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[Announcer] (0:00 - 0:36) Think about the Bible like you never have before. You're listening to Christian Questions. Experience more episodes, videos, and Bible study resources at ChristianQuestions.com.

Our topic is: "Are Monitoring Spirits Watching Us?" Satan is busy. He's not only pushing his own God-dishonoring agenda, but his spirit-being followers are on board with his plans.

How far can Satan and these demons go? Can they really act as monitoring spirits and directly do harm to the lives of faithful Christians? How afraid should we be?

Here's Rick, Jonathan, and Julie.

[Rick] (0:38 - 0:49) Welcome, everyone. I'm Rick. I'm joined by Jonathan, my co-host for over 25 years, and Julie, a longtime contributor, is also with us.

Jonathan, what's our theme scripture for this Episode?

[Jonathan] (0:49 - 1:02) Ephesians 6:12: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."

[Rick] (1:03 - 1:57) Our world can be confusing and scary. Sometimes it's hard to know what's true and sometimes it's hard to know who to trust. For Christians, coping with this uncertainty should always come down to God's word.

What principles are we given in scripture that will shine the sure light of truth on whatever dilemma we perceive to be in our way? Some Christian groups have taken to label much of the rampant darkness of our world as the work of "monitoring spirits." The suggestion here is that these spirits are firmly connected to Satan and their work is overwhelmingly focused on spying on and disrupting the lives of Jesus's followers. As we look into this belief, we will ask the same question that we always ask, that is, what scriptural basis is there for these conclusions?

[Julie] (1:58 - 2:24) Someone wrote to us with this question: "Are monitoring spirits watching us?" We had never heard of the concept. After a little research, we were surprised just how often Christians are discussing it online, so we wanted to make sure our listeners are armed and ready if they encounter such a discussion.

We're going to play excerpts from a YouTube video called "How to Stop Monitoring Spirits from Monitoring You" by Gracely Inspired. We'll let them introduce the topic.

[Soundbite Source 1] (2:24 - 3:20) Imagine a world where every whisper, every secret, every dream you've ever had is under constant surveillance. A realm where unseen eyes and ears are always listening, always watching, always waiting to use your most private moments against you. This is the world of monitoring spirits, and they are always lurking, gathering intel, and working to sabotage God's plans for your life.

In a nutshell, monitoring spirits are demons dispatched by Satan to gather information about you. Their goal is to use anything you carelessly share to disrupt, delay, or even destroy what God wants to do in your life. Now, it's important to understand monitoring spirits are not all-knowing as God is.

Satan and his demons are not omnipresent or omniscient like God, but they possess a cunning ability to network and share information about what they learn and gather. Monitoring spirits thrive on the intelligence they gather about your life, and with this information they feed it back to Satan and his agents.

[Jonathan] (3:20 - 3:40) These are also referred to as "masquerading spirits," likely taken from 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 where it is said Satan himself "masquerades as an angel of light." They are also called "watchers" because allegedly they watch how you do things and who you talk to while you're awake and in your dreams.

[Julie] (3:40 - 3:49) You won't find these terms in the Bible, but we want to bring up the scriptures that people are using to make various assumptions, stating them as fact.

[Rick] (3:49 - 4:37) All right, the question, how scripturally sound are these assumptions? Let's get started with a basic scripture that gives us some sense of context here. The book of Job gives us the sense of the observational and actual power that Satan has.

We're going to suggest that the conversation between God and Satan--and this is in the first chapter of the book of Job--is somewhat allegorical. It is a teaching tool that ultimately shows us Job's faithfulness under great challenge. We're going to go through Job 1:6-12 and there's going to be four major observations we're going to make on these scriptures as we go through. The first observation will be in relation to Job 1:6-7 and this observation is that Satan can see what's going on in the world. Jonathan?

[Jonathan] (4:37 - 5:06) "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, From where do you come? Then Satan answered the Lord and said, From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it." This is interesting. The sons of God, spirit beings, angels, present themselves to God and Satan's with them. Satan is said to have been surveying the earth where he rules.

Satan monitors his kingdom with regularity.

[Julie] (5:07 - 5:39) From a blog called, "How to Discern Monitoring Spirits and Overcome Them as Believers," by Emmanuel Abimbola from Nigeria, this was one of the scriptural proofs that he presents. On this particular text he says, "This implies there are spiritual beings constantly observing and reporting back on our lives, just like a spiritual surveillance network." Now we know that in 1 Corinthians 4:9 the Apostle Paul says that the apostles were a spectacle to the angels, so we do know that spirit beings can see us.

[Rick] (5:39 - 5:59) Okay, true, I have no problem with that last statement whatsoever. Let's look at what the scriptures in Job actually show us, because you have to see the whole picture. The second observation is going to be Job 1:8, and that is those whom God deals with are, in fact, shining examples of faithfulness. Jonathan, Job 1:8:

[Jonathan] (5:59 - 6:17) "The LORD said to Satan, Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil." Here God knows Satan is there to challenge his authority and not to contribute in a positive way.

God will allow this challenge.

[Rick] (6:18 - 6:33) We're going to see that unfold now as we go through to our next section here. We have this shining example thing going on. Now the third observation is that Satan wants to discredit God's blessings given to those who serve Him.

[Jonathan] (6:33 - 6:58) Rick, that's been true throughout mankind's history. Let's read Job 1:9-11: "Then Satan answered the LORD, Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face."

[Julie] (6:58 - 7:13) I love this visual of Job having this godly hedge of protection around him on every side. Satan acknowledges this and challenges God to lift this protection. Job isn't who you think he is, God.

He will turn on You if You just let me at him.

[Rick] (7:13 - 7:33) God looks at this; God is all-knowing. Here's the fourth observation; Satan cannot purposefully meddle in the experiences of God's faithful any time or in any way. God's protection cannot be violated.

