Has anyone ever approached you to let you know what your “problem” was? These religious/spiritual people want you to believe that God speaks to them in a “special way.” It’s a “gift” that no one else seems to have. They want you to believe that they are never wrong and, if you’ll just listen to them, your whole life will be better. The problem is, when you allow them to “minister” to you, what they have to share seems to come across as condemnation, criticism, and a critical spirit.

If that’s ever happened to you, you need to listen and listen good! Remember that God has placed people of true authority over you to protect you from the misguided “help” of these types of people. Don’t be afraid to say to the person, “Hey, thanks for the advice. Would you mind coming with me to my pastor and submitting that to him for confirmation?” You have every right to ask that question and, if the person you are talking with is truly submitted to the Lord, they won’t mind at all  granting your request!

The truth is, there are many “wolves” in sheep’s clothing in the flock of God! I learned long ago that God doesn’t like religiosity. He doesn’t like false spirituality and false prophets who wreak havoc in the Body of Christ. Some of these people are so ultra-spiritual, they are no earthly good to anyone.

Let me tell you how to recognize them. These types of individuals seem to hop around from church to church on a regular basis. They always seem to have a difficult time fitting in to whatever is already happening in a church body. They always seem to be critical and yet, they don’t have any better ideas of how to get things done. They have a problem submitting to spiritual authority, secretly thinking that they are spiritually more mature than the pastor or other leaders of the church. They are not teachable or correctable. They desperately want a ministry and so they sneak around, often behind the backs of the pastor and leaders of the church; cornering members of the congregation and offering unasked-for advice! Trouble and strife seem to follow them on a regular basis. They always seem to have a “word” from the Lord for everyone and every situation. They seldom tithe in their church and seldom offer to help in any way, particularly with physical jobs, thinking that those tasks are beneath their level of spirituality. They always seem to be dissatisfied with everything that is going on in the church and they have a real problem settling down. They always want to do the ministering but can seldom receive any for themselves. They are bold and tend to have a domineering spirit. When you meet with them, they seldom allow you to speak and if you do, they are not really listening because they are busy formulating in their mind what they’re going to say next if you will only pause long enough to take a breath so they can interrupt!

We’ve been so blessed over the years to have had very few of these individuals in our city and in this church. When they have shown up, they haven’t stayed long, recognizing that there is leadership in place that will not allow that kind of spirit to operate among us.

People with religious spirits prey upon the weak and uniformed. Make sure you have a proper “covering” over yourself and your family and you won’t have to worry about them. I love you!

Disclaimer: Many of the articles on the site were written many years ago. While the lessons and teachings are certainly applicable to issues of today, please note that some of the references mentioned in the article may be dated or otherwise proved inaccurate due to the passage of time. We bring you these articles in their original format. Thank you.