Wednesday 11 April 2018
Seek and Ye Shall Find
Scripture: Matthew 7 v 7: "Ask and it shall be given; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you."
Many people believe these words to mean a treasure hunt to increase worldly riches or on a spiritual side to receive more truth from the Bible, which is good and right, but these simple words actually hold important keys to prayer and intercession.
The first steps into prayer and intercession are to obtain wisdom, discernment and discretion. Although a prayer need sounds simple on the surface, everyone is different and there may be more complex underlying problems that need resolving to bring the correct and perfect answer from the Lord. So ask for wisdom and you will receive Godly understanding. Ask for discernment to judge between false and true. Ask for discretion to be merciful.
When you seek you will find something deeper. You see something and need to know why it is there and how it originated. Its like a surgeon searching out every bit of cancerous tissue and looking for the origin. You are engaged to hunt down what lies beneath and not just what is obvious on the surface.
Why does a man or woman become an alcoholic or a drug addict? Why is illicit sex so popular? Why do wars, disasters, terrorism and kidnapping trouble our planet? We need to seek God for answers. It's like a lawyer preparing for a court case. He must get all the facts, motives and intentions straight to present before the judge, and so must we present an intelligent prayer request before our Father.
Sometimes personal problems "run in the family". There is a history from generation to generation of alcoholism; insanity; haemophilia; heart disease; family feuds etc. It is here that we need the gift of discerning of spirits of good and evil. You cannot cast out a sickness or disease, you cannot heal a demon. You need to determine what you are dealing with before you can help.
Kind words and sympathy don't help a family melt down. Its like putting a plaster over gangrene. The rot has set in and radical surgery is needed. Seek and you will find exactly what is at the root.
A while ago Pastor Gerald Rowlands was doing healing prayers at a week long conference in India. This was the final night and the same deaf and dumb lady who had been in the healing line every night was in front of him. He prayed again and he saw her shoulders slump. She was walking away when he saw a monkey-like demon around her neck. He yelled "You foul deaf and dumb demon you loose this woman in Jesus' name!" Immediately she turned around with wonderment and said "Thank You Jesus I can hear and speak!"
How many thousands of people go through life with problems that can be dealt with that simply. In these modern times many pooh pooh the existence of demons, which delights the demons. Demons are real tormentors and are responsible for taking things from bad to worse. They stir up mischief through rumours that starts a protest, becomes a riot and escalates into chaos and mayhem, a killing spree.
In America the school, cinema and other mass shooting tragedies are instigated by people under demonic control. It starts with drugs, fuelled by inflammatory lyrics filled with hate, rage and death, that turns a troubled teen or group into killing machines. Usually ending with their own death by suicide or police prevention and a garbled rant on their laptop.
Jesus said:
Matthew 15 v 17 - 20: "Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?
18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man."
Demons start with evil thoughts that result in enticement to murder, rape, steal, lie, curse, commit adultery and other things. Demons are unleashed through drugs or alcohol which change people's personalities. Under the influence (of demons) people have diminished responsibility! Why? Because demons are using their bodies and minds to carry out crime.
Because Christianity is so persecuted and the powerful gifts of the Holy Spirit hindered by prayerlessness in schools and churches, demons are not confronted and dealt with as they should be. People who minister deliverance are few and far between these days as modern science has all the answers!
In Britain they are troubled by the increasing cases of dementia in their nation. The word actually means "bound by demons". They will spend millions of pounds on research and be no better off because there is no medical cure for demonic bondage. It would cost nothing for those who minister deliverance to set the captives free. The same goes for rising crime, gang warfare, Islamic militants, plagues, etc. It's not only in Britain, its everywhere.
Seek the underlying cause of problems like alcoholism and drug abuse. Every single time you will find hurt, betrayal, abuse, bitterness and memory recall of hurts. No smoke without fire. So let's put the evil fire out. Seek out the reason for self-medication through drugs or alcohol. Who needs to be forgiven to release that buried pain? Forgive so that you may be forgiven said Jesus.
There is great power in prayer. Seek to know what witchcraft really is! Not the mumbo jumbo, spells and curses kind which truly exists and does harm today; but the nature of a witch or warlock.
They are demanding, possessive, blackmailing - extortion and emotional; forceful, controlling, blaspheming, selfish, spiteful, lying, bitter people. They are power hungry and use people then reject them. Rapists are bound by witchcraft and the reason South Africa is the rape capital of the world is because of the traditions and rituals of witchcraft prevalent in this country. Rape is more a sin of wanting total control over someone else's body which will result in sexual violation. This controlling comes from witchcraft. In the dictionary the word "magic" is described as that which uses evil spirits.
Knock and it will be opened to you. Knock at heaven's door for answers to these deeper needs and how to deal with them. We have been given the gifts of the Holy Spirit to use effectively in these areas. The word of knowledge which the Holy Spirit gives us when we are seek in an answer. The lights go on!
The gift of discerning spirits of good and evil is perhaps the most misunderstood. Firstly, we can discern Jesus in other people and know they are Christians. We can discern if a prophecy is true or false. We can discern lies, jealousy, perversion in people around us. We can discern false doctrines in churches and televangelists. We can discern when people are bound by demons, and even the names of those demons, and we can bind those demons and cast them out.
We can discern demonic influence in our governments, in the UN in its persecution of Israel. And we can pray for such spirits to be bound in their activities.
Ephesians 6 v 12 - 13: "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.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."
Prayer: Heavenly Father Your love and Your Son, Jesus, gave us power and authority against evil spirits, not against people. Help us to love the sinner and conquer the sin. Help us when we ask, seek, knock for answers to our prayers. Let the gifts of the Holy Spirit be in full and effective operation in every true Christian church and prayer group. Let us do the work of overcoming evil that we were sent to do. In Jesus' name. Amen.