Jentezen Franklin - The Spirit of Python: Exposing Satans Plan to Squeeze the Life Out of You

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THE SPIRIT OF PYTHON by Jentezen Franklin
Published by Charisma House
Charisma Media/Charisma House Book Group
600 Rinehart Road
Lake Mary, Florida 32746
www.charismahouse.com

This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwisewithout prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version of the Bible. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc., publishers. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are from the Amplified Bible. Old Testament copyright 1965, 1987 by the Zondervan Corporation. The Amplified New Testament copyright 1954, 1958, 1987 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible. Public domain.

Scripture quotations marked NAS are from the New American Standard Bible, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture quotations marked NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked YLT are from Youngs Literal Translation of the Bible. Public domain.

AUTHORS NOTE: Some names of persons mentioned in this book have been changed to protect privacy; any similarity between individuals described in this book to individuals known to readers is purely coincidental.

Copyright 2013 by Jentezen Franklin
All rights reserved

Cover design by Justin Evans

Visit the authors website at www.jentezenfranklin.org.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Franklin, Jentezen, 1962
The spirit of python / Jentezen Franklin. -- First edition.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-62136-220-3 (trade paper) -- ISBN 978-1-62136-221-0 (ebook)
1. Spiritual warfare. 2. Devil. I. Title.
BV4509.5.F7463 2013
235'.4--dc23

While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers and Internet addresses at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors or for changes that occur after publication.

I dedicate this book to my wife, Cherise, and my
childrenCourteney, Caressa, Caroline, Connar,
and Drake. Always keep breathing in the breath of
God!

CONTENTS

To my assistant, Natasha Phillips: thank you for your time, devotion, and dedication. You made it happen again!

To Debbie Marrie: thank you so much for your brilliant contribution in conveying the thoughts and the teachings contained in this book.

To Tomi Kaiser: thank you for all your research and hard work on this project; it wouldnt have been possible without you.

To all the team at Charisma House: thank you for your continued support.

To the Free Chapel congregation and Kingdom Connection partners: thank you for your prayers and support in all of our endeavors around the world!

A RE YOU FIGHTING internal battles that seem to be getting the best of you?

Maybe your prayer life is not what it used to be, and you just cannot find that place with God that is full of life, joy, peace, and purpose.

You feel as if something has crept in, slowly but surely, and stolen your zeal for praising and worshipping God, to the point that there just doesnt seem to be any time for it anymore. Do you feel limited, hindered, stifled, and unproductive? The battles you are fighting are taking place in the unseen world, where even your close family does not understand what is happening within you. Desires that were once passionate in your heart now seem totally out of reach. Dreams and plans for the future seem to have dried up; the life that was in them has been choked out by something you cannot quite put your finger on.

You and I have a real enemy that battles for the souls of men. He is getting the upper hand in many livesbut we do not have to sit back and let him have access to our homes, our families, or our lives. The Lord has given us power over the enemy; we just need to understand how to use it.

I want to share with you some powerful insights the Lord has given me for overcoming the attacks of the enemy and walking in victory. This book, The Spirit of Python, talks about the devils plan to slowly but surely snake his way into our lives, attempting to choke the very life out of us. Ill help you identify the effects of this subtle but deadly choke hold in your spiritual walk and give you the tools you need to break free and live a victorious Christian life.

From its very opening pages the Bible describes Satan as a snake in the Garden of Eden. Perhaps thats why its so easy to think of snakes when we think about the devil and his demons. Many years ago I believe the Lord showed me that the devil operates a lot like a snake, a python to be specific, in the way he tries to infiltrate the lives of believers. As he slowly coils his way around us, we hardly even noticeuntil suddenly we find we cant breathe.

Ive preached on this many times, and I have even shared the stage with a live python while doing so in order to get this powerful message into peoples hearts. Our enemy is dangerous. Hes not playing around. He has one agenda: to steal, kill, and destroy those of us trying to accomplish Gods plan. And he knows that if were not diligent, he can creep in slowly through access weve granted to him, paralyze our ability to pray and worship God, and eventually choke out our spiritual lives altogether.

But there is a way to defeat him! You dont have to become his prey. You can learn to recognize the early warning signs of his deadly grip, discover the ways you may have unknowingly given him an open door into your life and home, and make changes that bring Gods deliverance and complete restoration into every area of your life.

So lets get started. I believe this book will change your life and help you overcome even the most powerful attacks!

GOD REVEALS
A DEADLY ENEMY

G ROWING UP IN North Carolina provided a lot of entertainment for a young boy. My family lived in a pretty rough part of town, right next to a junkyard. Every day trucks stirred up dust as they passed our house on their way to collect or dump their loads.

Joe Baker, one of our closest neighbors, had the distinct reputation of being the town drunk. A lot of folks didnt know that Joe was also one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet. He kept a box of some of the prettiest marbles Id ever seen and could tell some of the funniest stories my buddies and I had ever heard. You could usually find us at his place a few times a week. Wed walk over, draw a circle in the dirt, get a game of marbles going, and listen to his stories.