Column 3: The possession by the enemy now slowly weakens as the ground which he held is steadily refused, and given up. The Deceiver fought long to obtain the ground, and the believer may have to fight a long time ere he is fully set free. The weakening of the possession, too, is according to the degree in which the ground is removed, and if the man does not meanwhile give more ground to the foe. This makes the deliverance gradual, it is true, but in most cases the snare may have been gradually woven about him for many years. Film after film may have slowly come upon the mind, preparing for the deception of after years.
Column 4: Following the steady attitude of the refusal of the ground, light begins to break in, with the discovery of the "excuses" the enemy is making to hide the true location. For the persistent endeavour is to make the man believe that the manifestations are due to some other cause. The chief excuses over the manifestation of possession centre around the suggestions, "it is divine," "natural," "physical," or else temperament, circumstances, others' wrong doing, etc., in order to cover or hide the ground which is held. But as the excuses are recognized, the believer resists them, and calls the excuses by the right name of Satan's lies.
After getting rid of the counterfeits of the Divine workings, the difficult stage is the recognizing and getting free from the counterfeits of the man himself. As the "excuses" or lies are recognized the believer becomes more acute in detection, and less ready to accept the "natural" and "physical" causes as true explanations, without examination and certainty, e.g., if he "cannot bear" to hear, or speak about a person, he asks Why? If an attack on a certain point does not cease, he asks Why?
The truth is, a believer cannot bear things because of attack through possession, and he cannot do things because of possession.
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