Now we need to consider this next part of the scripture very carefully. Jonathan, Job 1:12:

[Jonathan] (7:33 - 8:10) "Then the LORD said to Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him. So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD." Well, God's sheltering protection is evident for those who follow Him. We have so many assurances like Psalm 32:7: "You are my hiding place. You preserve me from trouble." Psalm 91:1: "He who dwells (meaning continuously stays) in the shelter of the Most High (meaning in the hiding place of His presence) will abide in the shadow of the Almighty." And many others. If Satan doesn't have permission, he can't go there.

[Rick] (8:11 - 8:42) That's the key. Satan can knock on your door, but God won't give him the key! That's exactly what we're going to see unfolding here in this Job experience as Job goes through all of the tragedies and difficulties. He would not be allowed in. He could be around, but God has to give permission for anything to happen. Now, fast forward. In this Christian age, we still see Satan as the world's ruler looking to cause trouble for God's people. Some things just don't change in this world.

2 Corinthians 11:14:

[Jonathan] (8:42 - 8:46) "No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light."

[Julie] (8:47 - 9:14) We aren't given a lot of information about how the spirit world works or the extent of their powers. We absolutely believe in and have a healthy respect for the powers of darkness that could easily overpower us puny humans. They will absolutely exploit weaknesses and unguarded areas of our life. That's one of the main reasons we are to have nothing to do with the occult in any way. That would be "peeking over the hedge" and "leaving the protection of God's wings," trying to see what's out there.

[Rick] (9:15 - 9:28) Yeah, that's kind of giving Satan the key. You just don't want to do that. We know that all who serve Satan, both his human and spirit servants, will do the same, looking to cause trouble for God's people.

2 Corinthians 11:15:

[Jonathan] (9:29 - 9:45) "Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds." Satan and his human and spiritual servants seek power to rule and desire obedience from those they have authority over.

[Rick] (9:46 - 9:58) They do. We need to be on guard. We, through our dedication to God's will, can stand in faith, and by standing in faith can firmly resist him. We know this because of 1 Peter 5:7-9:

[Jonathan] (9:59 - 10:29) "...casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world." This is explaining that because we have faith in our Heavenly Father, this gives us the resistance necessary to fight off Satan.

[Julie] (10:29 - 10:41) Quoting from that blog again, "These texts suggest there are spiritual forces actively seeking opportunities to harm and hinder believers." We would agree with that, right?

[Rick] (10:41 - 10:48) Yeah, yeah. Sure. Roaring lions seeking somebody to devour. Absolutely. We do have to be on our guard.

[Julie] (10:49 - 10:59) Let's continue with another soundbite on how these monitoring spirits supposedly work. Allegedly, it's all about our silence so that they can't gain secret information about God's plans.

[Soundbite Source 1] (11:00 - 12:07) The little bits and pieces they collect become like puzzle pieces that start to reveal what God may be up to in certain situations or through specific people. This is why the power of monitoring spirits lies primarily in the secrets we spill without discretion. Satan cannot pervert something that is completely hidden from him.

There must be traces for him to pick up on and piece together. This underscores the importance of learning appropriate times to speak versus times to keep silent. The key to defeating these spirits lies in the power of secrecy.

The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes 3:7 that there is a time for everything under the heavens; a time to speak, and a time to keep silent. This principle is crucial in our battle against monitoring spirits. Just as a military general wouldn't broadcast his plans to the enemy, we must learn to guard the divine revelations entrusted to us.

When God imparts a vision, a dream, or a prophetic word, it's not for public consumption. It's a sacred trust that requires protection. Think of it like this: demons can't read minds or know the future, but they can compare notes. So when you broadcast plans without discretion, you provide ammunition for their agenda against you.

[Julie] (12:08 - 12:35) The premise is they want to know what God's up to and they can't read minds, so they're going to be actively listening to hear if we tell others any secrets God has personally revealed to us. You might tell someone of your progress in an area and it falls apart. These people would say that that means they might have a monitoring spirit attached to them looking to sabotage you, especially if that person is asking too many questions about your future plans.

There's a lot to take apart here, Rick.

[Rick] (12:35 - 13:01) Yeah, there is, and we have to go through it piece by piece. The details, you know, you've heard the phrase, the devil is in the details? Well, that's literally true here, okay?

As we go through, we want to lay it out scripturally. To begin laying it out scripturally, let's check the context, the context of the Ecclesiastes verse, and see how it should be applied. Jonathan, let's look at Ecclesiastes 3, let's just do verses 5-8.

[Jonathan] (13:01 - 13:37) This is from the New Living Translation: "A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace." These are all true statements about the seasons of life.

I'm not seeing anything here that connects to demons. Doesn't this apply to humanity's experience?

[Rick] (13:37 - 14:06) It absolutely does. Now look, he did say we can take the principle of that scripture, but what you're doing is you're... here you go, I'm starting already. You're creating an idea and you're saying, well, here, here's a principle that applies. But that principle is in the everyday life of our being.

Can we take that and apply it to something as far out as the monitoring spirits idea? Stay tuned. We're going to continue to unfold this, because look, Satan is powerful.

No question about it. 2 Corinthians 4:4:

[Jonathan] (14:06 - 14:16) "In whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."

[Rick] (14:16 - 14:52) Alright, the minds of the unbelieving are blinded by Satan. He does have influence, but remember with Job, Satan had to have permission to get involved any further than God would have previously allowed him to.

We understand he is very, very, very powerful. In that soundbite it talked about, you've got to be quiet. You've got to be quiet about the things that are very important to God's plan. Well, did this time to be quiet, did this time for secrecy apply to Jesus? Let's drop in very, very quickly to Jesus in the temptations in the wilderness. Matthew 4:8-10:

[Jonathan] (14:52 - 15:10) "Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to him, all these things I will give you, if you fall down and worship me. Then Jesus said to him, Go Satan! For it is written, YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY."

[Julie] (15:10 - 15:15) If anyone would have a "hedge" of protection around him, it would be Jesus. How was Satan able to get this close to him?

