The Evil Spirit Called “Discontent” by Bryan Craig
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
1 John 4:1-6
Years ago, I came across this passage and what struck me was this part… “test the spirits to see whether they are from God.” The text goes on to talk about the Holy Spirit and how He always points to Jesus Christ, yet, there are other spirits which do not confess Christ and are actually opposed to Christ. As you read the New Testament, you see the battle between good and evil going on very clearly. Jesus was encountering evil spirits and casting them out of possessed individuals. He even gave His followers authority and a mandate to do the same as they spread out, two by two, bringing the message, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is near.” Later, Paul teaches about spiritual warfare and spiritual weaponry in many of his teachings to the churches. First, I hope you understand and believe that the Devil is real and that there are evil spirits all around us. As John says in the 1 John 4 passage, “They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.”
Now, I don’t purport to understand all there is to know about evil spirits and spiritual warfare, but because I am a follower of Christ, an abider in Christ, a man of The Word, committed to surrender, sacrifice, consecration, I believe I understand many things because of the Holy Spirit Who lives in me. Intuitively, spiritually, I see what John is describing above. I see lots of voices coming to us from all different sources every day. They come through the people we are around, from media in all of its many sources, and often, from within.
From the beginning, Jesus’ disciples were trained to discern between good and evil. The early church recognized the threats from the world, and they, too, had to learn what was going on behind the spiritual veil. From the beginning of time, in the Garden of Eden, when man sinned and suddenly, they had a knowledge of good and evil, there has been conflict. We innately know of our desire for good and our potential for evil, all at the same time.
Now, when we do not know Christ and do not receive Him, we somewhat live in ignorance, though even then, He has written goodness into us since we were created in His image. But we can much more easily justify our sinful behavior, since we do not have the Holy Spirit, and His guiding conviction, within us. We easily fall for the lies of the “spirits” that permeate our dark world.
But what about those of us who do know Christ and pledge our faith and allegiance to Him? The “spirits” do not leave us alone. Sometimes, they amp up their efforts as we then pose a bigger threat to Satan’s domain and plans. If we were to name these “spirits”, I think we could come up with a list rather quickly. I’m sure there is an evil spirit called “Lust”, how about “Greed”, how about “Selfishness”. You get the idea.
There is another one that I’ve recognized that I think wreaks havoc with all people. I call it “Discontent.” Yes, you can be walking through life just fine, when out of the blue, you decide you must have a new house, or a new car, a new career, a new wife, a new life. Most often, it is irrational and unjustified, but nevertheless, it’s powerful. It usually comes from its relationship with his twin brothers, “Jealousy and Envy.” I do not think “Discontent” is from God, and I see this spirit getting so many people off course and out of focus from the things of God.
As John explains in 1 John 4, we must learn to “test the spirits.” I think we must learn to start bringing every desire, every urge, every thought to Jesus through His Spirit, asking Him for wisdom and guidance. “Lord, is this thing I desire a holy desire, or is it an evil spirit temptation?” This is the kind of prayer He will answer. And we must always look to His Word as our North Star. For example, in wrestling with this spirit called “Discontent”, the Holy Spirit has guided me to this verse:
But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. 1 Timothy 6:6-10
Another verse I found gave me great encouragement. When David was on the run from Saul, yet to fulfill his God-given anointing as King, he was hiding in a cave. His brothers found out where he was, and it says:
All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him. 1 Samuel 22:2
These 400 men, like David, were struggling through life. I think they identified with this ordinary shepherd who seemed a lot like them. In him, they found a leader, and they found hope. They also found strength and courage. As you read on, you learn that some of these men did some “mighty” exploits on behalf of God and David. They were even called, “David’s mighty men.”
So, if you are reading this and you love Jesus and want to be His disciple, put your total trust in Him just like these 400 men put their trust in David. Let Jesus, through His Spirit living within you, help you discern the spirits that are flying through the air. And don’t miss this admonition from John:
Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
You have power within you to defeat these evil spirits. Our Lord wants to make you mighty for His kingdom.