Grow Free From Bondages
Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. - Hebrews 2;14-15
Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. - Philippian 1:6
The Word of God lays down a number of absolute prerequisites for those who wish to stay free from evil spirits.
Self-deliverance is one of the most important parts of the deliverance process. The devil will seek to enter legally through open doors into a person’s life. Once these doors have been identified and shut, believers can break off any legal grounds that the devil may have to oppress them.
Satan appeals to a person’s own fleshly desires to cause them to fail or falter. In order to maintain freedom from any right Satan may exercise over them, they must remain faithful and obedient to God. Christians need to establish some personal habits that will help them grow spiritually.
Salvation
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. - Titus 2:11
Accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior is the most important decision a person can ever make. It is the beginning of a brand new life in Christ, and as new-born children of God, new believers must understand that they are saved by faith alone and not by any works or by performing any religious acts.
The Bible teaches that everyone has a sinful nature which keeps them separated from God's presence and will result in eternal death. Jesus came to suffer the consequences of that sin in the place of all who accept Him so that they can be forgiven of their sin and have access into God's presence.
Deliverance from any level of demonization, bondage, or harassment cannot be maintained without accepting and confessing Jesus as personal Lord and Savior.
For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. - Romans 10:10
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. - 1 John 1:9
Water Baptism
Once a person accepts Jesus as their Savior, they should be baptized in water.
And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.' - Acts 22:16
It is clear from Scripture that those who were baptized were fully immersed in water. This should be done as soon as possible after receiving Jesus.
Water baptism in itself does not save or wash away sins, but is an act of obedience in accordance with God’s Word. Symbolically it shows that the new believer has died to the old sinful life and has risen as a new person in Christ.
Baptism in the Holy Spirit
The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a separate gift from salvation. Before Jesus commenced His ministry, God first baptized Him with the Holy Spirit.
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. - Acts 10:38
The purpose of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is to empower believers for Christian service which enables them to live a life of victory over the enemy.
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." - Acts 1:8
The baptism in the Holy Spirit is for all believers.
The Word of God lists nine gifts of the Spirit. These are the supernatural tools available to all believers for Christian service. Any Spirit filled Christian can manifest any of these gifts as the Spirit directs.
These are the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, the gift of faith, the gifts of healing, the working of miracles, the discerning of spirits, the gift of prophecy, the gift of tongues, and the gift of interpretation of tongues.
The Holy Spirit is a powerful source of communication with God and continually guides God’s people to sanctification and maturity.
The exercise of any of these gifts requires cooperation between the individual and the Holy Spirit. He gives the gifts as He wills and allows Spirit filled believers to exercise these gifts.
Another key to Christian growth is walking in the Spirit. This enables Christians to grow to maturity and to overcome the desires and temptations of the flesh.
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. - Galatians 5:16-18
Spiritual growth is a life-long process of manifesting the acts of the flesh less and less and producing the fruit of the Spirit more and more.
The Holy Spirit produces fruit in the lives of those who submit to the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. - Galatians 22-25
The Spirit filled life is an obedient and abiding life and God’s people are encouraged to be continually filled with the Spirit in order to maintain their spiritual walk and growth.
Repentance
Ongoing sin in a person’s life is an open invitation to demons. Yielding to sin is yielding to the devil.
Repentance is a firm resolve in the Lord to forsake sin, to turn around, and to walk in the ways of God.
Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness. - Romans 6:16
Essential to growing closer to God in faith, devotion, and love is to repent of those behaviors, desires, beliefs, and ideas that are sinful.
Repentance involves more than merely turning away from sin. By repenting a person must also renounce everything that opposes God and all that He finds sinful. This includes renouncing Satan and his ways and renouncing personal sins.
It is important to be specific when repenting and to name the sin before the Lord. Repentance also includes a firm commitment to avoid sin in the future.
Restitution
Restitution is a Biblical concept and there are passages in both the Old and New Testaments that reveal the mind of God on this subject. In the Old Testament the Israelites were under the Law which specified restitution in a variety of circumstances such as situations in which stolen property was restored. In this example restitution was made to the owner of the property and the compensation was to be accompanied by a guilt offering to the Lord.
Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham. - Luke 19:8-9
In the New Testament there is the example of Zacchaeus. The people knew him to be a wicked and oppressive man.
Zacchaeus’ words seem to confirm that he had been defrauding people.
He was remorseful over his past actions and was committed to making restitution.
Zacchaeus was saved that day and his sins were forgiven. The evidence of his salvation was both his public confession and his relinquishing of all ill-gotten gains. Zacchaeus repented and his sincerity was evident in his immediate desire to make restitution. Here was a man who was penitent and contrite and the proof of his conversion to Christ was his resolve to atone as much as possible for past sins.
The same should apply to anyone who truly knows Christ today.
Genuine repentance leads to a desire to redress wrongs. When someone becomes a Christian that person will have a desire born of deep conviction to do good and that includes making restitution if it is possible to do so. There are some crimes and sins for which there is no adequate restitution. In such instances a Christian should make some form of restitution that demonstrates repentance, but at the same time, does not need to feel guilty about the inability to make full restitution.
Restitution is to be a result of an individual’s salvation and is not a requirement for salvation.
If a person has received forgiveness for sins through faith in Jesus Christ, those sins are forgiven whether that person has been able to make restitution for them or not.
Forgiveness
And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses. - Mark 11:25 – 26
There must be unqualified forgiveness toward all others no matter what they have done, how many times they have done it, or whether they continue to offend.
Anyone who has any reservation about forgiving any other person opens a doorway to the enemy. Forgiveness of oneself is also mandatory.
Forgiveness is a choice and not a feeling. Since God requires us to forgive, it is something we are able to do.
God does not expect our feelings and emotional hurts to be healed overnight. He knows and understands our feelings and our hurts.
Forgiveness is agreeing to live with the consequences of another person’s sin. That is what Jesus did for us.
Prayer
Prayer is very important both in the family context and individually. It is important not just because prayer is something a Christian ought to do but because prayer is communication with God. It is not possible to grow spiritually and stay victorious without prayer.
Jesus led by example by praying often and at different times during the day. He prayed even after He rose from the dead. He still continually intercedes in heaven for us today.
Prayer is vital to our spiritual growth. God desires to hear from His children and wants to have daily fellowship with them. Prayer cultivates a deeper love and dependence on Him.
Prayer releases the power of God against the principalities and powers in the atmosphere as well as in the physical realm. A healthy prayer life destroys strongholds that demons may have in the lives and in the hearts of God’s people. Without prayer there can be no freedom from spiritual afflictions.
Praying with the Spirit or in tongues is a powerful and effective defense against the plans and purposes of the enemy.
But he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no-one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. - 1 Corinthians 14: 2
He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself. - 1 Corinthians 14: 4
Praying in tongues enhances one’s prayer life because when Jesus fills a believer with His Spirit, the Holy Spirit prays through that person in line with the perfect will of God for their life.
Prayer is much more than words. It is an expression of the heart towards God. It is not just an activity but a relationship with the Lord.
Fasting
It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat. Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, "A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar" which is En Gedi. And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. - 2 Chronicles 20:1-3;22
Fasting, which is also known as sacrificial prayer, precipitates a showdown with demonic power. Jesus fasted in the wilderness and Satan came at the end of it to test Him. By speaking the Word, Jesus defeated him.
Jesus also taught that certain demons cannot be cast out without prayer and fasting.
The Word
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. - Romans 12:2
The Bible also views man's mind as a battlefield where Satan and his evil spirits contend against the truth and hence against the believer.
Christians need their minds renewed so that they can live a full life and also live a life that will glorify Him in their thinking as well.
Much of the battles we experience are actually not wholly of the devil but are in the mind. The old feelings, ideas, worldly thought patterns, old hurts, bad thinking, etc. remain in us and we need to study God’s Word every day to replace those old thoughts and feelings with new ones as presented in the Word.
As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby. - 2 Peter 2:2
Christians must progress spiritually and grow to maturity.
A child cannot grow physically without proper food. Good parents are concerned about proper nutrition. They want their children to eat what is good and not what is bad for them.
Likewise, Christians cannot grow spiritually without feeding on God's Word.
Church Membership
For a growing Christian, there is no substitute for attending church.
Besides it being something that pleases God, it is necessary for the spiritual wellbeing of God’s children.
