Discerning the Spirit World
THE SPIRIT WORLD AND OUR THOUGHTS
I have been asked by people if the demonic world can hear our thoughts. With a great amount of experience in this, I have no doubt at all that they do indeed hear our thoughts.
This is shocking to some. They have been taught by the precepts of men that if they silently pray to the Lord, the enemy can not hear their prayers. (1 Tim 4:1) There is no particular scripture that proves whether the demonic world can or cannot hear our thoughts. However, reading the scriptures as a whole does bring some understanding about the spirit world.
COMMUNICATION IN THE SPIRIT WORLD
All angels, whether good angels or demonic fallen angels have celestial bodies and they communicate via thoughts, impressions, ideas and concepts without laboring over the language of words or creating them into sound. (Rev 12:7-9, 1 Cor 15:40-4, I Cor 2:14)
In scripture as well as in the experience of saints, angels have been recorded as speaking through dreams and visions. The receivers are actually hearing the angels in their thoughts and they are also communicating back to the angels through the same means. (Matt 1:20, Acts 10:2-3)
There are instances when other people have been present while the dream or vision was taking place and they do not hear or see the angel. For instance, husbands and wives have had this experience when both are in the same bed. The person who does hear, has a very difficult time realizing that it was spoken only to his thoughts, because the experience is so real. (Dan 10:7)
Jesus Himself said that the audible voice of His Father was for the benefit of the people in the crowd, not for Himself. Through this statement, Jesus implied that His relationship with the Father was not audible: “Father, bring glory to your name.” Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, “I have already brought it glory, and I will do it again.” When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him. Then Jesus told them, “The voice was for your benefit, not mine.” (John 12:28-30 NLT)
Jesus only did what He heard and saw the Father do. He also said that the Father lived inside of Him and it was the Father doing the works through Him. Jesus was given the Holy Spirit without measure and understood what it was to walk in the Spirit. Jesus also perceived the thoughts of men. These communications in the spirit world were for the most part, without physical sound or sight. It is our destiny to do the same works and even greater ones then Jesus did on earth. (John 5:19, 8:26, 28, 14:10, 3:34, Luke 5:22, Matt 9:4, Heb 4:12, John 14:12)
Documented testimonies of people who have either died and gone to heaven and come back to tell about it, or have been translated before the throne room in the 3rd heaven as Paul was, say that communication is immediate thought, much faster than using spoken words through the mouth and tongue. Not only that, but with the mere thought, instant travel and instant understanding are also possible.
Along the same concept, I met a prophetic man, who in the new company he was to work for, was introduced to the company prognosticator. The prognosticator was actually hired to manage the company funds via the stock market through using his occult skills. As they were introduced, they shook hands and he looked into the dark depths of the prognosticator’s eyes. At the moment of contact, this prophetic man heard in his thoughts the prognosticator say to him in his thoughts, “I know who you are!” And the prophetic man thought right back at him, “And I know who YOU are!” It was the most remarkable experience this man had ever had. Not a spoken word took place between them. He was then taken to his new office to unpack his desk. Suddenly the procrastinator appeared in his doorway and said out loud, “I’ll cut you a deal. You stay away from me, and I’ll stay away from you, and we won’t have any trouble.” They both agreed!
DELIVERANCE MINISTRIES
It is known and experienced through various means in the deliverance ministries that demons can hear man’s thoughts. For some, it is just as easy to cast out a demon (accompanied with demonic manifestation as evidence) by taking authority via the thoughts as it is through the spoken words. I have done this on a number of occasions over people. I know others who have done so.
I have also experienced demonic resistance hundreds of times in my mind. This occurs while waiting upon the Lord in prayer to hear His still small voice or see pictures and visions. To impede, the enemy puts up a fight. I see and hear demonic spirits giving me all kinds of resistance to whatever I am thinking about or praying. I rebuke and resist them in Jesus Name and they flee. Resistance against breakthroughs to hear the Lord is just a part of the package. This all takes place without my speaking a word out loud.
