As we know, the devil is an imitator, which means everything that God creates + does—-he tries to do “a form of it” aka a faux version. With that being said, the enemy has what I love to call “fruits” and “gifts” that he uses as a part of his tactics when it comes to tempting us, causing us to doubt God, and luring us to sin.
Do you understand HOW the devil works? Are you aware of the tactics he uses consistently to get us to trip up or work in our flesh?
Yes, his tactics for each of us are very PERSONALIZED, since he’s ancient + has studied us since the very first interaction in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3. BUT, he has a set of “tactics” aka “gifts” that he uses interchangeably to get the job done as well as “fruits” that we can identify to see the spirit behind anyone or thing that approaches us.
What Are Biblical Fruits?
Fruits in the bible are basically attributes that a person exhibits when they live in accordance with the Holy Spirit and is something that all of us as Believers should attain as we continue to walk with Jesus—–hence the process of sanctification and purification. According to Galatians 5:22-23, the fruits of the spirit include Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-control.
Fruits of the spirit are developed by God’s Grace and cultivated through relationship with Him, reading of His Word, repentance/prayer, tests + trials, etc. In addition, these “fruits” go hand in hand with the law—–which means that they help us carry out the biblical laws + commandments through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
What are the Biblical Gifts?
Basically, biblical gifts are an extraordinary power [or expression] given by the Holy Spirit to individual believers that are needed to fulfill the mission of the church [I.e. gift of giving, gift of teaching, prophecy, tongues, word of knowledge, wisdom, etc.]. Therefore, any gifts of the spirit that we possess—the sole purpose is to build up the body of Christ and Glorify God. That’s it.
What are the Fruits + Gifts of the Unholy Spirit?
OK, so let’s get into it. The “Fruits” of the Unholy Spirit [aka the kingdom of darkness] include but are not limited to:
- Intellect
- Impulsiveness
- Pride
- Anger
- Critical
- Lies
- Evil
- Rebellious
- Torment
The “Gifts” of the Unholy Spirit on the other hand, include but are not limited to:
- Deception
- Manipulation
- Flattery
- Accusation
- Fear
- Intimidation
- Disunity [aka division]
- Temptation
- Thievery
One of the “gifts’ of the Unholy spirit, Fear is one of the main things that the enemy uses as a ‘doorway’ to enter your life in full effect. This is why God said in 2 Timothy 1:7 that “He didn’t give us a spirit of Fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind”. This why we have to rebuke fear and cast down every imagination that exalts itself above the knowledge of God and resist the devil so he flees. This is often done through the reading of the Word of God which in turn renews our minds and helps us to have on the Armor of God.
What is the Armor of God?
Ephesians 6:11, Tells us to always put on the full armor of God to stand against the enemy’s wiles.
A Breakdown of the FULL Armor of God:
- Belt of truth [leaning toward the truth + fighting off deceit]
- Breastplate of righteousness [protects our heart + trust in God]
- Feet of gospel of peace [shares the message of peace with others]
- Shield of faith [shields form attack of enemy]
- Helmet of salvation [protects our mind from doubt/attacks of enemy]
- Sword of the spirit [The Word of God]———foundation of it ALL.
Breakdown of the “Fruits” of the Unholy Spirit
Intellect: Think Genesis 3 and the Garden of Eden moment. Eve becomes tempted by the serpent through “conversation” or an exchange of intellectual communication. It was the presence of “some truth” wrapped in a lie that made Eve entertain the serpent’s suggestion in addition to her heart’s desire which caused her to disobey God and cause Adam to do the same. We have to understand that the devil is WELL versed in scripture too, is highly intelligent, and calculated. Remember, he was a high-ranking angel amongst God in heaven, therefore, he understands how things work. This is why we must be careful of seeking so much “intellectually sound” doctrine or conversations that we don’t fall into the enemy’s trap of using the very desire for “more knowledge” against us like he did Eve.
Don’t be so impressed by intellect alone. What we should seek is wisdom and knowledge from God that only comes through the Holy Spirit and His leading.
Impulsiveness: This is defined as “acting or doing something without forethought”. One thing that we must notice is that the devil uses emotions + will to cause us to react without self-control [an actual fruit of the Holy Spirit]. I’ve had to learn to manage my emotions and kill destructive emotions like regret, shame, insecurity, sorrow, etc. the moment that they become a “state of being” rather than a moment of feeling. Ephesians 4:26-32 speaks about this clearly, especially when it comes to anger.
