Deliverance Issues

Deliverance is a Process

Introduction:

During the years that this blog has been available to the public, I have gotten several help requests, in which people expressed their disappointment that they were not immediately delivered from the influence of spirits that have been with them for a long period of time.

After years of suffering under the domination of an evil or unclean spirit, it is completely understandable as to why these folk want "instantaneous" deliverance. Yet, it is important for them to understand that complete deliverance will take place in stages and that patience is required and impatience is the enemy. I would like to briefly discuss the stages of deliverance in this post.

Stage 1: A Freed Life
^8:35  And people went to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind, because the demons were gone. But the people were frightened. Luke 8:35 (NCV)
The man mentioned in this Scripture was tormented by a terribly abusive spirit for many years. Yet, at the command of Jesus, the spirit left and the man was set free and was in his "right mind."  The demon was forced to obey the command of Christ because of His authority in the spirit universe and because of the sheer power that He could apply.

A Christian who knows the authority given to him by Jesus, and is familiar with the power given to him by the Holy Spirit can have the same results as Jesus. Actually that is the quickest and easiest part of deliverance, but what follows may not be as easy.

Please note that this Scripture implies that not only was the man tormented by a spirit, but may have been out of his right mind, which is another way of saying that he may have had a mental illness as well. So he was delivered and healed at the same time.

Stage 2: A Holy Life
¹⁴  Later, Jesus found the man at the Temple and said to him, “See, you are well now. Stop sinning so that something worse does not happen to you.“
John 5:14 (NCV)
A lifestyle or unrepentant sin is an open door to spirit possession. The kinds of spirits that are most commonly involved with possession actually wander though our world looking for people who have these sin based doors open for them to enter.  Even if you go through stage 1 of deliverance, repetition of sin invites your tormenting spirit back, and Jesus indicated that even worst kinds of spirits will take ownership because you have not changed your ways.

If you do not want to return to the suffering of spirit possession, then be brutally honest with yourself and examine your ways. Don't try to justify or excuse your sinful behavior, but change it. If you can't change it by yourself, then seek help from your Pastor, trusted friends in your church, a self-help group, or a Christian counselor. 

Stage 3: A Victorious Life
 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his great power. ¹¹  Put on the full armor of God so that you can fight against the devil’s evil tricks. ¹²  Our fight is not against people on earth but against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness, against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly world. ¹³  That is why you need to put on God’s full armor. Then on the day of evil you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing. ¹⁴  So stand strong, with the belt of truth tied around your waist and the protection of right living on your chest. ¹⁵  On your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong.¹⁶  And also use the shield of faith with which you can stop all the burning arrows of the Evil One. ¹⁷  Accept God’s salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:10-17 (NCV)

This rather lengthy portion of Scripture describes exactly what you need to do in Stage 3 of your deliverance experience.  It clearly tells you that you need to go to war because you have all that you need to win the battle. Unfortunately, once the doors to the occult and spirit universe are open to lower spirits, the battle to stay free of their influence can take years to win.  Personally, I was in battle for at least 6 years after my salvation experience, with waves of demonic attack taking place within regular intervals. If you also suffer from a mental condition, then the battle may take a life time to gain complete victory. 

Conclusion:
Many wish there was some kind of "magic wand" that could bring immediate deliverance without the voyage into holiness and victory in battle, but that magic wand does not exist and it takes work and persistence to be free. 

If you have not made a commitment to Jesus and you would like to do so now, then click HERE to go to a page that will show you how to become a follower of Jesus Christ.

Demonizing Religion-Christian/Islamic Solutions–Final Post

Before you proceed to read this post, please read parts 1,  2 and 3 first. These posts are a supplement to Chapter 8 of “The Spirit Universe” by Pastor Jerry Jochem.

Introduction
Both Muslims and Christians face a common truth. What Islam does tells the world about the character of Allah. What the Christian Church  does tells the world about who Jesus Christ is. If these statements are true then both Muslims and Christians have distinct actions to take relating to Islam.

