In this compelling episode of The Sound of Faith, Sharon Knotts delivers a powerful message about the unseen forces that influence our spiritual journey. Delving deeply into the nature of hindering and ministering spirits, she explains how these entities work and provides us with biblical strategies to stay on course. Illustrating her points with Paul’s teachings from Ephesians, Sharon encourages believers to stand firm and resist the distractions of the devil.
00:00:06 Introduction to Hindering Spirits vs Ministering Spirits
Greetings, friends and new listeners. Welcome to The Sound of Faith. I’m Sharon Knotts, thanking you for joining us today because we know faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. The message you will hear today, Hindering Spirits vs. Ministering Spirits, is the first of the five-part series, Spirits, Angels, and Demons. You are probably familiar with the term ministering spirits, describing God’s angels sent forth to aid and protect His children. But there are also hindering spirits sent forth from our adversary Satan to impede our progress on our Christian race and prevent doors of opportunity from opening. Where did they come from? Find out in hindering spirits versus ministering spirits. And so the good news is, is we’re not ignorant of Satan’s thoughts. And we know another time that Paul said in Ephesians 4, 27, he said, be angry and sin not. Let not the sun go down on your wrath. Next verse, give no place to the devil. Everybody gets angry. Even God gets angry. And we’re made in his image and likeness. We will get angry. Amen? But we cannot in our anger get out of control and sin. That’s the thing. We can’t sin in our anger. And if you’re a Christian and you have a problem, when you get really upset, you start cussing. You need deliverance. You need deliverance. A spirit is coming against you that calls you to keep falling in that. Amen? That is not the Holy Spirit. You know what his nine fruit are, and that’s not one of them. That is not one of them. There’s temperance, but there’s not temper. Temperance is self-control. And when the Holy Spirit is in control, you will get angry. You may feel your face get hot. You may feel your neck start swelling. And you may even have to speak firmly, boldly, harshly. But it should not be cursing. It should not be nasty, hateful, mean-spirited things that have nothing really to do with the situation. You get off the point and see what people start doing is they start arguing beside the point. And then they get way out here and a lot of hurtful, mean things are said that don’t even have anything to do with the issue that needs to be addressed. And they argue beside the point. So when you’re with people like that, you’ve got to just try to keep bringing them back to the point. Bring them back to the point. You cannot let them trigger. Because they said something off the point and it really angered you that you’re going to jump over there in that place. And then the real issue here is never even fixed. addressed or talked about amen so you got to see that you’re not ignorant of his devices and you’re not going to give him place and you know I’ve taught this before so I just cannot skip over it in the Greek the tense for neither give place to the devil is a present negative a present negative you say why do I care because what it means is the action is already in progress A negative action is already in progress. Amen? So let me just make it easy. Stop. giving place to the devil. The inference is you’re already giving him place. Cut it out. Stop it. And this is the word for all of us. If we know certain things that we fall into, amen, we know it, then we need to try to avoid those places if we can avoid them. And if we can’t because they blindsided us, Amen? Then we need to say, I’m not ignorant of Satan’s devices. I’m not going to give place to the devil and let this thing go the way he wants it to go. I just see a big elbow hitting me in my gut, trying to knock me off my pace, and I’m not going to let him do it. Amen? These are all basic, fundamental Christian scriptures. Here’s the other one we know well. Ephesians 6, 11. all the wiles of the devil. Amen? So first we had devices, and now we have wiles. And this word in Greek is methodos, N-E-T-H-O-D-O-S, and you can see right in there the English word brought straight over, method. The method. In the literal sense, let me tell you what the literal sense is. It means with a road. R-O-A-D. In other words, with a mapped out, planned road to get to a certain destination. Amen? To get to a certain destination. And in this case, it’s Satan who has a planned, mapped out road. And his destination is eternal destruction and separation from God. Because if he understands that if he can elbow you off your course, all other roads lead to hell. Amen? We all say there’s only one road