At the same time, my friend was telling me about a testimony
she'd heard on a Jim Cymbala teaching video. It was the testimony of a woman in
her early 20s who had grown up in New York, the daughter of an alcoholic mother
who practiced voodoo. This young woman was involved in gangs, violence and
drugs. At the invitation of a friend, she had come reluctantly to a Brooklyn
Tabernacle Church prayer service bringing with her the demons—literally—who
possessed her. And, just prior to going, she had downed a bunch of pills. When
she entered the church, she walked toward the front and stopped a few feet from
Pastor Cymbala. A few church members stepped forward to join him in praying for
her. When someone began to pray, "Oh, Jesus," right away the demons
reacted. She attacked him violently and had to be forcibly held to the ground
by several people. The demons screamed and yelled at everyone, claiming her as
theirs. But when Pastor Cymbala continued to pray, "Come out of her in the
Name of Jesus Christ," she was freed immediately. She knew that Jesus
Christ had delivered her and became a believer. The demons were ousted and the Holy
Spirit took their place.
In short, the people around this young woman had battled
spiritual forces in prayer in the Name of Jesus. As a result, she was given new
life—free of the demons and also of
the effect of the pills.
Do you comprehend, praying moms, that this—this—is the power of our prayers?
There's a life and death battle going on. Our prayers made
in faith in the Name above all names, Jesus Christ, are powerful for
deliverance. Sometimes the results are immediate, as in the case of the woman.
Other times, there is a long wait. The drama may not often be this strikingly
visible to us, but it is still there. You can be sure of it.
Christ left us on this earth with the responsibility and even
obligation to engage in this battle through our prayers. We are to do that with
the strength of His power and might. May we never give up but resolve to fight
until we reach victory! "So Others May Live!"
This young woman is now a member of the Brooklyn Tabernacle
Church and is a prayer warrior herself.
…God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master
has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to
use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way.
This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget
about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death
fight to the
finish against the Devil and all his angels…
God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way,
prayer is
essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long.
Pray for your brothers
and sisters. Keep your eyes open.
Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one
falls behind or drops out.
Ephesians 6:10-12, 17-18
(MSG)
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