What is a Religious Spirit?
PYTHON = DIVINATION, FAMILIAR SPIRIT
Roy Sauzek
PO Box 532, Wellington, KS 67152
I have intended to put this information on the web for some time. I did want to rewrite it but a few people have asked for this information and I have sent it to them the way it is. Most have indicated that this information helped in some way. In this writing, I have held my experience with the familiar spirit until last and I hope it is not too much of a surprise to you.
I have seen one church split and the total demise of two other churches. These were churches that were dangerous to the enemy. Each time the Lord revealed the source of the problem to someone. The split came in one because of a Necromancer, one who consults with the dead. A warlock (witchcraft) was the instrument of the enemy in the demise of another. The last one was caused by the haughty spirit. All these, in some way, have something to do with major spirits. It is not my intent to give you all the answers, because I don't have them all. It is my intent to shed some light on this subject through my testimony. By following the Holy Spirit you will have victory over future situations in your life. Hopefully, you will realize that if God reveals that you or your church is being attacked by the Python that it could be through divination or Necromancing.
I have heard tapes about how the Python is a constrictor and squeezes the life out of churches. This is most certainly true because it squeezes the life out of what God is doing, just like the serpent squeezed the life out of what God said in the Garden of Eden. But where and how does the Python function? God has shown me that His people can have the Python operating through them and not be aware of it. Some people say that I should not talk about this because I am giving too much credit to the Devil. But I will tell you that these problems will not go away by pushing them under the rug and acting like they never happened. Consider this statement made by a friend.
"In war you try to gain as much knowledge about your enemy as you can so you can defeat him. You aren't giving your enemy credit when you expose his weapons, methods, and plans to other soldiers. You're giving them information on how to defeat the enemy."
Lack of knowledge will never solve the problem or help anybody. Knowledge and the understanding of that knowledge will help in the future. This is why God said "My people perish from the lack of knowledge."
In the church the Python spirit can use a person to stop what God is doing. That is the key thing to understand. Spirits, especially the Python, are out to destroy and stop what God said and what He is doing!
For us to follow the things of the spirit, we must have control of our thoughts. We must understand the maneuvers the enemy will use to keep us out of the position in which God intended. We must have the presence of mind to keep the things of the spirit in the forefront of our lives. The Lord's bride without spot or wrinkle will not be controlled and beat around by the enemy. Therefore, we must understand the effects of the Python and its involvement in church activities.
When you read the following concerning the Python spirit, you will see some of its simple involvement in the daily lives of people and how it affects what they believe. I am not only talking about people who prophesy or work witchcraft in order to destroy churches. I am talking about the Python's involvement in our thought world. Its purpose is to cause us to miss what God has said and, therefore, miss what He is doing.
Since I mentioned divination first, look at its definition from the American College Dictionary.
1. the discovering of what is obscure or the foretelling of future events, as by supernatural means. 2. augury; a prophecy. 3. instinctive prevision.
To establish that divination is the Python spirit, look at a portion of scripture. The King James Version translates the Greek word as a spirit of divination.
Acts 16:16 KJV
"And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us . . ."
The Interlinear Bible, a literal translation of the Bible, uses the word Python.
Acts 16:16 ILB
"And it happened, as we went into a place of prayer, a certain slave girl having a Pythonic spirit met us. . . "
So we see that divination has to do with the Python spirit.
1 Samuel 15:23 ILB
For the sin of divination is rebellion; insolence is both iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of Jehovah, so He has rejected you from being king.
Divination is a sin. There are people in the church who unknowingly are operating in this spirit of Python (divination). Doing it ignorantly will not cost them their salvation from hell. It will cost them something in the soul realm and in the Kingdom of God. In the soul realm you will have mind problems, you will be kept from the pure truth, you will experience periods when you are out of control of your actions, and there will be areas where your mind is clouded. The enemy can feed freely into your soul the thoughts he desires. If a person has this Python problem, they can even be tormented through their soul in the night.
