The Spirit of Python Part 2, #2:
Commandments of men
Which turn aside from the truth
Waiting on the Lord:
I through that it was important to go a little deeper into this very important topic of waiting on the Lord. This is something that the Spirit of Python loves to use to put people in such great bondage and inability to serve the Lord. The devil would just as well have you wait on the Lord until you die, and never get anything done.
An example of this is a man who wanted to go into the ministry, but he also had placed many rules upon himself. He believed it was sin to take up offerings. He believed it was a sin to dress and look good in a meeting. He believed it was a sin for anyone to honor him or give him credit, and so if anyone even so much as thanked him or showed him appreciation he would literally drop his head and feel bad all day because of it. He thought it was sin that he saw people going to see big evangelists; when, as he said, "all they need is Jesus", and so with that in mind he himself was limited - for he could never be one of those big evangelists, or otherwise people might come to him! To top it all off he had been waiting for 40 years to go into the ministry. He was "waiting on the Lord" for the command to go, and had been for all those years, because he felt he was not free to go. His conscience would not give him peace. He told me one day, "I see sin everywhere I look!"
So what do you do when you've not received a direct commandment from God telling you not to do something?
Take a look at this story from the scripture:
Joshua 9:6 "And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us. (7) And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you? (8) And they said to Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? And from whence come ye? (9) And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the Lord thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt "
Then we see what happened in verse 14: "And the men (of Israel) took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord. And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation swore unto them."
So we see how the Children of Israel sinned and disobeyed God unintentionally, because they failed to ask counsel before they acted on this issue. God had told Israel to kill everyone in the land of Canaan, and not to make peace with any of them. But the Hivites show up and lied, saying they were from a far away country, and Israel did not ask counsel from God, but made peace. Afterwards they found out that these people lived in Canaan, but they had sinned in swearing and making an oath of peace without asking God first. So here is what you should do:
1. Before you act-ask yourself: have you asked God about it first?
But what happens if you don't get a response from God? As Keith Miller of Stand Firm Word Ministries would put it, "If God does not give you an answer, that does not mean "no". In fact, if God has a problem with it, he will tell you "no". But if God does not say anything, then that means he is probably OK with it." People who are under the influence of the Spirit of Python tend to feel that God's default answer is "no".
One man I know who was called into the ministry, but was "waiting on the Lord" would talk about how Abraham went ahead of God and took a wife and had Ishmael, and all the trouble that was caused by going ahead of God. So this minister had fear of disobedience, which the Spirit of Python took advantage of. We will talk more about the Fear of the Lord, and how the Python Spirit can use it against you. But in the case of Abraham, we know that Abraham was never told until after he took Hagar that the son needed to be by Sarah. And where there is no law, there is no sin. Nowhere in the bible was Abraham ever accused of sin for taking Hagar. In fact, we read in Galatians chapter 4 that it was all part of God's plan. But we also know that Abraham did not ask God if he could have the son by Hagar. In fact, it was not until after Ishmael had been born and God told Abraham that he son must be born to Sarah that Abraham finally asks God if Ishmael could be the son instead, but God said no. But when God does not give you a specific word like that, then you are free to have the son by whomever you chose. That's the liberty and grace we have in Jesus. Blessed is he that does not condemn himself in things that God allows. Because where there is no law, there is no sin, the scripture says (Romans 5:13, Romans 7:7). But when the Spirit of Python shows up, it will tell you that you have no liberty, and that even though you've not heard anything specific from the Lord, then the default answer from God is always negative.
But many times when ministers are "waiting on the Lord", they've already been told by God that it was God's will to go into the ministry and they can see the path that God has set before them, and the call of God on their lives. God never told them when to go, or how long to wait. So they wait on the Lord for a commandment to go, and years goes by. We see an example in the book of acts when the apostles wanted to go to Asia, but "the Spirit forbade them". So there are times when the Holy Ghost can tell us to wait, but we must be so careful to discern the true voice of God.
