( Introduction ).
The subject of Deliverance as a doctrinal teaching in Christianity is very broad, but for the purpose of this study, we are going to touch on that aspect of the subject which is basic to our continued standing as genuine Christians.
“Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:34-36.
From the scriptures quoted above Jesus gives us the understanding of what deliverance is and who needs to be delivered. From His statements above we can deduce as follows:
1. That the primary cause of satanic bondage, or the common spiritual doorway for demonic possession and oppression is sin. See John 8:34.
“Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” John 5:14.
2. That sin (unless it is confessed and renounced) gives Satan and his demons the legal right to hold the sinner under bondage, and that alone could deny him or her the right to eternal life in heaven – the seeming insignificance of such sin, to the sinner, notwithstanding!
See John 8:35.
“He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning.” 1 John 3:8a.
3. That the only hope of the sinner’s deliverance from such satanic bondage or demonic possession is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. See John 8:36.
“…for this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”
1John 3:8b.
From the foregoing, therefore, we can define Deliverance, in the context of this study, as the undoing or the voiding of the claim of a lesser power over a soul by a greater and more superior power. See the following Scriptures: Luke 11:21-22; Isaiah 49:24-26.
“And it shall come to pass in that day that his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing.” Isaiah 10:27.
The only Anointing before which all satanic and demonic powers (indeed all powers!) in all spheres of their existence bow, is that Anointing which is upon Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, and which also is at the disposal of anyone who believes in Him and calls upon His name. See Luke 4:18-19; Philippians 2:9-11; Mark 16:17.
“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” Luke 4:18-19.
We shall divide this teaching into three (3) sub-topics namely:
1. The Doorways To Demonic Possession And Oppression.
1 Corinthians 10:19-21
2. Momentary and Persistent Demonic Possessions. Matthew 12:43-45
3. One Deliverer, Multiple Deliverances. Luke 4:17-19
THE DOORWAYS TO DEMONIC POSSESSION AND OPPRESSION.
1 CORINTHIANS 10:19-21.
The first step in receiving deliverance from satanic interferences is to know how the victim got exposed to Satan in the first instance, otherwise the efforts at deliverance would not yield any lasting positive results. Satan has no power to interfere with anyone except they give him an invitation to do so, and the majority of Satan’s victims do so unconsciously, but all the same in a way and manner that is spiritually legal and binding on them.
“…For some have already turned aside after Satan.” 1 Timothy 5:15.
Now, nobody in their right mind would consciously invite Satan into their lives, except, of course, they did not know the dangerous things which he is capable of doing to them. But then, Satan doesn’t wait for a conscious invitation from anyone (even though there are some people who invite him that way) because he is aware that there is already so much enlightenment among mankind about who he really is. So he uses deceptive methods to get people to unconsciously invite him into their lives– methods like luring people into pornography, premarital or extramarital sex, ungodly music, violent games and movies, just to mention but a few. Those are some of the doorways by which demon spirits (Satan included) gain entrance into the lives of unsuspecting victims.
“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which DECEIVES the whole world; he was cast out into the earth and his angels were cast out with him.” Revelation 12:9.
“Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the WILES of the devil.” Ephesians 6:11.
MOMENTARY AND PERSISTENT DEMONIC POSSESSION. MATTHEW 12:43-45
Demons are spirit beings who have the ability to inhabit almost any physical object unless that which is under the divine protection of God. There are quite a number of demons roaming the earth in search of a body to inhabit, mostly the human body, for easy control and manipulation of the possessed person. But they would also settle for other animate or inanimate objects which they could also use as a means to achieve the same goal of manipulation of mankind in order to separate them from the love of God and, by that means, ruin their lives now in time and their souls in eternity, if they died without salvation and deliverance from such demon possession. Consider an example with the case of Judas Iscariot given below:
“Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. And he went his way, and communed with the chief Priests and captains, how he might betray Him (Jesus Christ) unto them.” Luke 22:3-4.
