Interference

People’s Interference

But what is less common is a person saying God told them to tell you something, which they proceed to do. This is problematic…

Among those whom the Lord knows have learnt a sound degree of trust (despite our problems), He sets boundaries and relationships between each other. We in effect become accountable to each other. We have fellowship one with another. The members of the Body of Christ are working together in some fashion.

If someone is in spiritual “illness” and are not known, they come into the scene, but they act as though they are spiritual, going around telling people what God has told them about you. You can be pretty sure it is incorrect. The intention can be varied. The act itself is for want of a better word, insulting, as it tries to bypass the “structures” the Lord has in place, has given and is working with.

If the person is playing around with sin, usually most people are unaware as we don’t have too many folks developing their spiritual birth right of discernment and validation. If the person focuses on being “spiritual”, there can be what we call spiritual psychosis, an extreme imbalance, where everything they say and think is controlled by human effort in order to maintain that intense “spirituality”. We see odd behaviours – e.g. a person staring into space. Truly developed spiritual people are anointed and appointed by God, and when we come across such people there is correct display of God’s work. It is not intellectual, but the real working of the Holy Spirit, and we may not expect what occurs. Part of today’s problems is “spiritual” comfort about how God works, but God is not that. There is an old saying, “you ain’t seen nothing yet!” This is an insight into why we are not seeing the flowing forth of many miracles and healings.

But if we look at what is around the person, there are aspects that do not add up. You see, a genuinely spiritual person will be someone we love to be with, someone who has good words for us, who we feel safe with and develop in relationship with over time. There are blessings. The stranger using personality traits and psychological methods expects and demands we acknowledge them. If we yield to that, we are done. We have to test what is around us, especially if we see odd things. The person may say something simple enough, but give no context or explanation of what it really is. If God has a word, it is validated, which could mean more than one source, or simply be a part of your day-to-day routine and time with the Lord, and in witness to your spirit. So, an odd behaviour – if the person is never sharing about themself, only telling you how you have to be, they are not opening the door to proper and healthy fellowship. As we open to fellowship, in trust and safety, we start to discern things about each other that are correct and helpful.

The scriptures note that in fellowship our sins are washed away as the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin, and, at the same time, healings follow as part of that overall context. This is how it has always been.

The Holy Spirit inspires us during our conversations. A one way street does not do that. The “holy” person will be wonderful to be with, not someone who uses coercion or threat. If the person is doing something odd, like refusing to eat food until they become extremely unhealthy, we cannot balance that up against the view that they are really spiritual.

It could be that the person’s sin is well hidden, but there could be some tell-tale signs. We only know so much, so we do not try to go past that. Just as with prophecy, it should only go as far or as partially as it is given. So, we may think something suggests the character of, say, misogyny, and then over time we see some potential confirmation of that. It could be anything really. I’m just using this an an example. The person may have had an unsafe upbringing, and along the way refused to have relationships with others – hence no valuable conversations with others now. If that is the position, the person cannot act normally, so they may demean others, not allowing others to enjoy the blessings that are between them and God alone, or, the person may make out they are better, so they take the glory for what God is doing to some degree so one is never “better” than them. It all gets quite complex. Does the person have several marriages crashed beyond repair, and children scattered all around the globe? There could be all sorts of things that with the minimal information we receive, add up to being non-support for the position they are claiming.

The problem with such people is that they cannot communicate or change. At times we are simply “hit” across the face with total disrespect and ignorance of what God is doing in our lives, who we are with Jesus, and our relationship that is under establishment with the Lord and others we already work with. The Lord may even be displeased, which means the person had time in the past to make choices and change, refusing to do so. We don’t know that past, but if the anger is there, we don’t know what will happen to them in the future. Sin has a way of showing up part by part over time, until its “fruit” is established in full, so we discern in some extent, as discernment is not always a full knowing up front. We are meant to develop discernment in some situations. If we know the person is giving falsity, we effectively ignore them if they try to harm or upset.

