One of the amazing blessings of being saved and walking with God is the Lord’s power and desire to deliver us from sin and bondage. The scripture shows us that God’s deliverance extends to all forms of spiritual, relational, physical, and even geographical bondages.
Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the Lord his God,
Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that is in them;
Who keeps truth forever,
Who executes justice for the oppressed,
Who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners. Psalm 146:5-7
The Lord is our deliverer and He is our hope! Praise God for sending Jesus who came to set the captives free from the shackles of sin and of the enemy. The above passage was a prophetic declaration about God giving freedom to prisoners, which came into full fruition in the New Testament era. In the Gospels and the book of Acts, we see that God literally freed disciples from prison, but He also freed people from demonic oppression and spiritual imprisonment.
Many people feel stuck in life, and they don’t see a way out of their situation. Some struggle with addictions, others with emotional and mental instability, and some with unhealthy and ungodly relationships. Sadly, some Christians have those struggles and don’t know how to experience the freedom that Christ died to buy for them. The word of God shows us that there is hope!
Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.
When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.”
For He said to him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” Mark 5:1-8
A man with unclean spirit had been isolated and sent off to live around the tombs. While the man was alive physically, he was a dead man at many levels. He cut himself and was out of control. He had become an outcast and was sent away from his home. In his state of torment, he had no job or relationships to connect him to humanity. He had no one to love him and accept him. He had no support system, so the only safe place for him was to live around tombs and to stay away from those who felt threatened by him.
The only one who was not intimidated by this man was Jesus. This man had tormented others by his out of control behavior, but now he was telling Jesus not to torment him. The beauty of encountering Jesus is that He brings peace to those who are thirsty and hungry for truth, and, at the same time, He is powerful in His authority to drive out demons who oppress people.
Dr. Neil Anderson, the author of Victory Over the Darkness, teaches that spiritual issues are foundational to the wellbeing of individuals, and they should be addressed first in order to deal with root issues that causes other problems.
Jesus is our hope of deliverance, and that was part of Jesus’ assignment on the earth to set the captives free. Deliverance is our portion and inheritance. Many claim that Jesus has set them free, but they do not fully experience the freedom that Jesus died to give them. We don’t have to become weird to seek freedom, but we should believe the word of God and seek the freedom Jesus offered people when He ministered to them.
If you have never experienced this kind of freedom, I encourage you to read the scriptures about people being set free. If your church offers help in this area, please take advantage of it. The book, Victory Over the Darkness, is a very helpful resource where you can begin the journey of deliverance. I found this book very beneficial to me personally, and it opened my eyes to a reality far greater than the natural world and our understanding of it. If you have any questions about this important issue feel free to send me your questions.
One act of deliverance changed the life of the man from Gadarenes, which in turn had a big impact in his community (See Mark 5:8-20 for the remainder of the story). This man’s deliverance was a spiritual, relational, physical, and a geographical deliverance. When Jesus drove out the unclean spirits, this man was ready to leave the tombs and follow Jesus. Instead, Jesus sent him to go back to his family and friends. He had gained a new lease on life by being freed from the torment of demons that had the power to kill thousands of swines. Now he had the opportunity to go home and to rebuild his relationships with those he loved. He was no longer under the torment of those unclean spirits driving him insane. He began living again because Jesus made him whole. Praise God!
Are you are struggling with issues that don’t seem to get better? Are you in need of finding the true freedom that Jesus died to give you? Please start by searching the scriptures on this topic and asking the Lord to connect you with Godly counsel that can coach you through it.
Image by StarGladeVintage from Pixabay