Know-It-Alls

(Isaiah 14:13-13 KJV) How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 

Over the years I have met a few people who I considered to be real "know-it-all’s." I am not sure I ever thought about why they were that way until recently. While thinking about this the other day, I realized that there really was a "know-it-all" spirit and its origin was in heaven. Satan was the original "know-it-all" because as one of the three archangels, and certainly the most beautiful one of all, he considered himself to be equal with God.

In defense of the innocent I must say that not everyone who appears to be a "know-it-all" has a "know-it-all" spirit on them. Some folks just like to talk a lot and give their opinion , even if they have no real knowledge of the subject. They only want to be a part of the conversation and sound as intellectually qualified as possible in order to give their opinions.

Most of the time the root causes for such talkative "know-it-all" type people is insecurity. This type of insecurity often begins when one is a child. Talking a lot helps them to appear to know more than they really do.

On the other hand, one with a "know-it-all" spirit is quite the contrary...in as much as they are usually marked by "defiance."  They not only give their opinion, but they keep driving home their opinion until the other person yields to it. This is often done in a family between a husband and wife where one is able to take control of the mind of the other person and bend it to their own will. This type of "know-it-all" spirit is a form of witchcraft...which is exactly what Satan tries to do to each of us.

Even though both types of "know-it-all" people may look the same, there is a big difference between them. One may be annoying because they talk so much, but the other is dangerous because they are an agent of Satan.

The fact is, everyone is knowledgeable in their field of expertise, but they are usually not knowledgeable outside of their field of expertise. For example, one may be the best brain surgeon in the country, but t not know a thing about changing a flat tire. Therefore, for them to tell the service man how to change their tire would be ludicrous…but that is what a "know-it-all" type person would try to do.

I remember a pastor that had the most "know-it-all" spirit of control of anyone I had ever known. He started his ministry as a very loving, caring and humble pastor. However, over the years he developed a "know-it-all attitude" as his congregation submitted to him more and more. He eventually went a step farther and opened himself up to the "know-it-all" spirit of witchcraft control. When this happened, he began to bend his congregation’s mind, will, and emotions to his total control.

I was called on by one of the elders of the church who had not been totally manipulated by the pastor. He asked me to come and help them through this crisis. The pastor knew and trusted me so over the next year of regular ministry meetings we were able to deal with the root cause of such behavior. Over time he was healed and the church became as healthy as it once was.

Father,

Help us to listen more than we talk and to be perpetual learners. Help us not to be classified among the "know-it-all’s" and certainly not be one who yields to the "know-it-all" spirit where we are capable of bending the minds of others to our will.

Amen