2 Corinthians 11:14 – And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
1 John 4:1-4 – Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Demonic spirits lead multitudes to follow them to hell forever through false religion and spirituality. In our modern, pluralistic culture it seems unkind to say that someone’s religious beliefs or spiritual behaviors are wrong and dangerous.
But because the God of the Bible loves people and knows that their eternity is at stake, He has a great deal to say about the demonic deception at work through counterfeits of Christ. Throughout history religious sacrifices have been performed to counterfeit the Lord Jesus’ one sacrifice for the sins of all. Sometimes these demonic sacrifices are things such as money, food, or other gifts left at shrines in homes to bring a blessing, or in a field to invite a great harvest, or near a worker’s tools to invite a blessing on the business. In the Western world these include good luck charms and superstition, which is practiced by everyone from athletes to agnostics.
In various religions and spiritual groups demons fulfill dreams, heal sickness, lift torment, and answer prayers. Sometimes people are so desperate that they do not much care who or where their answer comes from. This leaves people vulnerable to making deals with the devil, largely unaware. Unfortunately these are all counterfeits from the kingdom of darkness to invite the demonic into your life.
Anytime something spiritual happens, even if it seems good (like a healing, miracle, angel, or answer to prayer), we cannot overlook the possibility of demonic deception. To deal with the demonic requires discernment.
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