The confusion comes when you know that God has called you to go, but then a feeling of bondage comes over you, telling you that you can't go yet, but with no explanation of why you can't go yet. So you figure it's just not the right time. But Jesus said in the book of John that we are God's friend's, rather than just servants. "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you." John 15:15
So if you feel that God has called you into the ministry, and you can see the path that is ahead of you, but you feel restricted, as though you are to wait on the Lord and not go down the path that is ahead of you. Ask yourself these questions:
2. Have I asked God for permission to go?
3. If God says you can't go yet, ask yourself: Did God explain to me the reason that I could not go yet? Because in John 15:15 it explains that as a friend you should expect God to explain himself to you.
One of the keys to discerning the difference between to voice of God from the voice of the Spirit of Python is the fact that when God calls you into the ministry, and then tells you to wait, he always will explain to you the reason for waiting (if you ask) - and the reason God gives you will always make perfect sense. But when the Spirit of Python gives you commandments that restrict your movement, they are like the boy who removed his computer from his room 10 times - they make no sense and come with no explanation. The limitations are grievous and annoying, confusing, and the reason you obey is because of fear of disobedience rather than because the commandments make sense to you. That's how you discern the difference. The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of Wisdom and Truth, and Solomon said that when Wisdom speaks to you, it's like honey to the taste. In fact, Solomon said, "Taste honey, because when you get a word from the Spirit of Wisdom (one of the Spirits connected to the Holy Spirit), it will taste just like honey." So when God talks to you as a friend and tells you not to go yet, you will say, "Yea, I couldn't go now, because I'm not ready, and I can see where I am not ready yet!" And if your explanation from God makes no sense, ask God for an explanation. If there is no explanation, and yet you are restricted to go, then begin to bind the Spirit of Python off your conscience.
But there is one more thing to consider when it comes to getting a right answer from God. We see the story of Balaam when he went to ask God if it was OK to go and curse Israel. The Story is found in Numbers chapter 22. God told Balaam, "no", but Balaam did not like that answer, because he wanted the money that he was being offered by Balak, the king of Moab. So Balaam was offered more money, and he went back a second time to ask counsel of God, hoping that God would release him to do what he already wanted to do. God told Balaam that it was OK to go to Balak. But as we find out later, God sent an angel and nearly killed Balaam because he went.
In this story you might ask yourself, "If God did not want Balaam to go, then why did he tell Balaam that it was OK to go?"
The key to the answer to this question is found in Ezekiel 14 where it says, "Then came certain of the elders of Israel to me (Ezekiel), and sat before me. (2) And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, (3) Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be inquired of at all by them? (4) Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setting up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;"
So basically what God is saying is, "Hey, if you got some idol in your heart, such as the love of money that Balaam had, and you come to me to ask me what you should do, I'm going to answer you according to that idol in your heart, and tell you what you already want to hear."
So ask yourself before you act:
4. Am I indifferent in my request from God, or do I come hoping God will tell me yes, according to my lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life?
But let's be reasonable. Balaam was a man who was exceedingly wicked. I don't want you to freak out and think, "OH NO! Am I a Balaam?" Because even when God told him, "I've blessed the Children Of Israel", Balaam still wanted to curse them. And even after God sent his angel and nearly killed him, Balaam still went to Balak and gave Balak advice on how to cause the Children of Israel to sin against God. Balaam was the one who gave Balak the counsel to send in women and harlots into the camp of the Children of Israel to commit adultery with them, so that God would curse his own people. So as you can see, Balaam was very wicked, even though he clearly knew what God wanted.
But when you know God has called you into the ministry, then you already are in a completely different situation than Balaam was in. You've already been told that it is God's will for you to go, but you simply don't know when. So go back over the questions and begin to ask yourself the questions I suggested. If you feel that the Spirit of Python has been telling you to "wait on the Lord", and you've had little explanation about why you are still supposed to wait, you may need to break the hold of the Spirit of Python off of your life.
Breaking the Spirit of Python:
We all know the scripture, "Whom the son sets free is free indeed". In order to be free from the Python Spirit you must realize the grace and liberty that you have in Christ Jesus. When Jesus said, "I will have mercy and not sacrifice." He is saying that he is a God of mercy, and that the work that he was doing on the cross would be a work of mercy and of grace, to set captives free. In Hebrews it declares that the blood of bulls and goats could not purify the conscience, but that the perfect blood of Jesus is able to purify the conscience.
