I want to know so much more—like how Paul’s handkerchiefs and aprons could heal someone and deliver them from devil spirits. (See Acts 19:11-13) I don’t know how it works. But I sure would like to see it. I’d also like to know more about the recent phrase going around, called “partnering up.”
About the Holy Spirit occupying a material object, I’m not aware of ever s...eeing it yet, but I do know that something similar happens when evil spirits occupy material objects. I once saw a painting that was the home of a demon. I was a visiting nurse helping a man who was in a wheelchair. Over his bed hung a small painting of someone’s face. It was dark blood red, purple, black and blue, muddy brown and gray. It was ugly and evil but it beckoned me to look and when I did, I was jolted. The face moved!
And not just once, but every time I snuck a peek, it moved again and changed in form and tried to come out of the frame. I know this sounds like a movie, right? But it was real. This happened every time I went to this guy’s house. I was just beginning my journey as a committed Christian, so I had no idea what to do, so I just told my boss I wouldn’t go back there and she gave me new clients. That experience made me aware of the possibility of objects having devil spirit occupation. I don’t go looking for demons on every doorknob but if the Lord leads me to see and do, I know it’s for real!
A friend once asked me to come do a house blessing and spiritually check out the house she was moving into. I could sense that a devil spirit lived in a small closed sink area. I told the friend she needed to have the landlord get rid of that sink. It didn’t happen and in a year or so, she had a very large fire start in that area and consequently decided to move. But I have also been in a house filled with masks and other objects used in idol worship. I expected an evil presence to be in at least a few of those objects, but they were clean—just wood and paint.
And as to partnering up with people, I’m aware of some really awful results of good people going into business with unethical ones. And every parent tries to keep their children from hanging around kids who are a bad influence. But what about connecting with people who have qualities we’d like to have or even learn more about—partnering upward? We can see in the Bible wonderful benefits of this collaboration. A few good examples are Lot with Abraham, Ruth with Boaz and Peter with Jesus.
Sometimes we are blind to what’s really going on in our own lives. We are looking for the big breakthroughs, the big dramatic explosions, and we miss the subtleties that may be even more lasting and in some ways significant beyond the showy things.
I told my best friend I wanted to write about the power of the Holy Spirit being present in objects at times, but I didn’t really understand it yet. I wanted to talk about the great benefits of partnering upward, but I didn’t have anything really big come to mind. I told my friend I was a little discouraged.
Then she told me about listening to a recent teaching from a preacher she likes. He had talked about how a certain military leader said that in battle you had to gain some ground and then hold it. It could look small, but it was better to hold onto it until you were prepared to go for more. If you jumped the gun, you could lose it all. My friend explained that even though I didn’t always have the spectacular stories to tell, I was still holding the ground I had gained so far.
She told me that even though I hadn’t yet experienced the positive spiritual power in an object, it wasn’t that I didn’t believe it’s possible. I could study the subject more in the Bible and ask the Lord to give me understanding. I could also listen to some teachings on this.
As for the good and profitable benefits of partnering upward, I started to re-examine my relationships and realized I was already getting so many benefits from the relationships I have, and that part of holding my ground is taking care of and really appreciating what I’ve got.
I'm not yet where I want to be, but God has taken good care of me. I’m in a good place and I’m holding my ground.
Love, Carolyn
PS: The holidays are here! How about giving one of my books to someone you love. You can download them or get a paperback copy at Amazon under WINGS: A Journey in Faith. Since it’s a yearly devotional workbook, now’s the perfect time. Get one for yourself too while you’re at it.
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