Every pastor has received at least one unsigned note. Wayne Benson once called them “sniper notes.”

Young pastors, and older alike, have struggled with unsigned “sniper notes,” wondering who wrote them. In many cases, they can guess, but unless the Holy Spirit gives them clear discernment, they will probably never know who sent them.

These sniper notes come in all varieties. Some express personal opinions. Others question the pastor’s motives, tear apart his personality, or trash his character.

They usually come during an already stressful time in the life of the church. Someone who doesn’t have the courage to ask the right questions, or go to the right person for clarification, tries to influence the pastor or others through secret letters. Sometimes they are even written in a prophetic tone as if the Lord were speaking. One pastor I know received a secret sniper note from “Jesus.”

I used to get these quite often in the earlier years. People had their opinions, and if they didn’t harmonize with mine, I could count on an unsigned note arriving. I would look out at the congregation wondering which member it was. Sometimes it was obvious, but I could never prove it.

When I’d receive an unsigned note, I couldn’t understand why my stomach would twist up in knots. It was frustrating. I wanted to respond, but to whom? It was difficult to pray, because my mind would go back to the words in the sniper note.

Fiery Darts

Then I realized something. Fiery darts are actually satanic “stingers.” That’s why these unsigned notes bothered me so much. They were designed by the enemy to bother me. This is exactly what the devil wanted—to get my focus off God’s plans and goals, and onto the fiery stinger of the wicked.

Ephesians 6:10-16
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

I asked the Lord how to deal with these notes. Here’s what He said to me: “Don’t ever read another letter that is unsigned. Throw them away immediately.” After that, whenever I would read my mail, I would first check to make sure there was a signature before I would read it. No signature—it got tossed.

I announced to the congregation what the Lord had shown me. Soon, the immature, carnal snipers drifted off to other churches to find a pastor who would be motivated by their controlling habits.

Unsigned notes that contain stingers are always wicked. That’s why they are called, “The fiery darts of the wicked.” Wicked means “twisted,” like wicker furniture. Wickedness, like a candle’s wick, comes from the center—the heart of a person, Jesus taught us (Mark 7:20). A person who sends unsigned notes and letters is twisted and has a real heart issue that’s not being dealt with appropriately.

Secret Letters

Stop and think. The word “occult” means “secret.” When you have a hem-occult test, you are checking for hidden—or secret—blood in your stool. Paul talked about the “hidden principle of rebellion.”

2 Thessalonians 2:7 AMPL
For the mystery of lawlessness (that hidden principle of rebellion against constituted authority) is already at work in the world …

The enemy loves to work in a shroud of secrecy. He likes to keep his tactics, agendas, and motives hidden. And people who use these “secret note strategies” are engaged in an occult activity without realizing it. Most are infantile in their faith and don’t know any better.

Some think they are doing God a favor, without realizing the nature of the spirit that is actually motivating them.