#17 The Gift of Exorcism

C. Peter Wagner tells us that "Demonization is now being recognized as a spiritual problem more and more in churches across the theological spectrum.

Even in those churches that have had a long ministry history of casting out demons, certain people are regularly called upon for the difficult cases.

They have more God-given ability to deal with the demonic than most others do, although I believe that every Christian has been given authority to cast out demons in the name of Jesus.

My wife, Doris, has this gift of exorcism.

I clearly recall one Sunday morning in Lake Avenue Congregational church when Pastor Paul Cedar preached a sermon on healing.

Instead of inviting those in need of healing to go to the nearby prayer room after the service as he usually did, he asked those who needed physical healing to come forward.

So many responded that the church prayer team was overwhelmed. 

Cedar then invited people in the congregation who knew how to pray for the sick to come and help calling Doris and me by name.

I prayed for one woman who had scoliosis, quite a noticeable case of curvature of the spine.

The presence of God was strong in the sanctuary, and He moved so powerfully in her back I could feel the vertebrae moving and crunching under my hand as the spine straightened up.

As I was finishing I notice out of the corner of my eye that my friend Phyllis Bennet was patiently waiting for me.

Phyllis told me she had been suffering from a terrible pain in her chest, which her doctor could not diagnose.

Since it had similar symptoms to an ulcer, her doctor had put her on ulcer medication, even though an ulcer had not shown up on the x-ray. It was not responding well at all to the medical treatment she was receiving.

Then she showed me an ugly rash on her left forearm where the flesh had actually begun to fall off in chunks.

As I prayed for Phyllis, I sensed, as I do from time to time, that nothing at all was happening—just the opposite of the previous woman I had prayed for.

When I finished, I began giving her some words of consolation and faith, knowing very well that the ulcer was still there. I had not yet noticed that Doris, after praying for another person herself, had come up beside me.

An intense look came on Doris's face and she gently but firmly pushed me to one side.

The Spirit of God had indicated to her that she was to take a different approach.

She told Phyllis to look into eyes and almost instantly she locked horns in the unseen world with a demonic spirit that she knew Phyllis had picked up through a curse while in India.

Casting out demons is not the usual Sunday fare in our Congregational church sanctuary on Sunday mornings, but Doris was experienced enough to bind the demon and not allow it to speak or manifest in any way.

After a minute or two, Phyllis's eyes open with a look of terror as if she were watching a horror movie, her body jerked a bit, then total peace.

The evil spirit was gone.

The pain in her chest was instantly healed! It left immediately.

Phyllis went back to the doctor who took her off the medication. Two weeks later she passed me in her car, rolled down the window, held out her left arm.

The rash was well on its way to recover. It had been caused by the medication she was taking for the 'ulcer.'

Now here is the point. I have a spiritual gift of healing and I see quite a few people healed when I pray for them.

However, if it had not been for Doris and her spiritual gift of exorcism, Phyllis would likely still have her ulcer.

I myself had no sense at all that we were dealing with anything more than a physical ulcer. But this is how the Body of Christ works. "The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you' " 1 Cor. 12:21.

Experiences like this encourage me to believe that we do well to add the gift of exorcism to the list of spiritual gifts.

I will elaborate on the gift of intercession in some detail, but first we need to understand the differences between spiritual gifts and Christian roles."

The next post 8/15, Gifts and Roles

Today’s post -#17 The Gift of Exorcism, in the series taken from C. Peter Wagner’s book, PRAYER SHIELD, How to intercede for pastors, Christian leaders and others on the spiritual frontlines. (pgs. 44-46) By Regal Books

Let’s pray: Father, we desire You to work in and through us. Open our understanding to the opportunities given us from time to time. May we prayerfully seek Your guidance in every situation. May we be open to others' involvement, too, like Doris' coming along side to minister more help to Phyllis. Teach us to be good stewards of what we're learning, that we may be of help to those in need. In the precious Name of Jesus we ask, amen.

Today’s Bible verse: Ps. 97:10 NKJV "You who love the LORD, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked."

Today’s quotes: Hope Flinchbaugh – “Daniel is a wonderful example to us on how to live in a corrupt society.  Let's dare to be like Daniel.  Take our place.  Stay close to God.  Say what he wants us to say--with the pen or the microphone.  Finish well.  Jesus is coming soon!”

