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Discerning, Removing and Avoiding the Spirit of Divination (also known as the python spirit):
Now I am not trying to scare you, I am trying to prepare you for the public life with your ministry or calling. You must have this understanding so you know how to properly and effectively deal with it. It’s called a spirit of divination or “python” spirit.
I would not include it in this chapter if I did not think it was crucially important. I want you to be properly equipped. Jesus warned His disciples to be wise to these things.
As soon as you launch out into the public for the Kingdom there is a sneaky evil spirit that will try to mess with you.
You may even be dealing with it right now so let me teach you how to discern it and get rid of it. This spirit is very rampant in our society and we as leaders must be aware.
In 2 Corinthians 2:11 Paul said; “Lest satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”
I want you to be welcoming of people who want to help you when you launch out in public, BUT you must also be wise that the enemy looks for a way in to stop you or hinder you through wrong relationships. He will try to send a person who is operating in this demonic spirit to infiltrate your inner circle and you must know how you discern this – the bigger the impact you will have for the Kingdom – the more this evil spirit tries to sneak in!
I want you to love people and I don’t want you to be paranoid at every person you meet that they might be operating with a spirit of divination – that’s why you must be careful to discern properly. I have had this spirit try to infiltrate my business and ministry at least three times! The more my ministry and name grew publicly the more it seemed this spirit was trying to attack. Two were women and one was a man. It is not gender specific!
Now please don’t be saying, “Gee, Annamarie if there is a chance I might get an attack from the enemy when I launch out in public with my ministry or purpose for the Kingdom, then I’m not gonna do it.”
Listen to me! You can get attacks and open a door to the enemy just sitting at home and watching the wrong shows on TV!
Your desire to be obedient to God and your calling for the Kingdom should be so passionate that you will not worry about this at all and I am going to equip you right now to discern it, destroy it and keep it away for good!
First, let’s get discernment on the evil Spirit of Divination…
There is a very deceptive spirit that has been operating in the world especially at this time and it’s an anti-christ spirit. A lot of people who you may know and many around us in society are under the deception of this spirit. It’s based in witchcraft and the occult and stems from idolatry. It’s been operating in all the 7 Mountains of Influence. One of the sneaky evil spirits that operate under the anti-christ spirit is the spirit of divination. It’s like a python and it targets those who are powerfully and boldly representing the Kingdom of God in these 7 mountains. The spirit of divination tends to target ministry leaders and those in ministry with a prophetic gifting. It sneaks in looking like it’s harmless and even flattering OR acts like a “copycat” then slowly works to squeeze you into shutting down and quitting.
Now, let’s reveal the Spirit of Divination also known as the Python Spirit …
The Apostle Paul dealt with this spirit early on in his ministry when he entered the Greek city of Philippi:
Acts 16:16-20
(KJV) “And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain young woman possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying; The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,”
The SPIRIT OF DIVINATION is someone that will placate you when they think things go their way and try to destroy you when it doesn’t. You would never know that they are if you were giving them everything they wanted. They expose themselves in different ways.
You have a mission to complete! A mission from God and cannot let anyone hinder that or try to distract that no matter who they are! This spirit has to be exposed early before it does too much damage.
You take authority over that spirit operating through them and you set boundaries with them. Even if they are “friends”. Some may even say they are “christians”. These are people with wicked spirits operating through them. Understand it’s not the person, it’s the spirit operating through them!
These are the Signs of the spirit of divination or “python” spirit operating in a person that wants to be around you and your ministry or your Kingdom purpose:
- Gives you flattery in the beginning to pull you in – almost like a groupie or “I am your biggest fan”
- Wants what you have but not willing to learn or work for it
- “Acts” like they have the same gifting you have and begins to mimic you to pull your followers to them
- Hogs up your time away from others
- Begins to constantly pull attention to themselves in your public setting and away from your message for the Lord
- Constantly telling you what you should do in your ministry and pushing you away from pursuing God’s guidance and they wanting to be your only ‘guide’
- Squeezed feeling of pressure that comes on you after you have started listening to them or agreeing with them, you may even begin to experience shortness of breath, and difficulty swallowing
- Wants you to do everything their way – gets easily hurt or offended
- Works behind the scenes to pull people to “their side” to put pressure on you to do what they want
- They focus on dividing you away from your people and your people away from you
- May have been involved in witchcraft or new age practices and never got fully delivered (you will see the signs – on their social media – take the time to check them out and what they post)
- In group settings, they are not eager to pray for anyone else’s issues – they want most of the prayer for themselves
- Tries to prophesy over your followers and counter what God has spoke to you over them without your consent (if you have a prophetic ministry)
- Usually avoids communion time, and any type of worship of Jesus – more drawn to the supernatural stuff
- Trying to compare you and your ministry to what everyone else is doing – telling you should do that
- Crying, weeping alot and using guilt to manipulate you, wants to have access to you even at night to pull you away from family
- Usually a ‘loner’ type person. Has trouble with relationships has been through many churches
- Focused on getting constant prophetic words and squeezing/pressuring you to give them every day to them – gets overly needy
- Never carries out what you advise them to do – you see no fruit, just more drama
- When they tire you out they try to act in your place, and influence your people and followers
- Sometimes they act like a ‘prophet’ and giving false prophetic words that are coming from familiar spirits instead of the Holy Spirit
- Tells you they have “angels” talking to them all the time but they do not have a relationship with the Holy Spirit
- Thrives in constant drama and strife
- Brags how they told-off church leaders, pastors or people of authority
- Usually shows up at a time you are close to a breakthrough
- When you try to use boundaries with them they get offended and accuse you of not being a loving Christian
- They profess love for you, but are always questioning your message and your strategies (a person truly sent by God would resonate and support your message and respect you and your strategies.)
