I just read MARK 16:15-18 again. Absolutely! Praise Jesus!
15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
Amen= So Be It!
John, you’re right; someone who is truly filled with the Spirit ought to be able to cast out demons, handle snakes, etc. Christ said that if we had so much as the faith of a mustard seed could move mountains (and few people today who don’t grind their own spices realize that a mustard seed is hardly bigger than a fleck of dust).
But the sad fact is that, put to the test, very few of us indeed have enough faith for those things. Jesus wasn’t kidding. We may think we’re strong in the Word, that we have great faith, but not too many of us can stand up and challenge the Prince of Darkness himself. Proper humility ought to make us realize that we can barely resist the temptations to sin that the Evil One puts in our paths every day, much less get into a fistfight with him over someone else’s soul. I’d exercise caution before claiming the faith to cast out demons in His name.
AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!
GOD BE WITH YOU AND YOURS.