Pride: As we know, he is the “Father of the Children of Pride”. This is simply an excessive love of one’s own excellence or an attitude of self-importance, self-sufficiency, and self-exaltation. In addition, pride can bear fruit in the form of one’s elevated opinions/thoughts that go above God and His Word. This is usually connected to the “Spirit of Leviathan” which was an actual sea monster which was all-powerful and often mentioned in the book of Job, Isaiah, and Revelation. Here are a few forms of Pride to look out for:
- Self exaltation: Gives credit to oneself.
- Self-promotion: Welcomes credit from others rather than doing it themselves. This is where one acts “humble” but are perfectly fine having others praise + exalt them. This ties well with Matthew 6:1-2 where Jesus speaks boldly about practicing righteousness in private to avoid this sense of “false humility.”
- Self-justification: Expects credit from God Himself. This is where someone does things “in honor” to God so that they can receive admiration from God. Instead, we should do everything because He is holy, good, and worthy of all that we do.
- Self-degradation: Tears himself down. This one is more subtle because it can appear as though the person is doing the opposite of being prideful, but that’s not true! Tearing yourself down and wallowing in your failures = self-absorbed. This is where focusing on ourselves (in a negative way) to the point of using the “attention” received as a tool to be seen and loved becomes a danger.
- Self-demotion: Compares himself to others. This is can be done privately or publicly where one announces that they have performed worse than others. In turn, this is a warped way of convincing others that they are less than or have less than others so that it results in a “pity party”. The deceptive part of this: It appears to be coming from a place of neediness, however, it’s NOT. It’s really from a wounded ego.
- Self-condemnation: Judges himself. This is where condemning oneself because they don’t meet their own standard becomes dangerous. It can be mislabeled as “depression”, when it is in fact pride. In addition, this is where someone places their perspective, standard, + assessment above everyone and everything else. Read Titus 3:3-6 which gives perspective to the dangers of following solely our passions and own thoughts.
Anger: This is defined as an emotion that can range from mild irritation to intense anger. It can also be a response to something that endangers something we love. Biblically, however, anger is said to come from the evil desires within ourselves—-not at all by outside factors. We see anger affect people in the bible like Moses, Cain, and others, which resulted in great consequence.
Critical: A negative attitude of the heart that seeks to condemn, tear down, and destroy with words. Some of the motivations behind a critical person could be: a self factor [jealousy, envy, vengeance, anger, hatred, etc.], fear factor [feeling threatened by someone or feeling anxious in which criticism is used as a form of “self protection”], control factor [using control, manipulation, + shaming as a way to dominate over others].
Types of Critical Spirits:
- Gossiper
- Slanderer
- Judgementalism
- Complainer
Lies: The bible says that the devil is “The Father of Lies”. This is where he invades our thoughts through lies to produce doubt, fear, guilt, and so many other negative feelings/mindsets.
Evil: This is basically anything that is the corruption of goodness. Anything that is bad, deficient, harmful, and wicked according to scripture. Read Isaiah 5:20 for reference. In this case, the devil uses things like abuse, war, violence, etc. as ways of evil acts.
Rebellion: This is defined as showing a desire to resist authority, control, or convention. Basically, going one’s own way. The devil uses this often to get us to prioritize our own desires and self-interests over God’s will. Read Isaiah 30:1 for reference.
Examples of Rebellion:
- Those who protest + rebel against God and His prophets.
- Those who seeks to change God’s plan.
- Those who demand a lowering of the standards of Righteousness and seek to convince others to accept immoral behavior [aka false prophets/teachers do this].
- Those who seek to deceive people into believing that wickedness is happiness and that we can find salvation in sin [aka false prophets/teachers do this as well].
Torment: This is defined as extreme pain or anguish of the body and mind. This can be done physically with sickness + disease (like with Job in the bible) or mentally or emotionally with isolation, rejection, exploiting your vulnerabilities, whispering negative thoughts, fueling insecurities, creating doubt, fear, and anxiety and inducing guilt. Lastly, distorting reality [perceiving people/situations more negative than they are], presenting temptations, distractions, forbidden desires, pride, arrogance [encouraging inflation + self-importance], and other mental health conditions.
