CAST OUT DEVILS
Wednesday – July 12, 2017
ADAM AND EVE
Greetings and blessings from Patti and me as we welcome you back to our Bible Study in the wonderful Book of Hebrews. God is so good. This is Adam and Eve on the ranch we owned in Texas. As you can see Eve is having a bad hair day. Now let’s get back to the primary text for our Bible Study.
Hebrews 2:4 (KJV)
4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?
I don’t know about you and your Church but I know that at our Church we are looking for all that is in the preceding passage. I do not see anywhere that this is something we have to ask God to do. When we speak the Word of God, the Words He gives us to speak, then He will confirm or bear witness with the signs and wonders, miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit. If these things are not present could it be we are not saying and doing what He wants but what we want? When we believe, when we operate in the will of God, and when we do all in the name of Jesus we will experience the promise. We will see signs and wonders, we will see miracles, and the operation of the gifts of the Spirit of God as common place in our own life and those around us who operate the same.
When I am talking about the will of God and when God talks about His will, He is not talking about His general will but His will for us right this minute. For example, in The Three Minute Word yesterday I recounted the healing of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate. How many times do you think Jesus had been by this man, and how many times do you think one or more of the disciples (Apostles) had been by this man? We are not given that information but the answer is surely many times. So why had he not been healed before? God hates the curse, He does not want the least bit of poverty or sickness in the earth however the earth is full of poverty and sickness. Where there is no faith there is sin and the curse prevails. God knows when the faith of the one He wants to use is adequate and He knows when the one experiencing the curse has the faith to receive.
Jesus said over and over in His ministry, your faith has made you whole (Matthew 9:22, 15:28 are two examples). Sometimes if not frequently we fall into the category of knowing He can but not being sure He will. Jesus made it clear it is always the will of God to heal (Mark 1:40-41) however we must believe (have faith). Also, be aware that we cannot impose healing (violates freewill) upon someone over which we do not have authority like a child. So, bottom line is this, we are to move as led of the Spirit of God. When we move by other people’s expectations or tradition we will have many prayer failures. If the person for whom we are praying does not have faith, they will not receive, and our prayer will be in vain. We tend to focus on the miracles in Jesus’ ministry but much more of His time was spent in preaching which builds faith. Let us again consider the following passage.
Mark 16:15-20 (KJV)
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
We are to cast out devils in the name of Jesus. Not everyone is ready to have the devils cast out of them and therefore even though we have the authority to do so they will not take the necessary steps to prevent reinfestation.
Matthew 12:43-45 (KJV)
43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
The evil spirit will depart (if we have faith) at our command however if the person has not accepted Jesus as Lord the house is empty. When we are born again the Holy Spirit (breath of life) not only quickens (makes alive our dead spirit man) but continuously dwells within (this is not the baptism of the Holy Spirit). Contrast this with the following passage.
Mark 5:1, 8, 15 (KJV)
1 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
…
8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.
…
15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
This man chose and stayed with Jesus, and he got his thinking right. Remember Jesus commanded that we were to do the things that He did and in our secondary text He tells us that if we will but believe we shall cast out devils. This is not optional and not for some chosen few.
Until our next publication, I speak blessing into your life right now, receive it in the name of Jesus, confess it, and walk it out with thanksgiving.
Numbers 6:24-26 (KJV)
24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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