3 Ways An Anti-Christ Spirit Tries To Get The Focus Off Of Jesus
Last week, in Confronting Spiritual Opposition To The Message, we talked about how a spirit can influence people to interrupt us or suddenly change the topic. We must not become offended at the individual, but instead we realize that a spirit is influencing them and they probably don’t realize what they did.
Today, I share more experiences with confronting opposition. The word anti-Christ means “opposed to Christ.” An anti-Christ spirit is opposed to the revelation of Christ. Here are three phrases that we often hear when a spirit opposed to Christ is trying to divert people’s attention:
1. “The Power Of Faith Is Amazing”
One night I was at the school across the street. Some people were taking martial arts classes, and a girl’s knee was injured. I began to talk about how God had healed me.
The martial arts instructor immediately cut me off as I was still speaking and began to talk about oriental healing arts. He did something where he pressed on the girl’s knee and tried to move energy to make it feel better. It was obviously far inferior to what Christ could do, since he told me that all of them had chronic knee pain. If it really worked so well, they would all be better!
I recently visited the house of an old lady whom I had never met before. God showed me where she had pain in her body. Every time I tried to talk to her, she cut me off. I realized that it was probably a spirit trying to keep me from saying what I needed to. The spirit was trying to take her attention from Jesus.
I had to be very assertive. As we were leaving and everyone was saying goodbye, I interrupted loudly and said “Wait! I have something to ask you before you leave. Do you have pain right here? And how about your right shoulder?…”
I shared three things. She had chronic pain in exactly the places I described. She had gone through surgery on her right shoulder. I laid hands on her, and the pain left. She was so happy and gave me a big hug.
The people with me immediately started talking about the “power of faith.” One of them was a spiritist. Spiritists believe in the supernatural, but they have many gods. It’s not about Jesus.
I recognized a spirit’s influence when they started talking about the “power of faith.” It was doing everything possible to divert their attention from Jesus. I was assertive, again, and said “Faith is confidence, and confidence can be misplaced. This lady was healed because I have confidence in Jesus. This wasn’t mind over matter, but the nature and love of God revealed. Mind over matter can never accomplish what faith in God can.” And so I began to talk about Christ.
2. “You Have Such An Amazing Spiritual Gift!”
I have often experienced a similar thing in the church. When a person is healed, an anti-Christ spirit tries to get the attention off of Jesus. Christians also sometimes talk about the “power of faith.” Even more often, they immediately being to talk about the “spiritual gift” of the person ministering.
The purpose of the miracle that just happened wasn’t to get people to talk about a “spiritual gift” that a supposedly “special person” has. It was to demonstrate what it looks like for the Spirit of God to dwell in man. It was to reveal God’s love and compassion for a suffering person. It was to reveal Christ, who is the same in every situation, and whose spirit dwells in every believer.
When Christians direct all the focus to a “spiritual gift” I recognize an antichrist spirit at work. I have to be assertive. I talk about how the healing shows God’s nature. I remind the people of Jesus’ promise that all who believe in him would do the things that he himself did. I tell Christians who immediately start to talk about a “spiritual gift,” “The same spirit of Christ dwells in you, and he wants to do the same thing through you.”
An anti-Christ spirit makes people uncomfortable with talking about Jesus. It encourages them to talk and act in a religious way in order to divert attention from the revelation of Christ.
The reason that they are uncomfortable is often that they have been taught lies that undermine the revelation of Jesus’ nature and compassion. The healing challenges their view of Christ. It also challenges them personally. If healing is about the nature of Jesus, whose spirit dwells in Christians, they should be able to do the same things. But an anti-Christ spirit has told them that they can’t. Talking about a “spiritual gift” becomes a way to avoid being confronted with the fact that this is who Jesus is.
3. “What Church Do You Go To?”
Another diversion, common with unbelievers and believers, is to ask “What church (or denomination) are you from?” Although this may seem like a common question, I have become convinced that it is usually coming from a spirit which is trying to distract people’s attention from Jesus. People often ask it because the influence of a spirit makes them uncomfortable with talking about Jesus.
Other Christians sometimes ask this question when you share testimonies with them, or when they see somebody healed through your hands. It is usually because they have become comfortable with a religious, spiritualized version of Jesus. They are being challenged by being presented with a Christ who is the same today as the Christ of the Bible, and whose spirit dwells in Christians. They feel uncomfortable with that, and try to change the topic.
Unbelievers often ask this question as well when we tell them our testimonies and share the gospel with them. People would rather talk about church and religion because Jesus makes them feel uncomfortable. A friend of mine, Judd Sands, recently made the same observation. Here are his thoughts:
One of the most common questions asked by people when they themselves are questioned about knowing the Lord and spiritual things is,”So where do you go to church?” Or ,”What religious denomination are you?”
I rarely tell them or invite them to go where I may be attending. Not because I’m ashamed to, but rather it’s a diversion from the real issue. God wants to speak directly into their lives at that particular moment to set them free, and if I engage with their question it usually puts them at ease. The alarm going off in their soul is making them uncomfortable as the gospel hones in on the faulty wiring that sin has caused. And they start talking about the future or a building, whatever is the way of natural thinking.
Jesus often told people to go home after he ministered to them.
He knew what was in man’s heart. Think about the change that would occur if a man went home to his wife and kids and said , “Guys lets get together now and talk about the Lord.”
Talk About Jesus!
Maybe you have heard these phrases or similar ones before. Maybe you felt like something wasn’t right, but couldn’t put your finger down on what the problem was.
If so, I hope this post has helped you to understand what is happening. It is important to recognize what’s going on, because then you will know how to respond to it.
