Authority Over Demon Spirits !

AUTHORITY OVER DEMON SPIRITS : (Acts 16:18) "for many days," the girl possessed with a spirit of divination. She followed Paul and Silas around Philippi saying, ". . . These men are the servants of the most high God. . . ." (V, 17). That's the reason Paul had to wait for the manifestation of the Spirit; he had to wait until the spirit of God gave him discerning of spirits, many days to deliver the demon possessed girl. He didn't command that spirit to leave her the first day she began following them. He waited, and when the right time came, he spoke to that spirit, and it came out of her. The Bible says, concerning the ministry of Jesus, that he cast spirits out with His Word. It also says that He cast them out by the Spirit of God. It wasn't just His Word speaking apart from the Spirit of God. Read the 25th chapter of Matthew. The Pharisees were accusing Jesus of casting out demons by Beelzebub, the Prince of the devils (V. 24). Jesus replied, ". . . . If I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you" (V. 28). We know from the Word that we have spiritual authority, but we must depend upon the Holy Spirit to help us in ministering authority. We can't do it by ourselves. As I mentioned earlier, if the devil attacks me, I have authority over him, because I have authority over my own life. I can tell him to leave my house immediately. I also can control situations as long as people are in my presence. For example, a pastor friend of mine from foreword pictures, once accompanied me to a meeting I was to preach. He had suffered from sugar diabetes for many years and had to test his urine every morning to determine how much incident he needed for his daily injection. Trying to teach you a lesson of faith, I turned to him as we pulled out of the driveway of his home and I said, "You'll never register in the sugar as long as you're with me." You see, I could control that disease as long as he was with me--- as long as he was on my premises. But I couldn't control it when he was away from me. I would have to train him to exercise spiritual authority for himself. He looked at me as if he didn't believe me, but he was with me almost 2 weeks and he never registered in sugar, even though he ate pie and cake. Now I know I'll register sugar today," he would say. After testing himself, he'd say, "That beats anything I've ever seen in my life !" He later told me he was home three days before he started registering sugar again. You see, I claim authority over that disease. Although I had control over the unseen force, I didn't have control over the pastor's will. Him I could control the unseen force as long as the pastor was in my presence, and try to convince him that he could exercise the same authority, but he didn't catch on. He expected the diabetes to return, and it did. It took him five years before he finally understood spiritual authority. Some of us preachers are slow ! If I could have been with other people constantly I could have helped him come too, but I can't live with people I don't have time. Many deer Christians are not open to receiving the Word of God, they struggle with understanding the Word of God because they have not a meek spirit. Moses was the meekest servant of God at that time he was teachable. That's what meekness is teachable and meekness is not weakness. Many people go to cemetery school, and schools of theology, and they come out preaching dated sermons teaching dead lessons and of course someone's theology but if you would get the Word of God and do what God says seek him with all your heart with all your mind with all your strength you will find him !