Paul said that people who are justified by the law are fallen from Grace. In order to be free you must not frustrate the grace of God, as Paul said, "I do not frustrate the grace of God. If righteousness comes by the law, the Christ is dead in vain."
We must accept the fact that as Paul said, if we have the fruit of the Spirit, "against such (who have these fruit) there is no law."
But be careful, because any good idea can be taken too far. People who get set free from the Python Spirit must be careful that they don't get too carried away in liberty that they completely stop all repentance in their lives. In fact, people who get set free from Python many times come under the attack of Leviathan, which is the Spirit which seeks to give you so much liberty that you feel free to sin and feel no need for repentance. People get so excited when they are set free from the overly large amounts of oppressive guilt and rules that they had lived in, that they go too far in the other direction, and become so free that they no longer repent even of obvious sins such as un-forgiveness. That's going too far.
So the key to your deliverance from the Python Spirit is basically to get scriptural freedom. What I mean by that is, first of all, you need to read your bible every day, and if you've been oppressed by the Python Spirit, begin to address any confusing rules and unbiblical guilt which you have been hearing from that spirit. If your conscience condemns you in an area that you don't see in the bible, begin to address that, and begin to break free from that guilt. But remember that there are some sins, such as un-forgiveness, which you will always need to repent of, when you know you've done it.
Be careful not to let the Leviathan Spirit come in and try to make you overly free from the need to repent of sin, to the point that you've completely seared your conscience, and you refuse to feel any need to repent even over sins which are obviously written in the bible. So you must read your bible, and learn what the real truth is, so that you'll be able to teach your conscience when and when not to correct you, and know what to repent over and what not to repent over. When you've sinned, and you see your sin in the pages of God's word, repent. But when you're conscience condemns you over something which God allows, then confront the Python Spirit, and don't be condemned in things that God allows. Because if you give the Python Spirit an inch, it will squeeze more and more until you can't hardly do anything anymore.
Commandments of men
Which turn aside from the truth
Waiting on the Lord:
I through that it was important to go a little deeper into this very important topic of waiting on the Lord. This is something that the Spirit of Python loves to use to put people in such great bondage and inability to serve the Lord. The devil would just as well have you wait on the Lord until you die, and never get anything done.
An example of this is a man who wanted to go into the ministry, but he also had placed many rules upon himself. He believed it was sin to take up offerings. He believed it was a sin to dress and look good in a meeting. He believed it was a sin for anyone to honor him or give him credit, and so if anyone even so much as thanked him or showed him appreciation he would literally drop his head and feel bad all day because of it. He thought it was sin that he saw people going to see big evangelists; when, as he said, "all they need is Jesus", and so with that in mind he himself was limited - for he could never be one of those big evangelists, or otherwise people might come to him! To top it all off he had been waiting for 40 years to go into the ministry. He was "waiting on the Lord" for the command to go, and had been for all those years, because he felt he was not free to go. His conscience would not give him peace. He told me one day, "I see sin everywhere I look!"
So what do you do when you've not received a direct commandment from God telling you not to do something?
Take a look at this story from the scripture:
Joshua 9:6 "And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us. (7) And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you? (8) And they said to Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? And from whence come ye? (9) And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the Lord thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt "
Then we see what happened in verse 14: "And the men (of Israel) took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord. And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation swore unto them."
So we see how the Children of Israel sinned and disobeyed God unintentionally, because they failed to ask counsel before they acted on this issue. God had told Israel to kill everyone in the land of Canaan, and not to make peace with any of them. But the Hivites show up and lied, saying they were from a far away country, and Israel did not ask counsel from God, but made peace. Afterwards they found out that these people lived in Canaan, but they had sinned in swearing and making an oath of peace without asking God first. So here is what you should do:
1. Before you act-ask yourself: have you asked God about it first?
But what happens if you don't get a response from God? As Keith Miller of Stand Firm Word Ministries would put it, "If God does not give you an answer, that does not mean "no". In fact, if God has a problem with it, he will tell you "no". But if God does not say anything, then that means he is probably OK with it." People who are under the influence of the Spirit of Python tend to feel that God's default answer is "no".