As is evidenced in the quoted scripture above, Satan and his demons possess people for the sole purpose of influencing them to do evil. If it is an object that they possess (like jewelries, electronic devices, clothing items, automobiles, etc.) they use such things as a channel to lure people into the sins of pride and lust. See 1 John 2:15-17.
“For all that is in the world, the LUST OF THE FLESH, and the LUST OF THE EYES, and the PRIDE OF LIFE, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” 1 John 2:16.
All the objects that promote lusts and pride in people do so because they are possessed or controlled by Satan and his demons. The world at large (with the exception of only those who bear the mark of Jesus Christ – Galatians 6:17) is under the influence and control of Satan and his demons. See John 14:30;
2 Corinthians 4:3-4; 1 John 5:18-19; Luke 4:5-7.
“…In whom the god of this world, (Satan) has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” 2 Corinthians 4:4.
The point we are trying to make out here is that this present corrupt world, and its activities, is dominated by Satan and demons. Jesus has already won the victory that would usher in a new world in the future, when the tenure of Grace is over and those redeemed by it, through Christ, are gathered together as one sheepfold under one shepherd (John 10:15-16), but that time is still yet to come. For now Satan still controls the world and is busy winning more and more followers through demonic
possession and manipulation. Anyone who wants to remain on the Lord’s side must be vigilant and carefully watch against the many wiles of Satan and his horde of demons.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom he may devour; whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren who are in the world.”
1 Peter 5:8-9.
How does Satan control the world? Well, he does that by controlling the people of the world through the activities of his army of demons (or fallen angels) strategically placed at different levels and territories all over the world. They exercise their control of mankind through one of the following methods:
1. Momentary Possession
2. Persistent Possession
MOMENTARY POSSESSION
As it was with the case of Job in the days of old, so it is still with the redeemed people of God today: they have a protective shield of God around them so that Satan cannot touch or control them, not until they lost that protection through a relapse back into the life of sin. See Job 1:1-22; 2:1-10.
Because Job was righteous and upright in all his ways, God “… made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he has on every side.” All the devil needed to do in order to break through God’s protective shield around Job was to cause him to commit a sin and to leave it unconfessed; but try as he could, the devil did not succeed because in spite of all his losses and sufferings, which came upon him when Satan sought and got God’s permission to try him, the Bible records that “… in all this Job sinned not.” Job 1:22.
Again, after a second attack on Job in order to force him to sin against God, we still read, yet again, the Bible’s record that “… in all this, did not Job sin with his lips.” Job 2:10.
What the devil was actually trying to achieve was to force Job into a moment of rage against God because of his losses and, thus, create a doorway for a MOMENTARY POSSESSION in Job’s life. But because Job remained patient through all his ordeal, he created no such doorway for Satan to manipulate his life. See James 1:2-4; 5:7-11.
“Behold we count them happy which endure. You have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the LORD; that the LORD is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” James 5:11.
From the foregoing, therefore, we can define Momentary Possession as that which occurs briefly in the life of a righteous and upright person, through a careless or an unguarded moment in their lives, but from which they quickly recovered because of the prevailing sense of God-consciousness in their lives. This experience is mostly common with the people who have a right standing with God. However, where they fail to
recover from such relapse and, thus, leave the doorway created by that momentary sin still open. God’s Spirit leaves them and demons enter them and seize control of their lives. We find examples of this in the following accounts of the scriptures, but the characters here, except for Judas Iscariot, recovered from their momentary possession and prevailed over Satan.
Apostle Peter: Matthew 16:13-23. Judging by the quick turn of events in Peter’s life (at one moment receiving divine congratulations for a spiritual exploit, in verses 17-19, and at the next moment receiving a sharp rebuke for reasoning carnally), we can reasonably suggest that Peter’s success at revealing Jesus’ divine identity may have made him become too presumptuous, or even proud, so as to take it upon himself to discourage the Savior of the world from forging ahead with His God-ordained plan of redemption. The fact that Jesus Christ addressed Peter by the name “Satan” clearly revealed the master mind behind Peter’s utterances – but how could Satan so easily manipulate him? Most likely by that doorway of prideful presumption of infallibility, which still exposes most Christians to a momentary possession immediately after some wonderful and uplifting spiritual experiences like: Preaching a powerful message; ending a marathon fast; healing the sick and delivering the oppressed; just emerging from a life-transforming revival crusade – and so on.
