Scripture: Matthew 7 v 7: "Ask and it shall be given; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you."
These simple words hold important keys to effective prayer and deeper intercession. When you seek you will be shown something deeper. You need to know why it is there and how it originated. Its like a surgeon searching out every bit of infected 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 knock on Heaven's door for answers. Sometimes personal problems "run in the family". There is a history from generation to generation of alcoholism; insanity; abuse; haemophilia; heart disease; family feuds etc.
This is when we need the gift of discerning of spirits of good and evil. You cannot cast out a sickness or disease, and 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 when a family melts down in grief and despair. 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.
How many thousands of people go through life with problems that can be dealt with very simply. In these modern times many pooh pooh the existence of demons, which pleases the demons, and their master. We have seen incredible victories after deliverance prayer.
We are spirit beings! We have a separate part called a soul which consists of our mind, emotions and will. These are clothed in a body of flesh. Everything that happens in our spirit will manifest in our soul and flesh. We need spiritual help from those who have the gifts of the Holy Spirit to deal with the invisible enemy who attacks the unwary.
2 Timothy 1 v 7: "For God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and a sound mind."
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.
Luke 4 v 18: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised." Words of Jesus.
Christ in us the hope of glory! When we are filled with the Holy Spirit Jesus says we can do all the things He did plus greater things than these. This is because we are conscious of the spirit of the people we encounter and have been instructed by Jesus on how to know what we are dealing with.
Seek to know what witchcraft 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 and rebellious people. They are power hungry and use people then reject them. Many people have no idea that their bad behaviour is caused by spirits that gained a hold over their soul through "innocent" games like glassy-glassy or any involvement in witchcraft, such as astrology, fortune telling, psychic readings etc.
Famous South African ancestors like Hintsa, Dingaan, Chaka, Mandela, Rambo, Sisulu etc. rule from beyond the grave. African tribal culture worships these ancestors, who appear in dreams and give direction. This is spiritualism through mediums and is forbidden by God.
The African people have grown up under these traditions and are swayed by them to do the bidding of the ancestors. We need to ask, seek and knock on the doors of Heaven to release African believers from involvement with these "familiar spirits" that deceive people with their masquerade of their dead heroes or family members.
In South Africa we have prayed, asked, knocked for years to remove a corrupt government who refuse to acknowledge or be accountable even after the Commission for State Capture has revealed their guilt. The number of ministers seeking a legal review to overturn their involvement, is just to keep delaying the inevitable loss of position. Our God is not mocked, and all liars will be excluded from Heaven.
Let us follow Jesus and do the will of our Father in Heaven. Ask for guidance; seek the origin of problems and uproot them; knock on His door for revelation about serious international issues that need strong prayer to bring solutions. Remember nothing is too difficult for Jesus to fix.
It is encouraging that the Ukrainian army is praising God for the many miracles they have witnessed in this awful invasion of their country by a mad despot. The Russians yesterday mowed down ten Ukrainians standing in line to buy bread. That is psychopaths and serial killers who will face God's judgment! Now Putin appears to be begging North Korea for military assistance. But the Dear Leader responded, You are too insane for us!
We must ask, seek, knock on Heavens door to find a way out for the oppressed people fleeing to other lands for safety. The world has risen against Russia, how will it be possible to forgive them or ever forget these atrocities? They are attempting to build New Russia on the blood of innocents. It will fail.
If we just watch world news on TV we will never discern the wicked spirits that rule over nations. Without the help of the Holy Spirit there is no end of evil. The Lord said in Zechariah 4, Its not by might, its not by power, its by My Spirit! Through the Spirit we will overcome all flesh. When we correctly discern the demonic spirit behind the wars, conflicts, diseases, drug abuse, rapes and murders, we will be able to conquer them in the name of Jesus.
Prayer: Heavenly Father You warned us not to worship idols but we need reminding. You told us to walk on the strait and narrow path because the broad, easy going way, leads to destruction.
You are our God and no other is worthy of adoration. Steer us through these troubling times, Father, as we seek You we will find answers. In Jesus' name. Amen.