[Rick] (15:16 - 16:08) Jesus made himself vulnerable by going to the wilderness by himself to be with his Heavenly Father. You know that the Father's protection was there and you know that the strength was there through God's spirit, which had just been given to Jesus. Satan was allowed to get close to show the strength of God's power in Jesus. There was a balance of power and God held the keys to that balance. We can see that in Jesus' own reactions. Obviously, Satan was able to observe and respond to Jesus' fasting experiences and was dismissed. Go away, I'm done with you now and Satan left. Did you notice that?

He goes. You see a powerful, powerful balance here, again, through God's grace. Jonathan, so far, let's look at Scriptural Focus Regarding Spiritual Darkness. What do we have?

[Jonathan] (16:09 - 16:23) While Satan poses as a messenger of light and those who follow him do the same, we can already see that those who follow God through Christ stand in a protected place. Satan can only reach as far as God will permit.

[Rick] (16:24 - 16:40) Only as far as God will permit. That is the key thus far. No matter how you understand it, what we're dealing with here is bigger than any of us. The need for scriptural clarity is evident.

[Jonathan] (16:41 - 16:51) With the basic foundation of understanding what Satan can and cannot do, what is our responsibility regarding speaking up or being secretive?

[Rick] (16:51 - 17:18) Alright, this is at the very core of the whole monitoring spirits belief system. This teaching emphasizes that we are specifically being spied on so God's will in our lives will be thwarted and that we have direct control over this. Such a conclusion can be very intimidating. Is this what the scriptures really teach?

[Julie] (17:18 - 17:33) Continuing with our soundbites from Gracely Inspired, they allege that not only do we need to keep quiet about God's plans, but we should keep our blessings to ourselves. Because once the demons find out about them, they want to attack and steal these blessings away from us.

[Soundbite Source 1] (17:33 - 18:11) Have you never noticed that even those who post about their relationship status a lot on social media hardly end up together? This is because every time you announce things unnecessarily, you are also giving the devil an open invitation to come and attack those blessings. This is not to scare you, but it's just the reality.

What blessings, visions, or kingdom assignments have you recently received? Consider until it unfolds, the less said the better. Satan cannot access encounters, blueprints, and blessings until something is spoken, which gives him access.

God shows us things in confidentiality for a purpose. It's on us to stop demonic interference by keeping our lips sealed.

[Julie] (18:11 - 18:28) Okay, I'm starting to get like irritated with this. We're not all huge fans of social media, but where are they getting their statistics on how posting a relationship dooms it and that it's because evil spirits found a way to thwart what you reveal? These are statements without any evidence and no ability to prove.

[Jonathan] (18:28 - 18:44) We aren't quoting these things to scare anyone. We want to confront these allegations head-on because we know the most successful lies have elements of truth. But God hasn't given us the spirit of fear according to 2 Timothy 1-7.

We'll talk more about that later.

[Rick] (18:45 - 19:13) You're right. Our purpose here is to confront this way of looking at things and say, "Hang on, time out, let's go back to Scripture." Because what they're presenting is a massive individual responsibility.

You're given this great light and you're supposed to have this incredible discretion because demons can steal it from you. Think about this. Did Jesus himself ever speak out prophetically? He did many, many, many times. Let's just talk about one small example from Luke 10:17-18:

[Jonathan] (19:13 - 19:31) The seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name. And he said to them, I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning." Here he proclaimed the defeat of Satan long before Satan was defeated. Jesus was fearless.

[Rick] (19:31 - 20:24) He was, he was fearless. He went on to talk about what was going to be happening. He didn't shy away from putting things in order when they needed to be revealed.

He put it out there and was very clear. Now, what did Jesus teach US to do? We're going to take a look at a small part of the Sermon on the Mount to directly address our responsibilities in terms of our being spokespersons for Christ, if you will.

With each point we go through--and there's going to be three points here that we're going to be looking at-- with each point we want to ask, is Jesus teaching us to respond with secretive silence or with outward demonstrations of Christianity? Our first point--we're going to go to Matthew 5:11-12 for this-- our first point: we are supposed to be persecuted. We are supposed to be falsely accused. Jonathan, Matthew 5:11-12:

[Jonathan] (20:24 - 20:39) "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

[Julie] (20:40 - 20:50) But if we're persecuted for being a Christian, does that mean that God opened up that "hedge" of protection? I really like this image of being "hidden under His wings" and so forth. Why has that protection gone away?

[Rick] (20:50 - 21:23) It hasn't gone away. Being persecuted as a Christian is a reward. That sounds odd, but it's a reward for faithfulness, for strength, for spirituality, because that's where the development comes from. If you want to be developed, you go through the hard stuff.

This is not God saying, I'm not protecting you as much. This is Him saying, I'm protecting you because I am teaching you how to grow into Christ in a stronger way. The second point here: we are important to the world around us as preserving agents in this world. Matthew 5:13:

[Jonathan] (21:23 - 21:55) "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how could it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men." Our message of the gospel is a preserving agent to the principle of life and its sanctity. Salt was an important commodity back then and now. To be "the salt of the earth" is to be a person of exceptional godly character, a person who witnesses as a living sermon. This kind of character has a preserving, stabilizing effect.

[Rick] (21:55 - 22:23) We are supposed to be outward in our stabilizing effect to those around us. This is not something you hide. This is something that is the driving force within you, and we really shouldn't even be able to hold it back, the Christianity within us.

Our third point here: we are on display to the world as the light of the world. Matthew 5:14-16:

[Jonathan] (22:23 - 22:41) "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

[Julie] (22:41 - 23:08) To be "the light of the world" is to be a source of light and truth, but being a light means not only revealing what's in dark places, but it's also a beacon of hope and direction. We are to be the light by reflecting the light of God, and it's pretty obvious that Christians are to be proclaiming God's plan of the Gospel message whenever and wherever they can. But question, what about all those times Jesus told those around him to keep quiet about what was happening?

[Rick] (23:09 - 23:42) Okay, that's a great question because is he worried about monitoring spirits? Why would he tell people to be quiet about good things? There's actually three kinds of examples of Jesus doing this.