For instance, if someone is developing well with the Lord, and they have a weak area, the person may have demonic knowledge and throw that weakness or past events at the person. If the person does not do this, they may tell you to do what you are of course already doing. Or they may say you are not in good enough relationship with God and God wants you to be. The person however is not a prophet, and we do not receive words through other people as from God in this manner unless we know and have verified prophet “status” which by the way is very humble and aware of its own limitations.

The impact of such interference can throw a believer around severely, which is the intention of selfishness, control, self-delusion, separatism, misogyny, or whatever it is. The proof of the falsehood is the discouragement, or trying to nullify the other person of their work with God. As it is from the flesh, it aims at humiliating the flesh, so it is therefore demeaning, as an example. Emotions and feelings are a powerful part of us, so why not expect someone will assault those feelings.

The person assaulted may go away with endless aggravation while trying to deal with what was said, and that is intentional, regardless of what excuse such people have, or the predicaments of their past. We bend and cater for people so far, but after that, we have to confront some realities, and this is one of them.

When confronted with severe situations, we may not know up front what to do, only learn more as time goes on after the event. But Jesus may actually strongly instruct us at the time in something, such as allowing the person to say what they say without us responding in defense. If we raise our own anger, we may be falling into the same trap that Moses had when in response to other people’s sin, where he struck the rock hard. Not easy.

The person assaulted may need to block off what good development they were doing as the person who interfered is not allowed to have their way in the person’s mind. As that is blocked and dealt with, then the person can get back to their normal development in the things of God without that interference. Imagine you are developing a real King David’s love for God, and have been doing so over many years, when the invasive person (which is against your privacy by the way) says you need to have a better love for God. This is an assault on the very thing you have privately been doing for a long time. Every time you go to love God further, that person’s words would come into your mind to say you are not loving God enough. It is therefore an intentional hindrance, and is sinful. Jesus does not like people sinning against you. He overcame such sin in no light manner, so it is very serious.

You can see that a picture begins to add up, with several things not working in harmony, encouragement, or peace from the interfering person. We may need to let the person insult us, and be kind back to them, but we then know the person has reached a point of being unaware of various things they do, because there are always side effects from compositions of sin. Sin does not let up if it is not broken. There may be situations where we demand a stop to something, or if a person continues to assault, we may need to advise that we are under accountability with various people and not the one who is allegedly in prophecy, as giving the word of God is actually part of that ministry. I don’t know all the variations on such encounters, but we did see where the Apostle Paul noted a person who in taunting the truth was trying to take away the gospel from the people by inferring it was their sorcery power, not Christ’s – in effect.

I wanted to mention this topic of interference as it can be severe and damaging. It can hurt people, upset people rightly so. People can be in tears and upset for days or even months.  We want to care about others, and find a person in our good will to them has then hit us back on the face. So too did people to Jesus. I think there will be varied ways we deal with this behaviour over time, and with different people, but it is highly unlikely a person will change from us being defensive or trying to explain why they are in error. Not simple.

Regardless, the person’s spirituality will be shallow, and there will be sin (I usually think there will be sin as other things are not adding up. It may be the person has not worked through lust – as one example. I’m not talking about expectation for perfection, but clear bondage to lust that makes a person lock their eyes on someone else when they are in mid-conversation with you. That is not spiritual. We expect variation in development among us all.)

If the person has been damaged as a child, their reality may become so imbalanced that they think everything they do is Jesus telling them, everything they do is left to God without their concerns or involvement, otherwise it would not be trust. They may say if they behave any other way, it is an insult to what God has done for them. And we certainly don’t wish to argue back on that point, especially if they raise the Cross of the Lord. The problem is that if we see this behaviour adversely hurting others, it is not spiritual. It is that psychosis or radicalism I mentioned.

This imbalance is an alternative “spiritual” reality because everything else that should be wholesome and working has not worked, so the default position that still involves choice, rather than facing hurt, is to go to an extreme position and think that one remains safe in that position. It does not remain safe, which is incredibly disturbing. The person could be coming up against a crisis that their perspective on life in reality fails them. This can even be life threatening.

