Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry,
For anger rests in the bosom of fools. (Ecclesiastes 7:9)

This post is a continuation of Part One. The Bible tells us to test the spirits that are operating in the Church to see if they are from God. This post will teach you how to identify the bad spirits.

Identifying the evil spirits in the Church

You will need to distinguish the evil spirits that are operating in the Church or congregation. If any of these evil spirits are present, the Lord is not in the midst.

• There is a sense of anger and control coming from the pulpit. Is the Pastor or Evangelist always angry about something e.g. they are mad at members who are not paying tithes? Does he make you feel obligated to him? Do not believe in their so called ‘holy ghost’ anger.
• There is a spirit of pride, haughtiness and a condescending attitude from the pulpit. Does your pastor or evangelist dress in flashy and expensive clothes with expensive jewelry? Do they wear large gold chains around their necks and or flashy rings on their fingers which they wave around abundantly? Is there an air of cockiness in their mannerism and speech? They are always boasting about their accomplishments and blessings from God. Note if God is blessing them so lavishly then all of their members must be equally blessed. God is not partial nor slack concerning his promises (Job 34:19; 2 Peter 3:9). Satan tried to lure Jesus with riches, fame and power if He worshiped him, he will also do the same to you. Note carefully the answer that Jesus gave to him (Matthew 4:8-9).
  

  Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)

• Do you feel fearful, intimidated or ashamed during the sermons? For example, they will tell you that if you do not pay your tithes and offering you are cheap, or you are going to hell. They will also preach to you regularly about the everlasting burning hell and damnation that you will receive if you do not believe in God. Do they make you feel condemned when they preach? Remember God does not condemn (John 3:17; 8:10; Job 15:6; Matthew 12:37). This condemnation refers to denunciation not the judgment of God. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but love, power and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).
• Do you detect the spirit of lust and greed coming from the platform and among the congregation? Are they preaching that when you give money to their ministries you will receive blessings, and all your debts will cancel? Are they always working on a project? As one is completed, immediately they claim that God tells them to start another. Each of these projects requires a massive amount of money and pledges from you. Be careful that they do not send you into bankruptcy. Are they always selling something for example prophecies, books, trinkets, jewelry, clothes,? The Lord said that He will give you enough for you to be satisfied.
  

  And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” (Matthew 21:13)

• Note your pastor’s personal investments. Are they investing in material goods such as planes, luxury cars, businesses, real estate? When they begin to divest in these secular things, they will have less time to spend with God fasting and praying. Their mind will become cluttered with their material goods, and they cannot hear the voice of God speaking to them from their hearts. The Lord states that we should not lay up any treasures on earth where moth and rust corrupts, but we should lay our treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21).

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  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21)

• Is there a homosexual spirit coming from the pulpit or on the worship leaders and musicians? You can detect the homosexual spirit when you see the effeminate, arrogant and foolish behaviors of men and an exaggerated masculinity in the females. Most of these ladies dress only in men clothing.

If any or all of these behaviors is detected in your church in particular among the leaders, then the Lord is not in the midst of that ministry. Note that any bad spirits that are in your leaders will filter down on the congregation and you will always be in bondage.

Therefore, it does not matter how often these prophets or pastors lay their hands on you to deliver you; you will never be free because they are in fact imparting demonic enchantments upon you.

The fruits of the Holy Spirit such as love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, patience and self-control should always be emanating from your pastors and leaders (Galatians 5:22-23). Do not settle for anything less and do not accept their excuse that they are only humans.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law (Galatians 5:22)

How can you identify whether a miracle or healing is from God or Satan?

To answer this question, we need to return to the story of Moses and the plagues of Egypt. After the sorcerers had turned their staffs into serpents, Aaron’s serpent ate their serpents indicating that his was more powerful. Also, Aaron’s serpent was restored to its original form when he took it up by its tail. The magicians could not restore their serpents. Hence, Aarons snake had to eat the others so that they did not become a menace to people.

I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen. (Isaiah 43:20B

Even though the magicians turned water into blood and make frogs appeared on land, Pharaoh had to send for Mosses, not his magicians, to restore the water and also to get rid of the frogs.

The magicians could not turn the dust into lice which indicated that their power was limited. Men were created from the dust of the ground, and the Lord breathed His Spirit into men so that they became a living soul. Only God can make life from the soil.

Thus, it is evident that God’s power is infinite, and when He heals and delivers you, He will also restore all the years that the enemy has stolen from you. Satan may use witchcraft to perform limited miracles, but he cannot restore.

So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. (Joel 2:25)

I have experienced the Lord’s healing and restoration in my life, and you can read about it here.

Children of God I implore you to tests every spirit to see if they are from God because Satan has released a lying spirit in the atmosphere which is deceiving many people.

Do not be foolish brethren but walk as wise discerning the time. If you lack wisdom, ask the Lord for it, and He will give it to you willingly.

Published by Beverley

Beverley has been serving the Lord since she was a child. At an early age, she recognized that God had a special plan for her life, but it was not until in her adulthood that she surrendered her total life to God and accepted the mandate that God placed on her life. The Lord called her into His Kingdom to be an encourager, intercessor, teacher, scribe, priest, and to proclaim the Word of God. Since then, Beverly has established a blog to teach us to become the oil and wine. The oil and wine are purified and mature products, which is the advanced level that the Lord expected of us. In 2017, Beverley published her first book, Harm Not The Oil And Wine. In it, she described her trials and how God helped her to overcome them, and to live more victoriously. The book also exposed the enemy of our souls with detailed information about his past defeats and future extinction. Wright spents most of her time studying the Bible to know the truth of God’s Word. She believes that only God’s truth can expose the deception of the enemy, and uproot and tear down spiritual strongholds. You can learn more about Beverley’s life and testimony on her website becomingtheoilandwine.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Google+ under the name of her blog, and on Twitter as @Theoilandwine. View all posts by Beverley