The Bronze Serpent
Watching the news lately it doesn’t take much to realize, even if you don’t read the Bible or even believe in God that we are in some dark times. It’s easy to wonder what is happening to the world and if God is even present and watching all this. We might even ask where are you God?
Well, I see that He is very real and very present and that He is doing exactly what many have asked Him to do – which is back off. Many have become disgruntled in the world, even in the Church and unknowingly have denied His existence or that His power is greater against the darkness. They have lost hope in the goodness of God. Many in the church go through the motions of going to Church but don’t really exercise their faith or even believe in the power of God anymore. Something very similar happened a long time ago in the Bible as well during Moses leadership and the time of wandering through the desert to the promise land.
In the story in Numbers 21 starting in verse four we see some pretty unhappy and discouraged people, just like many in the world today. 4 Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.” 6 So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died. 7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
This scripture is very similar to what is happening in the world today. Many have become disgruntled and upset because they have wondered why the world is becoming so dark, many have turned away from the Lord and even cursed Him. Many have fallen asleep and a powerful evil spirit has fallen over the world, especially the church - called the Python Spirit.
Many nations are now considered Godless nations and it appears that all hell is breaking lose on some of those nations. Because of this rebellion in the flesh and this evil spirits influence many people and nations have gone asleep and allowed this spirit to come on them collectively in the society, in the Church and in the world as a whole. The Python does not want anyone connected to God and the one way it does this is by blocking our communication to the Holy Spirit – literally sucking the life out of our prayer life, blocking communion with God. I won’t go into it but you want to know more about this spirit you can read more about the Python Spirit here to better understand what it is and how it operates: http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/45638-what-it-truly-takes-to-overcome-the-python-spirit
You may not believe in spiritual warfare but I’m here to remind you that you are more than a body you are spirit and there is a spiritual realm and there is a battle going on all the time between good and evil. The Bible tells us that we do not battle with flesh and blood in Ephesians 6:12 but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms., Jesus also told us that there is a devil in John 10:10 who came to steal, kill and destroy us but that He himself came to give us life and give it to us abundantly. Hallelujah!
The truth is, this present society has unknowingly allowed this evil spirit in and it has caused mass destruction around the world, it has caused churches to go quiet and people to stop believing In God and stop praying and communing with God. This evil spirit has done a good job and because many have been bitten by this spirit in the church and in the world and essentially because they turned against the Lord God has been forced to remove His hand of blessing and covering. Light will not dwell where there is darkness, it's our choice either one or the other.
Many would not argue even non-believers of God that these present days appear very evil and very dark. Hear me on this, God is not the author of evil or destruction, but when people choose to rebel against God, knowingly or unknowingly He has no other choice but to remove His hand of blessing and protection from His people.
2 Chronicles 2:13-says: 13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16 I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there. 17 “As for you, if you walk before me faithfully as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees and laws, 18 I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to rule over Israel.’ 19 “But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. 21 This temple will become a heap of rubble. All who pass by will be appalled and say, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 22 People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’”
It says, because they had forsaken the Lord He brought all this disaster on them. Wow! But here is the good news -- just like in the time of Moses God’s people were also dealing with a deadly serpent that was biting people and even killing them and the Lord gave them a way out then and He gives us a way out now too.
The Israelites looked at the fiery serpent on the pole, which scholars believe was a bronze serpent that Moses held up high for them to see, when they looked at it they were saved. Hallelujah! Those who had been bitten by the serpent did not die they were saved when they looked at it. By the way the Python spirit is also referred to as a spirit of infirmity, so if you are afflicted with this spirit after while its bite will cause you sickness and even death, just like the snakes that were biting the Israelites. I’ve heard of people who were delivered from this spirit who had breathing problems and other illnesses, that spirit was literally choking the life out of them.
We also have a way out - a serpent on a pole (the cross) that can save us – and it is Jesus Christ.
The Israelites looked at the fiery serpent on the pole, which scholars believe was a bronze serpent that Moses held up high for them to see, when they looked at it they were saved. Hallelujah! Those who had been bitten by the serpent did not die they were saved when they looked at it. By the way the Python spirit is also referred to as a spirit of infirmity, so if you are afflicted with this spirit after while its bite will cause you sickness and even death, just like the snakes that were biting the Israelites. I’ve heard of people who were delivered from this spirit who had breathing problems and other illnesses, that spirit was literally choking the life out of them.