How do we resist an anti-Christ spirit? It’s simple. We speak the truth to counter the lies. We don’t let the spirit do all the talking through the people it is influencing. We learn to be assertive and to get people’s attention on Jesus. We have overcome an anti-Christ spirit, because Jesus lives in us.
1 John 4:4 (NIV) You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
Next week, I will begin to share more about recognizing and dealing with the influence of an anti-Christ spirit in the church.
Wonderful exhortations! May I share a bit of my own testimony to what the Spirit of the Lord showed me?
I was preparing to give a message for our home cell group when the Holy Spirit told me to talk about the difference between ‘reacting’ to what others are saying and ‘responding’ by the Holy Spirit. He showed me the interaction between Jesus and Nicodemus. Nicodemus came saying one thing but when Jesus answered him, He did not answer him according to what he said.
John 3:1-3 NKJV There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
When I saw this, Jesus’ answer did not fit Nicodemus’ statement at all and YET, Nicodemus went along with what Jesus was saying in answer to him. The Lord showed me that since Jesus only did what He saw His Father doing and spoke only what He heard by the Spirit, He did not answer the man according to his words. God desires to speak to the heart but not all recognize His voice and even though Jesus answered Nicodemus not in the way He was being addressed, speaking to this man’s heart, struck a cord with him and he continued in that ‘vein’ Jesus began to speak about.
Long before we ever arrive onto a scene or encounter others, the Spirit of the God has gone on before and oftentimes, is already speaking to those person’s hearts but they, not recognizing His voice, do not how to respond. When we speak what the Holy Spirit shows us to speak, we do not ‘react’ according to the words of the people but give the Holy Spirit’s response.
The following week after teaching on this, some of our younger in the faith members brought a drunk man into the group, trying to convince him of Christ. They continued to answer this man according to what he was saying to him and got nowhere as a result. In fact, they were getting more and more exasperated as was the drunk man. When I came home and saw this going on, I asked the Lord what was happening and He told me that this was “lab”, a practical application of what was taught the week before. So, I began to observe what they were doing AND turning my attention to the Spirit of the Lord for His guidance, He showed me what He was speaking to this man’s heart. When the attempts of these brothers reached a certain point, it was time for me to step in. I reminded them all of what was being taught last week, the difference between ‘reacting’ versus ‘responding’ by the Spirit. I told them they were getting nowhere because they were ‘reacting’ and not waiting for the Spirit of the Lord to show them what to do and say. Then it was my turn to demonstrate this truth. I turned to this drunk man and spoke all those words the Lord showed me. This man did not answer me as he did with the young men but began to cry as the Lord was touching his heart. Although he did not get saved at that time, he gave his life to the Lord in less than a week later.
Just one note about talking to a drunk man. The body is drunk but the heart is never drunk and God can reach a man regardless of what his outward condition is because God speaks according to the Spirit and not according to our natural means.
Satan has had ages to hone his works of deception and distractions and is a master of them. The best course of action for any encounter is to be led of the Spirit and let Him fill your mouth, no longer to trust in our own experiences or knowledge. Knowledge is good but only as it is under the Spirit of the Lord’s direction. If we hear His voice, He will give us that wisdom that will confound others. I have seen this to be true nearly all my life with Christ and always look forward to ‘hearing’ the Holy Spirit’s response and answer when I encounter anyone. It is such a joy to see what and how He approaches each person and then to see their response when He touches them in a very personal way.
Thanks Jerry. That’s a great testimony! Something just led me back to John 3 right before you posted this. Jesus got right to the point. The Holy Spirit knows what people need to hear.
This is a great testimony – thanks so much for sharing this!
Sometimes people ask you what church you go to because they are focused on the wrong stuff – but – sometimes they ask out of sheer hunger. They notice such a strong river of Jesus in your thoughts, words, actions, power – and they desperately want to know if there is a tribe of other people out there you are connected with who are also so focused on Jesus, so they can fellowship with all of you. Sometimes, the “what church do you go to” question is basically just asking, “Wow, I’ve been so hungry to find other people who love and speak of Jesus the way you do – can you introduce me to others?”
Good comment Heather. That’s why I said “usually”. But in my experience, I haven’t has a lot of people ask me that because the really wanted to go to a church that I went to. In fact, the question tends to be more often “what denomination” than “what church”. I think we can usually sense if a person is asking because they want to go there too, or because they are feeling uncomfortable with something. The Holy Spirit helps us to discern as well.
Have you had a lot of people ask you about the church or denomination you are part of? How often you feel like they were asking because they wanted to join you?
I definitely agree that there is a different feel between the, “OMG – where do you go to church!” and the “Huh. So, what church do YOU go to, hmmm?” thing.
As far as people asking me that question with a favorable inclination – not many. Usually it is the sickening other version.
Wow Jonathan. This is right on the money. it reminds me of John 4 and the woman at the well. Jesus is pressing into her need and her spirit and she starts talking about religion – Jesus simply says, you don’t even know what you worship – and get’s back to her heart.
I love that you point to the spirit in the person trying to get away from acknowledging Jesus.
Would you mind if I reblog this at Another Red Letter Day?
No problem Ben! Thanks for the comment. I think that that I used to feel uncomfortable when I heard this phrases, but I wasn’t sure why. Over time, I realized what was happening. The beauty and glory of everything that happened was Jesus and the love of God revealed! Not “the power of faith”, a “spiritual gift” or a religious sect.
Great post! It makes perfect sense why the anti-Christ spirit would interfere.. I have heard how the enemy has caused sickness to keep people from going to a revival.. they intended to go that evening, but all of a sudden became “sick” one woman realized it was the work of satan, and rebuked it.. she went to the revival and received healing for her long standing health issue.. Thanks for the eye opener!