Our Daily Bread – "The unseen Spirit of God is the greatest protection against sins unseen dangers.”

Our thoughts today: When we empty ourselves of lies, the truth comes in!

-Satan creates distractions to try to keep you from God’s plan for you.

-In every single battle we have, we have the promise of success.

-Real prayer is a relationship. In the Presence of God, our prayers have a different quality. We learn His will, and pray for it to be done.

Tomorrow’s post: Compelled to Tell Butch Dias shares the following:

"This day I am compelled to tell,
That Jesus died to save us from hell.
He paid the price for my liberty,
To break the chains of sin for me..."

A popular post: #6 How Powerful are These Petitions? C. Peter Wagner goes on to tell us, "Some may ask: Do you really mean that the petition of a mere human being can determine the actions of an almighty and all-powerful God?.. The answer is yes. This is the way the Almighty God chose to design the world and to structure our relationship with Him.

When we look here, we'll find direction

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Learn how to love and support your mate through godly wisdom and spiritual resolve. Readers will be encouraged, challenged, and blessed.

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Intercessioin Is a Spiritual Gift

 

C. Peter Wagner shares with us that "Intercession is not one of the 25 spiritual gifts mentioned specifically as gifts in the New Testament.

But, like the gift of exorcism, I believe it should be added to the list.

When I talk about this to pastors, they almost invariably tell me that in their congregations are certain people whom they and others openly recognize as having a special prayer ministry, over and above that of the average person. (Google image)

#20 Intercession as a Spiritual Gift

C. Peter Wagner shares with us that "Intercession is not one of the 25 spiritual gifts mentioned specifically as gifts in the New Testament.

But, like the gift of exorcism, I believe it should be added to the list.

When I talk about this to pastors, they almost invariably tell me that in their congregations are certain people whom they and others openly recognize as having a special prayer ministry, over and above that of the average person.

This is an early clue that they might have the gift of intercession.

Here is my definition of the gift of intercession:

  The gift of intercession is the special ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to pray for extended periods of time on a regular basis and see frequent and specific answers to their prayers to a degree much greater than that which is expected of the average Christian.

Those with the gift of intercession:

• Pray longer. One hour a day is the minimum I have found; more frequently they pray two to five hours a day.
• Pray with more intensity.
• Enjoy prayer more and receive more personal satisfaction from their prayer times.
• See more frequent and dramatic answers to their prayers.
• Are acutely aware of hearing quite clearly from God. Many have an accompanying gift of prophecy.

How many members of an average congregation have the gift of intercession?

The answer to this question is not fully known.

Undoubtedly, further research may turn up some significant variables.

Certain denominations or theological traditions may have more active intercessors than others.

I say 'active' because I am convinced there are many people with the gift of intercession out there in our churches who have not yet discovered their gift or started to use it effectively because their church environment is not conducive to releasing this gift.

One of my prayers is that God will use this book to help change the environment so that multitudes of churches across denominational lives will aggressively encourage the ministry of intercession on all levels."

Today’s post -##20  Intercession as a spiritual Gift, in the series taken from C. Peter Wagner’s book, PRAYER SHIELD, How to intercede for pastors, Christian leaders and others on the spiritual frontlines. (pgs. 48-50) By Regal Books

The next post: 8/24 from Wagner’s book is, #21 Women as Intercessors

Let’s pray: Father, some of us recognize this "gift" working in us. Help us be faithful to follow Your guidance in exercising it for the benefit of those around us, especially for fellow believers. 

Hopefully, others will now see that they too, have this gift, and will be more willing to pray. We ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.

 Today’s Bible verse Prov. 2:10-11 "When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul: Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee."

Today’s quotes: Max Lucado – “If God is able to place the stars in their sockets and suspend the sky like a curtain—do you think it remotely possible God is able to guide your life? Could it be He is mighty enough to light your path?

Jesus said, “Look at the birds in the air. They don’t plant or harvest or store into barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. Why do you worry about clothes?” Matthew 6:26. The next time a sunrise steals your breath, say nothing and listen as heaven whispers, “Do you like it? I did it just for you!”

Martin Wiles - Never assume you can handle all of life’s situations on your own. Keep in touch with the One who sees not only the present but also the future.

Some thoughts today: Who do people think you are? Where's your identity? How firm is your identity with God?