God warns us not to seek or have anything to do with any type of divination. Some will say they have never done anything like that. Understand that the sins of the fathers are visited upon the children. If any of your ancestors dabbled in this type of thing, you could have this soul problem and not be aware of it.
IT'S A SOUL THING
Isaiah 47:13,14 ILB
You are exhausted by your many plans; let those dividing the heavens stand up now and save you, the gazers into the stars, making known what is coming on you into the new moons. Behold, they are as stubble; the fire burns them; they shall not save their soul from the flame's hand; there is no coal to warm them; nor fire, to sit before it.
This scripture indicates that your soul will not escape, and those who have indulged in divination or the familiar spirits have had their souls messed with, so to speak. Only God can change what has been done to their souls.
When we do things that open up our soul or do things that have an effect on our soul, we are unaware of it in our souls. The Lord wants us to understand this.
Proverbs 6:32 KJV
But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
The Lord is saying that you don't understand or recognize what you are doing to your soul when you sin. Christians think everything is all right after they have repented and asked forgiveness. But what has happened to the soul must be mended, or it will unknowingly hamper the soul of the person the rest of their life. People who experience these things will tell you that it didn't hurt and they felt nothing in their minds. When you disobey God with sin, the enemy has an opening to attack you or hold you at his will. It is not something God has done, but something that you have allowed.
Proverbs 5:21,22 KJV
For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings. His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.
Have you ever done something, wish you hadn't, and then wondered why you were so compelled to do it? Is there something holding you back, something you can't quite grasp, and you can't seem to get the victory?
II Timothy 2:26 KJV
And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
Once the devil has an opening, a cord (door) established to the soul, he and/or his spirits can operate at their will. We must distinguish between when the spirit of Python is operating and when the Holy Spirit is operating. How do we learn the difference?
God's formula,
GOD + SOUL (mind) = Revelation (understanding)
GOD IS FOR YOUR SOUL, FOR YOUR ABILITY TO THINK AND MAKE DECISIONS, AND FOR YOUR ABILITY TO REASON AND LEARN. GOD ALWAYS ENCOURAGES THE FUNCTION OF THE SOUL. YOUR SOUL CAN BE IN FULL FUNCTION AND RECEIVE FROM GOD.
The Bible establishes what I have just said.
I Corinthians 2:12&13, ILB
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
How does the Holy Spirit teach? Teaching or being taught indicates the use of the mind. Comparing one thing with another also indicates the use of the mind. In Acts 10:10, Peter had a vision, and he had to use his mind to figure out what God was revealing. He saw vessels coming down from heaven. This was his first spiritual "thing," a vision he did not understand. In verse nineteen the scripture says Peter thought upon the vision; he was meditating. Peter did not have the second spiritual "thing" to consider until after Cornelius had finished telling Peter what had happened. Then by comparing spiritual happenings with spiritual happenings, in his mind, Peter put two things together and got a revelation. (Remember the formula!) As soon as he got the revelation he spoke:
Acts 10:34 KJV
Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
What was Peter's revelation? Cornelius was not a Jew and the Holy Ghost just taught him (by comparing spiritual things with spiritual) that anyone could become saved. But Peter had to use his mind to get the revelation.
The basic foundational thought is this: God is for your soul, and the enemy is against it. God encourages the use of it. The enemy wants to stop the correct use of it. There is a certain way the Holy Ghost teaches and gives revelation which involves using your mind. Yes, God is for your soul.
Other principles that enter into our education about the things of God are: who is establishing, who is giving, and at whose will? In Jeremiah 27, God talks about the fact that these were established by you; your prophets, your fortune tellers, your dreamers, your conjurers, your sorcerers. In other words, you established these prophets, not God. We must understand that God establishes prophets, not the church. God raises up the five fold ministries, not the church. The gifts are given at the will of the Holy Spirit, not at our will. In divination, the connection into the spirit world is made illegally, at the will of the person or the spirit, (if the spirit has legal right). If God gives you a dream, it is given at His will and is not one you conjured up, or daydreamed, or because of something you ate.