One man I know who was called into the ministry, but was "waiting on the Lord" would talk about how Abraham went ahead of God and took a wife and had Ishmael, and all the trouble that was caused by going ahead of God. So this minister had fear of disobedience, which the Spirit of Python took advantage of. We will talk more about the Fear of the Lord, and how the Python Spirit can use it against you. But in the case of Abraham, we know that Abraham was never told until after he took Hagar that the son needed to be by Sarah. And where there is no law, there is no sin. Nowhere in the bible was Abraham ever accused of sin for taking Hagar. In fact, we read in Galatians chapter 4 that it was all part of God's plan. But we also know that Abraham did not ask God if he could have the son by Hagar. In fact, it was not until after Ishmael had been born and God told Abraham that he son must be born to Sarah that Abraham finally asks God if Ishmael could be the son instead, but God said no. But when God does not give you a specific word like that, then you are free to have the son by whomever you chose. That's the liberty and grace we have in Jesus. Blessed is he that does not condemn himself in things that God allows. Because where there is no law, there is no sin, the scripture says (Romans 5:13, Romans 7:7). But when the Spirit of Python shows up, it will tell you that you have no liberty, and that even though you've not heard anything specific from the Lord, then the default answer from God is always negative.
But many times when ministers are "waiting on the Lord", they've already been told by God that it was God's will to go into the ministry and they can see the path that God has set before them, and the call of God on their lives. God never told them when to go, or how long to wait. So they wait on the Lord for a commandment to go, and years goes by. We see an example in the book of acts when the apostles wanted to go to Asia, but "the Spirit forbade them". So there are times when the Holy Ghost can tell us to wait, but we must be so careful to discern the true voice of God.
The confusion comes when you know that God has called you to go, but then a feeling of bondage comes over you, telling you that you can't go yet, but with no explanation of why you can't go yet. So you figure it's just not the right time. But Jesus said in the book of John that we are God's friend's, rather than just servants. "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you." John 15:15
So if you feel that God has called you into the ministry, and you can see the path that is ahead of you, but you feel restricted, as though you are to wait on the Lord and not go down the path that is ahead of you. Ask yourself these questions:
2. Have I asked God for permission to go?
3. If God says you can't go yet, ask yourself: Did God explain to me the reason that I could not go yet? Because in John 15:15 it explains that as a friend you should expect God to explain himself to you.
One of the keys to discerning the difference between to voice of God from the voice of the Spirit of Python is the fact that when God calls you into the ministry, and then tells you to wait, he always will explain to you the reason for waiting (if you ask) - and the reason God gives you will always make perfect sense. But when the Spirit of Python gives you commandments that restrict your movement, they are like the boy who removed his computer from his room 10 times - they make no sense and come with no explanation. The limitations are grievous and annoying, confusing, and the reason you obey is because of fear of disobedience rather than because the commandments make sense to you. That's how you discern the difference. The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of Wisdom and Truth, and Solomon said that when Wisdom speaks to you, it's like honey to the taste. In fact, Solomon said, "Taste honey, because when you get a word from the Spirit of Wisdom (one of the Spirits connected to the Holy Spirit), it will taste just like honey." So when God talks to you as a friend and tells you not to go yet, you will say, "Yea, I couldn't go now, because I'm not ready, and I can see where I am not ready yet!" And if your explanation from God makes no sense, ask God for an explanation. If there is no explanation, and yet you are restricted to go, then begin to bind the Spirit of Python off your conscience.
But there is one more thing to consider when it comes to getting a right answer from God. We see the story of Balaam when he went to ask God if it was OK to go and curse Israel. The Story is found in Numbers chapter 22. God told Balaam, "no", but Balaam did not like that answer, because he wanted the money that he was being offered by Balak, the king of Moab. So Balaam was offered more money, and he went back a second time to ask counsel of God, hoping that God would release him to do what he already wanted to do. God told Balaam that it was OK to go to Balak. But as we find out later, God sent an angel and nearly killed Balaam because he went.