to God and one road to heaven. And that’s true. Jesus said, I am the way. But let’s just flip it on the other side so we get a real impact. And all other roads lead to hell. It’s not just a matter if you want to go to heaven, you’ve got to get on the right road to get to heaven. But it also means, I’m sorry, this is the word of God. If you don’t get on that road, whatever other road you get on, you’re going to hell. People don’t want to hear that today. that is not politically correct because everybody says that you know in the world they tell you that we all are going to get to God somehow and nobody would ever believe that anybody is going to hell you know sometimes a prominent person in the world they whether they’re a rock star or a sports star or a political star, somebody really popular in the world who has lived an ungodly life. Everybody knows about their ungodliness. And when they die, everybody says, he’s up there smiling down at us. He’s up there now. And everybody believes it. You know, sometimes it’s a little awkward and you don’t want to make the family feel bad. So you avoid things like, yeah, he’s burning in hell right about now. You know, that would not be kind. You don’t do that to the family. They’re grieving for their loved one. So you avoid things and you kind of like try to skirt around the issue. But to come out and say, yeah, these up there now sing with Gabriel. And he’s been a liar and a cheater and an adulterer. Amen. And maybe died in the middle of an overdose. So you know it’s not likely. Never impossible with God. Okay. We’re not God. We don’t know. But it’s not likely they were in the place. Or some are on their deathbed and somebody says, do you want me to pray for you? No. I don’t want to hear that stuff. Don’t tell me that stuff. Do you really think they’re going to go to heaven? Thank you. Thank you, Brother Robert. Only one person. Amen. And so we see that we’ve got to understand that Satan is trying to elbow us out of the race. Because if he can get you out of the race, it doesn’t matter how nice you are as a person, how well liked you are, how successful you live your life, if you are a great parent, if you’re a great spouse, if you’re a great citizen of your city, your town, you’re on your job, all of those wonderful things that people can say about you if they give a eulogy over your casket. But if you are not on the road to heaven, all other roads lead to hell. So when we find ourselves being elbowed by hindering spirits, we don’t have to give up and quit and get discouraged. Amen? We can fight back. We must fight back. Amen? Satan is God. I program. He programs everything to, I believe, to the individual person. Amen. We live in a world of such technology. The day is coming, apparently in not too far a distance, when everyone can receive medicine and medication and treatment specifically to their own DNA. Amen. So in other words, if they say, well, normally we give this for high blood pressure, this particular medicine, but they will know whether or not your DNA will do well with that particular thing. And by your DNA, they’ll say, no, that one’s not, we don’t want to prescribe that one. Okay, the DNA suggests this one instead of trial and error. Instead of you taking five or six different medicines and having all kinds of side effects before you finally find one. Amen. that doesn’t make you ill and brings down your blood pressure. That day is coming, folks. It’s coming. They’ve already, and the research has already started, where they will, by your DNA, they will decide what medicine to give you and what medicine never to give you. Do you know how many people die every year in the hospitals from wrong medicines? I don’t know the number, but it’s a lot of people that they actually die from the treatment. Amen. Because it doesn’t agree with them. It may help 50 other people, but not them. And I believe that Satan does the same thing. He tries to individualize what will elbow you out of your way on your journey. So we’re in this race. Turn to 1 Corinthians 9. And let’s see what Paul said about the race and what he does to not let Satan elbow him out of the way. 1 Corinthians 9, 24. Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize. So run that you may obtain. And every man that strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly so fight I, but not as one that beats the air. But I keep under my body and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. So Paul is speaking in the first person, and he’s telling you, look, I go through the same battles you go through. The enemy tempts me and tests me just like he does you. Maybe more if we read Paul’s whole story. Amen? So he’s saying we are in a race, and the prize is eternal life. And we’re all going to get the prize just by putting our foot over the finish line. Amen? Amen? When we exit this earth, whether it’s by way of the grave or we’re here to the rapture of the church, we’re all going to get the prize of eternal life. But he says, now I want you to look at it in the natural, because remember, in those times, the Greek Olympics were really rich. I mean, the Greeks are the ones who invented it. Amen? And then the Romans copied it. And so they had many races. This was their entertainment. They didn’t have television. Amen? They didn’t have any of that. Their entertainment was to go to the arena, the Coliseum, and watch people run. Amen? And so he says, those who are striving for the mastery or those who are striving for the prize… In order to do that, they have to master their body. They’ve got to be in control. Amen? They have to be in control. And he said they’re temperate in all things. That means they’ve got to bring everything in control, whether it’s their… personality, their temper, amen, their words, their speech, their physical strength, what they eat, how they work out, what they do, everything. And he says they work hard at this. They strive. That word is very strong. Strive. In Greek, it’s agon or agonotsomai, A-G-O-N. We bring it right over into English as agony. And you know what agony is. It’s extreme suffering and pain. Amen? And it can be a mental suffering. It can be an emotional suffering or a physical suffering. Amen? When you’re in agony. And so he says, I strive. I’m in agony sometimes, striving, amen, for the mastery. And in order to do that, I’ve got to be temperate in all things. Because the enemy is going to probe. The hindering spirits are going to probe and see where there’s a weakness to elbow you out of your way. And, you know, very often it’s to try to rob your precious prayer time, to get your prayer life going down. And you keep thinking, as soon as I get over this busy, busy time on the job, I’m going to get back to the way I used to be. Or as soon as I get through with this situation that’s going on that keeps hindering me, you know, maybe you’re tearing your house up, remodeling it, and everything’s askew, and your whole life is out of kilter, and you say, as soon as we get all this done, I’m going to get back to my prayer life. What do you think? What do you think about that idea? Not likely, unless you really then put on the brakes, dig in, press your way back into that place of liberty. Amen? And so he’s looking for a way to get in, and so you have to be temperate in all things, whatever it is. So maybe you’re just one of those people who says, but you know, I really don’t like to read. You know, you cannot live off of just what you get over the pulpit here. Especially if you only come on Sunday morning. Amen? You can’t live on that. You’ve got to eat every day. You’ve got to get in the Scriptures for yourself. You have to be in the Word for yourself. Amen? You’ve got to supplement what you get over the pulpit. Even if you come Wednesday and Friday and Sunday, you have to supplement that. You’ve got to get in the Word of God and in the Scriptures. And some people, the enemy fights them on that because they wait until they’re so tired that They’re worn out from their job and they’re so tired. And then they decide they’re going to read the Bible. And that’s not going to work. You’re going to fall asleep or you’re not going to know what you’re reading. And you’re going to say, oh, I’ll wait and do this later. And it always is later. Amen. Or he may try to stop you from coming to church. He’s going to try to elbow you out of the race. He will try to discourage you. Amen. Even if it means that, you know, you think somebody at church is mad at you. And they may not be. It may be a hindering spirit coming to try to throw in a wedge somewhere. And even if they are mad at you, are you going to let that keep you out of church? You’re going to let that keep you home? You’re going to give the devil that place? Amen. You need to come to church anyway. If you both come to church, eventually you’ll both get the victory. Amen. But the devil tells people they don’t like you. Pastors don’t like you. So-and-so doesn’t like you. And it’s all a lie. It’s all a lie. Amen? Because if there is a problem, if you have a real problem that needs to be taken care of, the Holy Spirit will work it out so y’all can get counsel and get it taken care of. That’s the bottom line. We’re trying to help people get to heaven. We are trying. Let me say this. I am trying to help you to get to heaven. Amen. I want to do whatever I can to help you get there. Amen. If I inadvertently offend you, and probably I say this honestly, I probably don’t even know it. I probably don’t know that you got offended. But if I do know you got offended, and the Holy Spirit brings it to my attention, I will come to you. I won’t just let it go and fester. Because that’s giving place to the enemy. Amen. And