Breakdown of the “Gifts” of the Unholy Spirit
Deception: The act of misleading someone, causing them to believe something false or to disbelieve something true; the enemy’s #1 tactic! Know that this doesn’t always come with aggression, anger, etc.; it can appear “nice, etc.——like an “angel of light’ too. It’s so important to have discernment!
Manipulation: To control or play upon by artful, unfair, or subtle means especially to one’s own advantage. Examples: someone encouraging you to doubt yourself or feel guilty for someone; complains in front of others for to you conform or someone who gives you ultimatums without much of a “free” choice.
Flattery: This is considered something that a person will say to your face, but will not say “behind your back”. “Sweet lyrics” is what Jamaicans call it. Basically, it’s Insincere praise that is said to please someone but with a hidden motive.
Accusation: This is the act of blaming someone or “pointing the finger” or bringing up the past to label them as wrong or faulty. Revelation 12:10 —> talks about Satan being the “accuser of the brethren”.
Fear: This is a major tactic the enemy uses to make us “vulnerable” and open to his attacks. Biblically, fear is referred to as a “spirit”. Jesus often mentions + reminds us to not fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 ——> God didn’t give us a spirit of fear but of love, power, + a sound mind. Fear of God is different!!
Intimidation: Defined as to compel or deter a threat; make people fearful + get them to do things they don’t want to do. Proverbs 29:25 —> talks about how fear + intimidation is a trap that holds you back. But when you place your confidence in the Lord, you will be seated in the high place.
Disunity [ungodly division]: aka strife—Defined as the disagreements and conflict within a group that creates distrust amongst believers, insecurities, etc. Comes down to sin issues in the church [like gossip, pride, fear, compromising the Word of God to cater to the world, etc.] The Bible says that we should be peacemakers + keepers, forgiving offenses, reconciling with our brother, etc. to avoid this!
Temptation: This is an enticement to disobey God’s will. Often leads to sin and can come from the devil, our own flesh, or the world. We should expect to be tempted which is why it’s important to check the desires of our hearts and to give no foot to temptation or the devil. So HOW can we overcome temptation regardless of it’s source? The short answer: Prayer, relying on the Holy Spirit for direction or guidance, avoiding evil [I.e. people, places, things that aren’t godly], fasting to kill the flesh, etc. Just remember that God allows temptation sometimes to “reveal our hearts” [i.e. our loyalties, idols, motivations, + character flaws] to bring forth growth + maturity in believers.
Thievery: This is the act of taking something that doesn’t belong to you. The devil tries to rob us of EVERYTHING God has promised——to destroy our lives, but MORE IMPORTANTLY, to rob us of our hope + faith in the Lord. This is why we must build our faith + stand in authority to resist the devil.
Some ways that the devil steals from us:
- Time [through delays/limitations]
- Dreams [robs you spiritually of things of God like promises, healing, etc.]
- Peace [confuses you, brings forth depression, negative thoughts, etc.]
- Joy [keeps negative emotions at the surface]
- Fellowship/relationships [to create isolation, loneliness, strife, + unforgiveness]
- Hope [to kill your faith + trust in the Lord]
- Resources [to keep you stuck, hinder you from carrying out God’s will, make you weary, etc.]
It’s so important that we actively die to our flesh daily [i.e. by Reading His word, through prayer, fasting to tame the flesh, setting boundaries for proclivities that cause us to sin, etc.].
How can we resist the devil?
- Stay firm in faith.
- Remain rooted in God’s Word.
- Focus on the truth.
- Understand that salvation is secure.
- Don’t let the things of this life get into our mind.
- Surrender feelings and fears to the Power of God within us.
Overall, it’s so important for us to understand the tactics of the enemy so that we are better equipped with identifying when it’s happening + respond differently (by fighting spiritually + at the root) so that he flees.
Verse of the Day
1 Peter 5:8 —> “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking home he may devour”.
Let’s Breakdown this Verse:
- Be sober-minded: Be mentally self-controlled, sharp, careful, observant, and thoughtful.
- Be vigilant: Stay alert and on guard.
- The devil is the enemy: The devil is the real enemy of a Christian believer, not the physical persecution some may face through people. Ephesians 6:12 — we don’t wrestle against flesh/blood.
- The devil wants to harm: The devil wants to destroy faith, shake trust in God, affect submission to God, and destroy testimony.
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Watch EP 11 of Podcast of “Gifts of the Unholy Spirit”
