We are better able to combat the powers of darkness if we can recognize the signs. Remember for every weapon the powers of darkness posses, the powers of God are greater. God is always in control even when we don't think He is. He never rests, He never slumbers, He never changes, He will never forsake you or leave you abandoned.
Some of the signs that the power of darkness is at work
1. violence - hurting another person is never good. We walk a fine line with this category. Do you defend a people where the country has been overrun with evil or do you let them suffer in silence while you do nothing allowing the violence to continue. To allow the holocost which happened in WWII where the Jewish people and those helping them were persecuted to continue was to also encourage the evil which was engulfing the world.
2. apathy - this also includes idleness. We need to combat this with activity. Not random activity, but purpose driven activity. Having a goal and following through. When they say Idle hands are the devils workshop, they are correct. We need physical, mental and spiritual activity to keep us in top form. When we were children we had parents to tend to our basic needs. When we become adults, we help others through the gifts we have been given. Always remember, just because someone isn't paying you to do something doesn't mean what you are doing is not important. We store up our treasures in heaven where we will also receive our pay.
3. jealousy - wanting what others have and not being content causes people to never be happy with the gifts they have been given. You as a person are important and have a purpose. You do not know the other persons past and what they have experience and you do not know their future. God gave you the life you have for you to experience for His purpose. I don't know what the purpose is but God knows and God doesn't create junk.
4. greed - to always want more will cause you to never have peace in your life. If you have more, then you have more to take care of. Eventually you will die and your worldly possessions will go to another. You would have wasted all those years working to keep track of so many possessions and for what. Life is meant to be lived. You can be greedy by always wanting the power to control others also.
5. Disarray or chaos - God created this world in an orderly fashion. He made physical laws which govern the workings of the world. We have the law of gravity and the law of nature. We are meant to have peace and order, not disarray and chaos. Even the rivers have boundaries. When the rivers don't obey the boundaries and we have a flood, we are left with chaos.
6. Anxiety - worry about what we have no control over is not good. We are always faced with events in our lives which we can not control. Putting our trust in God and knowing He has our best interest is our safeguard against anxiety. Anxiety is trying to control that which you have no control over. Using your skills with the different weapons will help you discern that which is out of your control and that which is in your control. Forgiveness is a powerful tool to combat anxiety.
7. Pride - this also encompasses the feeling you have that you are not paid enough or that someone owes you something. We came into this world with nothing and we will leave with nothing. Everything good is from our Heavenly Father and He is in control. Walk humbly so Pride doesn't cause you to falter in your steps. When we become prideful, we come under the powers of darkness.
8. Civil Unrest - this may be created by the government on purpose or by accident. You can tell it is by accident if the government tries to rectify the situation. If the government works to make the situation worse, then the government is being controlled by the powers of darkness. When the government is the cause of persecution against its own citizens, you are fighting the forces of evil. There are steps you can take when this occurs. Be careful to assess the situation accurately and then proceed with much prayer and willingness to do what God calls you to do. God will never tell you to be a suicide bomber but He may ask you to proclaim your faith infront of magistrates and courts.