- We are born again into the Holy Nation of believers in Christ.

- We are priests and we can go between God and the world.

Tomorrow’s post: How to Stay Young  Mary Southerland

A popular post:    Oh No, She's Awake! "What we feared as a weakness, an obstacle to overcome, was, in reality, a great strength and part of the Master’s plan." [Another message by Mary Southerland]

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                   #31  My Heart Goes 

                      Out to You, My Dear

"My heart goes out to you, my dear

As you will look ahead.

Some things may cause you now to fear

But please trust God instead."

 

#121 How Warfare Prayer Can Work

C. Peter Wagner: "One of the Bible's most dramatic examples of effective warfare prayer is Elijah coming against Baal.

Ball was a classic territorial spirit, the principality over the Phoenicians and the Canaanites. What his exact boundaries were I do not know, but I do know he was not the spirit over, for example, China, Scandinavia, the Andes Indians or Australian Aborigines, all of which existed in those days.

Baal succeeded in capturing the allegiance of King Ahab, who married Jezebel, converted to Baal worship, and built a temple and an altar to that evil principality.

God raised up Elijah to lead the strategic-level spiritual warfare, and the story is found in 1 Kings 17-19.

Elijah was not wrestling so much against flesh and blood (Jezebel and Ahab), but against principalities and powers (Baal and his forces of darkness). The climax of the story is a dramatic power encounter.

In preparation for the power encounter, Elijah publicly proclaimed a drought on the land. Through it, God sustained Elijah by bringing birds to feed him and by multiplying food at the widow's house.

God reminded Elijah of His power by raising the widow's son from the dead.

Then the Lord's timing (the kairos moment) came for Baal to be defeated and the drought to end. Elijah announced it would rain and then openly challenged Baal through King Ahab.

The events are well-known. Baal could not light the fire called down by his priests, but God did so even after the firewood had been soaked with water.

This was such a public embarrassment that 450 of Baal's priests were executed. Then the power of that territorial spirit was broken, the rain came!

But the counterattack came also. Jezebel was furious. Elijah, weakened by the warfare, fled. 

God sent an angel to feed him but he went into a period of severe depression. 

God met him and spoke to him in a still, small voice and told him there were still 7,000 followers of Jehovah."

Google image and my emphasis added)

Warfare Prayer

#121 How Warfare Prayer Can Work

By C. Peter Wagner

(pp. 195, 196)) Regal Books

Father, may my efforts of prayer become effective

to where the ones I pray for will be touched.

It is understood that we're not to attempt serious

prayer efforts against principalities and powers

without proper covering.

Lead us to seek our leaders' acknowledgment 

and approval in our efforts, so they can advise

us in our endeavors, and to pray for us to 

be safe and successful.

It is a comfort to know we're being covered

by prayer when we go into a serious situation.

I ask for Your guidance in every effort to be

guided by Your Spirit, in Jesus' Name.

Amen.

Today’s Bible verse: Rom. 11:33 "O the depth of the riches both of his wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!"

Today’s quote: Albert Lee - "For Mary and Joseph, Christmas began with submitting themselves to God in spite of the unthinkable emotional challenges before them. They entrusted themselves to God and in doing so demonstrated for us the promise of 1 John 2:5: 'If anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them' " [ODB 12/6/15]

Some thoughts today: The gospel of Christ changes our lives, or can, if we read it and follow what He and His early disciples said and did.

~ Throughout the Old Testament, God told His people about Jesus, but it was kept from their understanding until the time of Christ's birth. (see Is. 53). God now has revealed the mystery of salvation in the birth of His Son, Jesus.

~ The testimonies since then, and of the lives changed by His Holy Spirit, we now have evidence of God's Love extended in and through Jesus to all mankind. Those who believe this report, and who put their faith and trust in Him, take advantage of this great gift. The Holy Spirit indwells them, and is ready to impart His gift of the Holy Ghost to empower them to be His witnesses. (see Acts 2:4, 38, 39)

17th-Thurday’s post:  #122 A Glorious Finale (Last one)
C. Peter Wagner
19th- Saturday's post:  Our Strongholds
Max Lucado
20th- Tuesday's post:  An Out-of-Body Experience
James H. Cagle
22nd- Thursday's post: Foreword of "Mighty Prevailing Prayer" Armin R. Gesswein

  

A popular post:  #20 Intercession as a Spiritual Gift C. Peter Wagner 
shares with us that "Intercession is not one of the 25 spiritual gifts mentioned specifically as gifts in the New 
Testament. 

