Staying Spiritually Aware: Tips for Detecting Evil Influences

As I look around society, I see the manifestations of different spirits. I see the spirit of arrogant ignorance. I see the spirit of hate. I see the spirit of indifference. I see the spirit of paternalism. I see the spirit of misogyny and misogynoir. And of course I see the spirit of Whiteness. There are more, but these are the ones for this post.

Some of these spirits are loud and in your face. Others are quiet, subtle, and they hide behind other things. Arrogant ignorance and hate are those cousins that show up that don’t care what they say or who they offend. They are dangerous because they are so unhinged.

Indifference is that acquaintance that will pretend to be your friend until something happens to you, someone who looks like you, or someone you care about. Either way it goes, indifference does not care what happens as long as it is not negatively impacted. It is not ideal for your mental health.

Paternalism likes to hide behind laws. In this country, it has hidden behind it’s interpretation of the Constitution, slave laws, Jim/Jane Crow Laws, laws against immigrants, laws against the LGBTQ, laws that affect women and yes, even the Bible. It is a dangerous coward that will plan and plot on oppressing others and then do it “in the name of” something else so it can hide.

Misogyny and misogynoir may play out in the open or behind closed doors. However, they do not seek equity and inclusion. Therefore, they will exclude all women from conversations that will affect them. They also make it extremely difficult for women to obtain the same things that are sometimes given to men just because they feel like a position of power and decision making should automatically be held by a man. This spirit is not only very condescending but it is also very dangerous because the Creator created humanity to work together. God did not create this hierarchical narrative that we have adopted as humans.

Last but not least, Whiteness is the granddaddy of them all. It will have you change who God created you to be and may even require you to sell your soul. If you want to know more about it, visit my blog entitled, “Reckoning with Whiteness.

https://www.edupreneurialtheologian.com/blog/reckoning-with-whiteness

We have to remember that God made us to be intelligent creative spiritual beings that are intertwined in flesh and blood. Just like our bodies show the diverse unity between the divine (God breathed) and creation (dust of the Earth), we should be striving to do the same in our interactions with others. An honest heart will ask this question, “Have I fallen prey to worshiping these spirits and others instead of the Divine Spirit?” A sincere heart will repent and seek to do better.