The first example: After cleansing a leper, Jesus warned that leper not to speak up about that cleansing. Why would he tell him not to speak up? Two words--two words, crowd control. That's why. Now you say, "Wait, wait, does that make sense?" Sure, it does.

Let's read the scripture and see what happened. Mark 1:42-45:

[Jonathan] (24:14 - 24:20) "Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. And he sternly warned him and immediately sent him away, and he said to him, See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them. But he went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the news around, to such an extent that Jesus could no longer publicly enter a city, but stayed out in unpopulated areas; and they were coming to him from everywhere."

[Rick] (24:21 - 25:20) Jesus wanted him to be quiet so he, Jesus, could continue his preaching within the city. The man wasn't, because he was so exuberant about being healed. What it did is, it made Jesus' ministry more difficult. You say, "Okay, then why didn't Jesus withhold healing that one person, because this made his ministry more difficult?" Because do you think he knew he was going to do that? Of course he knew.

The answer is Jesus was so compassionate that he gave healing to a man who would essentially make his work more difficult, but he wanted him to have the healing. You see the beauty of God's power working in him, and it was more difficult. He couldn't control the crowds, so he had to go to the outskirts.

His preaching was more of a challenge, but he did it anyway. Crowd control, first example. Second example; after Peter proclaims Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus, what does he do? He says, don't tell anybody. Okay, he urges silence. Why?

Two words, reaction control. Jesus wanted to control how he was proclaimed as Messiah among the Jewish people. Matthew 16:20:

[Jonathan] (25:21 - 25:42) "Then he warned the disciples that they should tell no one that he was the Christ." Timing was everything with Jesus' ministry. He disclosed who he was deliberately and over time to a greater extent as his ministry progressed.

Revealing who he was too early could result in his death taking place sooner than it was supposed to.

[Rick] (25:42 - 25:59) So Jesus was working through, going through his life saying, look, it's not time for this to really come out yet, because when it comes out, the clock has to be at the right place. He's not trying to hide from anything. He knows the timing of his ministry.

[Julie] (26:00 - 26:05) But what about with the demons? Why after casting out demons, did Jesus tell them not to reveal who he was?

[Rick] (26:06 - 26:18) Two words, association control. Jesus did not want his Messiahship to have any connection at all to the demon world. Matthew 3:11-12:

[Jonathan] (26:19 - 26:28) "Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they would fall down before him and shout, You are the son of God! And he earnestly warned them not to tell who he was."

[Julie] (26:28 - 26:35) I would think Jesus could speak for himself. He didn't need evil spirits confusing matters, so he banned them to silence.

[Rick] (26:35 - 27:23) You can see in these three examples that Jesus looked for silence on certain situations, not because he was afraid, but because the timing of his ministry, the content of his ministry, was measured according to God's timing in his life. It's not that Jesus said, I don't feel like I can handle this right now. It was, God's timing is not here. See, he knew God's timing. We don't. He didn't hide.

He worked through his three-and-a-half-year ministry with perfection, understanding what needed to be revealed when and how. Let's look at us now. Did the Apostle Paul teach us to be secretive or outspoken? 2 Timothy 4:1-2.

[Jonathan] (27:23 - 27:55) Paul is speaking to Timothy, his spiritual son, whom he's entrusting to carry on the work after Paul dies. "I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction." The Apostle Paul didn't tell Timothy to be quiet or secretive. He told him to be unafraid in spreading the gospel work.

[Rick] (27:56 - 28:14) We read those scriptures and we see those as admonitions for ourselves as well. "Preach the word, be ready in season and out of season." Always be ready. That's what we're being shown here. What about the Apostle Peter? The Apostle Peter urged us to be open in our behavior among all people. 1 Peter 2:11-12:

[Jonathan] (28:14 - 28:40) "Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation." Well, what is the "day of visitation?" It's the day of judgment when humanity looks back and remembers the followers of Christ.

[Rick] (28:41 - 29:19) What the Apostle Peter is saying is, yes, you're going to be slandered by the things that you say in front of all those people. He's saying it is a glory to God when that slander occurs, because in the "day of judgment," the day of reconciliation, they will see how you were witnessing. You see, it's not about silence at all. It's about living up to and standing up for and speaking out with the things that are so important. The Apostle Paul again reminds us that in the minds of unbelievers, their minds are veiled, and we should preach the gospel clearly in spite of the fact that their minds are veiled. Let's look at 2 Corinthians 4:3-6.

[Jonathan] (29:20 - 29:55) We quoted verse 4, but this is the context: "And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we did not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus our lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, Light shall shine out of darkness, is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ."

[Rick] (29:55 - 30:18) Think about this. It says "our gospel is veiled..." "to those who are perishing." It doesn't say we shouldn't speak it.

It says it's veiled. They're not going to understand it. Again, that's contrary to this idea of whispering. It's not about whispering. It's speaking, and look, they're not going to get it. It's okay that they don't get it. We speak it anyway. Jonathan, Scriptural Focus Regarding Spiritual Darkness, where are we now?

[Jonathan] (30:19 - 30:36) We can clearly see in Scripture that Christians are repeatedly taught to be open with the gospel and with their blessings from the gospel. The only silencing we have seen regarding the gospel message was from Jesus to others for open, honest, God-honoring purposes.

[Rick] (30:37 - 31:06) We need to put our perspective on silence and speaking up within the context of Scripture, not convenient thought, not, oh, this is scary, but within the context of Scripture and Scripture alone. A clearly scriptural perspective is now beginning to emerge. Stand openly and firmly for the gospel under God's mighty and protective providence!

[Jonathan] (31:08 - 31:15) The warnings against monitoring spirits are strong. As we counter them, how can we be sure we're not missing something really important?

[Rick] (31:16 - 31:44) Alright, this is an important question, as we want to hold all of Scripture up as the one true and powerful light for our path. Moving forward, we will see a few scriptures that may bring questions.

We will also see some very specific scriptural teachings that put this whole discussion into a clearly understandable perspective.

