I was standing next to a lady in our fellowship and began to feel uncomfortable. When I thought upon it, I could sense a disturbance in her spirit. Her outward appearance portrayed a smile and an ease that suggested she was fine but my spirit was saying otherwise. I tried to ignore it but the Spirit in me wouldn’t let it go. So, I asked her what was troubling her. Of course she said “nothing”, but I pushed a bit further. Finally, she admitted that she was hearing a voice that I, as the pastor, was going to make her do something she didn’t want to do.
Now, the thought that I was going to tell her to do a certain thing, had never crossed my mind. Having experienced this many times, I realised I was talking to an opposing spirit. She was a Christian but somewhere she had opened her heart to the demonic and was absorbed with what she might be told to do. She hadn’t stopped to evaluate why she was wallowing in her carnal imaginations. The real fact was that she was the one telling me not to tell her. “Telling” with resistant defiance, is the sign of a demon.
The signs and symptoms
The sign that you are under the spirit of anti-Christ is always … I don’t want to be told what to do, or, you can’t tell me what to do = TELLING. If a righteous authority instructs or corrects you in the Word of God and you say “I don’t like that”, then you are not opposing the authority, you are opposing God, and actually TELLING God how to behave. This opposition can only come from the spirit of anti-Christ. This is the whole reason why society and schools are teaching people to dream what you want and do what you want. The real agenda is not freedom, but to sway people from the rule of Christ.
The real question is … how did she get there?
The answer is always … pride. Pride opens the door to an anti-Christ spirit and gives it licence to manipulate your thinking away from the mind of Christ. This lady is a Christian, but like all of us, if you listen to the voice of pride you will fall to the voices of your carnal imaginations and unwittingly be on the opposing side to Christ. The whole strategy of Satan is to sway your mind away from Christ to yourself.
Biblical examples
King Saul was a Christian who allowed his envy and pride to block his mind against God and ended up opposing righteous David, losing his mind to Satan, and being possessed by a demon.
Judas served Christ as a disciple, was empowered by the Holy Spirit to do signs and wonders, yet allowed his envy and pride to twist his mind against the Saviour, and ended up possessed by Satan.
Samson was empowered by the Holy Spirit, yet let his pride drive him to whoredom in direct contradiction to God’s instructions, and almost lost his soul to hell.
Abram obeyed the instruction of God to kill his only son, without resistance, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Thus, even though he had human weaknesses, he became the father of faith.
David was a Spirit-filled Christian, yet he came under the influence of an anti-Christ spirit when he allowed his pride to suck him into adultery and even murder. When he was corrected by Nathan the prophet he repented and was freed from the demon’s power, unlike king Saul who was only really interested in what others thought of him.
If God’s Word says … do this, but you don’t do it, even though you pretend to, then you are serving the will of the anti-Christ.
In other words, if someone gives you an instruction that conforms to the Word of God and even though you might agree with it but you resist that instruction in your heart, you will unwittingly be in opposition to Christ and thus automatically supporting the camp of the anti-Christ. If you don’t wake up to this, eventually the demon will wholly possess your thinking. You will lose your mind and your salvation.
The real issue
I went on to challenge this lady as to where she had opened the door of pride. She said she didn’t believe she had. I insisted she write it down, and not just try and think it out. It wasn’t long before she realised she had elevated herself over a compliment I had given her about being willing to suffer for the name of Christ. I pointed out that the real issue is never the thoughts or imaginations, nor is it what we fear may happen, nor is it even our pride. Rather, the real issue is …. Christ vs anti-Christ. When you do the opposite to what Christ says, you are supporting the enemy of Christ, and that’s the real issue … which side are you supporting?
Escape
There’s only one way to escape the hold of pride and that is … repent. Trying to work through your imaginations is a waste of time. Repentance of our pride is the only solution against the anti-Christ. Repentance is bringing Christ back into His rightful position in our spirit.
If you can’t get past consistent voices that promote your pride, then it means there’s something in your heart that you won’t give up to God’s will.
Homosexual debate
In Australia, the right of gay marriage is being hotly contested. The real issue hasn’t got anything to do with marriage equality. The real issue is GOD. The real issue is … people hate God because He won’t do what they want, because they want the freedom to sin the way they want. If you don’t want to obey God’s laws, then the easiest solution is to believe there’s no God. Then you can do what you like. This is just the spirit of anti-Christ.
You can argue that the issue is fairness and love equality, but that’s just a lie of Satan. True love is not selfish, neither is it a feeling, it’s an action, and the action of true love is to do what God wants … “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” It’s the action of respect to the Creator to keep His commandments that displays our love. The feelings follow the action. Without the act of obedience, anyone’s love is really the feelings of defiance to God; it’s the fake selfish love of the spirit of anti-Christ.
God is love. Homosexuality is anti-God. Therefore, it is not love but sin and evil. Homosexuality is actually a reaction of hatred against God. Therefore, it is actually Satanic hatred of love under the guise of fairness and equality.
Another experience
A young girl asked her dad for permission to have a kitten. Her father said yes, but first I want you to learn to stop being ‘bossy.’ The girl had a mood of polite silence. When she was confronted about her mood, she replied … “you don’t understand”. Once someone has a mood and then states … “you don’t understand”, then you immediately know you’re up against a demon. If the instruction to the child is based on God’s Word, then any resistance to that instruction is in direct opposition to God. This is the spirit of anti-Christ.
I prayed against the demonic power and sought the Father’s wisdom. With her dad’s permission, I stepped in and pointed out to the child that the issue isn’t a kitten, nor is it sin, nor is it lack of understanding. The real issue is, you’re encapsulated by a demonic spirit as evidenced by the fact that, as the Word of God confirms, your father told you what to do and you won’t do it. Demons oppose God.
If I, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, tell you what to do, and you defy that instruction in your heart, then you are supporting the camp of the anti-Christ. If you support the camp of anti-Christ, then you are being controlled by a demon or demons. God doesn’t defy Himself, demons do. The young girl had her eyes opened, repented of her stubbornness, was freed from the power of a demon, and completely changed her attitude to one of respect and not silent co-operative defiance.
For though we walk in the flesh we do not war after the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. Casting down IMAGINATIONS and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of God. 2 Corinthians 10: 3-6
May God open the eyes of His remnant to see the demonic powers of opposition to His Spirit.
Pastor Raymond Islington
www.e-preacher.org 