Once so imbalanced, we are limited in how we may genuinely be involved with the person. They will insist we yield to them in some manner – e.g. staring you into the eyes without blinking, or bashing you with endless words until you crumble. You can disengage from this if you simply say you need to go, and then go. As an example, you may share with the person as per normal conversation about what your are doing. Rather than go with that direction, as they don’t know how to, let alone contribute, they say to trust God and pray. But this is simplistic, and non-recognition of what you shared. Praying is something of course you are already doing.

There are times we ask why we are impacted about something as it has no real basis. If we insist on what we want, the question is why. For instance, our sense of privacy may vary to another person’s, or our need for tidiness compared to less tidiness. I like a degree of order, but not so that every item in the refrigerator is carefully positioned as a showcase of perfection. We may realise we have no justifiable position and then disarm our own fuse. But, this is different to a false nullifying from the intrusive person who may give a manufactured sense of peace and simplicity. If, for example, we are not engaging in co-operation with God, the person may be asking us to divert away from that, thus submitting to the assaulting person’s methodology and self-empowerment – yuck. Some people even threaten others if they do not yield. They may say you adopt the sins of others simply by not agreeing with them. There are diverse tactics at play, and diverse sources.

It may be of useful consideration, that character assassination is a despicable ploy – as was used against German scientists in WWII should they have any association with the science being discussed amongst Jewish scientists (which in fact was amongst all scientists). If one supported ideas of relativity, then one was “as if” Jewish and therefore to be ripped to shreds. Jesus never uses character assassination, so why should so-called spiritual men be allowed to use it without repercussions. I would suggest to be very careful about this.

And as usual, we do not know who the other person is until they unfold who they are in proper Christian fellowship over time. I have seen people targeted by such persons, but I have also seen entire congregations disrupted and dispersed by more serious cases.

My closing comments on this? It is a never ending learning process as we come across such things. I recall when young, I was very concerned about a person making a decision, I said so, and never heard from them again. I did not know how to handle what I felt, and what was me, or what was inward concern from my person or spirit. The person eventually did not have the outcome they wanted, so the concern was at least in part valid – but if that validation was for feeding the self, rather than spiritual development and service, there would be a problem. We make mistakes, because we do not know how to handle ourselves or have our own problems still far too mixed in with the situation. But a person who has had years of opportunity to develop well in the Lord, who does not, that is another matter. There are self-appointed people all over the place. People who use their previous positions, or assumed ministry. We must remember, as in the start of Hebrew’s letter, that it is God who appoints. And who and what God appoints has the evidence and basis for blessing and building faith upon. Where will this lead for the person going against all this? No where good.

The accountability I refer to is a healthy mix within an overall spiritual family. It can be developed among various people in various locations, not just one church congregation. It is not about submitting to men’s will and laws, as that can be tainted in in doctrinal error. But I do refer to good and healthy lines of communications where witness of the Spirit is evident.

There are times when we ourselves have concerns for another person, but in some cases that burden can carry for years until God gives provision to it and we release the burden. If we spoke too soon, it would have caused irreparable damage. We are either patient in Christ, caring about others, wanting what is best, or we are still entwined in self, wanting recognition. Which is it to be?

And, there are times we may know something bad is looming in storm clouds ahead. We may try to tackle how we respond to this, but we have to express ourselves within the context of the body of Christ. People who are into strange things will simplify what we are already doing in Christ, and will simplify what they themselves do, despite how much they may be apparently disciplining their own person. The Advocate leads us into all truth. We should love that and want it. As we open up to believing and trusting God more, it provides the “mechanism” whereby the Holy Spirit is able to come to us and help. This is an actual working. This is good. The interfering person may have degrees of experience in God’s work with them, but it has become a limited “doctrine” of how God works, and that does not impart life in all of its surprises from Heaven itself.

People’s Interference

Interference causes trouble.

When we are younger and don’t have more developed skills to see what people are saying, we are susceptible to individuals or groups interfering with our life. Those who we thought we trusted and loved, can turn out to be highly stressful.

