Rom.15:1-7 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.
There are times when the attacks by evil angels seem to be more intense than others. Often evil spirit thoughts oppress us directly and other times they work to divide us from one another. Regardless of what the circumstance is it is important to use discernment at these times to understand what’s going on. When things are bad it isn’t just because we happen to feel bad or because that’s just the way things are. Its because evil angels are trying to beat us down and cause us to give up on God and our spiritual growth. They try to isolate us from those who can spiritually support us. They try to keep us from calling out to God for help. They make us feel alone in our circumstance and try to convince us that nothing we’ve previously trusted can help us. These are all lies. We are not alone. God hasn’t abandoned us and neither have those who love us. Even if we try to push those people away their love for us doesn’t just evaporate. They’re there looking for a way to help relieve the hurt.
Discernment helps us navigate through the dark times. If we don’t have enough discernment in the moment to see through the darkness and recognize what the attack is made up of or what the evil angel is trying to get out of us we can always ask for help. Discernment isn’t just a futile exercise of days gone by. It helps us to get an objective perspective from beyond our emotions so that we can see the problem for what it really is and then attack it head on using grace and all of the wisdom, knowledge and understanding God can give us. When times are difficult it is very important to run to the help God has to offer rather than away from it.
It seems that evil angels really try to oppress and isolate people. They use a variety of methods to beat us down and steal our hope. We’ve all felt that oppression in various ways at different times in our lives. We know what it feels like and we also know how God led us out of those times with the help of others. It’s hard to watch those we love struggle. The answer to the struggle may seem obvious from our vantage point. But as we all know when you’re the one in the middle of the battle the way out is not nearly so clear. When oppressive thoughts descend in full force it is especially difficult to recognize the escape even when we’ve been in that same place before. As one who is not in the middle of the battle it’s a time to bring a word of encouragement, relieve some of the pressure and support with prayer. If we are the one in the battle it is time to cry out to God for an answer and get plugged back in to the help that is available. There is no reason to struggle alone or to be isolated from those who love us and care for our soul. I want to encourage those who are struggling to give God a chance and ask for help. I want to also encourage those who know of someone who is struggling to offer up prayers and patient encouragement. If we do these things we will help defeat the evil angels from both sides and help our hurting souls heal. Let us work together to stem this plague. Evil angels are hungry and they are on the prowl. Let’s work together to starve them.