[Julie] (31:44 - 31:53) You heard the expression Jesus used, "don't cast your pearls before swine." This next soundbite applies this admonition in an unexpected way.

[Soundbite Source 1] (31:53 - 32:29) Doesn't sharing testimonies mutually encourage the brethren? Yes. Spiritual mentors, pastors, and mature believers can help nurture you in new seasons.

But we must exercise discretion to avoid casting pearls to swine or giving information to the wrong spirits. You see, not everyone celebrates your victory. Through jealousy, ignorance, or wrong associations, people can speak words that give your blessing over to the enemy's manipulation.

When God first speaks to you, avoid chatter that reduces holy things to the mundane. Don't broadcast every dream or spiritual encounter without discernment. Protect what is precious until the appointed time.

[Rick] (32:29 - 33:09) Okay. He's cautioning us to be very, very, very, very careful here. He mentioned dreams and spiritual discernments. We're going to get to those very specifically in a little bit. But here, let's talk about the caution here. This caution is specifically related to, because it's related to dreams and spiritual encounters, it begins to qualify itself into a very specific corner.

These are on top of prophecy and messages from God earlier. We're going to get to all of this. We're going to unfold all of this very, very soon.

Let's look now. Let's look at the casting of pearls before swine. Let's go to the scripture and see what it is actually talking about.

Jonathan, Matthew 7:4-6:

[Jonathan] (33:09 - 33:32) "For how can you say to your brother, Let me take the speck out of your eye, and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet and turn and tear you to pieces."

[Rick] (33:32 - 34:37) Wow, that's not a happy sounding scripture at all. You've got dogs and swine and trampling under feet and tearing you to pieces. What is all of this?

Now, this is a little bit of a tough scripture to understand I think, because of the order in which things are written. I'm going to give you a studied opinion on this. This is what we officially call here at Christian Questions, this is a "Rick opinion." Alright? This is how I understand the scripture. The thought here is not to feed a wild dog holy things when they want raw meat, lest they turn on you, lest they tear you to pieces.

The tearing to pieces at the end, I think belongs with the wild dog at the beginning. Don't throw your pearls of great price to pigs when they're looking for food, because they're not going to recognize them, they don't want them, they're going to trample them under their feet and bury them in the mud. Why would we give holy things and pearls of great price to those who just don't care, who don't want it, who are about something entirely different?

That's how I see understanding this particular text.

[Julie] (34:37 - 35:01) In other words, be smart, be cautious, be protective. Don't waste your time with people who have no interest in heavenly things, but instead they are self-seekers, devourers, wanting only to ridicule that which they don't understand or appreciate. But real quick in that soundbite, you can talk to certain people, but not others, like the demons can't hear when you talk to certain people, but they can hear others? It just doesn't make any sense.

[Rick] (35:01 - 35:33) No, it does not make any sense. Folks, we urge you, if this is something you've thought about and believed in and put credence in, please follow us as we go through scriptures. Let's build on this pearls before swine scripture and look at the Apostle Peter.

He builds on this example from Jesus with a very pointed interpretation. In these next verses in 2 Peter, Peter is describing those sinful false teachers who are driven by sensuality and greed. We're going to go to 2 Peter 2:21-22:

[Jonathan] (35:34 - 35:52) "For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT, and, A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire."

[Rick] (35:52 - 36:50) In other words, the symbols of dog and pig are, we're not interested in holy things. We're interested just in our own thing. It's kind of gross, dogs returning to their own vomit. I don't want to necessarily comment on that, but they're interested in things just of the earth, nothing holy, nothing spiritual. Spirituality just doesn't mix with deep-seated sensuality and worldly thinking. It just doesn't mix.

We don't see this at all--this pearls before swine and this discernment thing--as a warning against preaching the word to those who are unaccepting. We want to be clear on that. Jesus is saying, be careful.

But this is not saying, but don't preach. He's not saying, be careful to the point where you don't preach. Listen to these next two scriptures. First, Matthew 10:11-15:

[Jonathan] (36:50 - 37:21) "And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay at his house until you leave that city. As you enter the house, giving it your greeting. If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace.

But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace. Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city."

[Julie] (37:22 - 37:27) "Shake the dust off your feet" is a Hebrew idiom that means "have nothing to do with them." Just leave them alone.

[Jonathan] (37:28 - 37:38) You're going to meet people who aren't interested. Move on. The rejection of the message won't be without consequences, but it's not an eternal judgment against them.

[Rick] (37:39 - 38:16) There's two things. It won't be without consequences, but it's not an eternal judgment. That's what the Judgment Day is for. That we know as "the day of reconciliation." So move on. It's not saying don't preach to them.

It's saying, okay, that was the result. Move along. Let's look at the Apostle Paul.

This is a great example. Matter of fact, this is one of the highlight examples in scripture of stepping right into the mud and making a mud pie that actually looks beautiful. Okay? The Apostle Paul stepped directly into Athens, the heartland of paganism. What did he do when he got there? He preached.

Acts 17:22-24:

[Jonathan] (38:16 - 38:52) "So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands... Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, We shall hear you again concerning this."

[Julie] (38:53 - 39:11) He could have just yelled, "Yikes! Dogs and swine everywhere! I'm out of here!" But he saw an opening for the gospel message even though he was surrounded by darkness and idolatry. Paul was a master at knowing his audience and tailoring his message just to them. If there was any hope of convincing someone, he was going to find it.

[Rick] (39:11 - 39:57) How did he do that? He took what was important to them, found the kernel of truth in what was important to them, and expanded on it. He didn't blow up their belief system.

He just said, let me explain this piece to you. He built a structure that many said, "Wow, we need to hear more." Others like, get out of here. But he found a way to preach in a place that most of us would say, "I have to get out of here. I'm just not comfortable walking down the street." The Apostle Paul was, I'm seeing opportunity as I walk down this street. That is a great example of not being silent and secretive because you're afraid of monitoring spirits, but looking for opportunity amongst paganism.