THE OCCULT WORLD
In the occult world, they consult with demonic spirits and make inquiries of such. The inquirer also receives answers. The scriptures do not express exactly how the communication between parties occur, however the scripture does say that the devil transforms himself into an angel of light. This means that the devil has the power to counterfeit the ways God speaks to man, including through the thoughts. (Deut 18:11, Gen 44:15, Isa 19:3, 1 Sam 28:7-8, 2 Kings 1:2-3, 2 Cor 11:14-15)
Our awesome God is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. That means that He knows EVERYTHING, is EVERYWHERE, and ALL POWERFUL. (Ps 14 7:5, Isa 40:28, Isa 46:10, Isa 44:6-7, Ps 139:7-8, Jer 23:23-24, 1 Chron 29:12, 1 Chron 29:11, Dan 6:26) The great news is that the enemy is NOT. He sends out demonic spies all over the land to collect information. And this is how the occult sometimes prognosticate with a degree of accuracy… the spirits spy on God’s real prophets and anointed preachers, etc. (Job 1:7)
WARFARE IN THE THOUGHT LIFE
Paul says that part of our warfare is in our thought life: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” (2 Cor 10:3-6 NKJV)
He also inferred that the devil beguiles us through our minds: “But [now] I am fearful, lest that even as the serpent beguiled Eve by his cunning, so your minds may be corrupted and seduced from wholehearted and sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” (2 Cor 11:3 AMP]
OUR LIVES ARE OPEN BOOKS
It is my personal belief that our entire lives are open books before all of the spirit world. This means the angels, the demons, the cloud of witnesses who are in heaven, and the Lord. If we really understood this, we would live much holier lives. To think that an uncountable number of people in heaven can check in on us anytime they want to, is quite embarrassing if we are sinning. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.” (Heb 12:1-2 NLT)
“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” (Heb 4:13 NKJV)
Ps 139:1-10 NLT
O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my every thought when far away. You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am.
You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD. You both precede and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to know! I can never escape from your spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me.
Let us not fear what is exposed to the enemy. Rather let us fear God.
SCRIPTURES
- There are also scriptural instances where the demonic world cried out the secrets of God.
Mark 3:10-12 NLT
And whenever those possessed by evil spirits caught sight of him, they would fall down in front of him shrieking, “You are the Son of God!” But Jesus strictly warned them not to say who he was.
Mark 1:23-26 NLT
A man possessed by an evil spirit was in the synagogue, and he began shouting, “Why are you bothering us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are–the Holy One sent from God!” Jesus cut him short. “Be silent! Come out of the man.” At that, the evil spirit screamed and threw the man into a convulsion, but then he left him.
Mark 5:6-8 NLT
When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him. He ran to meet Jesus and fell down before him. He gave a terrible scream, shrieking, “Why are you bothering me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? For God’s sake, don’t torture me!” For Jesus had already said to the spirit, “Come out of the man, you evil spirit.”
Luke 4:33-37 NLT
Once when he was in the synagogue, a man possessed by a demon began shouting at Jesus, “Go away! Why are you bothering us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are–the Holy One sent from God.” Jesus cut him short. “Be silent!” he told the demon. “Come out of the man!” The demon threw the man to the floor as the crowd watched; then it left him without hurting him further. Amazed, the people exclaimed, “What authority and power this man’s words possess! Even evil spirits obey him and flee at his command!”
Acts 16:16-17 NLT
One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a demon-possessed slave girl. She was a fortune-teller who earned a lot of money for her masters. She followed along behind us shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.”
- THE SCRIPTURE SAYS THAT IF THE RULERS HAD KNOWN, THEY WOULD NOT HAVE CRUCIFIED JESUS. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
NOTE ABOUT THE FOLLOWING SCRIPTURES: Jesus clearly and verbally told the disciples He was going to be killed. His death was also promised in the OT. The disciples even when clearly told that He would die, did not receive this truth until after the fact. Their preconceived interpretations about the Messiah blinded them to the truth.
