THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL NOT SHARE ITS DWELLING WITH AN EVIL SPIRIT IN THE HEART OF GOD’S CHILD
Sakkie Parsons
Translated from Afrikaans
Translator: Robin Barker
Someone wrote to me about many things which are being done in that person’s congregation, which according to that persons understanding of the Word, as well as my understanding of the Word, is not according to the Bible and asks me, for my opinion.
The person writes amongst other things: “…Even when people pray for others healing, the devil is first punished, and then it sounds like they are demanding (instructing) God to heal the illness? For me it is through God’s will only?”
Right here in the beginning I want to make the following statement – that it is lovely to know that most congregations in the different denominations of Christ’s church have, beautiful, sincere and spiritually strong ministers at the head of those congregations, but then we must not stare blindly at the fact that there are quite a few, so called leaders (ministers), which according to my opinion, do more harm than good in their positions of power in their congregations.
Returning to what was written to me. How many times I have heard that hands have been laid upon a child of our Lord and then I have heard in one or other way the following: I rebuke you and then one or more devils are rebuked/punished.
Something like:
You devil of sickness.
You devil of headaches.
You devil of cancer.
Or as in my situation: You devil of blindness.
Someone who prays for a person who has accepted Jesus Christ as his Redeemer and Saviour and wants to drive a devil out of that person, according to my opinion is at least sincere but very unknowledgeable and at worst someone who has him-/herself an unclean spirit of some or other kind within them and is used by satan as a tool to show the Gospel of Jesus as laughable in the eyes of the world.
Anybody who says that a true child of our Lord has an evil spirit of some or other kind within him/her, says that the Holy Spirit is prepared – to put it that way – to live in the same dwelling as one of satan’s evil spirits and in actual fact continually rub shoulders with that evil spirit.
To mention but two of many examples of which are written about you and me who have accepted Jesus as our Redeemer and Saviour:
ROM 6:4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
GAL 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Those people who also sometimes pray for people and then, as it were, shout commands like a corporal on our Lord’s parade ground; you know, something like: “We ask in the Name of Jesus …, do this Lord, do it now!”, should also reflect on these behaviours of theirs and those who say to Jesus the following; that this or that in their lives or body is not the will of God, must also be careful what they sometimes do, while they must remember, what our Lord allowed to be written for us:
ISA 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
ISA 55:9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
I share with you an example from the Word to show what I mean. My great hero Paul’s relationship with our Lord was of such a nature, that we read about him:
ACTS 19:11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul,
ACTS 19:12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.
At another occasion the bite of an adder (asp, viper, poisonous snake) could not even kill him:
ACTS 28:3-6
3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.
4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.”
5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.
6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.
This same Paul wrote at another occasion about something which he asked our Lord three times to change in his life and our Lord clearly let him understand that our Lord was not going to do that for him:
2COR 12:7-9
7 or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of satan, to torment me.
8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
Oops and I almost forgot the example of which I, from my own circumstances, am fond of. Jesus healed a man who was blind from birth:
JOHN 9:1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.
JOHN 9:2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
JOHN 9:3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”
Did you notice why that man had a disability, and had it from birth?
JOHN 9:3 … “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”
And the rest, as you read further, as they say; its history. I also, for example, do not understand why I am blind, but I have this great loving, certainty within my heart (conscience):
ROM 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose
While I understand this very well:
1COR 13:12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
Those people who so easily prescribe all illnesses and/or imperfections and other, from our view, some unpleasant things – all as being of satan, must – as I see it – reflect again on how they listen to the voice of our Lord.
For everyone who; and rightly so; want to pray for other people, I close this now with the following advice from the Word:
1TIM 5:22 Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.
In other words, before you just lay your hands on someone, make sure that your case with our Lord is right, and wait for guidance from the Holy Spirit.
While with lovely peace you remember – when you do lay your hands on someone and pray for them –
1JOHN 5:14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
Do you see?
Our Lord hears us, if we ask for something in accordance with His will. For now, if He maybe does not hear our heartfelt prayer as we want Him to hear our prayer, I know:
1COR 13:12 “… then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, …”
It is written in the New Life Version (NLV) as follows:
1COR 13:12 “… then I will know everything in a perfect way. …”
Greetings,
Sakkie