Be on the Alert!
1 Peter 5:6-8: Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
I often get calls from people that are troubled. You might say they are anxious about one thing or another. Some were anxious because they had dreams that bothered them and troubled their minds. Others were troubled because of events that were happening in their household or the household of their extended family.
Not always, but much of the time, after listening to the dreams and the events that are happening it is very clear that spiritual powers are at work. It is amazing how long an evil spirit can work in our homes and churches sowing discord before anyone recognizes what is happening.
If we are growing spiritually, we should become more alert and aware of our surroundings, especially if evil spirits are at work. From my own past experience, the church does very little teaching or preparing people to recognize this spiritual warfare and how to deal with it properly. Not to point a finger at the pastors, most of them don’t recognize the problem and were never really taught how to deal with it themselves. The enemy does a wonderful job of keeping the church ignorant in some very important areas. You cannot teach something to others when you know nothing of it yourself.
If you want to learn how to discern and deal with these spirits that are so subtle, become acquainted with the Holy Spirit, and ask Him to teach you how to stand firm and defeat these foul spirits. Why do you need the Holy Spirit? Without his help you don’t stand a chance to defeat these spiritual beings.
Most Christian people know very little about these spirits. We should be very knowledgable. And we suffer loss in our home and churches because of a lack of knowledge. We find that in this type of spiritual attack the responsibility does not rest on the church or pastor. It rest on each one of us to be on the alert as the Holy Spirit warns us, through the dreams and circumstances, that these spirits are prowling through our homes looking for someone to devour.