how to know you're in the presence of evil it's not like a dark cloud appears and the room suddenly feels icy and cold so how does a child of god know when they are in the presence of evil well there can be an uneasiness within you you will feel strongly compelled by the holy spirit and you will know that you are in the wrong place but how about when the evil is more subtle say it's not so much the atmosphere or the place but rather how do you pick up on evil if it's within a
person how can we as christians pick up on some of the signs that tell us whether or not another person we associate with is being influenced by a demonic or unclean spirit and you really have to be in the lord in order to pick this up because it's not obvious to the naked eye everyone looks normal and presentable on the outside everyone cleans up dresses up so well on the outside but internally they could be in a sorry wretched evil state so how can you and i identify the kinds of people we should associate with
and develop relationships with the first group of people that you should avoid and beware of are those who embrace their sin these are the people who still enjoy and indulge in sinful activity and we should avoid such people because the bible warns us against this the amplified translation for first corinthians chapter 5 verse 11 says but actually i have written to you not to associate with any so-called christian brother if he is sexually immoral or greedy or is an idolater devoted to anything that takes the place of god or is a reveler who insults or
slanders or otherwise verbally abuses others or is a drunkard or a swindler you must not so much as eat with such a person the bible here is clearly telling us not to keep company with those who indulge in sin there is a clear difference between someone who is struggling with sin and someone who indulges in sin for those who indulge in sin the bible instructs us to avoid such a person and not to so much as eat with such a person i believe the bible so explicitly warns us about sinful people like this because they
could very well offer us some of what they are indulging in another type of person that we should avoid is the one described in proverbs chapter 24 verse 1 and 2. the bible reads be not envious of evil men nor desire to be with them for their hearts devise violence and their lips talk of trouble i like that the bible uses the word desire because we can and probably have at some point desire to be with a certain group of people or to fit into a certain circle but the bible is saying if those people
are evil have no desire to be with them and you may be asking what exactly am i classing as evil sin is evil in god's eyes this is why we are told clearly that we should not envy the wealth of the wicked or crave their company we should have no desire to be in the company of self-righteous people or selfish people or prideful people this isn't to say walk around with a judgmental attitude trying to find out people's weaknesses or sins no it simply means be attentive be careful around such people as a child of
god you should know that bad company ruins good morals so you should take every measure to not expose yourself to people who can potentially disturb your walk with god another group of people you should avoid at all costs are those with a religious spirit a religious spirit is a demonic spirit that influences a person to replace a genuine relationship with the lord with their works [Music] we should never turn a blind eye to this type of person because they are a danger to our faith someone with a religious spirit is so focused and preoccupied with
the rules the systems and how things ought to be done that they forget about the main thing and that is the lord himself a religious spirit hardens the hearts of people against god and we need to be aware of its subtle influences in second timothy chapter 3 verse 4 to 5 the bible tells us that in the last days men will be treacherous reckless swollen with conceit lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of god having the appearance of godliness but denying its power avoid such people anyone with the appearance of godliness you should avoid now
in saying all of this i am by no means telling you to completely shun them away rebuke them and condemn them this is not the case we are to love our neighbor but some neighbors can be loved from a distance meaning that you pray for them you intercede on their behalf and go before the lord so that they would be set free a true christian will not condemn anyone because they realize that they themselves have been given mercy and so we ought to extend that to others the next time you encounter someone who you should
be avoiding for the sake of your faith this is what you should do the first thing you should do is spend as little time as possible with them the second thing to do is that you should always try and shift the conversation topic to be about the lord about the word of god and about repentance now the third thing is the key thing you ought to do you should pray for them pray for the lord to have mercy on them so that they would see the error of their ways even if we should avoid these
people we can still love them with the love of god there must come a time when you as a believer must decide i will stand strong and follow the word of god regardless of what i will have to give up and who i will have to let go of there comes a time when you have to decide i will stand and do the godly thing i will forgive even when it's hard to do even when i've been hurt there will come a time when you will have to decide to stand in faith even when you
can't see a way out of the situation that you're in now today you may be under attack in some area of your life you have tried everything to resolve it but nothing is working nothing is changing [Music] dear friend this is the time you ought to take a stand and believe believe in the power of the blood of jesus it will break you out of that bondage believe in the power that's in the blood of jesus christ it can set you free it can give you victory and it can loose you from any evil hold
it's time to take a stand with the word of god against the forces of evil stand firm stand in confidence stand in righteousness psalm 56 verse 3 says when i am afraid i put my trust in you and god whose word i praise and god i trust i shall not be afraid what can flesh do to me we need to be men and women who put their trust in the lord and mind you you will only ever be able to stand firm when your trust is secured in the lord so if you feel stuck if
you feel under attack remember that the bible says in psalm 31 verse 24 be strong and let your heart take courage all you who wait for the lord be strong saints and stand in faith as you do this the lord is sure to rescue you and so as children of god i believe i believe that it's time to stand stand up and lift high his royal banner you are an ambassador of the most high stand up to the lies of the enemy stand up with the truth of the gospel stand up with the strength of
the holy spirit stand up in god's strength and i encourage you as you stand in faith pray and ask the lord to be with you as you stand [Music] [Music] you
