I have no idea how many spirits are surrounding me at any given time but I know what KIND of spirits they are. Every one of them lies to me on a continual never-ending basis. They are:
The Spirits of Doubt – these lying spirits are always telling me to doubt that what I hear from the Lord is coming from Him. They want me to believe that these wise and kind words of love are coming from my own flawed mortal mind. They want me to doubt that I will ever achieve the things that the Lord has promised me if im diligent. They tell me that I don’t have the strength to resist the temptations of the devil and his minions.
The Spirits of Envy- when astounding things happen to my friends, I am so excited as though it were actually happening to me. I get so happy for them and want to hear all about their amazing news. And then, after ive told all of my other friends about how great things are going for everyone but me, the spirit of envy swoops in and asks, “when will YOU have that? you’ve been promised…you should have it by now…unless… the little sins that you commit every day are keeping you from your blessings. Youll never reach the level of righteousness that will bring blessing to you. Youre too sinful. All youll ever be able to do is look at their blessing and WISH your life was like theirs."
The Spirits of Procrastination- Evil spirits who lie and contradict themselves when they tell me that the smaller sins don’t matter in the great scheme of things. They tell me that I have time and that the righteousness will come tomorrow. Its okay to talk bad about that girl- one last time. Its okay to lust after the guy on tv- one last time. Its okay to watch tv instead of going to bed- itll only be for 30 mins MAX. Its okay to eat some more pizza- this ONE slice cant hurt; you just have to moderate yourself; if you don’t eat it, itll go to waste and youll be throwing money into the trash. Its ok- one last time.
The Spirits of Despair- the spirits that are telling me that theres no use in getting up early, something ELSE will make me late anyway. Ill miss the bus; forget my keys and have to go back; I accidently scheduled the appointment on a completely different day. Something WILL go wrong. So why bother? Theres no point in looking for a job. Youll apply for various positions and no one will hire you bc you have sickle cell. And even if you don’t tell them that you have scd, they’ll fire you as soon as they find out. Even if you never get sick again. The economy is bad and youll never find a job. Youre over-qualified. Youre under-qualified. You have a cocky attitude. You don’t have enough confidence. It’s a college town and no one pays very much money anyway. Youll never be financially independent anyway, no one is- so why bother? Whats the point? Stay in bed. Watch tv. Watch other people’s lives. Theyre much more amusing anyway.
Im beginning to see how they work and how they think. Im beginning to remember to ask myself “who would want me to think/do such a thing?” what spirit would tell me that its okay to watch more tv? What spirit would tell me that I shouldn’t fast today because im not righteous enough? What spirit would tell me that its okay for me not to pray before bed if im too tired?
But the spirit has not altogether left me. He tells me the truth of all things and I can easily banish the familiar spirits---
“I know who you are. You don’t scare me. I am a daughter of the LIVING GOD. I was a princess bf I came to this earth and will become a queen before I leave it. Ultimately, my role as a goddess will blind your feeble eyes and you wont be able to stand my presence, let alone come close enough to tempt me. So, in the name of Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of the Eternal Father, I command you to depart hence.”
Works every time.
Thank you Jesus.