These demands go against the Holy Spirit within us and have confusion, fear and threat. If we choose to submit or yield to wrong, there are implications. We are not responsible for the actions of others, so why a person submits to error may never be known in a particular circumstance. Maybe the person fears being ostracised, rejected, excluded, or removed. Rejection is one of the most powerful forces upon an individual. And there are always people who want power, control and recognition with louder voices than others.

As usual, there is hypocrisy in most things. The person who experiences rejection may have no awareness of how they experience details of life, so it is easy to reject others even though they experience the hammer of rejection first hand. For some of us, once known, we would not commit the same act upon another – meaning our priorities change. This change only occurs if it is coupled to stability and reliability. If you don’t see stability in others, or sense it, how can you cry to the Lord and desire it in prayer? If the aim as a Church goer is to find a girlfriend, to target someone immorally, to gain power, to consume other people’s time, to be noted, and various other things that go on, you won’t prioritise the things of God. So if someone is honest and it challenges your sandy foundations by default, of course you insult them and have nothing to do with them again. This goes on. If you don’t see what you are doing, you will not change. If you have an ulterior motive, you will likely get what you are after, even years down the track as you seek others of the same ilk, to feed on and with darkness, but it has a negative cost in your bank account. Tragedy is lost time.

Often people are simply not aware of their own instability and hypocrisy, so when we do trust them, we get bewildered at what they can do at any unexpected moment.

If we contrast a problem to the presence of the Lord and in those who have walked a spiritual path, there is a difference.

For the younger person it is unfair to send missiles their way from demands that are in error. People look for vulnerabilities in others. If people are doing this, they have an agenda and don’t care. They may swear they care, but the actions show their own evidence.

As adults, people continue attempting to interfere with us. There are enough scriptures in the New Testament that say how we are to work out our salvation, the reality of people coming into a Church or personal situations to cause damage, and so on.

If a Church is healthy, at least to some degree, the Body of Christ is what the Lord puts in place as additional protection against interference. If someone is trying to circumnavigate this, they are going directly against the Lord in the matter. Exposure is not on the menu, whereas truth is happy to turn on the light bulb and be examined. Why do you think so many people are scammed of their money? People will not openly seek to communicate with others and discuss finances. This is a fertile ground for scammers to therefore win.

If a Church is weak, or has agreed to submit to another’s “authority”, who in turn do not recognise the Lord speaking to His own congregation, such as with elders and members, we lose accountability. There are several ways information is validated for the Church.

As an example, a Church leader invites someone in who appears to be spiritual because of how they dress and speak. But during the service, they suddenly yell and demand people do what they say or they are just as much in sin as those who commit such sins. This screws the mind. Anyone with an ounce of thought knows this is not how Jesus behaves. And behind the scenes, people do not know the details of the person’s history, such as being mentored by someone the Church does not know about who has an ongoing criminal record in some other geography. You can’t tell these things unless there is confirmation in the depths of the heart with validation in various ways.

Scriptures are always being misinterpreted and used to justify what people want to say. If you go against what they say, you are threatened, as you are going against God’s word, i.e. his law, and who are you to do that? These are tactics and behaviours Jesus does not engage in. Truth has its own justification, and knows it own children. God is large enough to stand up for himself. Righteousness does not need to coerce or threaten. We develop many false narratives in our minds that have no basis in truth. How is it beneficial for an elderly man with a heart condition to scream at the top of his voice at another person over a viewpoint that has no factual basis? Which trains are ticketing for? I’ve seen people judge every Church they go to negating any possibility of genuine fellowship. I recall once a lady scowling at me as I walked past, but I never knew why. There is a distinct difference of how Jesus helps us learn His way of living and talking with others, and by contrast those who really do hate it and express it. I believe it is time for those walking with the Lord to better understand their position in Christ and the Kingdom of Heaven so we no longer take these assaults on board.

We know when there is truth. If we have an intention to demand what the flesh or fallen nature wants, it cannot do so without such techniques. To maintain error requires continual discomfort until it beds itself in, and continual energy from those speaking it.