The Muslim Solution
What every Muslim has to ask himself is whether Allah is a blood thirsty deity who demands human sacrifices through the beheading, mutilating, mass murder, or crucifixion of Christians.  If the answer to that question is yes, than as a Muslim you really need to examine why it is that you would submit to or worship a god that shows all the characteristics described as those possessed by Satan? With this realization it may be time to start from scratch and begin to search for the true God.
If the answer is no, that is not the nature of the Allah  to which you submit, then you must ask yourself what actions you need to take to stop the demonization of your fellow Muslims and to protect the reputation of Allah. The real question is what you as a Muslim are going to do about those 100 commands in the Quran which promote violence and classify Allah as a murdering demon. So, if you want to continue to be a Muslim who defends Islam then you must do two things: Recognize the problem with the Quran, and determine the source of the problem. Only when these things are accomplished can the Muslim spiritual communities take unified corrective action to resolve the problem.  I would like to briefly discuss each step as follows

Recognize the Problem: If you do not admit that there is a problem then you will never correct it or be free of it. of course, Muslims believe that the Quran is the inspired message of God, and so to admit that some of it has been influenced by a demonic spirit that was in control of Mohammad is equal  to blasphemy and therefore, according to the Quran, you can be killed as readily as a Christian.  One possible solution to this problem is to take a different approach to those 100+ commands for violence by restricting them to the past.  Those commands should be made irrelevant to modern day Islam, and should be ignored in preference to the more beneficial teachings of Islam.

Determine the Source: The blood is found on the hands of the Islamic leaders (Imams) who focus on the commands that cultivate hate and violence towards others. In order to correct for the inherent problem with the Quran, the religious leadership needs to establish moral standards that govern what and how the Quran may be taught. Unfortunately, such a collective effort of the leadership seems to be impossible because of serious conflicts within Islam.  What is needed is a Muslim leader who can unify Islam and direct it towards a civilized understanding of how it is to be applied as a practical and tolerant religion.  Unfortunately, I have as yet to see even peaceful Muslim leadership declare the need for rationality in teaching the Quran, and if such a leader arose, it is more likely that he would be killed as a heretic rather than immerging as a reformer.

The Christian Response
Christ gave us clear guidance as to how we are to treat our enemies:
Matthew 5:43-44(NCV)
⁴³“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor^£ and hate your enemies.’ ⁴⁴But I say to you, love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you.
Romans 12:17-21(NCV)
¹⁷If someone does wrong to you, do not pay him back by doing wrong to him. Try to do what everyone thinks is right. ¹⁸Do your best to live in peace with everyone. ¹⁹My friends, do not try to punish others when they wrong you, but wait for God to punish them with his anger. It is written: “I will punish those who do wrong; I will repay them,” says the Lord. ²⁰But you should do this:   “If your enemy is hungry, feed him;  if he is thirsty, give him a drink.  Doing this will be like pouring burning coals on his head.”  Proverbs 25:21-22 ²¹Do not let evil defeat you, but defeat evil by doing good.
 There are a a few points that these Scriptures make very clear and I would like to discuss them briefly in the following comments:

• Nothing in these Scriptures prevents a Christian or Christian nation from defending itself against the barbaric and inhuman acts of the demonized Islamic movement.
• Any action taken should not be equivalent to the action of the enemy. That is, no revenge should be sought against those who have committed the horrific acts.  Instead, justice must be served through legal process. If we act out of revenge, we become as the enemy is.
• Our greatest weapon is prayer for justice and for God to act to defend His children.  That prayer must be based on the faith that God will act, and His actions will be the final judgment on those who murder, torture, and persecute His children.
• A demonized Muslim is devoted to killing Christians and destroying the Christian faith. Even so, we are told to be ready to extend  to them mercy and compassion.  The command to love our enemies is what differentiates the Bible from the Quran, the love of the true God is reflected in this Biblical command while the 109 statements that encourage violence in the Quran reflects the true nature of  the spirit that dictated it.

Conclusion:

The final statement in Romans 12:21 is “Do not let evil defeat you, but defeat evil by doing good.” You can not defeat a demon by becoming demonic. The best we can do is offer Salvation through Jesus Christ to the Muslim world.  It is dangerous and perhaps deadly to do this, but history proves that 100 missionaries are worth more than 1000 bombs.  As Christians we need to pray for Muslims and be ready to support them when they convert to Christ.

If you have not made a commitment to Jesus and you would like to do so now, then click HERE to go to a page that will show you how to become a follower of Jesus Christ.