Last night, November 6, 2019 at the mentorship, a dangerous zone we have passed by.

Manifestations of God had become a test and a judgment on the desire for the Word of
God. The Lord whispered to my spirit the word "stupor".

I didn't understand what that meant. So I began to dig into the word to see what it had to
say about it. The main passage that talks about this spirit is found in Romans 11:7-8

“What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen
obtained it, and the rest were hardened; just as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of
stupor, eyes to see not and ears to hear not, down to this very day.”

While Jos, my son, shared Isaiah 29 in Amplified version:

AMPC Isaiah 29:9-13

9 Stop and wonder [at this prophecy, if you choose, whether you understand it or not;
soon you will witness the actual event] and be confounded [reluctantly]! Blind yourselves
[now, if you choose; take your pleasure] and then be blinded [at the actual occurrence].
They are drunk, but not from wine; they stagger, but not from strong drink [but from
spiritual stupor].
10 For the Lord has poured out on you the spirit of deep sleep. And He has closed your
eyes, the prophets; and your heads, the seers, He has covered and muffled.
11 And the vision of all this has become for you like the words of a book that is sealed.
When men give it to one who can read, saying, Read this, I pray you, he says, I cannot,
for it is sealed. 12 And when the book is given to him who is not learned, saying, Read
this, I pray you, he says, I cannot read.
13 And the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near Me with their mouth and
honor Me with their lips but remove their hearts and minds far from Me, and their fear
and reverence for Me are a commandment of men that is learned by repetition [without
any thought as to the meaning],

I came to understand that the spirit of STUPOR is an evil spirit.

This is not an evil spirit that influences just one individual, but one that influences groups
of people.

It falls among the category of the more influential evil spirits listed in Ephesians 6:12
when it says, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places.”
This evil spirit has a higher rank in Satan’s kingdom than others. An earthly analogy
would be a governor over a state having more influence and power than an individual
citizen. If a person having the gift of the discerning of spirits were to travel into an area
where this spirit is in operation, they would suddenly feel the effects of this spirit.

So what are those EFFECTS , or MARKERS of this spirit?

PASSIVITY.
The Greek word for slumber is “katányksis.” It means to be stupefied, as if stunned after a
violent strike.
Another word for slumber is STUPOR.
This spirit has the potential to cause the believer’s ability to respond to be impaired.
Where we would normally respond to a threat, slumber makes us lethargic; immobilized
because our perception has been shut down. It’s common to feel a mental fog when this
spirit is operating. Where our hearts were once stirred when we read the word or listened
to a sermon, now we feel insensitive. It’s as if we’ve become drunk, but not with wine;
we become negligent, unenthusiastic and slothful. STUPOR shuts down our ability to
understand spiritual truth and gives us dull hearts.

Chronic fatigue is ANOTHER MARKER of this spirit.

Whether a person has yielded to this spirit or is simply discerning its’ presence, fatigue is
one of the primary ways this spirit is discerned. In order to recognize its’ presence, one
needs to learn to discern between normal physical tiredness and the fatigue caused by this
spirit. Normal physical tiredness is “fixed” when we get physical rest. The weariness
caused by this spirit may temporarily appear to be “fixed” when we isolate and rest our
physical bodies, but in the big picture, the weariness remains an on-going problem.

For those who have yielded to this spirit, their ability to “see” is impaired.
In other words, the ability to perceive (discern) spiritual truth is diminished. The person
who is yielding to this spirit finds it difficult to discern good from evil, right from wrong,
true prophecy from false, etc. Our spiritual sensitivities have been stunned, leaving us in
a spiritual stupor. The more we yield to this spirit, the less spiritually conscious we
become.

ANOTHER MARKER of this spirit is feeling overwhelmed.

The individual may face the temptation to “crawl in a hole” and go to sleep when needed
action looks too hard or too scary.” Those who are feeling the effects of this spirit may
face strong temptation to quit pressing forward in their calling. One of the goals of this
spirit is to shut us up and shut us down.
ANOTHER INDICATION that we may be feeling the effects of the spirit of STUPOR
is the temptation to flee. 

It’s all too easy to believe the lie that says that retreating will protect ourselves and those
we love when encountering STUPOR. Retreating can look like physically removing
ourselves from a situation, literal sleep, passivity, isolating, mentally allowing threats to
be blocked from our mind, or numbing ourselves on screens to name just a few.

