Faith Filled Family Magazine October 2016 | Page 25

How Can You Tell The Difference Between Angels and Demons ?
ner He chooses . God is always consistent with His Word . It is imperative that we test the spirits to know whether nor not they are from God . Any spirit that does not confess Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not from God , but the one who does is from God ( 1 John 4:1-3 ). When we know the truth from the Bible , we are armed with the Sword of the Spirit ( Ephesians 6:17 ). If we are confronted with a demon , we must know when it is twists Scripture so we can avoid being deceived .
DISCERNMENT BY HOLY SPIRIT ’ S POWER The Holy Spirit , who resides in believers will guide us in all truth ( John 14:16-18 ). We have the ability to discern whether an angel is from God or not by the prompting He gives us . If we feel uneasy or repelled by an angel , this should be our signal to question where it is from . Thankfully , Christians need not fear Satan nor the demons because our names are written in the Book of Life ( Revelation 3:5-6 , 21:27 ). Their end is sure , the Lake of Fire , the Second Death ( Revelation 20:10 , 14-15 ).
We should not make the mistake of entertaining demons . They are powerful beings and intend harm to us . We must resist the devil to get him to leave ( James 4 ; 7 ). We have been given the authority by Jesus Christ to cast them out ( Luke 10:17-20 ). In every account of confronting a demon , Jesus always told it to be still and leave . There is no need to fear them because God is greater , we belong to Him , and our names are written in the Book of Life .
Angels may cause fear and trembling , but it is because of Whom they represent . These powerful beings are here for our protection , comfort , provision , and defense . We should not have the same uneasy feeling as we would if we were to encounter a demon . The presence of demons is repulsive , but not so with angels . We would most likely be struck with a sense of awesome wonder . We should also have sense safety in the presence of God ’ s angels . The understanding we gain from Scripture fine tunes our discernment ; it helps us avoid letting our emotions get in the way of recognizing the difference between good and evil . The famous evangelist Billy Graham says this in the preface of his book , “ Angels ”, “ In the midst of a world which seems destined to live in a perpetual state of crisis , the subject of angels will be of great comfort and inspiration to believers in God-and a challenge to unbelievers to believe .” We serve a mighty God whom we can fully trust . The heavenly host of angels He employs to minister to us are trustworthy as well . Maybe you have already met an angel . Maybe not . When and if you do , may have a better understanding of the angelic beings you meet . Knowing the difference makes a very big difference .
Charlaine Martin is a freelance writer , blogger , and owner of Totally Fit 4 Life Ministries www . totallyfit4life . com . She lives in Michigan with her husband . She has three adult children and 6 active grandchildren .
HOW TO TELL THE DIFFER- ENCE
How Can You Tell The Difference Between Angels and Demons ?

1

. Some angels from God identify themselves to the person or people as needed ( only references found were Gabriel , Michael and Lucifer ). Most angels will not provide a name so that humans do not worship them . Demons must be told to identify themselves and will haughtily give a name so that you can worship them . ( Luke 1:19 , Mark 5:8-9 )

2

. God ’ s angels speak with
God-given authority ( Genesis 19 ), but demons speak out of arrogance ( Isaiah 14:13-14 ).

3

. Angels from God are never deceptive nor do they twist His Word , but the nature of Satan and demons is to deceive ( John 8:44 , 2 Corinthians 11:14 ).

4

. Angels ’ motives are to serve
God and minister to us ( Revelation 19:10 ), but demons have ulterior motives to destroy us and subvert the Kingdom of God ( Job 2:3 , 1 Peter 5:8 ).

5

. Angels announced the coming the Messiah , but demons refuse to acknowledge Jesus as come in the flesh ( 1 John 4:3 ).
God ’ s angels will tell you to

6

. not bow to or worship them ( Revelation 19:10 , 22:9 ), but demons want you to worship them ( Luke 4:5-7 ).

7

. Angels protect us and war for our souls , but demons desire to keep people from salvation , spiritual growth , and the building of the Kingdom of God ( Matthew 13:19 ).

8

. Demons possess people , but God ’ s angels do not ( Mark 9:17-19 , Matthew 4:24 , Mark 8:16 ).