We also have a way out - a serpent on a pole (the cross) that can save us – and it is Jesus Christ.
Many in this world today have been bitten by the Python spirit, their communication with God is cut off, and they no longer believe in God, they’ve operated in rebellion against God. They’ve moved in sins of their flesh and of this world. Praise God that many through the preaching of the Gospel and have repented and turned to Jesus have been born again and received the Blessing of God that was promised to Abrahams descendants. The looked to the most powerful serpent on the pole – Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary and were set free.
Just to show you there is a correlation here, I believe the Lord has given me this revelation and I’m not just making all this up, let’s look to Jesus who shows us clearly when He himself in John 3 refers to the serpent on the pole. He is explaining to Nicodemus what someone needs to do to inherit the Kingdom of God in other words to be set free from darkness and walk under the blessings of God. He first says you must be born again not of the flesh but of the Spirit. Then show us clearly that He is the way to walk back from our sin and darkness and back under His blessing.
Starting in verse 14:
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
This is why the Python spirit chokes out our prayer life. If you can't pray you can't confess to God. The Bible clearly says when we confess our sins and ask Jesus into our life we are made right with God. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
If you are not a believer in God, you may have unknowingly allowed this spirit into your life. Maybe you’ve wanted to believe and even want to pray and ask Jesus into your life but find it hard to confess your sins, repent. If that is the case you need to know that there is a spirit that is trying to prevent you from entering into the fullness of the blessing God has for you. But God is greater and all you have to do is say: Jesus I need you, come into my life, I repent from sins. There is power in the name of Jesus! Your prayer life will begin to open up and your channel to God will open up. If you still feel real stuck, you need the help of some strong prayer warriors to pray with you and defeat this demon.
If your a Christian and your faith is near dead, your having trouble praying, your filled with doubt, your unable to worship, you may even become stricken with severe illness. You need to exercise your authority over this evil spirit, repent and consecreate your life to the Lord once again. You may need help of a pastor or a strong prayer warrior to defeat this spirit, but awareness is the first step to freedom. Repent and be set free.
Next, if you are already saved, sanctified and are walking in the full armour of God, just like the Israelite’s cried out and asked Moses to pray for them, this world is crying out for “those who are called by His name” to pray. Now is not the time to sit around judging or even getting caught up in the chaos ourselves. We must stand with our Holy God fully equipped in our prayer closets every day and confess and repent for our sins and for those who are under this demonic influence. Jennifer Leclaire a strong spiritual warrior and a loud prophetic voice today says: We need to pray to the righteous Lord who "has cut in pieces the cords of the wicked" (see Ps. 129:4) that python has coiled around us. We need to repent for our sins—and the sins of our cities—that have allowed python a stronghold so God can surround us with songs of deliverance in His presence (Psalm 32). We have authority in Christ to cut in pieces this coiling spirit but, again, it often takes travailing prayer with the Spirit of God to free the body from the head of the snake in a region.
The world needs Jesus and we need to dismantle any spirit that is blocking them from communing with God. Luke 10:19 – Jesus said: I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.
Amen!
The choice is very clear. Whatever sin you’ve committed or are struggling with that you think is so bad that God can’t forgive you, know that this is a lie from the pits of hell! God can and will forgive you. All you need to do is confess it and repent, which means turn away from your sinful life. If your tired of trying to do things your way, bring your sin into the light as Jesus said look to Him the one who saves - Jesus Christ - and you will be saved.
I end with this:
If you’ve ever laid in bed and wondered what is the point of my life? What is my purpose? Why was I even created? Here’s the answer - you were created to do the will of God. And what is the will of God you might ask? Jesus told us in John 6, it’s very simple.
Jesus said in John 6: 28-29 after they asked him, “What must we do to do the work God requires?”
He said, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
You want the blessing of God in your life? You want the world to change? You want to know why you even exist? Start right now exercise your faith and believe in the one God sent to save the world.
~Laura Sterling - Narrow Gate Traveller Ministries