[Julie] (39:57 - 40:30) There's a second theme running through this whole teaching of this monitoring spirit perspective, and it has to do with the gifts of the spirit, specifically this idea of that revelations are coming from God through visions or dreams or some other way. Christians of all types are being exposed to this idea of monitoring spirits, but it's especially popular with the "Charismatic" movement, a type of Pentecostal theology that teaches that the gifts of the spirit given to the apostles are still accessible today. They're used as evidence, they say, of having received the holy spirit.

[Jonathan] (40:31 - 40:54) 1 Corinthians 12:10 is one text some use to prove these monitoring spirits exist: "To another is given the working of miracles; to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits..." This gift of discerning spirits, does this mean some were allowed to recognize the presence and nature of different spiritual influences, such as monitoring spirits in comparison to some other kind?

[Rick] (40:54 - 41:28) We look at that as having the capacity to read the heart of others, and we see that example in the Apostle Peter, for instance, with Ananias and Sapphira. Jesus could read the heart, we cannot. That was a gift, a scriptural gift of the spirit.

What about these gifts of the spirit? In scripture, we have only seen these gifts passed on to others in the presence of an apostle. There is--folks listen carefully--there is no evidence that anyone else could pass these gifts along. No evidence. We've got a couple of examples here.

[Jonathan] (41:29 - 41:41) Our first is Acts 10:44-46. Peter and those with him could miraculously speak in tongues. The same thing happened to Paul and those Paul laid hands on in Acts 19:6.

[Rick] (41:41 - 42:36) You have those examples. Why? Why was it that we don't have any example, therefore any permission of others passing these gifts along? It's because the gospel needed to be spread beyond the natural landscape of the Jewish language and Jewish scope. Now it took a few years for that momentum to begin, but that's one of the reasons. Others could not pass these things on because these gifts were merely a tool for the beginning stages of the gospel work.

How do we know that? Are we just making a statement saying, "Well, they should have ended because Rick said they should have ended." No, it's not that at all! It's because we understand the scriptures specifically tell us that. What was prophesied to happen to these gifts? Let's go look at 1 Corinthians 13:8-11:

[Jonathan] (42:37 - 42:48) "Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part."

[Rick] (42:49 - 43:06) These gifts cease. That's what the Apostle Paul just said. Note which gifts are listed here: "tongues," "prophecy," and "knowledge." These miraculous gifts were used to communicate, to teach, and to preview the gospel plan.

[Jonathan] (43:07 - 43:13) "Knowledge" here means "having miraculous insight." It doesn't mean acquiring an education through natural means of study.

[Rick] (43:14 - 43:24) "Tongues," "prophecy," "and knowledge:" these gifts, he says, these "will cease." Let's look at the next verse, 1 Corinthians 13:10:

[Jonathan] (43:25 - 43:29) "But when the perfect (complete) comes, the partial will be done away."

[Rick] (43:29 - 44:25) When that which is complete comes, "the partial will be done away." What does that mean? Well, when that which is complete arrives, when the apostles through whom these gifts were given have finished their work and written down the gospel message, the gospel would no longer be at the beginning stage, but would now be able to be passed on without miracles.

Why? Because it's in writing. Because it was in writing and could be copied and given to this one and to that one and sent to that country or to that country and translated here or there, and it's the same gospel message, and it's the complete gospel message.

Folks, the gospel is in the Bible. It's written. It's a complete message.

That which is complete says you don't need the gifts because they got it started. The gospel message for the last two thousand years has carried it through. Let's go to 1 Corinthians 13:11:

[Jonathan] (44:25 - 44:33) "When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things."

[Rick] (44:34 - 45:20) Think about this. He's looking at the gifts in the context of being childish. Now look, the Apostle Paul had the gifts. Why then does he look at it that way? Because he understands they were a temporary growing tool. The church literally grew out of them.

The church grew out of them. The gospel in its infancy was spoken through tongues via a miracle. You could speak another language.

It was a miracle. It was understood. The knowledge that Jonathan, like you explained, that spiritual knowledge that came not from study, but miraculously was there.

That was a miracle. The prophecies, individuals were able to speak prophecies. Those were miracles.

The gospel grows up and is now found in God's Holy Word. You don't need those things any longer.

[Jonathan] (45:20 - 45:27) If you're practicing these things that aren't valid in Christianity today, where do these gifts come from?

[Rick] (45:28 - 46:12) Okay, now that's a question. You might not like the answer. We're going to suggest two things.

First, we're going to suggest imagination. Humanity has great imagination. We can imagine we are having a vision from God and a dream from God and a prophecy from God because it fits what we're looking for. Or it can come from spiritual power, but not from godly spiritual power. If it's not godly spiritual power, then stay away, run away, go the other direction, because if you are a true Christian, you don't want anything but godly spiritual power. Jonathan, Scriptural Focus Regarding Spiritual Darkness, where are we?

[Jonathan] (46:12 - 46:33) One of the main things we see, this cautioning against monitoring spirits, is related to our gifts of the spirit. The fundamental problem here is that we have just seen that these gifts ceased long ago. Essentially, those warnings against monitoring spirits are trying to protect things that are no longer scripturally sanctioned.

[Rick] (46:33 - 46:53) Be careful what we stand in protection of. It must be sanctioned by scripture. Talk about revealing.

Not only are we to stand firmly and openly regarding the gospel, we must be careful to not protect that which is not from God.

[Jonathan] (46:54 - 47:00) Now that we are seeing much more of the big picture, what about protectiveness regarding dreams?

[Rick] (47:00 - 47:28) Okay, this is actually a big part of this whole monitoring spirits teaching. This teaching includes breaking down dreams by subject matter as ways to interpret what these monitoring experiences are trying to steal from you. We're going to sum up this large portion of this teaching by reviewing just two types of dreams that they say are clear evidence of demon interference.