The Holy Spirit establishes the connection to the soul at His will and then releases that connection so your soul can function freely as it was created to do. God gives, with no strings (cords) attached; freely He gives. God is so supreme that everything He does is a form of giving.
IN GOD'S REALM THE HOLY SPIRIT ESTABLISHES; HE GIVES AT HIS WILL OR THE LORD'S WILL.
FAMILIAR SPIRIT = PYTHON
From the American College Dictionary we see this definition.
Familiar Spirit: A supernatural spirit or demon supposed to attend on or serve a person.
Some people use crystal balls and others conjure by various methods. They simply have a spirit serving them, usually to make money or to benefit them in some way. We can see this activity in the world today.
In the book of Acts, Paul had to deal with such a person.
Acts 16:16 - 18 ILB
And it happened, as we went into a place of prayer, a certain slave girl having a Pythonic spirit met us, whose divining brought much gain to her lords. Following after Paul and us, she cried out, saying, These men are slaves to the Most High God, who are announcing to us the way of salvation! And she did this over many days. But being distressed, and turning to the demonic spirit, Paul said, In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out from her! And it came out in the same hour.
It is evident from these scriptures that the woman had a Pythonic spirit serving her and her masters were making money because of it. This agrees with the dictionary definition of a familiar spirit.
One basic way of identifying a familiar spirit is by asking a simple question. Will the person gain in some way from having the spirit operate? This could be unknown to the person.
The first noticeable thing we need to realize is . . . as we went into a place of prayer . . .. The python likes a spiritual atmosphere, since it functions best there. Second, this was not a one time deal. . . . And she did this over many days. The third thing to notice is . . . she cried out, saying, These men are slaves to the Most High God, who are announcing to us the way of salvation! Sounds like a good deal, doesn't it? Paul was announcing the way of salvation. This was a true statement! It appears to be a good thing for the cause of Christ to have this woman bring attention to Paul and the Gospel. Paul suddenly had a loud speaker and a portable billboard, so to speak. It appears on the surface that Paul and those with him could have gained from this situation.
You see, the familiar spirit (python) was operating when "she cried out." How do I know that? It's because of a personal experience. Read on.
What! A Religious Spirit?
I called it "Catawalling." It was a drawn out, "oh-h Lord" this and "oh-h Lord" that, kind of rave done in another tone of voice which would ramble on and on. This was happening in our prayer meetings.
On one particular night as we were all praying and talking to the Lord, a man who was a pastor started into this prayer that I have labeled as "catawalling." He was still standing and praying when the rest of us seemed to be finished. I had sat down and was talking to the Lord about what He wanted us to do next. Then I heard what he was praying. He was talking about his Christian background and how his foundation was all right. He said there might be a few minor things wrong, but the L-L-ord had kept him. And he was going "Oh-h Lord" this and "Oh-h Lord" that.
I had wondered about this "carrying on" for quite some time and I was getting tired of the tone of voice. I thought, "There's one way to find out if I'm right about what's happening." I was wondering how to proceed because I knew if I were wrong about it being a spirit, it could cause a problem within the group. I looked at the man and spoke to the spirit, but not loud enough for the man or anyone else to hear. I said, "You foul religious spirit, I charge you to come out of him in the name of Jesus." He quickly stopped and sat down. I thought, "Well, I guess there was nothing to that."
We all looked at each other wondering if anyone knew what to do next. (That was normal in those prayer meetings.) Suddenly the pastor's wife got up and ministered to him. As she did this, we all started praying again because we knew the Lord was moving. When she finished ministering to him, the pastor told us what had happened.