In Luke 22:31-34, 54-62, we see that Peter exhibited the same prideful presumption when the Lord foretold his denial of Him, but, and that thankfully, Peter wept in repentance when he eventually realized his failings and, thus, shut that satanic doorway to his life.
James and John: Luke 9:51-56. After a powerful spiritual encounter on Mount Olives (Luke 9:28-36), James and his brother John lived up to their surname Boanerges (meaning the Sons of Thunder) when they asked Jesus for permission to invoke fire upon some Samaritans because they angered them by their impolite response to Jesus’ request to lodge in their village for the night. Here, anger was the doorway to that momentary possession of the two brothers.
“But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, you know not what manner of spirit you are of.” Luke 9:55.
Jesus, there above, was clearly telling them that the spirit under whose influence they had acted was not of God, but of Satan. He qualified that statement by saying “for the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them…” Luke 9:56.
Today, most pulpits are manned by thunder and brimstone-breathing preachers who dish out the death sentence on perceived enemies in the name of Jesus Christ, least realizing that the sinners’ Savior would rather have such enemies’ lives saved, rather than destroyed, because He paid dearly for their redemption. No man who truly knows the price He paid for the sinner would dare to refuse Him the right to reap the fruit of His suffering on that same sinner – no matter how much evil they have committed against anyone. Vengeance belongs to Him (God) alone!
Having examined the experiences of Apostles Peter, James and John, with regards to the incidence of momentary demonic possession, from which they quickly recovered and prevailed against the tempter, Satan, we can now look at the last example.
Judas Iscariot: Luke 22:1-6; John 13:21-27.
From the beginning, Judas Iscariot, no doubt, was no less a faithful follower of Jesus Christ than the other disciples; to think otherwise would be overlooking the Bible’s account which clearly suggests so. For instance, he was one of the few disciples who stuck with Jesus Christ when all others left. John 6:66-69. Even though Jesus Christ being, in essence, God in the flesh knew how Judas would eventually become compromised in the later part of his walk with Him; still it did not detract from the fact that Judas Iscariot was at that initial time a faithful disciple, judging by the following accounts:
1. Judas Iscariot made the list when Jesus chose 12 of His multitude of disciples to confer on them the ministry of Apostleship. Luke 6:12-17.
2. Judas Iscariot was one of the 12 disciples who received divine impartation from Jesus Christ to minister healing and deliverance, and to win souls into God’s kingdom through evangelism. Luke 9:1-6, 10.
3. Even after Judas Iscariot’s backsliding and eventual death by suicide, Apostle Peter, in seeking replacement for Judas, admitted to the fact that he was once a chosen vessel in the hand of the Lord for the services of God’s kingdom. Acts 1:15-17.
“For he (Judas) was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.” Acts 1:17.
How, though, did such a promising Apostle become compromised and overtaken by eternal darkness? The scriptures actually shed light on Judas’ slow but progressive decline from a faithful Apostle to an apostate soul swallowed up in perdition. John 12:3-6 reveals that Judas Iscariot had a problem in faithfully handling the group’s money committed to his stewardship.
“This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.” John 12:6.
Again Matthew 26:14-16 reveals how Judas’ love for money so much destroyed his heart and conscience that he initiated the move which led to Jesus’ betrayal, arrest and crucifixion.
“And he said unto them, what will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.” Matthew 26:15.
Therefore, by the time he sat at the last supper with his Master Jesus Christ, Judas Iscariot’s heart was already compromised and bereft of all virtue; it was, therefore, easy for Satan to freely enter him because he had long created a doorway for that satanic possession.
“Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains how he might betray Him (Jesus Christ) unto them.” Luke 22:3-4.
