OK, another case study, then I gotta get back to work:
My friend Vicki is spiritually very strong and sensitive, even more than she knows. I knew from what she is involved with (heavily into Kabala) that the ‘darkies’ (I don’t like the word demons because there’s so much misinformation and mis-guided thought about them) were present around her. The first time I went to visit her they kept their distance while we chatted. But the moment I stepped out her door, two of them escorted me down the hall, down the stairs, into the street to my car, and watched me drive away. Plain as day, they don't even try to hide from me anymore because they know God's made me wise to them.
When I prayed for her (and I mostly pray in the Spirit), I often got this visual impression where it's night time, and I'm elevated like up in a tree to where I can see across the rooftops. Off a mile or so is her apartment building. Buildings usually give off some ambient light, but the light from her building was much brighter than the surroundings. Bright enough that it shines up upon the bottom of what at first looks to be some very dark tumultuous clouds. But looking closer, I can see it is instead a thick black swirling cloud of dark spirits. They're like a ginormous nasty swarm of mosquitoes, just looking for way in to draw blood, being held back solely by the light.
So one night I'm praying for her, and it’s concerted prayer; the swarm is thick and heavy and really agitated - pressing in to the point where they were smothering out the light. I got a sense of real urgency, that something really bad was happening. So in the Name of Jesus I travailed in prayer to bind and silence and swat at a few of them. But I was just one man against a swarm, definitely outnumbered. So I commanded angels to fight and occupy the enemy; and I saw angels start charging into the darkness. And then I command more of them to move in and get her out and to a place of safety. And I see more of them rush off into the scene. And so that is how I fight, in the Spirit of God claiming the Authority of Christ to bind and silence the darkies; and commanding the angelic host to go and do battle and occupy the them while others get in and get her out. And I'm watching this happen in my vision; I don't ever see her, but I see the heavenly forces rushing off to do battle against the swarm.
So the next day I'm talking to her, and before I can say anything she starts telling me about how she has always had trouble dealing with certain critical issues. They had been recently piling up and squeezing her to the point where she was starting to come apart and have a panic attack over how she was going to deal with them. She confessed that she’d dealt with it before by cutting herself (including her wrists) and that last night she was ready to do it again. Then she said, 'it was so weird, because all of a sudden this voice started telling me to get out, get out, leave, and something grabbed me by the arms and dragged me out of the apartment and down to my car.' She ended up on a bench at the beach where a Bible she found and people she encountered helped her find peace with the issue.
OK, here we have, again as the result of praying in the spirit, a revelation and gift of knowledge (mysteries I would have had no other knowledge of), and arising out of that a miraculous intercession that not only stopped a demonic attack but then led someone to the Word and people of God.
Pretty heady stuff for something that supposedly doesn't work any more.
OR PERHAPS IT'S satan WHO SAYS IT DOESN'T WORK, BECAUSE IT TENDS TO WORK AGAINST HIM.
???
Hi Ricky! Thank you for that, you said much in here to encourage me. I have a similar experience of prophetic intercession. I know it is nothing I could have dreamed up, or that I could have given myself, but something the Lord began in me and I had to explore where He was leading, by stepping out in faith.
Not long after I started using the gift of tongues, I had committed to pray for a brother who was going into a dark situation in a local church that was resistant to the Holy Spirit, but comfortable with controlling and seducing spirits in its midst. The brother and I had both been recently reprimanded in the same church, separately, for calling the leadership to account for certain issues that were extremely worrying. During the time we shared, praying together and figuring out what was going on, he got baptized in the Holy Spirit...I was already baptized in Him....and then everything took off.
The place he had visited as an alternative church appeared to him to be up to its neck in demonic activity. He determined to discuss this with the pastor and I was going to be praying behind the scenes. I didn't know when the meeting was going to take place.
One morning I awoke with a tremendous urge to pray, so much so that I was on the floor bowed over, praying in tongues as the Lord led. I felt that there was a huge urgency to do so, like you said. I don't know about you but I know when I have to pray and I know when it is finished...and all things in between are accomplished by the Spirit, and definitely not by the flesh.
The urgency mounting, I was aware in my spirit of a wall of resistance that had to be taken down somehow and broken through. I felt the frustration of something withstanding the prayer and obstructing its progress. Still praying in tongues I went into the garden, where I found a piece of wood, half of which had rotted. In my spirit I saw the rottenness represented something dark and nasty and it had to be removed. Still praying and the more fervently, I placed the wood over a brick and stamped down hard. The rotten piece flew off clean from the good wood, and something broke in my prayer.
I continued for some minutes but I knew the Lord had accomplished something, though I didn't know what...except the spiritual impressions and interpretation that I was receiving, not at that stage having the words to describe it.
Later I telephoned the brother to ask what had happened and told him I had been praying most urgently.
He said he had indeed met with the pastor that morning to broach the subject of the spiritual problems in the church (praise the Lord!!). He said it was like he couldn't get through to him at all for some time: the pastor was resistant to reason and plainly not going to listen to anything he said. Then he said, all of a sudden "something broke" and his attitude totally changed. He was able to continue discussion with the pastor whose heart softened sufficiently to hear what was being said.
These things we speak of are to be regarded as precious, but not at all uncommon among the people of God. Yet we know there are those who would attempt to dismantle with cruel words and actions all the Lord is doing by His Spirit, in terms of deliverance, healing and restoration of His church.
Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,
according to the power that worketh in us,
This is our God and it is He
who demonstrates this by our testimony
So is this the same god that the tongue-haters speak of? I can't see how. Is it not more likely that they have departed from the precious faith and are giving heed to seducing spirits? I hope not but it sure does seem that way.
Thanks for stirring me up Ricky!
2 Peter
1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained
like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
3
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises:
that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8
For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9
But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 12 Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.
13 Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;