He said he had seen "himself" standing in front of him. He said the Lord told him He was delivering him from a familiar spirit. (I had spoken to a "religious spirit.") The Lord also told him where he picked it up. It was in a church. Then the Lord told him not to minister for a while. In our conversation later, I learned he didn't remember what he prayed and he wasn't aware the others in the room had quit praying. When a spirit of this type is functioning, a person sometimes doesn't remember or isn't aware of what happened. This all depends on the type of spirit and the degree of hold it has on the person.
I will share some more things so you can gain further insight into the spirit involved. Just like the situation confronting Paul in Acts 16, it looked good but it wasn't. The reason the Lord told this man not to minister for a while was because He wanted to clean the "religion" and all its fruits from the man's soul. The Lord was going to sever some thoughts and rearrange them in his soul. This man had no idea what all the Lord needed to do. We need to understand, the Lord said He was delivering him from a familiar spirit and he was not to minister. You see, it was just started. It wasn't all done in a flash. The completed deliverance would take time.
It's called getting rid of the fruit the spirit left behind in the man's mind. God had a ministry through this man (the woman in Paul's encounter had no ministry). This is why it was important for this pastor not to minister until the Lord said to do so. The Lord would have to straighten up all the wrong thoughts and patterns concerning the soul. We must understand that each situation is unique when dealing with spirits. The severity of control enters into each situation. The Lord is the only one who really knows what to do, so stay in tune with him.
When the Lord wants to show you something about which you know nothing, He will often put you in an awkward position. Why? To break up the normal pattern of life and therefore cut the normal train of thought in your soul.
One must understand that complete deliverance takes complete obedience. Remember when the Lord told me not to apologize to those upon whom the spirit of anger had come against? Had I apologized, I would not have experienced all the things God wanted to do in my soul. I had to obey God even when it didn't seem right. Disobeying God lets the enemy back in.
Once the spirit is gone, the wrong thoughts or fruit of that spirit must be eliminated. Only major thoughts carried by the spirit go with the spirit. There are all kinds of variations of this. The person needs to become educated to the thoughts and pattern of the spirit so he won't let it back in. You see, the person was vulnerable to the spirit in the first place (either uneducated about the spirit or a weakness in that area) and the same vulnerability is still there.
The Python spirit loves to give revelation to God's word. It loves to give interpretations to the things of God. Think about what happened in the garden! Satan, portrayed as a serpent, was giving Eve the interpretation or revelation of what God had said. Satan says (in principle), "God did not mean what He said, this is really how it is."
These thoughts are very prevalent in the church world today. For example, "The Bible doesn't really mean that literally, this is what it means. That's not for today." We must realize, the Bible is not a religion. It is an instruction book for us. It reveals the spirit world and the covenants. It reveals the spiritual laws that have always existed.
The Python loves to condemn Christians in a sneaky way and bring in religion so people miss the point. It brings strangulation (constriction) to the souls of Christians by telling them if they sin, or don't do what God has called them to do (works), then they will go to hell. It loves to deceive with the idea that by works you gain eternal life. Yes, you are judged by your works and rewarded accordingly, but Paul made it plain that salvation is not by works . . . lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:9 KJV
The Python is also a constrictor of man's life through the soul. God is not a constrictor in any way. He gives us a choice (allowing us to work our minds freely), but He also counsels us to choose . . . My ways, follow me and have life. If we choose the devil's ways (being deceived and controlled in our minds), it will produce death in our life. The Lord says follow me and we together can produce life!
The Python is a major spirit. Satan himself was depicted as a snake in the garden, because it beguiled Eve's mind against what God said. God has used symbols like the Python so we can understand the characteristics of a spirit and how it works. Symbols also give us clues to spirits that are relatives and belong to a certain family. The Python is a constrictor of truth and the mind.
Are we really in control of our thoughts? We react without thinking most of the time. Jesus didn't! He was in complete control of His thoughts.
Take His Heart to the World min.
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