In all the three (3) instances of momentary demonic possessions discussed so far, we can find one fact that was common to all the victims, which is that Satan entered and manipulated them (in the cases of Peter – Matthew 16:23 – and Judas – Luke 22:3-4) or a strange spirit (in the case of James and John – Luke 9:55) influenced them.
Those spirits (Satan or demons) could influence those Apostles because they allowed their emotions to create a doorway for them to come in at those moments:
1. For Peter it was most likely prideful presumption that opened the doorway. Matthew 16:21-23; Luke 22:31-33.
2. For James and his brother John it was anger that opened the spiritual doorway. Luke 9:51-54.
3. For Judas Iscariot it was the greed and love of money that opened the doorway for his fall and damnation. John 12:3-6; Matthew 26:14-16.
Another fact that was also common to all of those Apostles in the times of their ordeal was that Jesus Christ ministered to all of them in order to help them overcome that moment of their trial, but how they each responded determined their fate:
1. Jesus sharply rebuked Peter in Matthew 16:23 and he held his peace and, thus, was restored.
But in Luke 22:31-32 Jesus prayed for Peter, but Peter refused to accept that (Matthew 26:31-35; Luke 22:33) and, therefore, he fell (Luke 22:54-61). But, thankfully, Peter did not give in to darkness, but fought back to repentance in penitent tears (Luke 22:62).
2. Jesus rebuked the two brothers, James and John, for their anger and they held their peace and, thus, were restored. Luke 9:55-56.
3. But in his case, Jesus Christ clearly warned Judas of the consequences of what he was about to do (Luke 22:21-22) and openly told him that he (Judas) was the betrayer (Matthew 26:25). Yet Judas did not relent and fight back the temptation but simply left the scene to pursue his ambition of betrayal for money (John 13:27-30).
Judas didn’t recover from his Momentary Demonic Possession and, thus, slipped into a Persistent Demonic Possession, as we shall consider in the next point.
We must, therefore, constantly be on the watch against the wiles of Satan which are aimed at compromising the security of our hearts in order to open a spiritual doorway for him to manipulate and lead us astray. 1 Corinthians 10:1-13.
“Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:12-13.
KING SAUL
1 SAMUEL 9:1-27; 10:1-26; 13:1-14; 15:1-31; 16:1-14.
Next we shall be considering Saul, the first king of Israel. Below are some sterling qualities found in the man Saul when he was not yet anointed as king of Israel:
1. He was a handsome and good-mannered, young man from a wealthy family (1 Samuel 9:1-3). Yet, with all of those credentials, Saul was still a humble and godly fellow (1 Samuel 9:21).
2. He was a sanctified (1 Samuel 10:9) and Spirit-filled young man (1 Samuel 10:10).
3. He was a modest man because, even though he knew in advance that he was the anointed king of Israel, he was not brazen during the selection process but instead went into hiding (1 Samuel 10:20-24) obviously because he felt so little about himself, as the LORD would later confirm (1 Samuel 15:16-17).
4. He was a man with a big heart because even when some of his subjects despised him and did not recognize him as king, he simply tolerated them and held his peace (1 Samuel 10:27). With all those personal qualities he was endowed with, it was, therefore, not surprising that God chose Saul above all the other Israelites, at that time, as the anointed king.
“And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spoke to you of! This same shall reign over my people.”
1 Samuel 10:17.
But (as it is mostly the case with some successful people) Saul couldn’t handle his success well, but became self-opinionated and proud just only after a few years on the throne of Israel. Below are some of the accounts of his departure from the modest and godly life he once dedicated to God:
1. Just after two (2) years on the throne Saul had become so arrogant as to despise prophet Samuel and usurp his authority as priest of God. 1 Samuel 13:1-12.
2. Saul did not only despise Samuel, as shown above, but also disobeyed God’s express command, choosing instead to do what he felt was convenient for him and his army. 1 Samuel 15:1-11.
3. Saul had become so arrogant and proud that even after his conquest of Amalek, he did not deem it fit to report back to Samuel by whom God had sent him on
that military campaign; instead Saul started touring the cities of Israel, obviously to court, and to receive, the praises of his subjects for his victory over Amalek. 1 Samuel 15:12).