Understand the spirit of divination partners with the religious spirit and it will find others operating with a religious spirit to try and gang up on you and accuse you of ruining things for them, and not being caring or loving Christian if you call out their behavior. You must be careful to keep your emotions in check.
Observe all this wisely, stay calm and prepare to strike this down behind the scenes, do not get caught up is the drama around this person.
So what do you do about this situation? What if this person has embedded themselves in your life, business and ministry? How can you deal with this spirit and still love them? How do you discern this before it takes over and squeezes you until you are so distracted you cannot fully function for the Lord and your calling then your faith is struggling?
PLEASE LISTEN TO ME!
When you have faith, even as small as a mustard seed you don’t have to compromise ‘put up with’ anything or anybody that comes against your faith! Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of your faith only! What you do with your faith and calling in this life nobody has any right to try and change, attack, question, force their will, squeeze or twist it in any way!
- GUARD AND PROTECT YOUR FAITH AND MISSION AT ALL COSTS!
- KNOW NO WILL BUT THE FATHER’S FOR YOUR LIFE!
- HIS WILL IS FOR YOU TO HAVE ALL THE PROMISES OF HIS WORD!
- DO NOT LET THE ENEMY TOUCH YOUR PROMISES!
- CRUSH THE ENEMY UNDER YOUR FEET!
Jesus gave you AUTHORITY to destroy and crush anything that would come against you!
“Listen carefully: I have given you authority [that you now possess] to tread on serpents and scorpions, and [the ability to exercise authority] over all the power of the enemy (satan); and nothing will [in any way] harm you.” – Luke 10:19 (AMP)
What did the Apostle Paul do? He took authority over the spirit of divination/python operating through the girl and commanded it to leave! He did not rebuke the girl, he rebuked the evil spirit.
Paul discerned it quickly and nipped it in the bud! How did Paul discern it? Read the scripture – the girl kept on pressuring him and even drawing attention to herself while Paul was trying to preach the Gospel, something Paul did to bring “Good News” to a new town. He was usually filled with the joy of the Lord doing this – however when this girl was around it says: “But Paul, being grieved”…. (that’s the opposite of joy!)
Paul began to feel grieved in the spirit – that means this evil spirit was coming against the work of the HOLY SPIRIT operating through Paul!
This is exactly what I went through when I had this happen to me and let me tell you – you will feel this too if you have this situation. The python/divination spirit will cause you to feel grieved, frustrated, and distracted. Even stressed and depressed. Pressure comes around your throat and heaviness on your chest – you begin to feel weary and do not feel like moving forward. If this persists it could cause you to question what you are doing, maybe that person could do it better, blah blah blah… this gets worse the more you agree with this evil lying spirit.
I want you to understand something – people can try to copy you, try to steal your ideas, try to do what you do – but they can never do what God gifted you to do just like you. Never.
People will try to steal your special “recipe”, but it will not taste the same when they try to use it without your anointing! Stay focused even when an attack like this would come. The best thing you can do is stand and not be shaken one bit.
Stay focused on the words of Jesus Christ when discerning relationships. Is it building up and creating abundance? Or tearing down?
Jesus made it clear how to discern what was from Him and what was not in John 10:10: “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I [Jesus] came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).”
The spirit of divination will try to play with your emotions, make you feel unsettled, unfocused and try to trip up your work in public and pressure you to make you quit. They will try to shadow your light. It wants to tear down what you are building. You cannot allow it!! You have to take authority over it ASAP and here are the steps.
How To Take Authority Against The Spirit of Divination:
1.) If the person is being overly difficult you do not have to confront them. You can take care of this all in the Spirit realm in prayer. Remember it’s not the person, it’s the evil spirit operating through them.
2.) Suit Up – Get on your Armor of God, Take Your Seat of Authority and Apply The Blood Of Jesus to yourself, your family, your ministry and your business.