if you have a problem, you need to do the same thing. Come to me. But make sure before you come, you check it out and see if it ain’t a lying spirit. Because it’s probably a lying spirit. If it’s a lying spirit, then you get the victory over it. The issue’s done. If it goes on, then you need to come to me. I’ll be happy to talk to you. And we can pray together. Amen. So you’ve got to be tempered in all things. He recognized, Paul recognized that one of the ways the enemy came against him was through his uncrucified flesh. I say this because he said in chapter 15 of the same book, he goes on to say in 1 Corinthians 15, 31, I die daily. Every day, I have to beat up my body. You say, what do you mean, beat up my body? Well, what did we read here? Let’s see what he said in what we just read. He said, I bring my body under subjection. Amen? I bring it under. And he says, I fight, but not as one that beats the air. Well, what is he talking about? What kind of fighter beats the air? It’s a pugilist term. A boxer. He shadow boxes. Amen. He’s always learning how to get those quick, quick, quick. One to bring up the one, one the other. And so he shadow boxes. He shadow boxes. Amen. He says, I’m not shadow boxing. Uh-uh. I’m not playing around shadow boxing. I’m going to beat myself up. I’m going to punch myself out. In fact, it’s in the Greek. It means to beat someone to their black and blue. Now, we’re not talking about sadomasochism or none of that sort of thing. We’re talking spiritually. Spiritually. If your flesh is trying to elbow you off of the race or knock you out or keep you from progressing in the Lord and having the victory and the blessing of God on your life, then you’re going to have to get in the prayer closet and start punching yourself. until it comes under subjection. That’s the idea here. Amen? And it may take prayer coupled with fasting. Whatever it takes to deny the lust of your flesh or the lust of your mind or any of that, you want to bring the flesh into descendancy so the spirit can be in ascendancy. Amen? So that Satan has no leeway there to send a hindering spirit to hinder you. So whenever you make an effort to mount up in your spiritual life, whether it’s to strengthen your prayer or reading the Bible more, coming out to church more, you are going to get pushback. You will get the pushback from the enemy. Amen? And you are then experiencing opposition from hindering spirits. Don’t be discouraged. And don’t get weary in well-doing. Amen? In fact, at that point, it may be a good idea to join in prayer with other saints that you trust, that you can go to, that are close to you, that you know won’t judge you or condemn you, but will help you. Amen? We need one another. Amen? And so if you try to keep it all inside and you try to keep it all to yourself and you’re trying to get it, that’s not wise. You’re going to be overcome. We that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and fulfill the law of Christ. Amen? And so we need to pray one for another. And you know what? Preachers and ministers need intercessory prayer too. In fact, Paul was not shy about asking for personal prayer for himself. And if Paul needed prayer, I know I do. Amen? He was not shy. Turn in 1 Corinthians, turn over to chapter 16, verse 9. For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries. This is a powerful statement. He was saying, I see so many opportunities to preach the gospel. I see so many open doors. But he said there’s also a lot of hindering spirits. There’s a lot of adversaries that want to keep me from going through those doors of effectual preaching of the gospel. Amen? And so he asked people that were close to him, all the churches that he had a part in birthing, and he asked them to pray for him. He needed unified prayer of the saints so that he could overcome those hindering spirits and those adversaries that wanted to prevent him from going through those open doors. Amen? Because he knew that Satan was dispatching hindering spirits to stop him. Turn to Colossians 4, verse 2. So he is now writing, From prison. You notice that? He said he’s in bonds. Amen? But yet, even in prison, he was not going to give up. He said, I’m asking you to pray that there will be open doors. He didn’t say to all the guys out there, to all the preachers out there. He said to us. Amen? He included himself even in prison. Amen. I don’t care where you are. I don’t care how it may seem bleak your situation is. If you’re in the hospital for a long time, if you’re home convalescing for a long time, amen, no matter where you are, I learned personally, you can preach the gospel from your bed. especially now with internet. Amen? But you can preach the gospel. Even if you’re home and you have the shutting committee coming to pray for you because you need prayer, you’re sick and you can’t get out to church, and