A dear friend's husband had been in a horrible car accident. He was crippled for life. He lost the use of his arms and legs. He couldn't speak, and it wasn't clear how much he understood. My friend insisted on taking him home anyway. She's that kind of person. Years later, he went through a time when he was constantly disturbed, angry, even violent.

My church's prayer group prayed for healing. There was no change. We prayed and prayed. We pushed in nothing. Finally, God told my pastor that this man was being harassed by demons. We went to their home. One of the people in our prayer team saw demons in various locations in that house.

I'd been in China prior to this, so I'd had a few encounters with demons. We put one prayer team member in each room and simply prayed and listened as God told us what to do. I couldn't see the demon that was in front of me in the room where I was, but I could feel the dark presence.

The anger was more like rage. I just stood in front of the closet where that demon was and prayed as God led. Soon the demon left. All the demons left, and my friend's husband was no longer agitated and angry. Peace flooded their home. What we thought was a healing issue was a demonic issue.

Jesus encountered that situation many times in his ministry, so it shouldn't surprise us when we do too. We face many perplexing problems every day. All kinds of problems. My point is we need God to guide us. We may not even know what the real problem is. Sometimes the problem is how we define the problem, and sometimes we are praying for circumstances to change.

When the problem is us, if we change, the problem will go away. Proverbs 3:5 6 says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, submit to him, and he will make your path straight. Don't depend on your own understanding.

Ask God. God has information you don't know, and he's a lot smarter than you. Even with right information, we can make wrong decisions. Satan blinds us at times. Strong emotions and strong desires can cloud our thinking. There are many reasons we make bad decisions

Proverbs 20:24Aman's steps are from the Lord, so how can anyone understand his own way? Jeremiah 10:23 I know, O Lord, that a man's way is not his own. No one who walks directs his own steps. And Proverbs 16:9 in their heart, humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.

God's plan is for you to walk with him, guided step by step.