Sin always seeks to find those who agree with it, but never with harmony or peace in a truer sense. There will be triggers that upset the ideologies or psychological behaviours adopted. If a person cannot recognise how they are behaving they won’t know.

As an example, if someone is given a different point of view, they should be able to hold their own position without defence or fear if they are not mistaken. If they are, afterwards they use all the energy of their minds to justify their position and harden against what was said to them. Why does the person not understand what they are doing?

These are complex behaviours. A person may however simply want something or hate something. They may want to leverage anything that causes division, as an example, so that others follow them. I would say though, evil hates Jesus, and has no qualms about disruption. I recall an entire regional area divided, with people having no choice but to leave the area once a man came in proclaiming to have power. People followed him, leaving others in various fellowships in disarray. The Churches in that area did not know let alone value testing of the spirits.

If we do not develop discernment in the Spirit, we are subject to various whims that take people on another journey for as long as it can, removing that time from focus on Jesus. However, the aim of such spirits is to degrade, so that at some point forces try to make a person denounce Jesus. If you become part of sin, developing it further and further, at some point this demand will be made.

How many times have people, virtual strangers even, gone up to others and said, God told me this about you, and to tell you such and such. This is not in agreement with how the Church works according to its members. When darkness targets a person, it looks to where it will harm, not just bruise or cause sorrow. Imagine a person’s spirit is focused on following Jesus as much as they can, and someone comes along and says they are not focusing on Jesus, so Jesus will not tell them things or let them grow until those changes. Obviously, this would cause great harm as it targets what is most important to the person at that time. Then if the victim challenges the person and says, you said so and so, and I believe you had no right to do that, they will say, Oh, I never said that. Darkness lies. The person did say it because you heard it.

Demonic spirits or wicked spirits also have some information (not all) of what a person did in the past. If a Christian is wanting this “power” we find that some get it. If their words were from the Lord, they would not simultaneously have bad language in their day-to-day speech. By speaking of some past sin that is overcome and repented of, it can make others want nothing to do with the person once they are so tainted. There is much on this that could be said, but to be aware of for sure.

It is in parallel as well with people praying with laying on of hands who should not. If a person is living in a dry desert, they can only impart that. Things are never as simple as they seem. Such a one could impart sorrow into the person’s heart, directly as a result of the incorrect laying on of hands. Usually this is not a problem, but it happens. If we agree to let someone in, in this case to lay on hands, we should know something about the veracity of the person doing so. A wrong word of knowledge could cause a person to feel deep anguish for a period of time, being unable to shake it off if they had believed in the person giving such words. These are all lessons we may go through.

I recall once being asked to participate in a specific group. If you feel relief at not doing something after you make the decision not to, that is your good testimony. The person then said Jesus wants me to do so. It did not seem true.  Then they said I had to, but it was a Federal election. TO do so would have meant not voting. This is the absurdity of it. People are straining with every fiber of their being to have spiritual gifts. You cannot force this. The priority is humbly developing relationship with the Lord. He will unfold one’s usefulness to others.

By contrast, a spiritual person is a relief and pleasure to be with. There is great comfort and strengthening of spirit in the inward man. We are desirous of knowing Jesus more. So often people want simplicity that does not work. For example, often the Lord lets us become aware of something by presenting two ideas together that then provide the knowledge or revelation. In Revelations, simply saying let the filthy continue to be so, does not really say anything to us. But if we look at the original word in the King James Version, it is vile. And vile is contrasted against God’s Holiness, with Jesus in the middle by his Cross. It is only this contrast of two separate pieces of information that lets us know more of what is going on here. I call it bouncing one thing against another. These are the insights we need.

One way people use to tell you what to do is by taking you aside. They may say nonsense about what happened to you as a child, wanting you to agree with them when nothing ever happened. They may want to project onto you what Jesus is doing for them personally, as if it is meant for you. I recall a man whom the Lord was preparing for his own passing away. He projected this onto others, that the Lord was preparing them to soon die. This would upset people. He did pass away, but the experience he was having was highly personal.