4. Twice Saul deliberately gave Samuel a misleading account of his military mission to utterly destroy Amalek by claiming he did exactly as God had commanded, when in actual fact he didn’t (1 Samuel 15:13-21). It was only after Samuel had passed God’s verdict of rejection on him that King Saul now became humbled and admitted to the truth.
“And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and your words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.” 1 Samuel 15:24
5. After God had rejected Saul as king, it was only natural that His presence also should leave him because of his impenitence, his belated repentance notwithstanding, because it was only after the verdict of rejection had been passed on him that Saul (perhaps fearing the consequence of it) began to repent and confess his sins to God. But, alas! The deed had been done.
“But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.” 1 Samuel 16:14
The account of King Saul above is so much like that of Judas Iscariot: both of them, against all good conscience, would not be persuaded to renounce their sins, resist the devil and, thus, be restored back to true fellowship with God. They both continued headlong in their sins (Judas in his love for money and Saul in his arrogance and pride) until they slipped into a persistent demonic possession from which neither of them did recover. Just like Judas, also, Satan drove Saul to take his own life in the end after succeeding in destroying his relationship with the LORD (1 Samuel 28:5-7) and, thus, causing his ultimate defeat in battle (1 Samuel 31:1-5).
The same is also true about anyone who refuses the gentle persuasion of the Holy Spirit to desist from sin (whether done in the secret or in open sight). In the long run their conscience would become dead by reason of a persistent demonic possession and thus, hasten upon them that fate which awaits the unrepentant sinner.
“He, who being often reproved hardens his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” Proverbs 29:1
May we never treat lightly God’s grace which moves the erring soul to godly sorrow and repentance. While the mercy of God yet smiles, may we make haste to amend our ways before judgment frowns and the opportunity is lost forever! Isaiah 55:6-7
ONE DELIVERER, DIVERSE DELIVERANCES.
LUKE 4:17-19
In concluding this study series, it would be helpful to recapture the previous sub-topics we have so far covered in the course of the study, which are:
1. The Doorway to Demonic Possession and Oppression
2. Momentary and Persistent Demonic Possessions.
The first sub-topic explains the ways or means by which demonic beings gain access and control over the human body, while the second sub-topic explains the two different natures of such demonic manipulations: while the one is temporary and opportunistic (that is, exploiting immediate opportunity), the other is persistent and obstinate (that is, not easily letting go or giving up).
But as diverse as the doorways of demonic possessions and manipulations are, so also are the ways in which the Deliverer, Jesus Christ, sets the captives free from Satan and all demons.
1. ONE DELIVERER
Luke 4:17-19; Acts 4:7-12; Philippians 2:5-11
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12.
“If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36
There is no humanly possible way by which we can ascertain the number of fallen angels (demons) roaming the universe, with particular focus on the earth, but there must be quite a huge number of them, judging by the obvious influence they exert on mankind on a daily basis. See Revelation 12:9; 13:4-9; 1 John 5:19.
The huge number of demons and their diverse activities, however, does not pose any problems to God as far as deliverance is concerned because His Son, Jesus Christ, is the one solution which works for all cases of demonic possessions and manipulations; and we should be grateful for this!
“Wherefore God also has highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in Heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11
Furthermore, Jesus Christ has made it even much easier for the cases of demonic interferences in human lives to be easily dealt with by delegating His own authority to whosoever believes in and calls on Him to cast them out. This is such bad news for Satan and all his angels! See Matthew 10:1-8; Mark 16:17-20; Luke 9:1-2; 10:1, 17-19.
“And these signs shall follow them who believe; in my name shall they cast out devils.” Mark 16:17
2. DIVERSE DELIVERANCES
We can clearly see in the scriptures the different ways Jesus healed the blind, the lame, raised the dead, etc. He could anoint the blind eyes with clay mixed with His spittle and say, “go and wash” (John 9:1-7); He could touch the eyes of the blind and simply say, “according to your faith be it unto you” (Matthew 9:27); He could spit into the eyes of the blind and restored their sight (Mark 8:22-26); or He could simply say to the blind, “go your way; thy faith hath made thee whole” (Mark 10:46-52). And they all saw. To the dead He could say, “Talitha Cumi”, in that soft tone characteristic of reassuring faith, and raise them back to life; or He could cry out for Lazarus to “come forth” with a loud voice characteristic of faith triumphing over the hearts of incredulous onlookers (Mark 5:35-42; John 11:43-46). And they all came back to life!
