Prayer to Dismantle the Roots of Rebellion

Dr. Paul L. Cox

I was in the air on an American Airlines flight, again. I was traveling home from a ministry trip to Germany and Switzerland and my ears were ringing. I wondered if I were suffering from an inner ear medical condition called Tinnitus. The ringing did not stop after I arrived home. Day after and day the ringing continued. Nighttime seemed worst. Sleep would arrive delayed by the constant sound.

On the fortieth day of ringing, I was in Deland, Florida training a small group in a local church. I shared my frustration with the ringing and begged for any insight to alleviate the unending assault of noise. Some in the group shared how they had prayed against a witchcraft stronghold in a nearby town. As we compared notes, we were astonished to realize that their prayer confrontation was at the same day that the ringing in my ears had begun. It was then I counted the days of ringing and it had been exactly forty days.

Revelation began flowing! A stark realization occurred. I was actually hearing witchcraft. The ringing in my ears was witchcraft! That revelation began to lead to understanding. It was time to construct a prayer.

It was clear that I had to understand the nature of witchcraft. By definition, witchcraft or divination, is the art or practice that seeks to foresee or foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge by the interpretation of omens or by the aid of supernatural powers. The word is first used in the Bible in Genesis 44:5, when Joseph sent his steward to retrieve the cup Joseph had planted in Benjamin’s sack. The steward is told to say to Joseph’s brothers that the cup was used for divination. The New Bible Dictionary defines this biblical word “divination” as the attempt to discern events that are distant in time or space, and that consequently cannot be perceived by normal means . It is possible that the word can have a “righteous” sense as one might speak of a prophet having clairvoyant gifts without thereby approving all forms of clairvoyance.
Except in these rare contexts, divination and witchcraft are strictly condemned by scripture.

Magic and divination is an attempt to find out information from superhuman powers. More precisely, magic is used to compel a god to do what one wishes and divination is used to secure information about issues and events that are not readily known to the person who practices this art. The word magic is derived from the word “magus,” a priestly class in ancient Persia. In magic, it is believed that one can get in touch with the “gods” and these “gods” can be influenced to bring benefit to the magician or diviner.

Divination can be divided into two categories, internal and mechanical. The internal would consist of a trance like state of a shaman. The mechanical nature of witchcraft would include material objects like such as sand, entrails of a sacrifice, or tea-leaves. The Bible mentions several types of witchcraft or divination.
•Rhabdomancy - Sticks or arrows thrown into the air and omens were deduced from their position when they fell. Hosea 4:12, Ezekiel 21:21.
•Hepatoscopy - Examination of the liver or other entrails of a sacrifice were supposed to give guidance. Probably shapes and markings were classified, and the priest interpreted them. Ezekiel. 21:21.
•Teraphim – Images of dead ancestors were used to predict the future, which is a form of spiritualism. 1 Samuel 15:23, Ezekiel. 21:21; Zechariah 10:2.
•Necromancy – Necromancy is getting information from the dead. Deuteronomy 18:11, Leviticus, 19:31, 20:6, 1 Samuel 28:8, 2 Kings 21:6, 1 Chronicles 10:13, and Isaiah 8:19–20.
•Astrology- Astrology was making predictions based on the position of the sun, moon, and planets in relation to the zodiac and to the positions to one another.
•Hydromancy – Hydromancy was seeing “divination” pictures in water. Genesis 44:5, 15

In a remarkable passage, Samuel expands our understanding of witchcraft. Saul once again was disobedient to the will of the Lord. Because Saul has not obeyed the Lord in eliminating all of the sheep, Samuel has some words to say to Saul!

Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.
So, witchcraft is the same as rebellion. But how?
Rebellion is “opposition to one in authority.” The Hebrew word m?y is derived from the word marah meaning “to be contentious, be rebellious, be refractory, be disobedient towards, be rebellious against.” The word is most used in terms of “rebellion” against the ways commanded by God. What, then, is the connection between witchcraft and rebellion?

Over the years, I have read several explanations of why witchcraft is the same as rebellion. Frankly, the explanations although interesting have not been satisfying. The Lord was about to show us something new. I was ministering to a person and felt impressed to place my hand just off the left ear. I was surprised to feel anointing, but really surprised when I moved my hand a little further away from the ear, I could discern witchcraft. And then, I suddenly had the revelation from the Lord. In generational rebellion, we give the enemy the right to take anointing off of us and when that happens, that anointing is transformed into witchcraft. That witchcraft is then sent against us! Witchcraft really is the same as rebellion!

Further revelation was to come. After showing many different schools what the Lord had showed me, I thought, “If indeed someone is stealing anointing from us and shifting it into witchcraft, then who is that “someone?’ As I felt under the flow of witchcraft, I was surprised that indeed I did feel something. As I felt the spiritual outline of that entity, I realized it was a “spiritual force.”

Spiritual forces are mentioned in Ephesians 6:12: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. It is my belief that these beings are in some way “inter dimensional” because scripture tells us that they war in “heavenly places.” I sense these fallen “spiritual forces” pervert the anointing of the Lord, corrupting that anointing and changing it into witchcraft.

A full day of discussion had taken place. The prayer was written and we prayed the prayer. I waited to see a difference, but there was no change. Had we missed the mark? As I went to bed that night, the ringing was still continuing. Could I live like this? As I escaped my sleep the next morning, I was aware there was something different. There was no more ringing. The prayer had worked!