The scriptures say that the church teaches the principalities and powers. How can this be, when they know the scriptures better then we? The answer is in our quickened faith that aligns with His scriptural truth and this releases the supernatural to understand.
- JESUS VERBALLY TOLD HIS DISCIPLES HE WOULD BE KILLED
Mark 8:31-32 NLT
Then Jesus began to tell them that he, the Son of Man, would suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the leaders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, and three days later he would rise again. As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and told him he shouldn’t say things like that.
Matt 16:21 NLT
From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that he had to go to Jerusalem, and he told them what would happen to him there. He would suffer at the hands of the leaders and the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, and he would be raised on the third day.
Matt 17:22-23 NLT
One day after they had returned to Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed. He will be killed, but three days later he will be raised from the dead.” And the disciples’ hearts were filled with grief.
Matt 26:23-24 NLT
He replied, “One of you who is eating with me now will betray me. For I, the Son of Man, must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for my betrayer. Far better for him if he had never been born!”
Matt 26:53-54 NLT
Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?”
Mark 9:30-32 NLT
Leaving that region, they traveled through Galilee. Jesus tried to avoid all publicity in order to spend more time with his disciples and teach them. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed. He will be killed, but three days later he will rise from the dead.” But they didn’t understand what he was saying, and they were afraid to ask him what he meant.
Ps 22, Ps 69, Isa 53, Zech 13:7, Luke 24:46, Acts 17:3, 1 Cor 15:3-4, Heb 2:8-10, Heb 9:22-23, 1 Peter 1:3, 1 Peter 1:11
- YET THE RULERS OF THE AGE DID NOT KNOW IT
1 Cor 2:6-8 NKJV
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
[Note: The word rulers in the Greek is translated to be both human and spiritual rulers.]
- BECAUSE THE DISCIPLES WERE BLIND TO THE TRUTH UNTIL THE MOMENT OF QUICKENED REVELATION
Luke 24:13-16… 25-33 NLT
That same day two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles out of Jerusalem. 14 As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. 15 Suddenly, Jesus himself came along and joined them and began walking beside them. 16 But they didn’t know who he was, because God kept them from recognizing him….
… 25 Then Jesus said to them, “You are such foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. 26 Wasn’t it clearly predicted by the prophets that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his time of glory?” 27 Then Jesus quoted passages from the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining what all the Scriptures said about himself. 28 By this time they were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus would have gone on, 29 but they begged him to stay the night with them, since it was getting late. So he went home with them. 30 As they sat down to eat, he took a small loaf of bread, asked God’s blessing on it, broke it, then gave it to them. 31 Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared! 32 They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts feel strangely warm as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”
- BECAUSE THE CHURCH MAKES THE WISDOM OF GOD MANIFEST TO THE RULERS
Eph 3:8-12 NKJV
To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.
- BECAUSE THE WORD MUST BE MIXED WITH FAITH
Heb 4:2 NKJV
For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.
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EXCEPTIONS
I believe there is an exception to when the enemy cannot hear our thoughts and prayers… and that is when we are in the secret place. Until the body of Christ starts living in the holy place, with holy lives and holy decisions that please the Lord…. I believe that most Christians do NOT abide in the secret place. I believe being Hidden in Christ is when the enemy can not hear us, because we are hidden.
Colossians 3:2-3 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
The only other time I believe the enemy cannot hear us is when we speak in tongues. He hears us speak the language, but I do not believe he understands it. Scripture says speaking in tongues is our spirit speaking directly to God and we speak in mysteries. That is our direct pipelines to God and praying according to His will.
1 Corinthians 14:2 For he that speaks in an unknown tongue speaks not unto men, but unto God: for no man understands him; but in the spirit he speaks mysteries.