The same is characteristic of His ability to touch every aspect of the human life needing deliverance from demonic and satanic manipulations. He could heal the brokenhearted, give recovery of sight to the spiritually blind, deliver the demon-oppressed and open the prison house of Satan to set his captives free with not so much as a fight from Satan. But the possessed and oppressed of the devil must be willing to let Him set them free by wholeheartedly submitting to His Lordship.
3. YOUR SURE STEPS TO A DEMON-FREE LIFE
“But upon Mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possession.” Obadiah 1:17
As great as the power and authority are, which God has given unto mankind against Satan and all his angels, it is still clear that they are still struggling to effectively use this awesome power at their disposal because Satan sees to it that man abuses the condition precedent for the use of God’s authority in the name of Jesus Christ. God’s Word stipulates that His power is to work in “…those who believe…” Mark 16:17 or in those who are “…His disciples…” Luke 9:1.
The key, then, lies in just two words, namely: “Believing” and “discipleship”. The two must work in harmony, however, to be able to fulfill the condition for enjoyment of Christ’s divine power and authority. To “believe” alone and not actively pursue the object of such belief (in this case the ways of Jesus Christ) is to believe in vain; the promises of God cannot avail anyone that way. The scripture below is clear on this:
“As He spoke these words, many believed on Him (this is passive and unavailing faith). Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, if you continue in my Word (This is now the active faith which avails much!) then are you my disciples indeed.” John 8:30-31
A disciple, therefore, is someone who, firstly, believes in Jesus Christ, then, secondly, continues to follow in the steps of Jesus Christ.
The main purpose for “continuing in Christ’s Word”, as we shall see in the next verse below, is so that the disciple may learn and grow in the Word and get to know the divine rights and privileges made available to them in Christ and, thus, become liberated from all the antics, wiles and lies of Satan, by which he gains control and manipulates the lives of his victims.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
John 8:32.
From the foregoing, therefore, we can say that the steps to living a demon-free life are as given below:
1. Deliverance: Luke 4:18
Anyone who is not walking in earnest with Christ must be doing so with Satan and his demons because there is no middle ground between the two Kingdoms. Therefore, a person’s deliverance must begin with their acceptance of Jesus Christ into their lives, with a firm resolve to pursue and consummate this new relationship. According to Jesus Himself, this is necessary in order “…to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” Acts 26:18.
This is actually what true deliverance is in all its essence.
2. Holiness: 2 Corinthians 7:1
Without having been delivered from the power of Satan, no one can live a holy life; the presence of Satan in one’s life renders it unholy. While salvation is given to the sinner through God’s grace alone (Ephesians 2:8-9) with nothing more required of them than to have an active faith in Jesus Christ; holiness of life, on the other hand, requires more than just having faith in Jesus Christ; it is a divine reformation of character which must involve the active participation of the saved person. See Eph. 2:10; 4:1-3; 17-32.
“Having therefore these promises (of salvation in 2 Corinthians 6:17-18), dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
2 Corinthians 7:1
Holiness is the anchor of the soul; it is what preserves the work of salvation and deliverance of the soul, done by Jesus Christ, from the power of Satan.
Holiness comes about through the work of God’s grace in conjunction with the cooperation of the Believer. God supplies the grace and the means for holiness, but that alone cannot make the Believer holy unless he or she willingly and consciously brings those unreformed character traits (with no strings attached!) under the lethal blow of God’s sanctifying power. Other than that, the grace and means thus given us in Christ would remain unutilized. We must take the initiative for living a holy life, as a demonstration of our willingness and sincerity to live for Jesus and to be like Him, before He will richly supply the grace and the means; that is why the scriptures tell us to “…cleanse OURSELVES (it is our initiative!) from all filthiness of the flesh (visible sins) and spirit (sinful emotions within the heart)…”
2 Corinthians 7:1.
Below are some other supporting scriptures which place such burden upon the Believer who seeks a holy life: Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 4:1-3, 17-32; Colossians 3:1-17; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Matthew 18:3-4; 1 Timothy 6:11-12; Titus 2:11-14.
