discern that which
is true and that which is false
so i encourage you to be diligent
and seek to know the lord and his ways
so that you will never be deceived
let the word of god be a lamp
and a light
to your path
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you