DELIVERANCE FROM SIN
What is sin?
Sin is a transgression of the law. When a man breaks the law, that man is said to have committed a sin. There are several factors that could be responsible for this but more prominent amongst these reasons is ignorance. Incidentally, ignorance is never accepted as an excuse for breaking the law. No sinner is justified on the basis of ‘I did not know’.
WHY DO PEOPLE SIN?
There are many factors that could lead to people transgressing against the laws of God like I have said in the paragraph above. We shall now take a look at some of them.
1. IGNORANCE
Ignorance simply means that one does not know a thing that is existing.
Ignorance comes through the lack of study. The Bible, just like the constitution of any nation is very much available, but not many people read through it. Some people are struck to particular portions of the scripture, probably because it promises them one thing or the other. To have total victory over sin, one must know in totality the word of God.
Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
When God rejects a man it follows that his edge of protection is removed from around his life. It becomes imminent that the devil takes over the control of such life. Looking at the above scriptures, one can also say that knowledge is always there, but the task of grabbing it is man’s.
The first sin recorded in the history of man came as a result of lack of knowledge. The devil came and played on the intelligence of man and unfortunately, man fell since he did not have enough evidence to refuse the tempting of the devil.
Genesis 3:1
Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
The devil would always come in crafty ways to test your knowledge of the word of God, and once he finds your root in the word shaking, he comes with full force to uproot you from the family of God through sin.
Even though Eve gave him an answer, the answer was not substantial enough to keep the devil out of the way. Now see what followed:
Genesis 3:3-5
But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. [4] And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: [5] For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
One of the ways the devil keeps people under perpetual bondage is to keep them too busy from studying the word of God. He knows that, the word of God, when known and confessed would bring liberty to man.
It takes a personal experience with the Truth and a commitment to walking in the light of it for your liberty or deliverance to be truly an enduring one. When you are not properly informed, you can easily become a victim of a relapsing demonic attack.
The consciousness of one’s identity in Christ releases tremendous power and confidence. If a man wants to enjoy consistent victory over the devil and his cohorts, such a man must understand his person and position in Christ. Lack of this understanding is what puts many believers in bondage.
2. BAD COMPANY
1 Cor. 15:33
Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
The company one keeps could place one in bondage or liberty. When you keep company with sinners, before long, you begin to behave like them. Remember Lot. He only pitched his tent towards Sodom at the initial time, but not too long, he had a house in Sodom. When you live so close to people that commit sin, it would not take long for you to start sinning too.
There was a time that Abraham went and fought in a war to deliver lot out of Sodom. But not too long after that, Lot found his way back to Sodom. Why? He could not do without his friends.
Genesis 14:12
And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
Genesis 19:7
And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
Look at the verse above again. Was Lot really calling the Sodomites brethren? Yes. They have now become the same. Never keep company with sinners, else you continue in a cycle of deliverance.
Proverbs 13:20
He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.
2 Cor. 6:14
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
God have said it, and you cannot be more reasonable than God. Stay clear of unbelievers lest you learn of their ways.
3. GREED
One other thing that could keep one bound is greed. A man that loves to possess everything his heart desires would keep falling into sin. One should learn to be satisfied with whatever God has given him. No glutton can stay without sin.
The reason many people would stretch their hands to grab what does not belong to them is greed. Consider a man like Solomon, with all his wisdom, he had a problem with greed, in fact, the bible attested to that:
1 Kings 11:1
But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;
What is the consequence of this?
1 Kings 11:3-9
And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. [4] For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. [5] For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. [6] And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father. [7] Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. [8] And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods. [9] And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice,
Bad company drags one into sin.
You must counsel people that have just been delivered from one bondage or the other to stay clear of bad friends and associations. And if you are the one that has just been delivered from one affliction or the other, stay clear of bad friends.
4. LUSTFUL DESIRES
The manufacturing plant of sin is the mind. The thoughts of a man can either set him free or ensnare him. Our thoughts are so crucial that God admonished us to guard it very well:
Proverbs 4:23
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Whatever a man thinks in his heart becomes the controlling force for his actions. A man that has lost the battle over the control of his thought would always do things according to the dictates of his mind. And do you know what the bible says about the heart of man?
Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
One would need to bridle his heart to have it think positive because it is naturally defaulted to think evil. Placing checks on what one thinks helps him to stay clear the coast of sins.
The bible admonishes us on what to think on:
Philip. 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Whenever you desire anything, put it through this litmus test. Ask these questions before going for that desire:
Is this desire honest?
Is it a pure desire?
Is it lovely?
Is it of good report?
Would it bring the praise of God and of man?
If the desire fails any one of these tests, then it is not worth going after.
Desire, lustful desires would break the edge of God’s protection and expose one to captivity. Run from it.
5. WRONG FEED
By wrong feed, I mean the things that go into your mind. These comprises of the things you watch, hear, read, handle etc. In short, what you do with your sense organs can either liberate you or put you into bondage.
Most of the worldly or what I call contemporary films/movies contains scenes that pollute the mind and prompt the body to commit sins. You must be mindful of the movies you watch if you want to sustain your deliverance. I have heard the case of a sister that became a slave to sexual sins just because she watched the wrong kind of movies and in the process got possessed by demons of sexual immorality.
Consider also that so many of the music in the market these days promote sins. They teach people how to be profane. You cannot be hearing such music and expect it not to have negative impact on you.
Mark 4:24
And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear:
Our magazines too are not helping matters. So many of them promote nudity and sex. How can a person be reading such and would not be a slave to sin? Be mindful of the magazines you read.
In essence, what I am saying is this: If you must sustain your deliverance, keep away from things that will give your heart the wrong data to process.