ANOTHER WAY to recognize that we are feeling the effects of the presence of
STUPOR is when we have an inability to feel emotion when an emotional response
would be healthy. 

Matthew 13:15 says, “For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear
with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’”

A hardened, calloused heart loses its’ ability to feel. It’s a dangerous thing to allow our
feelings to go into lockdown. It may block out painful emotions like fear, but it also
blocks out love, joy, and the ability to feel God’s presence.

What’s the big deal?

Why should we be concerned about yielding to stupor?

STUPOR needs a point of access in order to be allowed to operate. Some ways that we
give the spirit of STUPOR a foothold in our lives is through unbelief (Romans 11:7-23),
rebellion (Jer. 5:21-23), Ezek. 12:1-2), and hardness of heart. (Matt. 13:13-15, Mark
8:17-18)  If we as a church are to be freed from the spirit of STUPOR, repentance is
called for. We need His grace and mercy poured out upon us. Even Jesus’ disciples who
walked with Him everyday struggled at times with these things. The important thing is to
not get stuck here, even if we have struggled with one of these sins. There is grace for the
journey!

ANOTHER REASON we should be concerned about yielding to the spirit of STUPOR

is because it leads to a pattern of retreating from conflict, which can lock the
individual into a lifestyle of passivity and defeat.
ANOTHER REASON we should be concerned about yielding to the spirit of STUPOR
is because it acts as a smokescreen for the enemy to do his dirty work, unhindered by
a sleeping church. John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and
destroy.” His agenda is to steal everything that is precious to us, including the harvest that
we have labored for years to yield. If we as a church are finding comfort in sleeping while
he ravages our treasure houses, he will gladly steal us blind. He would love nothing better
than to steal the hearts of our children, destroy our reputation, and lie to us so that we do
not walk in our true identities and destinies. If we will have the courage to wake up, we
will be alarmed enough to act when we see him rummaging around in our treasures. We
will stand up and fight only if we are awake!

Practical steps to overcome the spirit of STUPOR or slumber:

1. Follow Jesus’ example…use your sword!  
When Jesus engaged in battle against Satan at the end of His fast in the desert, He used
the word, not human reasoning to defeat him. If ever there was a time when the atomic
bomb of spiritual warfare was needed, this was it!
Jesus was physically weak from a 40 day fast. He was hot, tired, thirsty and hungry.
Lucifer handled this assignment himself. Most of us have never had to directly engage
Lucifer in battle, but we would be wise to use the same weapons as Jesus when seeking to
overcome the spirit of STUPOR.

The word of God is a powerful weapon we can use against principalities, powers and
rulers. When this spirit tries to convince us that what God is calling us to do is just too
hard or too intimidating, some powerful scriptures include:

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” Isaiah 40:29 

“I can do all things through him who gives me strength.” Phil. 4:13

“…those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like
eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

2. Another practical step in overcoming the spirit of STUPOR is to worship.

Turn your eyes toward Jesus. Focus on His attributes. Satan flees when we worship. It
can be helpful to have a playlist of worship songs that specifically call upon the church to
wake up from our STUPOR, such as:
• With all of our heart by Marty Nystrom. 
• I long for the day by Dennis Jernigan
• Magbababad
• Babad Sa Presensya Mo
3. Identifying numbing behaviors that you may be using to escape the fatigue is
another effective way to resist the spirit of STUPOR.
If you have given in to yielding to this spirit through escapism, stop long enough to
identify what those false refuges are; things like television watching, various other
screens, isolating, etc. Exchange these numbing behaviors for more helpful responses.
Enjoying some screen time can sometimes be a good thing, but if we are using screens as
an escape from the fatigue of this spirit, it’s time to examine our motives.

4. Another practical step in overcoming the spirit of STUPOR is to get the right kind
of rest.
Not all rest is restorative. Some of examples of restorative rest would be:
• Listening to worship music.
• Soak in the word of God. 
• Take time to enjoy a Sabbath rest. 
Ask God for discernment so that you will be able to discern between normal physical
tiredness and fatigue. We can be more tempted to yield to fatigue when we are physically
tired, so we may at times find ourselves dealing with both at the same time. When this
happens, invite God into your rest, and just soak in His presence. We are not limited to
our own strength or resources. God teaches us to depend upon His strength when we find
ourselves running out of our own before the victory is won.