2.) Forgive the person who is doing this and repent for any bitterness or offense you have toward them, ask Jesus to wash your sins in His blood and put all offense and bitterness on the Cross. Ask God to bless the person you are forgiving and for the Holy Spirit to go to them and lead them fully to Christ and remove all veils of deception from their eyes of understanding and bring them to deliverance. If we do not forgive them, the accuser can use our unforgiveness against us and the evil spirit will still have a legal right to operate.
3.) You can ask God to remove the person and all their influence out of your business and ministry with His “Ax Of Judgement”. Do this prayer after you have forgiven the person. If you can clearly see that this individual is not there to produce good fruit for you or anyone else, you can stand on the word of God in this situation. Jesus said we would know them by their fruit, and the bad fruit is to be removed. Relationships in the bible are mentioned like trees that either produce good fruit or bad fruit. Fruit coming from a relationship should always bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit, if not, that relationship will be removed by God. You must be able to bear good fruit in all your relationships for the Kingdom. If any relationship is clearly coming against that, such as those operating in divination you can pray this powerfully…
The Ax Of God’s Judgment Prayer is based on Matthew 3:10 – “Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.”
Pray: “FATHER GOD your word says in Matthew 3:10, now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Father I believe your word and I want to activate it right now in the spiritual and in the natural in my life and in all my relationships! I do not have to accept anything that is not the will of God for my life and my family, ministry and business. I BELIEVE The word of God is the will of God! I DECREE As for me and my house we shall Honor and Obey the word and the will of God and serve the Lord Jesus Christ for all generations thereof! Father in the name of Jesus Christ, I ask You to take your Ax Of Judgement and permanently remove any ungodly relationships around me swiftly, particularly ____________ in Jesus name! Chop these ungodly relationships and influences at the root, pull the stumps up out of the ground, shake the stumps with no roots remaining in the ground and cast this relationship and any influence it had into the fire to burn to ashes in Jesus name! I will never eat fruit from this ungodly relationship again! Father let all remaining influence from this relationship be burned up forever by your Holy fire in Jesus name. Let this be swift and calm, with no recourse or backlash, let your Holy Fire burn up any bad seed left from this ungodly relationship and it’s the relationship that is removed and burned to ashes and all their influence and not the person. I have prayed for the person to move on and into what you have for them Lord, but far away from me and my ________in Jesus name! Thank you Father for your word and your promises and the ability to discern good and bad fruit! Father replace any bad ungodly relationships with Holy Spirit filled relationships to bear good fruit together for your Kingdom and Glory in Jesus name, Amen!”
Now, sever all soul ties with that person: Declare: “By the Authority of Jesus Christ I break the power of and SEVER off ALL the demonic and ungodly strongholds, agreements and soul ties off myself and _________________ FOREVER IN JESUS NAME, I NOW WASH MYSELF AND __________ IN THE BLOOD OF JESUS AND INVITE THE HOLY SPIRIT TO COME AND FILL THOSE PLACES IN MYSELF AND __________________ WHERE THE OLD SOUL TIES HAVE DEPARTED IN JESUS NAME”
4.) Get the python removed off you if you have been getting a ‘smothering or choking feeling’. I would still do this prayer either way.
Stand and Pray: In the name and authority of Jesus Christ I command the python spirit to drop off my body and on the floor in Jesus mighty name! Python spirit, I renounce you and all your evil and I command you off me and under my feet right now in Jesus name! Drop off me NOW python! I take authority over you in the name above all names, Jesus Christ! Drop NOW to the ground in Jesus name! ( then take a breath and raise your sword of the spirit…..) “In the name of Jesus Christ I crush the head of the python spirit (stomp your foot on its head in the spirit) and I take my sword of the spirit and chop this python to pieces! (make a chopping motion on the floor below you) I chop you up python! Your head was crushed by the Cross of Jesus Christ and I crush you! You have been cursed by God you vile python spirit and I curse you and destroy you to pieces! You will never touch me again python! I scrape your chopped carcass into the fire of God to be burned to ashes (do a scraping motion with your sword of the spirit) and let the breath of the Holy Spirit of the Living God to blow what is left of you python into the dry uninhabited place where you will stay forever in Jesus name! I raise up my sword of the spirit and let the Fire of the Holy Spirit cleanse my sword! Let the fresh breath of the Holy Spirit fill my lungs! I breathe you in the Holy Spirit in Jesus name. I am free and delivered from python forever! Holy Spirit I ask you to pour fresh oil on me, so much oil that no python can ever attach to me again, it will slide off me because of the abundance of anointing in Jesus name! I declare I move free, breathe free, in the natural and in the spiritual and whom Christ has set free is free indeed! I am fully free in Christ Jesus! I place myself mind, body, soul and spirit in the blood of Jesus Christ forever! Through the blood of Jesus Christ I am redeemed from all evil and set apart for the plans and purposes of the Kingdom of God and nothing shall come against it in Jesus mighty name!”