“But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” 1 Corinthians 9:27
3. Possessing what’s yours in Christ. Obadiah 1:17; 2 Peter 1:1-11
“For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” 2 Corinthians 1:20
Any person who is born again, and delivered from the power of Satan and his demons, at first instance, must live a holy life in order to be able to possess (or re-possess, if they’ve just been restored from a relapse into sin) what God has freely and richly provided to the heirs of His salvation, through His Son Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.
The three key words clearly shown are: Deliverance, Holiness and Possessions, and they are expressly mentioned in Obadiah 1:17. We have expounded on the first two words and must proceed now to reconcile with the last one.
Satan’s prisoners are not allowed any rights or the freedom of self-actualization as ordained by God for His chief creation, which is man. Satan knows the huge potentials which God has deposited in man, and he knows that if man is left unoccupied by sin and ungodliness, he will definitely achieve and fulfill his God-given destiny. Concerning this, the Bible says in 2 Peter 1:3 that, “According as His Divine Power has given unto us all things that pertain unto LIFE and GODLINESS, through the knowledge of Him (Jesus Christ) who has called us to Glory and virtue”. It is, therefore, no wonder why Satan and his agents so desperately want to possess anyone they could. It is so that they could make them fail to achieve what God has destined for them and thus, lose their place with Him forever. That is why we must strive to live a demon-free life in Christ always!
The phrase “…and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions” is very instructive here because it explains how we can possess (on a first instance) or re-possess (in subsequent instances) what God has freely given to us through Jesus Christ. The word “possess” in the context of the scripture above is an active (not passive) word; it means to take action in obtaining or recovery of a thing from someone, or something. This scripture would have meant something entirely different for us if it used the word “receive” instead of “POSSESS”. If you were to “receive” anything, you’d have to patiently await the giver’s pleasure, but to “possess” it, you’d have to initiate the action to seize or hold on to it as your own possession. This is exactly what God wants us to do with what’s freely offered to us in Christ after our deliverance from Satan and demons, and our empowerment through the life of holiness, so that we would not be empty and unfruitful, thus risking a relapse into demonic possession. Matthew 12:43-45
What are those possessions which we are required to possess back into our lives in order to keep us totally beyond the reach of Satan and his demons? They are as follows:
1. Our bodies: 1 Corinthians 6:15-20; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; 4:1-5; 1 Peter 2:11
Our bodies here consist of our whole being – our emotional, physical and spiritual lives.
“That everyone of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour.”
1 Thessalonians 4:4
No doubt Satan will always try to stage a comeback into the life of the liberated child of God, but it is our duty to resist him firmly and to possess and protect our bodies against all his sinful wiles.
2. Our character: 1 Timothy 4:8; 2 Peter 1:5-11; Galatians 5:22-25
A good and godly character is not the product of chance but of a conscious and concerted effort, coupled with prayers and faith in God. We are to give no room for the cultivation of unholy characters in our lives, but by “…casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God (and) bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” we are to resist them firmly. See the case of Cain in Genesis 4:6-7 who did nothing to refuse the lure of sin waiting at the door of his heart; he ended up a villain and was rejected by God.
3. Our Place and Blessings in Christ Jesus: Ephesians 1:1-12; Revelation 3:11
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ…” Ephesians 1:3
We are to firmly and earnestly contend for our place in Christ and to hold onto it as our eternal possession. This is our guarantee that we would enjoy all the benefits of God’s Kingdom available to us here and now on earth and forever in Heaven.
“I am coming soon, keep safe what you have, so that no one will rob you of your victory prize.” Rev. 3:11 (GNB)
The End