Going to church is a visible, tangible expression of a person’s love and worship toward God.
It is where they can gather with other believers to honor Him with service of devotion. Receiving the preaching and teaching of the Word of God increases the believer’s faith and builds them up spiritually.
There is the promise of a special visitation of the Lord's presence whenever two or more gather together in the name of Jesus. The Lord honors a gathering in His name by coming in and releasing a corporate anointing.
Gathering together also provides fellowship with other believers and is also a matter of obeying God's Word.
And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. - Hebrews 10:24-25
The Word also teaches Christians to be in submission to spiritual leaders.
Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. - Hebrews 13:17
God designed this system of accountability for the progress and protection of His flock. This cannot be possible unless God’s people are a part of an organized fellowship which has identified leaders.
Testimony
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. - Revelation 12:11
It is important for Christians to tell others what God has done for them. Through the witness of His children, God can bring light and understanding to sinners. It also releases an overcoming victory for a believer.
It is important to openly declare Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord to others because it establishes the testimony of one’s faith.
Anyone who has a vital personal relationship with Christ can be a witness for Him. Witnessing is the overflow of the Christian life. A vital Christian life is contagious. As the lives of God’s people are filled with the presence of the Lord Jesus, they cannot help but share Him with those with whom they come into contact.
It is the privilege and responsibility of every Christian to reach others in the world with the message of Christ.
Tithing
Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, In what way have we robbed You? In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this, Says the Lord of hosts, If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field, Says the Lord of hosts. - Malachi 3:8-11
It is clear from the above passage of Scripture that spiritual warfare can be waged against the devil by tithing.
God is the owner of this earth and everything in it belongs to Him. God created this planet and everyone on it and even though Satan holds a temporary dominion through sin, the earth still belongs to God.
God is responsible for every means that people have to make a living.
It is extremely fair of God to only require a tenth to be returned to Him. God requires believers to personally return the tithe so that they can demonstrate their stewardship of His property. Stewardship is the faithful and responsible management of something that belongs to someone else.
Tithing is a demonstration that God’s children believe in Him and that they acknowledge that He is the provider of all material blessings. God cannot bless or protect a person who does not tithe.
Poverty, like sin and disease, is the result of the fall of humankind in the Garden of Eden. The ground is divinely cursed which results in famine and disease. Any society without enough good food is eventually destroyed.
God provided His covenant people with a way to overcome this curse just as He has provided His children a covering for sin.
Tithing is the greatest investment of one's material goods that can be made. It is a fundamental Christian principle necessary to finance the work of the Lord on the earth today.
Praise and Worship
And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: "Praise the LORD, For His mercy endures forever." Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. - 2 Chronicles 20:21-22
The manifest presence of God puts the enemy to flight. Nothing gets God's attention quicker than praise and worship. God inhabits the praises of His people. Once His children position themselves in praise and worship, God releases His supernatural power that causes the enemy to be confused and defeated.
Holiness
There must be a complete separation from every association with the occult no matter how casual. This separation includes the destruction of all books and any paraphernalia associated with it.
Believers must also separate themselves from the world and its temptations
Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty.” - 2 Corinthians 6:17-18
Holiness means being set apart from the normal. It also speaks of a purity that allows God to inhabit the temple within each believer.
When a person is saved and filled with the Spirit of God their life belongs to God. In order for the power of God to flow in and through a person, they should walk in a way pleasing to the Lord, which includes living a life of holiness.
Sin which is not addressed or not dealt with forms a barrier between God and His children because sin breaks the fellowship and communication between God and man.
The Word of God is clear. God wants His people to be holy. Everyone who is born again is called to live a life of holiness and separation from the world.
God is the sole source of holiness and only He can produce a holy life.
There is no holiness without Christ and believers cannot produce holiness in their own strength. Only through a daily walk and intimate connection with Christ can a person learn to be holy.
Holiness cannot be imitated but must be actively and obediently sought by doing what Jesus did. Holiness is participation in the very life and character of Jesus.
The secret of living a holy life is not found in fighting against sin or in putting sin off, but is offering oneself to God as a living sacrifice and an instrument of righteousness.
May the Lord bless you as you apply these principles of spiritual growth, blessings, and prosperity.
