A Python Spirit Opposes Your Breakthrough!

Dear Believer,

How would you describe this season in your life?  Hard? Challenging?  Maybe even "difficult"  at times?  If you have been like me, you have experienced some "difficult" times lately.  It has been prophesied that this year would be a year of breakthrough and open doors.  Yet, many of us have felt as if our faith has wavered and at times not even sure that we can finish the race! Let me encourage you right now- The Lion of the Tribe of Judah is guarding your threshold and breakthrough!  However, it is up to us to use our weapon of warfare to defeat the powers that attempt to oppose us!

Just recently The Elijah List posted one of my articles on "Crossing Over the Threshold of Open Doors."  I encourage you to read it as I believe it will encourage you.  However, for the sake of this particular blog- I wish to re-identify the spirit of python that opposes our breakthrough during this season.

Dream of a Python

Recently, I had a dream of a python snake that would wrap itself around believers as they attempted to go through open doors.  Of course, this snake was a serpent spirit, used by Satan to hinder us.

  This evil spirit would attempt to weaken it's victim by squeezing the life and breath out of it's body.  This spirit caused much fear, anxiety and weakness (both spiritual and physical), as it would attempt to hold onto us and put the "squeeze" on us!  The main attempt was to keep us from moving past our past and experiencing God's fullness.  

 Believer- listen up- the enemy does not want you to believe God for your breakthrough.  He desires to weaken your faith by creating circumstances in you life that are completely opposite of what God has promised you. Allow me to assure you of this important point-  your land of promise, your open door, awaits your arrival and crossing over, but the enemy does not like the fact that you are at a threshold of great, great breakthrough.

           

More on The Python Spirit

            In Greek, the term used for divination and witchcraft is "python." It is connected to a word meaning "to twist."  A python is a large and muscular snake that will "twist" itself around its prey and kill it by squeezing or constricting until it suffocates. This spirit squeezes life out of hope, breakthroughs, finances, passion,  and lives.  It 'constricts' us to the point that we are unable to move forward into our future.  As it constricts us, we will feel many restraints which attempt to contain us in old patterns. 

How to Battle the Python

Of course, we need to bind this spirit and make him loose his ungodly hold upon us.  But there's more.  In my last blog post I discussed "passion."  Well, the spirit of python will also squeeze out every bit of passion you have for the Lord!  If you have lost passion, maybe you're battling a python spirit!  And when python is defeated our passion for God returns.  Is it any wonder that python wants to keep us from going through God's open doors?  Think about it- abundance awaits us on the other side of the threshold.  That means we also have MORE power over the enemy when we cross over.

What is Your Normal Spiritual Temperature?

Normal body temperature is 98.6 degrees.  But what is a normal spiritual temperature?  And, do we desire to just remain "normal" in our walk with the Lord?  Allow me to ask you a question:  What's your spiritual thermometer registering?  Could you give testimony that you are passionately pursuing His presence?  I have to admit, I've been so busy with "stuff," that I don't seem to stop enough to just rest in His presence.  Yet, I am completely knowledgeable concerning this fact:  if I don't spend time with God, my passion falters.  And passion, my precious friend, is what keeps us spiritually sharpened!

Return to Our First Love
Have you ever been in love?  If you have, then you remember the passion.  Passion and love just go together.  It's really that simple.  However, when it comes to whether or not we have lost passion for God,  we must first consider whether or not we have truly placed our love for Him as our  first priority.  Maybe it's time to return to our first love.

So how do we get off track in our passion?  Let me be blunt- are we in love with the satisfaction we feel when we succeed in our godly assignments or are we pursuing those godly assignments because we love Him?  The two motivations are worlds apart. 

 Let me share something from my own personal experience. I have realized that I lose passion for God whenever  I am worn out!  Yes, it's possible to experience "burn out" as we are actively responding to His call.  Whether we are ministers in the marketplace or ministers in a church pulpit- we all have a godly assignment to fulfill. The fuel that will keep our tanks full is-bottom line-passion.
And passion is derived from love.

The Church in Ephesus
In Rev. 2:1-4 we read where Jesus addresses the church in Ephesus.  He acknowledges the fact that they had been very busy....laboring...(v.2) and yet in the midst of all their religious activity they had forsaken their first love.  (Meaning their passion for God was gone!).  As we continue to read we find that it was very important to God that they repent and change.  Repentance does not mean that we make things right with God because He is angry with us!  Nor is He waiting with a big stick to smack us because we are bad!  No way!  Repentance basically means "change the way you think." And, repentance is not all about "turning away" from something as much as it is to "torn toward" something.

Courage to Demonstrate the Supernatural

Discouraged because you aren't experiencing the supernatural?  Take a minute and picture yourself praying for someone who is lame and suddenly he/she begins leaping and jumping!  Let's think of another scenario.  Imagine yourself receiving a phone call from a child asking for you to pray for "Mommy" who was just diagnosed with cancer.  You begin to pray..."Lord, heal this child's mother.  I pray for you to touch her body and I curse cancer  to its roots and command all cancer to leave her body." You hang up the phone with great faith, believing that God is answering your prayer.

 One week later you receive another phone call from "Mommy." She is weeping as she speaks.  "Thank you so much for praying for me!" she said, "The doctor did another sonogram and the cancerous tumor is completely gone! My daughter told me that she phoned you and that you prayed for a miracle.  Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Courage  for the Supernatural

Believer, let's review what Jesus commissioned us to do.  He has commissioned believers to heal the sick, cast out devils, raise the dead and to preach the gospel. (see Matthew 10:7). Problem is- do we have the courage to step out with faith and pray for others and witness the supernatural? I believe courage will arise whenever we truly understand the importance of signs and wonders.  Power comes when we trust in the power of God and not the wisdom of man.  I have written several blogs that discuss the fact that doctrines of man and the traditions of man rob us of demonstrating God's power on earth.(Read some of my previous blogs for more on those subjects).

Things beyond our understanding and our control are released through our obedience.  Knowing our commission from heaven will empower us with greater faith.  God has given us all we need to step out in faith and demonstrate His raw power on this earth. He has designed the Church to be a living expression of Heaven.  We are wired to have a continuous flow of supernatural action.  Every believer has the privilege of being a part of someone's miracle or someone's impossibility.

My Mother's Miracle

Over twenty-five years ago my mother received a diagnosis of lung cancer.  The doctors said that 1/3 of both lungs would need to be removed and then she would need several treatments of chemotherapy.  Mother said "I am not going to have chemotherapy!"  My sister and I both agreed and said "And no, you are not going to need surgery either!" The doctors sent mother home for a few days and scheduled her for another biopsy before her surgery.  When she went home my sister and I prayed that the Lord would uproot the cancerous tumor in her lungs.  We prayed for a divine touch from the Lord.  It wasn't a long, religious-type of prayer- it was a prayer of simple, child-like faith.  A few days later my mother went back to the hospital for a lung biopsy.  During the biopsy my mother coughed up the entire cancerous tumor!  And, even more amazingly, the doctor said that fresh pink skin immediately covered the damaged skin where the tumor once was!  The doctor was amazed.  He said "I have witnessed a miracle.  The tumor in her lung is completely uprooted!"