But, like the gift of exorcism, I believe it should be added to the list..."

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#20 We can be Saved from Prayerlessness

 Wesley L. Duewel: "Chadwick has written, 'It would seem as if the biggest thing in God's universe is a man who prays. There is only one thing more amazing, that is, that man, knowing this, should not pray.'
(Samuel Chadwick, The Path of Prayer [Kansas City: Beacon Hill, 1931],11-12)

Lord, make us giants in prayer! Prayerlessness is the sin of the casual Christian. The absence of truly prevailing prayer is the sin of many praying Christians. Thank God, there is a way to a life of prayer and empowerment through prayer.

We must have an entirely new relationship to Jesus. Says Andrew Murray, 

    'It is vain for us, with our defective spiritual life, to
     endeavor to pray more or better. It is an impossibility.'
     (Andrew Murray, The Prayer Life [Chicago: Moody, n.d.], 31)

We must see Jesus as the Lord who waits to save us from prayerlessness. We must believe Him for a new life of closer fellowship with Him, a life in His love and communion beyond anything that we have known thus far.

Jesus longs to save you from a defective spiritual life and a defective prayer life. He must become more personally real to you. You must value His infinite love more than ever before.

You must reciprocate His longing for communion with you. Be willing to take time to share His prayer burden with Him as He intercedes at the right hand of the Father.

The resurrected, enthroned Lord Jesus, your great Intercessor, through His Holy Spirit, will teach you the life and power of prayer. May the Spirit fill you with the spirit of intercession.

Learning to prevail in prayer demands willpower. It demands recognizing your spiritual priorities. 

Ravenhill has said,

    'Prayer is a battle for full-grown men, fully armed and
     fully awake to the possibilities of grace.'  
    (Ravenhill, Revival Praying, 11-12)

God teach us the role and priority of prayer! God give us a thirst and relish for prayer for meeting face-to-face with the Lord Jesus!

God teach us to meet the conditions of prayer, to cultivate the hunger for prayer, to experience the joy of prevailing intercession and the power of God that comes upon our life and others as we pray!"

(Google image and my emphasis added)

Used by permission of the author and Duewel Literature Trust, Inc., Greenwood, Indiana

Mighty Prevailing Prayer

#20 We can Be Saved from Prayerlessness

by Wesley L. Duewel

(pp. 34-35) Zondervan 

    Father, we see that learning to prevail in prayer demands willpower. 

    It is our prayer to be more diligent, and to take the time to meet with You for our various concerns.

    May we see the role and priority of prayer to make it important to us, thus discovering the power released in and through our efforts.

    We ask this in the Name of Jesus, Who made this all possible by His sacrificing Himself on the cruel Cross. Amen.

Today’s Bible verse: Jer. 5:5 a "I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them, for they have known the way of their God."

Today’s quote: "The light that shows us our sin and condemns us for it will show us the way out of it into the life of liberty that is well pleasing to God. If we allow this one matter, unfaithfulness in prayer, to convict us of the lack in our Christians lives, God will use the discovery to bring us not only the power to pray that we long for, but also the joy of a new and healthy  life, of which prayer is the spontaneous expression." (Taken from p. 20 of The Ministry of Intercession by Andrew Murry)

Our thought today: In Acts 2:1-4, we find the pattern for the Church for the early believers. They kept what happened then in mind throughout their sharing of the Gospel, and of the subsequent promise of the Holy Spirit's indwelling the believers. (see 2:38; and chapters 8 and 9 of Acts for examples)

Our question today: If the Church started out this way in Acts 2, what makes us think it should be any different today?

Answer: Because God has not changed the Plan of Redemption that His Son paid for with His Blood, we are to follow the Scriptures in our thirst for Reality in our salvation experience. 

Pray for the evidence of His Presence in your life. It is the "down payment" for our eternal existence in Heaven when we die, or when Christ returns for His Own.

Why Lord?