In this story you might ask yourself, "If God did not want Balaam to go, then why did he tell Balaam that it was OK to go?"
The key to the answer to this question is found in Ezekiel 14 where it says, "Then came certain of the elders of Israel to me (Ezekiel), and sat before me. (2) And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, (3) Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be inquired of at all by them? (4) Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setting up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;"
So basically what God is saying is, "Hey, if you got some idol in your heart, such as the love of money that Balaam had, and you come to me to ask me what you should do, I'm going to answer you according to that idol in your heart, and tell you what you already want to hear."
So ask yourself before you act:
4. Am I indifferent in my request from God, or do I come hoping God will tell me yes, according to my lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life?
But let's be reasonable. Balaam was a man who was exceedingly wicked. I don't want you to freak out and think, "OH NO! Am I a Balaam?" Because even when God told him, "I've blessed the Children Of Israel", Balaam still wanted to curse them. And even after God sent his angel and nearly killed him, Balaam still went to Balak and gave Balak advice on how to cause the Children of Israel to sin against God. Balaam was the one who gave Balak the counsel to send in women and harlots into the camp of the Children of Israel to commit adultery with them, so that God would curse his own people. So as you can see, Balaam was very wicked, even though he clearly knew what God wanted.
But when you know God has called you into the ministry, then you already are in a completely different situation than Balaam was in. You've already been told that it is God's will for you to go, but you simply don't know when. So go back over the questions and begin to ask yourself the questions I suggested. If you feel that the Spirit of Python has been telling you to "wait on the Lord", and you've had little explanation about why you are still supposed to wait, you may need to break the hold of the Spirit of Python off of your life.
Breaking the Spirit of Python:
We all know the scripture, "Whom the son sets free is free indeed". In order to be free from the Python Spirit you must realize the grace and liberty that you have in Christ Jesus. When Jesus said, "I will have mercy and not sacrifice." He is saying that he is a God of mercy, and that the work that he was doing on the cross would be a work of mercy and of grace, to set captives free. In Hebrews it declares that the blood of bulls and goats could not purify the conscience, but that the perfect blood of Jesus is able to purify the conscience.
Paul said that people who are justified by the law are fallen from Grace. In order to be free you must not frustrate the grace of God, as Paul said, "I do not frustrate the grace of God. If righteousness comes by the law, the Christ is dead in vain."
We must accept the fact that as Paul said, if we have the fruit of the Spirit, "against such (who have these fruit) there is no law."
But be careful, because any good idea can be taken too far. People who get set free from the Python Spirit must be careful that they don't get too carried away in liberty that they completely stop all repentance in their lives. In fact, people who get set free from Python many times come under the attack of Leviathan, which is the Spirit which seeks to give you so much liberty that you feel free to sin and feel no need for repentance. People get so excited when they are set free from the overly large amounts of oppressive guilt and rules that they had lived in, that they go too far in the other direction, and become so free that they no longer repent even of obvious sins such as un-forgiveness. That's going too far.
So the key to your deliverance from the Python Spirit is basically to get scriptural freedom. What I mean by that is, first of all, you need to read your bible every day, and if you've been oppressed by the Python Spirit, begin to address any confusing rules and unbiblical guilt which you have been hearing from that spirit. If your conscience condemns you in an area that you don't see in the bible, begin to address that, and begin to break free from that guilt. But remember that there are some sins, such as un-forgiveness, which you will always need to repent of, when you know you've done it.
Be careful not to let the Leviathan Spirit come in and try to make you overly free from the need to repent of sin, to the point that you've completely seared your conscience, and you refuse to feel any need to repent even over sins which are obviously written in the bible. So you must read your bible, and learn what the real truth is, so that you'll be able to teach your conscience when and when not to correct you, and know what to repent over and what not to repent over. When you've sinned, and you see your sin in the pages of God's word, repent. But when you're conscience condemns you over something which God allows, then confront the Python Spirit, and don't be condemned in things that God allows. Because if you give the Python Spirit an inch, it will squeeze more and more until you can't hardly do anything anymore.