they’re coming and praying for you, you know what the Holy Ghost can anoint you that before they leave you don’t preach to them? You can say a word of encouragement to them. You know what that does? You are sowing a good seed that you’re going to reap back. Amen? And you’re preaching the gospel. And so he asked them, pray, pray for doors to be opened that we can preach the gospel. Saints, we have authority over hindering spirits. We have authority over them. We all know the verse we were brought up. This was part of our formula from a baby in this church. Luke 10, 19, Behold, I give you power over all the power of the enemy. Amen? To tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy. And we know that the word I give you power, we know in Greek it’s exousia, and we know that means authority. And that’s important because authority trumps power. And he gave it to us over all serpents and scorpions, which is a metaphor for demonic spirits, including hindering spirits. Amen. Sometimes when you pray, have you ever felt the Holy Ghost inspire you in the middle of your prayers? You say, and I take authority over every spirit that would hinder whatever the case is. How many have ever had the anointing? That you’ve come against that. You might have been praying a real nice prayer and all of a sudden something rose up in you. I cancel your plan, Satan. And I establish and declare the plan and the purpose of God. We have authority over hindering spirits. And we’re going to use them because God has opened unto us many effectual doors. Amen. Give the Lord a clap, Alfred. And I’m going to pray a corporate prayer for everyone here. That if there’s been any type of hindering spirit that’s come against you, amen, we’re going to take authority over it right now. And when you get out on your own, he’s going to come and try you. Just because we bind him now doesn’t mean he isn’t going to try. But you’re going to immediately rise up and say, I take authority over this hindering spirit. Amen? And just as sure as you know that God sends angels to deliver you, Satan is sending angels to hinder you, but greater, greater, greater are those who are for us than those who are against us. So, Father, right now, in the name of Jesus, we take authority over every hindering spirit of the enemy that tries to elbow the saints of God off of their course. We come against the lies of the enemy, the spirits of fear. We come against those spirits of laziness, those spirits of discouragement. We rebuke them in the name of Jesus. We cast down every device, every thought of the enemy. We cast it down. We expose it as a lie. And we bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. And Lord, we ask you to release your ministering spirits to come alongside of us, to strengthen us, to touch us when we’re down, to even encourage us. Lord, send people with the word in due season to speak to us in the right time at the right moment. Lord, to lift us up, Lord, and put a word in our mouth. Put words in our mouths that we may speak to others. That we may encourage the discouraged and lift up the downcast. And Father we thank you for the great victory that we see. That you have put us on this course for the next year for the radio ministry. And we claim Lord that it’s going to grow. We claim Lord that you’re going to bring people that are going to be drawn to the anointing. And the word of truth. In the midst of so much falseness out there. That the spirit of God will bear witness with their spirit. And bring them Lord closer to this ministry. That we can have the privilege. To minister to people and help them make heaven their home. In Jesus name we pray and we seal it. And let the church say. Amen. Give the Lord a clap all friends. Amen. What an insightful teaching on hindering spirits versus ministering spirits. Scripture tells us that God sends forth his ministering spirits, angels to each of us for protection and assistance that we may complete our assignments on the earth. Amen. Amen. Amen. They use their training in alliance with Satan against us. Hindering spirits versus ministering spirits is the first teaching in my five-part series, Spirits, Angels, and Demons, which include familiar spirits, seducing and allying spirits, man-fearing spirits, and bail busters and troublemakers. This album of five CDs can be ordered for a love gift of $25 or more for the radio ministry. Request SK-185. Mail to Sound of Faith P.O. Box 1744 Baltimore, Maryland 21203 or go online to soundoffaith.org where you may also order on MP3s. I strongly urge you to get this powerful series the Holy Spirit has given me. It is thorough but simple and scripturally sound. You will learn much, so order today. Send $25 to P.O. Box 1744, Baltimore, Maryland, 21203. Request SK185 for spirits, angels, and demons. Until next time, this is Sharon Knott saying, Maranatha.