Some people appear to be your friend on the presumption you must agree with everything they say and do. If you do not they suddenly turn on you. The have determined they are more spiritual. A spiritual person does not turn on others in their progressive walk with Jesus. You can tell in these salutations that something else must be going on. (I am not sure if it is unfortunate, but I tend to expose by proxy if people have serious issues. I never ask for this. It just happens. I guess having been buffeted to the extent I have, it comes with the territory.)

Sometimes a person uses a technique of wearing another person down. They will not let you speak. They speak millions of words until you submit to them. I’ve had to break off conversations, and then you find the person did not really care, so they go on doing what they did as if they had never spoken to you. We have to wise up to what is happening on the streets, including the goings on in the Church, as these things happen when folks are not developing. The problem for young Christians who are growing is non-recognition. I would urge them to stay faithful. Jesus knows what He is doing and what greater reward can there be than that.

One may not want accountability and responsibility, which fits with saying the Bible tells us everything. Or, one does not want to stand up to people who do not give the truth, so they reinforce their incorrect teaching. Who knows? There are many reasons. If someone has bonded themself to some group and its articles, it would almost be impossible to undo that. We are only meant to bond to Christ, with great care about anything else so we do not become entrapped. Entrapment is common to the enemy of Christ as it takes a lot to undo. As an aside, sin develops like entanglements of twisted ropes that become too mixed up to unravel. Not a pretty picture.

When we each learn sacrifice, letting our swords stay on the ground even when tempted to pick them up, we change. Constantly, when challenged to lay down arms, people will enact their own will power, justification and impatience by picking their swords up, which means the lesson is not learnt. The sword is not the Lord’s, at least just yet.

Regardless, there will be interference of different types at different times, to the individual, the church, and the larger church arrangements. How ready we would be if we knew to test, to look at our birth right of discernment which the Lord specifically made sure we all have once born of Spirit, for good reason. Witness to truth must consider various contexts such as testimony. Testimony is an essential part of our lives and assessment. If we keep to one’s own interpretation of scripture, there is a higher level of risk. If the Lord brings to mind scriptures that we did not expect, supporting a viewpoint, we have something worthwhile.

For example, there are many interpretations of End Times, all from the Bible. They cannot all be right. So why do people say the Bible is simple and tells us everything, when we can’t even get End Times “mathematically” right? A bit of wisdom here. An incorrect view will not present conflicting scriptural passages for our consideration, and many there be who say they now what is right who give no supporting evidence because it suites them to do so. If man is so apt to do this, surely he does it for anything he wants to say. This is very disturbing but people are comfortable with it.

So here is a scripture, where Jesus said His disciples may do His works, of teaching, healing, and so forth, but there will come an hour when the darkness will not allow anything to be done. Perhaps this is an insight into the Church not being in the world in the End Times. That is as far as we can go with it, so why go further? If we are allowing the Lord to teach us as compared to us forcing our views, we would see such surprises. Otherwise we have set into rigidity, a determined path that will not have the freedom in our Spirit in finding the unexpected over time.

Some of the above statements may seem a bit strong. Saying we are meant to love one another and not worry about these issues is in my view from people who have closed their eyes to realities, so when reality comes upon them, they have not prepared themselves to deal with it or meet other people’s needs. We are not called to be a simplistic people. At times people make mistakes as they have not had time to work through particular issues, such as the example I gave on self projection. In that example, I see the person in Heaven as a Shepard holding a staff, so you see my comments are not around rejection and harshness, but awareness and how we deal with such situations.

We know with certainty there are situations in life that suddenly occur, with some able to use boldness, faith , patience to get through, in a far better positioning than the one who is refusing to listen, who has gone off on some other path based on past problems or arrogance, or whatever. There are those who know that without faith and the support of the Body of Christ, they would not have got through their crisis. If we are on a cliff face, we either have some ropes to help us, or are isolated without hope. Saying God will take care of everything is not the same as learning through one’s trials to trust God to the extent we can. This is the difference.