The Deaf & Dumb Spirit

We have already looked at three ways to overcome the spirit of unbelief in our last two lessons. Let's review them quickly before we move on to the fourth.

1. Fasting (lesson 5)

Unbelief is not just a character flaw, it can be a demon. And this kind, the deaf and dumb spirit which is connected to unbelief, cannot come out except by prayer and fasting. There is something that begins to happen when we fast and pray and choose to say I will not digest anything except the truth of what the Bible says about healing. He sent His Word and delivered them from destruction. That means healing is in the Word. When you fast and pray and digest the Word, it gives you faith and power and you overcome personal unbelief and doubt. Fast for an extended time and study nothing but what the Bible says about healing, and you will see the results.

2. Understand Healings vs. Miracles (lesson 5)

The Bible makes a distinction between the gifts of healing and the gifts of miracles. The definition of miracle is "the instantaneous operation of God's power". When you look at the word in the Bible for healing, many times it is translated to "therapy" in the Greek. Therapy is the gradual cure, the remedy, the process, and the gradual recovery. Yet somehow error has entered into our thinking. Many expect that their healing will be instant or not at all. However, God often chooses to do healings gradually over time. If we always expect instant healing of miracles, we may miss it when God heals us gradually through the gift of healing. We may have already received our healing but erroneously believe that we don't have enough faith to be healed because that healing was not instant.

3. Real Faith (lesson 6)

Real faith is not asking once and then hoping or believing that God will answer that prayer. Real faith is diligent. God is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Faith keeps on asking. Faith keeps on seeking. Faith keeps on knocking until the door is opened unto you.

Faith is the persistent widow. That is what Jesus meant when He talked about the prayer of the persistent widow. It is the "keep on asking, keep on seeking, do not give up" prayer. I am going to persevere in what the Bible calls faith in Hebrews 11. Real faith is "many died not receiving the promise." We must purpose within our hearts to be persistent knowing that many died not receiving their promise. (Hebrews 11:39)

It is ok to ask God for the same thing more than once. In fact, you need to keep on asking Him for something that you already know is His will until His will becomes a reality.

Now, let's examine the final way to overcome the spirit of unbelief.

4 - IDENTIFICATION AND REPENTANCE

The fourth way to overcome the spirit of unbelief is identification and repentance. If Daniel could stand in the gap on behalf of the sins of a nation and confess their corporate sin, and ask God for mercy, I believe that we can ask God for mercy over our region and our nation. We can open the windows of heaven a little more. We can establish something in the spiritual realms. We can fulfill Ephesians 3:10.

Ephesians 3:10 "...to the intent that now unto the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places might be made known through the church the manifold wisdom of God.

We can repent of personal unbelief, church unbelief, and national unbelief. We need to identify the sin that has taken place in the hearts of so many in the North American church, and in other Westernized cultures. We have been like a Nazareth climate hindering God's power; God wants us to be like a Capernaum. God wants to move on whole cities like He did in Spokane, Washington, under the ministry of John G Lake and Zion, Illinois under the ministry of Alexander Dowie. These cities were declared at this time the healthiest cities in America. We can war and contend and renounce personal unbelief and doubt, and then begin to pray for our city.

Ask for all of those who have not known the truth of God, in ignorance like the Pharisees and Sadducees, to have a revelation of the ministry of Jesus. In their ignorance they have cluttered the spiritual climate by bringing in all kinds of doctrines. Why does God not want to heal the sick? Why have miracles passed away two thousand years ago? Why is the thorn in the flesh from God? All of the traditions that are mere theologies or denominations, which have a form of godliness, deny the power thereof.

It has cluttered the heavens in America and other westernized nations so that God can only heal but a few sick people. If we can get rid of this in our own hearts, we can increase the level of miracles that will be done in our city or region. Then through corporate intercession and repentance of these sins, we can change this spiritual climate!