Ron Sawka Ministries
July 14, 2021; Av 5, 5781
www.rwsministries.com
Confronting and Forbidding the Spirit of Witchcraft
“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?” (Gal. 3:1, NKJV).
“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry” (1 Sam. 15:23, NKJV).
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens” (Eph. 6:12, NET).
I’m often surprised at how easy it can be to overlook or forget about the operation of demons. Most of us have come a long way in understanding demons in regard to their oppression, affliction, or possession of individuals, but it’s the next level—what we call the occult level*—that is easier to overlook. One formidable foe is the spirit of witchcraft.
Some years ago, I was asked to minister in a church that knew me well. Previously, I had spent a lot of time there in training them. The church was growing and quite large. I always enjoyed going there because there was a freedom in the Holy Spirit and lots of positive fruit. This time was different.
As soon as I entered, I knew something was wrong. The praise and worship was neither vibrant nor powerful. And when I got up to speak, it felt even worse. Every word felt dead, and the people seemed totally uninterested and disconnected to the message. I kept pushing through and finally at the end there were some good results—but it was pretty heavy.
When I got back to my room that night, I sought the Lord over what was wrong, because something clearly was. I felt Him show me that it was a spirit of witchcraft. I began to study and found the following characteristics or effects this spirit can have (see Galatians 3):
Bewitches or “mesmerizes”—Just like a drug can cause people to be lethargic, witchcraft can put people into kind of a spiritual “daze.”
Foolishness—people do and say foolish things and don’t even know why. In this church, one group had started to rebel against leadership. When asked to please share their issue of concern, they became confused. They didn’t know why they were rebelling.
Rebellion—Any work of Satan is to cause people to rebel and disobey God. King Saul actually lost his kingship because he was seduced into relying on his own perspective rather than obeying what God had told him to.
Spiritual blindness—The more this spirit operates, the less believers are able to “see” what God is doing or wants to do. They quickly conclude God isn’t working and therefore wrongly go into legalism, thinking their rules will result in blessing.
No “hearing of faith”—Galatians 3:5 clearly says miracles should happen among us and when they do it’s because of the “hearing of faith.” A spirit of witchcraft aims to make believers forget to listen or think they cannot hear. Thus, the witchcraft spirit can cut off miracles.
Hinders the flow of the Holy Spirit in a meeting—I already explained how that meeting was so heavy. So instead of blessing and life, it felt like a curse was operating (3:10).
Can attack and physically afflict those who are attempting to hear His voice as they minister or lead—I was reminded of a time in the Philippines when I was part of a national-level meeting. Suddenly, the main speaker began to get dizzy and feel sick. We prayed and then realized the meeting hall was actually a Freemason auditorium. We quickly bound that spirit and the speaker recovered.
How to Deal with a Spirit of Witchcraft
I have found the only way is to be straightforward and direct. The following night in that same church, I taught on the spirit of witchcraft. Next, I led all in a prayer of repentance for any rebellion, judging, or disobedience to the Lord and applied the blood of Jesus. Then, I publicly addressed that spirit, bound it, and forbade it to operate. I commanded it to leave the church. Finally, I opened a prayer line. With the help of the other leaders, I laid hands on everyone who came forward (they all did), breaking off any possible residuals. From then on, the whole atmosphere changed.
Since then, I have often been led to teach and minister on witchcraft in various nations. The ministering itself seems uneventful and without manifestation, but I press through and lead them as per above. But always from then on, there is a marked and significant change.
Thanks for praying and standing with us for greater harvest than ever before!
Ron and Teddy
** In one of his books on the subject, the late C. Peter Wagner categorized three levels of spiritual warfare: 1) ground level (or deliverance ministry); 2) occult level (including spirits of witchcraft or freemasonry in the overall atmosphere of a region; and 3) strategic level (territorial ruling spirits, principalities and powers).
Fire Conference III (Online)
God’s Fire and the Coming Harvest
Saturday, July 31st, 8:00 - 10:00 p.m.
It’s Time to Roar and See God’s Promises and Judgments Be Executed
Av—The Fifth Hebrew Month, July 10–August 8
It’s the month of the constellation of the lion, and therefore also the month the lion roars. The Lord, the Lion of Judah, is roaring for us (Joel 3:16). Psalm 149:6–7 explains that by warfare praise we actually “execute” or enable God’s judgments and promises to be carried out. Those verses state, “Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand, to execute vengeance on the nations, and punishments on the peoples.” Follow the Holy Spirit and His angels into joyful, exuberant praise—and even the prophetic act of roaring over yourself, your family, and your business. Watch the Lord’s latent promises begin to spring to life.
The blessings of the month of Av may be found here.
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This Week’s Broadcast Schedule
Below is a list and times (Japan Standard Time) of public meetings you can connect with via Ron’s public Facebook page.
MPP, Mon.–Fri., 6:00–6:45 a.m., English/Japanese
Fri., July 16, 7:00–8:00 p.m., Apostolic for Russia, English/Russian
Sat., July 17, 8:30–9:30 p.m., Apostolic for Chinese, English/Chinese
Sun., July 18, 8–9 p.m., Preparation Prophetic/Prayer for July 31 Fire Conference. English/Japanese, 8:00–8:30 p.m.; English/Chinese, 8:30–9:00 p.m.
Morning Prophetic Prayer (MPP) is held Monday–Friday morning from 6:00–6:45 a.m. (Japan time) in English and Japanese.
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