"And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying : The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.  And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.  And he came out the same hour."

Acts 16:16

 

Understanding the Spirit of Python

 

Puthon (according to the Strong’s Concordance)

The KJV New Testament Greek Lexicon

Strong's Number:  4436

Original Word:  puvqwn

Word Origin:  from Putho (the name of the region where Delphi, the seat of the famous oracle, was located)

Transliterated Word:  Puthon

Phonetic Spelling:  poo'-thone

Parts of Speech:  Noun Masculine

Definition:  1. in Greek mythology, the name of the Pythian serpent or dragon that dwelt in the region of Pytho a the foot of Parnassus in Phocis, and was said to have guarded the oracle at Delphi and been slain by Apollo  2. a spirit of divination

KJV verse:  Acts 16:16

 

Greek lexicon based on Thayer's and Smith's Bible Dictionary plus others; this is keyed to the large Kittel and the "Theological Dictionary of the New Testament."

 

These files are public domain.

 

You must read the 16th chapter of Acts to get a full understanding about the word Python and the word divination that it represents.  Notice the strong's concordance makes reference to this spirit.  Its origin is found in mythology -- the region where the oracle of Delphi was located.

 

The following is an excerpt authored by Bobbie Jean Merck.

 

Acts 16:16 in the Amplified Bible says, as we were on our way to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who was possessed by a spirit of divination [claiming to foretell future events and to discover hidden knowledge], and she brought her owners much gain by her fortunetelling. She kept following Paul and [the rest of] us, shouting loudly, These men are the servants of the Most High God! They announce to you the way of salvation! And she did this for many days. Then Paul, being sorely annoyed and worn out, turned and said to the spirit within her, I charge you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her! And it came out that very moment. The King James Bible says it came out the same hour.

 

Python as demonstrated above is referred to in Acts as a spirit of divination. We know python as a powerful snake that constricts and squeezes its prey to death slowly. Just like the snake, the spirit of Python gets around its victim, which can be a person, family, church or area, and he slowly squeezes the life out of them. This spirit works today just as it did against Paul in Acts 16:16 in Macedonia. When you pray to possess the land for God, the spirit of divination (python) begins to fight against you. His manifestations may be weariness, fatigue, confusion and frustration. His actions in churches, ministry, finances or your home are felt as he begins to tighten his grip on people. People leave their circumstances because he manifests heaviness, depression, oppression, and pressure. When the constriction gets stronger, the result is discouragement, factions and divisions. Other spirits that work with python are beguiling spirits, seducing spirits, Jezebel spirits, controlling spirits and manipulating spirits. We can and must break their power in the Name of Jesus. If you have never exercised the authority of the Name of Jesus, you need to pray for God to give you a spirit of boldness. When you battle the enemy, you must use your weapons of the Blood of Jesus, the Word of God, and in the authority of the Name of Jesus. There must be no fear but you must be bold. The ruling spirit of Python will many times hide behind other demons but he is controlling their actions. Generals in an army don't expose themselves.

 

Divination means using witchcraft to try to discover future events or cause future events to happen by supernatural means. When you see the spirit of divination (python) operating, you will also see false prophesying, and a profit motive. Money will be attached just as it was in Acts:16:16. Look for financial problems. Python prevents business deals from closing favourably or he prevents sales from occurring. Church finances may dry up or constrict, trying to choke the church. We must learn to differentiate fiction from fact and unreality from reality because the difference between the truth and a falsehood can be very subtle.

 

When python is operating, look for heaviness, sorrow, depression and oppression. There will be manipulation involved and people will not be completely open to correction. They will try to control every situation. Customs and traditions may be strong and have to be torn down. Visions and creativity will be choked. Python will cause people to become fearful, weak and weary. People will start questioning their own vision, position and calling. He tries to squeeze out of you everything God has called you to do.

 

The ruling spirit of Python will many times hide behind other demons but he is controlling their actions. Generals in an army don't expose themselves. Python usually has several spirits closely aligned that he controls. There is often found Beguiling spirits. To beguile means to deceive, allure, and entice. They work to cause division in the body of Christ. They often use charm and charisma to cause diversion. They try to pull you away from Jesus and the leaders God places over you. They pull you from one church to another church. There may be Seducing spirits such as those that draw a person to a cultist. The cultist may be operating under seducing spirits that draws people. Seducing spirits use lust, greed and pride to lead people astray.

 

Such spirits influence individuals in a church to bring about false worship and hurt the church. A Jezebel spirit in another person can make you fell drained when you are around them.When Python is operating look for a spirit of Grief to try to get a foothold. He always tries to bring spirits of Bitterness, Sorrow, and Disappointments so that you end up feeling like everything is falling apart. Encourage yourself in prayer and begin to pull them down. Don't complain but express your love to God. Worship God and pray in the Spirit. Remember Python wants to create confusion, so you will allow doubt to manifest in your mind.

 

Become involved in as much praise and worship as you can to maintain the victory. Remember who you are battling against. It is not flesh and blood. Stay in prayer as much as you can and remain obedient to God and His Word. Become accountable to a church and pastor.

 

Seven points of important observations (concerning the spirit of Python) by Phyllis Ford

These were keys that were provided to me in intercession in combating and uncovering this enemy.

 

• Remember, the serpent in Genesis was a beguiling one: seeking to convince Eve that God said something that He didn’t say and twisting even the intend of God’s word. 

 

• This spirit will use religious traditions, the law, and self-righteousness to control/restrict and manipulate people within the church.

 

• Because idolatry, deception, and divination are the foundation of this spirit ---watch false doctrine and even the refusal to respect Godly authority. Read 2 Corinthians 10. Utilize these scriptures over the enemy. “Casting downimaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; (vs. 5)”  Watch mind control.

 

• The assignment of this enemy is to break down God’s plans and purposes by attacking various individuals and trying to cause confusion/strifeamongst the group that is moving forward to accomplish the work of God. (Undermining leadership, rebellion). 

 

• A python is known to lay eggs in many places—when in intercession, and while breaking its power ---tread upon the enemy’s territory and destroy the eggs as well. God has given us the “power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19). 

 

• Isaiah 59 gives a lot of insight into the serpent’s mindset and activity. There are also keys to destroy his lair (den). The word cockatrice means poisonous snake or adder. Strong’s 06848 Hebrew word: Tsepha. (read also Proverbs 23:23-33, Isaiah 11:6-12, Jeremiah chapter 8 for even greater insight on how to combat this spirit). 

 

• Remember, this enemy feeds upon fear—Utilize the sword of the spirit which is the word of God to deal with the lies/deception coming out of the mouth of this enemy. Hebrews 4:12 Pray also for strong discernment.