[Jonathan] (47:29 - 47:57) You can see how all of this being watched could lead to paranoia, especially if someone's brain chemistry is already altered by drug use or mental health challenges. We strongly caution focusing in any way on demonology, the study of demons and the beliefs surrounding them. We know there are spiritual battles going on, and in 1 Peter 5:9 we are admonished to be alert, resist the devil, stand firm in faith.

[Julie] (47:57 - 48:50) There's a lot of people on the internet who explain how you know you're being monitored. Remember, though, this is not scriptural, it's fictional. It's a little like the vague phony answers that fortune tellers give.

For example, in the article I've been quoting from, you may be monitored if you have prolonged challenges that don't go away, patterns of repeated failures and setbacks. What about persistent negative thoughts and feelings? Other articles include: "if prosperity eludes you" and "if you are not reaching your full potential." These are very vague issues that we all have at one point or another. We're going to next hear from a soundbite from someone called Mumbai Inspired called "Seven Dreams Exposing the Presence of Monitoring Spirits." This is another person purporting to be an authority on these spirits, but with no source or no way of knowing such information.

[Soundbite Source 2] (48:50 - 49:36) Dream number one is seeing vague images. You had a dream, it's still bothering you even now, but you can't remember. This is what the enemy does.

He hides that information from you so that you are walking without knowing. You can just stumble on things and life will be falling apart without knowing that it's that dream. A vague dream.

You try to remember, but you don't know. You have a feeling that there were people in this dream. Something happened in this dream, but it was so vague.

It was so unclear that you cannot even take anything from there. Those are monitoring spirits. They are hiding things from you.

They are taking information and covering you with blindness so that you don't know what is happening.

[Julie] (49:37 - 49:59) All right, that drives me so mad! Obviously, this is a super broad description with no proof. Everyone has dreams we don't remember.

We're exposed to so much of what will get jumbled up in a dream or a nightmare. It could be just being stressed over an experience or a memory from someone close to you or just your brain's chemical reaction to that sandwich that you ate before bed.

[Rick] (49:59 - 50:26) Look, this whole monitoring spirit teaching is unsettling and they use the following scripture from Matthew 10 as further evidence to be secretive to avoid trouble. Let's look at this next scripture. It wasn't mentioned in that particular soundbite.

It was mentioned elsewhere. But we want to look at all those scriptures that they brought up to be fair and just put them in their context. In this scripture, Jesus is teaching us to be wary.

Matthew 10:16.

[Jonathan] (50:26 - 50:35) This is from the New Living Translation: "Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves."

[Julie] (50:36 - 50:41) The word "shrewd" here means "keen in sense perception, having farsighted judgment."

[Rick] (50:41 - 51:05) Alright, "be shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves." Jesus is saying, be careful, be wary. Let's finish the context. Our wariness is not for the purpose of hiding. Let's get it straight. Let's understand it's not for the purpose of hiding, but to be wise in how we stand.

Let's look at Matthew 10. Let's look at the next verse, verse 17 and go through verse 20.

[Jonathan] (51:06 - 51:49) Jesus begins to tell his apostles what they might expect in the way of experiences with those who opposed their message: "But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers.

But this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and the other unbelievers about me. When you are arrested, don't worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time.

For it is not you who will be speaking-- it will be the spirit of your Father speaking through you." Jesus reminded his apostles that even though they had been willing to receive him and his message, they should not expect the same from a majority of those that they would preach to.

[Julie] (51:50 - 52:03) Yeah, he assured them that if they were brought before the authorities, go ahead and witness to your beliefs because they wouldn't need an elaborate preparation for the defense of the message because the spirit of the Father was dwelling in them and would give them words to speak.

[Rick] (52:03 - 52:27) So, the result here is exactly the opposite of what these folks are telling us. It's the 180-degree opposite. You're going the opposite direction.

This wasn't abundance that they were meeting when they're being brought before the courts and persecuted and so forth. That's not abundance. That's spiritual blessing and that's what we get when we stand up for God's word. If we are living in faith, we truly have nothing to fear.

[Julie] (52:27 - 52:49) On to our last soundbite from Mumbai Inspired. Remember, supposedly an indication that there's monitoring spirits in your life is that you don't remember your dreams. The implication being that they took the information from you. But additional indications include people in a dream that don't speak, dreaming about dead loved ones and someone in your dream imitating you. Here's one more of these examples:

[Soundbite Source 2] (53:05 - 54:00) Number 6: This is seeing yourself being robbed, being robbed in the dream. The meaning there is that the enemy has sent people, has sent monitoring spirits, to come and get whatever is good in your life. And in the physical urgence of the enemy that can be in your family, at workplace, anywhere, because of jealousy, envy, and not liking you, they go to that extent of wanting to see your life go down and even appear in the dream. And in the physical, you find things start to fall apart. They've robbed your finances spiritually.

And this then manifests as maybe sickness so that you go and pay for doctors and you go and buy medicine. Sometimes maybe an accident or a car just breaks down from the way something big in the car just breaks down and you don't know why it happened. You think it's normal.

It's because the enemy has robbed you of the finances. The money has already been taken. So it has to manifest in the physical.

Something has to go wrong for that money to be taken away from you. And you find yourself fixing the car. You pay a huge amount.

That is how they steal.

[Jonathan] (54:01 - 54:36) Once again, a fear of loss. Fear is a trick Satan uses to slow or pause our Christian walk. God does not use fear as a motivation for faithfulness.

This idea of monitoring spirits obstructs Christian growth. This whole thing is spiritual darkness. It creates fear, anxiety, confusion, as well as a sense of specialness and ego.

I have something so big I can't speak it or the demons will take it. The principle is good. Avoid Satan, but don't spend time on the mythology that is built around him.

[Julie] (54:36 - 55:12) From a human standpoint, it's understandable. People want to make sense of why bad things are happening to them and why they aren't rich and healthy and popular. But this really is just Satanic superstition with no scriptural basis. Because this is made up, it can't be proven in any way. You'll see people blogging and posting videos on topics with points that don't make sense. They're not in agreement with each other and the more you get into this, the more you see it starts merging with new age and white witchcraft ideology by using crystals and sage and insects. It quickly gets away from Biblical principles and it's best to stay away.