5. Asking God for strength is another effective way to resist the spirit of STUPOR.
While this one might seem obvious, it’s all too easy to overlook it. We do not overcome
this spirit by floating along with the status quo. It takes intentionally resisting this spirit in
order to overcome it. Sometimes God asks us to use all of our own strength to resist it,
and then to tap into His once ours is gone. God is asking His church to overcome, and
this will mean staying in the battle when we feel that we have used our last ounce of
strength. We cannot overcome without tapping into God’s strength as well; and He is glad
to give it. Psalm 89:17 says, “It pleases you to make us strong.” Sometimes we simply
don’t tap into God’s strength because we don’t ask for it.

6. Another practical step in overcoming the spirit of STUPOR is to assume the right
posture in prayer.
If we think we’re going to overcome this one on our knees with our eyes closed, we may
find ourselves succumbing to sleep in the same way that the disciples did in the Garden of
Gethsemane.
Good intentions.
Bad warfare strategy. 
This battle is won our feet.
Find a prayer closet where you can pace if you need to and pray out loud.
Don’t give your flesh any wiggle room on this one.

When we forcefully resist this spirit through worship and prayer, pressing through the
fatigue we will feel it lift; our energy will be restored even when we exert much energy.
This is what distinguishes it from normal physical tiredness. If it doesn’t lift right away,
persist. You have absolutely been given authority over All the power of the enemy. (Luke
10:19) This includes principalities, powers and rulers. Prayer, worship, submitting to
God…we will prevail IF we do not yield.

Resist the temptation to wait until the weariness passes before engaging in worship. If
we’re discerning the spirit of STUPOR through fatigue, look at that fatigue as a word of
knowledge. The Lord is telling us through that fatigue that NOW is the strategic time to
engage in warfare against this spirit. Timing in spiritual warfare is critical if we are to
defeat the enemy. In this sense, the spiritual gift of the discerning of spirits is God’s way
of giving His church eyes to see what the enemy is up to.

7. Repenting for yielding to this spirit is another effective way to resist the spirit of
STUPOR.
This one probably should be point #1. If we have yielded to this spirit for even a moment,
repentance is called for. If we have found it difficult to trust God (unbelief) in this season,
we repent. If we have found ourselves rebelling, we repent. We may even choose to
repent on behalf of our people for any agreement with the spirit of STUPOR.

8. Another practical step in overcoming the spirit of STUPOR is to declare

and prophesy.
Make declarations over yourself and your people; declarations such as:
• “I am strong.” (Joel 3:10)
• “Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may
live.” (Ezekiel 37:9)
• “Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” (Ephesians
5:14b)

When we feel fatigued or overwhelmed, LET'S PUSH BACK! Resist fatigue (and fear
of fatigue) by declaring the promises of God to be our strength. We are commanded to be
strong, (Deut. 31:6, Psalm 29:11) and we have been given everything we need to obey. (2
Peter 1:3)
9. Keeping our armor is absolutely necessary if we want to resist the spirit of
STUPOR. Scripture calls Satan a disguised roaring lion, and we need every piece of our
armor. (Ephesians 6:10-18)

10. Another practical step in overcoming the spirit of STUPOR is to join with other
believers who are also discerning the presence of this spirit and pray together.
The presence of this spirit came about as a result of corporate agreements, and it will be
overcome on a corporate level as well. There is incredible power in agreement. Ask God
to soften hearts and to help us as a people to turn away from unbelief, idolatry and
rebellion.

Beloved, it is the last hour. 1 Thess. 5:6 says, “…let us not sleep as others do, but let us
be alert and sober.” The rapture of the church is imminent. Mark 13:35-36 says,
“Therefore stay awake – for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in
the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning – lest he come
suddenly and find you asleep.”

Let’s work while it is daylight.

Response
If you think that you have yielded to the spirit of STUPOR in any way, I want to invite
you to take a moment and pray a prayer of repentance with me:

“Dear Lord Jesus,

I now recognize that I have yielded to the spirit of STUPOR.
I don’t want to do this any longer. I ask you to give me strength.
I also ask that you would give me the courage to do whatever you ask me to do.
Thank you that you give strength to the weary and increase the power of the weak.
Thank you that I can do all things through you because you give me strength when my
own runs out.
Please help me to resist this evil spirit of STUPOR and also help me to submit to you.
When I am tempted to flee, quit, or shut down, I ask that you would help me to stand
firm.
If I have sinned against you in any way that opened a door for this evil spirit to have
influence in my life, I ask that you would forgive me.  
In Jesus’ name, Amen.”