5). Ask for God to assign and station “Sentry Angels” at the gates of your business and ministry to block these evil spirits.
Decree: “In the name and authority of Jesus Christ in whom I am seated, I thank You Father that you send your angels to keep me in all my ways. I ask You Father God to release to me Sentry Angels that will protect all my gateways. Thank You Father God. Therefore, in Jesus name and authority, I command and post my divinely assigned Sentry Angels of the Lord to these gateway areas to my ___________ both in the natural gates and the spiritual gates to my ________, including all gates to all the gates of communication, phones, computers, internet, social media, email and websites that I have. I command the Sentry Angels of the Lord that I have just posted to these specific areas to stand and protect these areas from all evil with fiery swords and shields 24 hours a day, seven days a week from this day forward in Jesus name! I command my Sentry Angels of the Lord, to not allow anything that is not of God to enter or come near any of my gates in Jesus name. I apply the Blood of Jesus Christ to all my gateways to my ____________ in the natural and in the spiritual. All my gates belong to Jesus Christ! I ask my Sentry Angels of the Lord to also go and locate, arrest, bind and remove any evil spirits that may have come in my gates and block those evil spirits from ever coming in or coming near my gates or near me ever again! I renounce those evil spirits, especially the spirit of divination is strictly prohibited from entering or coming near me my ___________ or my gates from this day forward in Jesus name! Thank you Sentry Angels of the Lord for your obedience and faithfulness to God and thank you Father for my authority in Christ Jesus to receive and command my assigned Angels of your Kingdom, for your glory forever and ever, Amen!”
Do these steps until you see the breakthrough!
It’s crucial that you do not waiver or let this spirit of divination/python manipulate you for too long! It comes against the good fruit that you are meant to produce for the Kingdom of God!
Ask God to release His Holy Fire into you:
Pray: “In the name and authority of Jesus Christ, I renounce and come out of agreement with all religious spirits and words and out of agreement with all spirits of divination and words and command them off of my mind, body, soul and spirit right now in Jesus name! LEAVE ME NOW YOU VILE SPIRITS! I send the fire of the Holy Spirit against you! Get out and go to the uninhabited dry place and stay there until Jesus Christ comes and tells you where to go and never come near me again! I close the door to these evil, vile spirits and seal it with the blood of Jesus Christ forever! I invite the Fire of The Holy Spirit of Almighty God to come in me now and burn in every place in me and around me to destroy any remnant of these evil spirits and refine me and make me excellent of soul with your DUNAMIS power Holy Spirit in Jesus name. Holy Spirit I ask You to fill every place in me and stand hold there forever! I declare a divine wall of Holy Spirit Fire is now around me protecting me and if any evil spirit tries to pass through this wall of Holy Fire they will be burned up to ashes in Jesus Mighty name!” Amen
You will begin to feel a huge positive difference. I am telling you will feel lighter and that heaviness and guilt will be gone! You will begin to accelerate in your public life and message like never before! Myself and my students have had incredible results from doing this. The growth and increase will come almost immediately. It’s like burning off the dead grass in a pasture, driving out the snakes to have new green beautiful pastures with nothing harmful hiding that can trip you up! FREEDOM!
The people in question also need deliverance from these evil spirits! Pray that the Holy Spirit will go to them and lead them to full deliverance. You can also pray those deliverance prayers over that person in the natural or in the spirit. In the meantime, don’t let one or two deceived people that are trying to upset your mission ruin it for so many more who really need you and are truly sent by God.
Get mad at the devil, not the person. Be solution oriented in the spirit realm! These evil spirits are more afraid of us when we come in the name of Jesus Christ – we are their worst fear! Remember that!
The devil can’t stop you through any person or situation. You have authority over all of it. You are a representative of the King of Glory who crushed the kingdom of darkness! All you have to do is enforce the finished work of the CROSS and the BLOOD of Christ in the name of Jesus! You have all access credentials to everything the Kingdom of God has!
The Cross and the Blood of Jesus is your KEY but you must use it and enforce it in your Seat Of Authority. The Fire of The Holy Spirit can be called forth by faith to burn up and chase out any remnant of operating in and around you that is hidden.
Flash your badge of the Blood and The Cross and blind the enemy! Make the enemy bow the knee to Jesus Christ! You carry the authority through Christ! The devil has no teeth!
Jesus already gave YOU victory over all the works of the enemy! You must put it ON the Blood of Christ every day in the spirit and wear it like an official credential to get you through every gate and door of influence you want to get into!
Keep going – do not stop for any distractions! Even people who try to distract you! Do not allow it. Deal with it swiftly!
– Coach Annamarie Strawhand
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