DELIVERANCE HE AFFORDS TO ALL…..

Deliverance is a spiritual process which involves freeing someone who is bound. One can be bound in diverse forms – madness being the most common form. A host of illnesses when we look closely are triggered by witchcraft. Satan and his cohorts are at work, non-stop, causing as much havoc as possible in the world. The world is troubled and in its hopelessness is grabbing anything that is thrown at it, in quest of deliverance. But nothing can save or deliver humankind if it is not Jesus, the Son of God, the Anointed One. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

Anything from which we cannot free ourselves, has got us bound. Any bad habit or behaviour we cannot separate ourselves from has enslaved us. All of our excesses and the things we get involved in, be it in the area of sex, alcohol and cigarettes are typical domains where we get hooked and only through deliverance can we become our normal selves again.

Satan has infiltrated these areas in our lives to keep us bound. In some cases we have reached stages from which we can no longer make a tactical retreat nor do we realise the degree to which we are strongly tied. Our whole being is bound, hands and feet. Yes, that is when the situation calls for immediate rescue. A local adage says the wind that landed a leaf in a gutter would not be the one that would get it out of there. You need a stronger wind or a stronger force to get any relief. So also we need a Saviour, the Deliverer of souls, our Lord and our God Jesus, to come to our assistance.

Few people are perceptive to the world of witchcraft and the ruse Satan uses to get us bound. We are lured innocently into the world of the occult through some act disguised as a mild entertainment or pastime – that is the bait, which we consume hook, line and sinker.  Until that person is freed s/he is manipulated by the evil spirit(s) that has invaded him or her. However hard that person tries s/he is still bound to a point where the occupation by the demon becomes unbearable. We then say the person is possessed. The end result is that it could kill us. Remember Satan has come to kill, steal and destroy. (John 10:10) When Satan and his demons possess someone it is to destroy that person completely. What at the beginning must have seemed a minor and simple distortion in one’s behaviour turns out to be the sign of a possessed mind. 

Whilst at a worship service on the Sabbath day in the synagogue, our Lord Jesus was invited to read the passage of Scripture for the day. He was handed a scroll from the writings of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled it and found the passage where it was written. “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” (Luke 4:18) After he had finished reading, He declared to the congregation that “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:21) In other words this passage is talking about me. In sum, the prophet had defined the Messiah’s mission in a prophecy and was confirming the main purpose of His coming.

Two thousand years after our Lord Jesus’ ascension into heaven,  demons are still on the rampage keeping people bound, but the power of deliverance in the name of Jesus is still very much alive to confront them.

Satan and his angels, the demons, are all fallen angels. Heaven was once their abode. When they rebelled against God their fellow angels rose up against them and they were kicked out of heaven and thrown into the earth. “How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountains. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit.” (Isaiah 14:12-15)

The prophet Ezekiel in chapter 28 verses 11 to 19 of his writings captured what the Lord God said regarding Satan. “You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; and every precious stone adorned you: …You were anointed as a guardian cherub for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God and I expelled you O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendour. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you ….”

The presence of the evil one is ever so real in our world today. Our Lord Jesus called him “the prince of this world.” (John 12:31) He is “your enemy the devil (who) prowls around you like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour….” (1 Peter 5:8)  Before he lays his hands on you make sure you are covered by the blood as you confess your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and make Him your Lord and Saviour. That would be your insurance policy.