[Rick] (55:13 - 55:34) You're merging Christianity with witchcraft. Okay, hear it. Hear it now and say this is something to run from.

Let's talk about trials. Let's be blunt about trials. The scriptures are clear about our relationship with trials.

You know what the relationship is? Our trials are welcome teachers. That's our relationship.

1 Peter 4:12-16:

[Jonathan] (55:34 - 55:51) "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of his glory you may rejoice with exaltation."

[Rick] (55:51 - 56:13) "Fiery ordeals among you", difficult, hard, traumatic trials, these are not because some monitoring spirit stole your thought in your dream. These are because God is working through you to become Christ-like and teaching you what we need to learn. Let's continue with verses 14-16:

[Jonathan] (56:14 - 56:33) "If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name."

[Rick] (56:34 - 57:09) Now think about this. You don't suffer as a troublesome meddler. What is a troublesome meddler?

Somebody who meddles in the affairs of others in a way that is not godly. Isn't what we're talking about that kind of thing? Isn't it meddling in the thoughts of others and getting into others' heads to say, "You shouldn't say this, you should be secretive about that, because, because, because..." Perhaps that perspective is fulfilled partially in this troublesome meddling - going about things that don't belong because they're not scriptural. Our Christian trials and suffering build us into followers of Jesus.

[Jonathan] (57:09 - 57:12) They are necessary for our growth.

[Rick] (57:12 - 57:18) They are. Alright, what can we take away from all of this? First, be wise. 1 John 4:1:

[Jonathan] (57:19 - 57:28) "Beloved, do not believe every spirit (meaning every influence), but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world."

[Rick] (57:29 - 57:44) We've spent the last hour talking about these kinds of false prophecies that have no scriptural basis. Be wise. Next, know the power of who we stand for and know what we are given.

Jonathan, James 2:19:

[Jonathan] (57:44 - 57:49) "You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder."

[Julie] (57:50 - 58:03) God has the ultimate and unlimited power. Yet those in the spiritual realm have power well beyond us humans, and we do have a healthy respect for this. But God has the final say in their limits of scope and time.

[Rick] (58:03 - 58:11) They can knock on the door, but God doesn't give them the key. That's really what it comes down to. Jonathan, you mentioned this scripture before, 2 Timothy 1:7.

[Jonathan] (58:12 - 58:29) This is from the King James Version: "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." The Greek word for "fear" here is a "helpless" kind of fear. This is the only place it's found in the Bible. "Sound mind" here means "discipline; that is, self-control."

[Rick] (58:30 - 58:40) Alright, be wise, know who we stand for, and, next, remember that prayer brings us peace and protection. Philippians 4:6-7:

[Jonathan] (58:40 - 58:55) "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

[Julie] (58:55 - 59:10) So, if your car breaks down, it's not evidence that your faith isn't strong enough or the demons have taken your money. You're having a difficult experience and can be grateful for God's providence to lead you through that experience. Watch for the blessings.

Watch for the lessons.

[Rick] (59:10 - 59:26) Here's a thought for you, cars do break down. Parts wear out.

Just part of life and part of the trials of life. Remember, prayer brings us peace and protection. Next, know that Satan's reign of evil is temporary.

Hebrews 2:14:

[Jonathan] (59:27 - 59:39) "Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, (Jesus) himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death he might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil."

[Rick] (59:39 - 1:00:15) Think about rendering Satan powerless. You talk about great spiritual power! That's what the ransom price of Jesus brought into play.

Satan's reign is terminal. We know that. Let's also realize that all of the pieces must be in place for our stand against Satan to be successful.

One scripture puts many of these pieces into order in a beautiful way. Here are the pieces: humility, trust, alertness, steadfastness, and undying loyalty. Scriptural focus here. Let's look at 1 Peter 5:6-11.

[Jonathan] (1:00:15 - 1:00:22) Verse 6 shows us humility: "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time..."

[Julie] (1:00:23 - 1:00:27) Verse 7 shows us trust: "...casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you."

[Jonathan] (1:00:28 - 1:00:37) Verse 8 shows us alertness: "Be of a sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

[Julie] (1:00:38 - 1:00:47) Verse 9 shows us steadfastness: "But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world."

[Jonathan] (1:00:48 - 1:01:04) Verse 10 shows us undying loyalty: "After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen."

[Rick] (1:01:05 - 1:01:28) "To Him be dominion forever and ever." We don't have to be spending our time and our mental and emotional energy worrying about those kinds of things when we have the protection of God Almighty through Christ and we apply these things that have just been taught to us in 1 Peter 5:6-11. Use the scriptures in their context.

Jonathan, let's wrap this up. Scriptural Focus Regarding Spiritual Darkness:

[Jonathan] (1:01:28 - 1:02:02) To fear monitoring spirits is to fear a series of loose and careless conclusions that claim to be attached to Scripture. There is no sound Biblical reasoning supportive of the idea that Satan's demons can steal our thoughts, wealth, and spirituality because we're not secretive enough. On the contrary, let us have faith in God's promised protections, embrace our trials as learning experiences, and only engage in biblically-sanctioned, God-honoring behavior. Doing these things brings true honor to God!

[Rick] (1:02:03 - 1:03:08) Make sure your belief system has a sound scriptural basis. Finally, Ephesians 4:29: "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear." Folks, the idea of monitoring spirits is a damaging idea to true Christian faith.

Why? It is not scriptural. It has no scriptural basis.

It's built upon the imaginations of some, and these thoughts can bring us down roads that are dark, that bring us toward those things which we are running away from, and that is satanic thought. Please, please look at the scriptures, stay firm in what God teaches us in the Bible. Think about it.

Folks, we love hearing from our listeners. We welcome your feedback and questions on this episode and other episodes at ChristianQuestions.com. Coming up in our next episode: "What is the Broad Road That Leads to Destruction?"

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