WHAT IS DELIVERANCE?
It seems to be such a popular belief that every Christian is struggling with a demonic problem. So many believers believe they have to go through deliverance prayers to be totally free from demonic power. What a fallacy! Ignorance in the Body of Christ has resulted in many spiritual abuses. Some people give their lives to Christ without understanding the great miracle that happened.
Christ came as the Promised Lamb to take away the sins and sin of mankind. The man committed the sin; he could not pay for. The whole mankind is under the wrath of God and nothing can appease God except the sinless blood. The Old Testament gave the shadow of this sacrifice, by the precise description of animals to be brought to obtain forgiveness. The animals are the substitutes for the offerers. Animal sacrifices could not take away sins but gave only temporary relief until Jesus came to deal with sin permanently. When people gathered together on the Day of Atonement, they were there to be reminded of their sins, and the great weight of guilt is felt by everyone year in and year out! You may wonder why God should be wasting the time of the people if all these sacrifices do not bring a permanent solution to the enmity between God and man. God is preparing the whole world for the revelation of Jesus who will take the sin and sins of the world away permanently.
The Bible says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16. God so much loved you and me that He gave His one and only Son to be the substitute for my sin and your sin. Jesus took God’s judgment meant for you and me. The Bible says, “When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” – John 19: 30. The enmity between God and man is finished, the separation between us and God is finished, and the curse inherited by man from the Garden of Eden is finished. The unending sacrifices of animals for the atonement of sins are finished. Jesus paid the full penalty for our sins. We are no more under condemnation because the penalty of our sin had been paid in full. We now have full access to God because of what Jesus did on Calvary. He delivered us from the power of darkness. The Bible says, “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son” – Col. 1: 12 -13.
Our faith in Christ is what delivered us from darkness and gave us a permanent, powerful, and uncompromising forgiveness which we can only have in Christ. it is not the power or the anointing of any human being that delivers but your faith in Christ. Sometimes, we are told of ancestral curses. The Bible says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit” – Gal. 3: 13-14. Jesus did not die while He was beaten, or dragged, or tortured physically and emotionally, He got to the Cross, that the curse on you and me may be broken.
Our debt had been paid in full. You did not owe the devil a dime. You are free to enjoy the new life in Christ. Our sins are swept away and forgotten by God. You are a new creature in Christ, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” – 2 Cor. 5: 17. People have said this truth of the Word of God, may cheapen the gospel and Christians will be committing sins. No, the revelation of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is what makes us have godly fear. If truly we understand the price Jesus paid on the Cross and the assurance, we have through His resurrection that we are now acceptable by God, we will worship Him in spirit and truth.
Therefore, if you give your life to Christ through faith, you are to continue relating with Him through faith. You must continue to yield to His leadership by being rooted, built up, and strengthened through faith. Jesus is ready to take you by hand and walk with you through the challenges of life and the valleys of the shadow of death. We are to believe in what the scripture says, not what any human being says. If you are a Christian, the day you accept Jesus as your LORD and Savior, your deliverance is total and complete.
In conclusion, I urge you to have faith in what Jesus has accomplished for you. Enjoy the freedom God has given you through Christ, but do not use your freedom to satisfy yourself. “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.” 1 Peter 2: 16.