27th- Saturday’s post by Andrea Merrell

   Reflections (Lessons from a mirror)

28th- Sunday evening's post by James H. Cagle

#21 The Prevailing Christ

3/1- Tuesday's post by Wesley L. Duewel

#22 Christ Prevailed on Earth

3rd- Thursday's post by Wesley L. Duewel

A popular post:  #20 Intercession as a Spiritual Gift  C. Peter Wagner 

shares with us that "Intercession is not one of the 25 spiritual gifts mentioned specifically as gifts in the New Testament.

But, like the gift of exorcism, I believe it should be added to the list..."

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Granny's Guide to Marriage in Verse

#16 How Many Gifts are There?

C. Peter Wagner continues telling us, "A textbook on anatomy would tell us how many parts the human body has.

Fortunately, the Body of Christ is not that complex.

Differences of opinion exist as to exactly how many spiritual gifts there are.

The research I have done and summarized in my book, Your Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow (Regal Books) lead me to suggest that there are 27, although I have no quarrel at all with others who come up with different numbers.

How do I arrive at 27 gifts?

First, I recognize three major lists of spiritual gifts in the New Testament found in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4.

None of the tree lists is complete in itself — many overlap. Some gifts are mentioned in one list only, some in two, and some in all three.

A composite of the 3 lists gives us 20 gifts; Prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, giving, leadership, mercy wisdom, knowledge, faith, healings, miracles, discerning of spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues, apostle, helps, administration, evangelist and pastor. 

Several gifts are also mentioned apart from the three major lists, five to be exact: celibacy 1 Cor. 7:7, voluntary poverty 1 Cor. 13:3, martyrdom 1 Cor. 13:3, hospitality 1 Peter 4:9,10 and missionary Eph. 3:6-9. This gives us a total of 25 gifts indicated as gifts in the New Testament.

Now this next issue is very important for understanding the gift of intercession.

If none of the 3 major lists of spiritual gifts was complete in itself, and if the composite of the 3 was not complete, could it be that the 25 gifts found in the New Testament could also be an open-ended list and that more cold be added?

I think it could, although I will be the first to admit I cannot come up with an airtight argument to prove my case.

I take some encouragement from the fact that several other scholars and authors have independently drawn the same conclusion. 

We do it biblically because the Bible does not say the lists are closed, recognizing that an argument from silence proves very little. 

But we also do it from in-depth observation of how Christians function as members of the Body of Christ.

 Some others who follow this line of reasoning suggest 4 gifts, which I do not include in my list of 27, although I have no quarrel with doing so.

They are; craftsmanship, preaching, writing and music.

I have wished more than once that I had included at least music and made my list 28.

Be that as it may, the two gifts I do add to the biblical list are exorcism
(which might better be called deliverance) and intercession.

A major reason for doing this is that I have seen them in operation."

Today’s post -#How Many Gifts are There, in the series taken from C. Peter Wagner’s book, PRAYER SHIELD, How to intercede for pastors, Christian leaders and others on the spiritual frontlines. (pgs. 43, 44) By Regal Books

The next post from Wagner's book is 8/13 - #17  The Gift of Exorcism

Let’s pray: Father, we come to You now, to have Your Spirit move on us, to reveal to us our gifts. We want to be a blessing to others in our church Body. Help us to become aware of the particular gifts You've deposited in us, and may we be lead to find ways to be instructed to become successful in some ministry. In the Name of Jesus our Savior we ask, amen.

Today’s Bible verse: Is. 60:2b "But the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee."

Today’s quotes: Max Lucado – “If God is able to place the stars in their sockets and suspend the sky like a curtain—do you think it remotely possible God is able to guide your life? Could it be He is mighty enough to light your path? Jesus said, “Look at the birds in the air.  They don’t plant or harvest or store into barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them.  Why do you worry about clothes?”  Matthew 6:26.

Anne Cetas – “God has graced each of His children with skills and abilities so that He can minister to others through us. You can find those gifts listed in Rom. 12:4-13, 1 Cor. 12:27-31, Eph. 4:7-12, and 1 Peter 4:9-11. The Lord has gifted us “that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever:” 1 Peter 4:11.

Our thought today: The Word of God is so powerful. We need to read His Word for his guidance.

Tomorrow’s post:  Me? Follow a Budget?  Jean Oathout

A popular post:   ONE BEAUTIFUL MOMENT God uses another gallery to display His glory—humans. We too are made out of something ordinary—dust

[Google images added]

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