Travis,
You did hit on the very truth when it comes to deliverance. People MUST want to be delivered and crucify their flesh. If one is not truly broken and contrite over their sin with a Godly sorrow, repentance will not be granted.
I would like to share my experiences in finally being set free in a number of areas of my life. First off I am not a big fan of deliverance ministries/ministers and here is why.
After being saved I went to many meetings where a deliverance/healing ministry would take place and saw many things over my first 9 years as a Christian. I saw people falling on the ground, slain by a spirit (with a small s), tears, crying, screaming, etc.. Much fan fare at the very least. The problem was I never saw anything, within my reach of course, of any lasting fruit. For the most part I saw people, family, friends, and MYSELF going back to the vomit.
After 9 years of struggling and toiling in my flesh as a Christian I get filled with the Holy Spirit. Now getting victory over my flesh is much different. I am seeing the word of God in a more powerful way and having the indwelling Spirit within me changed things up for me a great deal.
Before the Baptism, I was running after God, crying out to Him, yet falling and caving into my flesh over and over. I was desperate, miserable, and truly sincere in wanting to be set free. Many around me in church were having the same struggles and disappointments. We would cave into various temptations and come together and confess them to one another and some how that made things better for a while, the problem was it never lasted.
A worldly sorrow was present but it did not lead to the gift of repentance. Fast forward.
Once I was filled with the Holy Spirit some of my struggles just stopped I believe by being exposed to the TRUTH in a very meaningful way. I believe there are 4 ways people get delivered/set free and this first part that took place in me I would call Truth Deliverance.
John 8:31-32 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; (32) And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
As Brother David Keel shared in his experience, I believe a second form of deliverance is Resistance Deliverance. As we resist the devil and temptation we undoubtedly will see another level of deliverance because it is a promise and God does not lie. As we humble ourselves and look to God satan will go, and God will give us the victory.
James 4:6-10 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. (7) Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (8) Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. (9) Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. (10) Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
A third method of deliverance would be Praise Deliverance. As we praise and worship God from a pure heart this to will set demons to flight.
1 Samuel 16:16,23 Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.(23) And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
Finally and most importantly is Faith Deliverance which the above 3 methods would also encompass. It is not how loud one yells at the devil, and I have seen a lot of that, but rather believing in our position and authority in Christ by faith. Luke 10:17-19, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:17-20
By Gods amazing grace I had the opportunity to sit in a very small home fellowship and receive teaching and instruction and I believe this to be very key in one truly seeking and desiring to be set free.
The man who taught us for several years used to travel 3 hours each way for nearly 7 years to teach a handful of sincere believers. When he began to teach on deliverance we all began to see a need in our own lives for further deliverance in our own lives.
Mind you we had already experienced a great level of deliverance through Truth, Resistance, and Praise over many months. However when we went to this man and asked him to help us in various areas of our lives he refused to take us through deliverance and encouraged us to submit to the teaching prayerfully.
Finally it came the time to address our request about his assistance in receiving further deliverance. His answer was that he felt if we would submit to the teaching and apply it by faith we would each take our own selves through deliverance and his reasoning was that we had the same authority he had and the reality was we needed to be sincere realizing that if we commanded spirits to leave we had better be ready to maintain that deliverance through obedience to Gods word lest we end up 7 times worse.
We all took the teaching and advise and took ourselves through deliverance. Like this dear brother in the Lord taught us we teach others likewise. Like him, I have had not a few sincere Christians ask for help in casting out demons and I first start with where they are it with the Holy Spirit, secondly I share the word regarding deliverance and being set free, and then tell them to make sure they are ready to submit and obey in order to remain free and not return to fulfilling the lust of the flesh.
I have had the privilege of seeing many take themselves through deliverance and have assisted a few only as a prayerful bystander sharing only things the Holy Spirit might reveal in order for these precious souls complete their own deliverance.
Again from my own experience, my deliverance started with confession and repentance and basically going through my life, sins, and experiences closing open doors I opened by an act of my own will and then I would confess, renounce, and put the acts of disobedience under the blood of Jesus by faith.
Areas the Lord would have me clean up in my life were my involvement in ungodly demonic music (Rock & Roll), organized religion especially my heritage (my parents are Italian, I love the food and my family, but there are strong spirits of idolatry and pride you would not believe, both parents were saved PTL and with Jesus today)and my involvement in the catholic church, the medical industry, religious images (statues,crosses, pictures of Jesus?), Christmas, Easter, Politics, etc..
The list is way to long and specific, because the above subheadings would have very long lists underneath each that I would have to renounce as the Holy Spirit would reveal them to me. I always had a paper and pen and would jot down each thing the HS brought to mind. A particularly long list that I could not possibly have known about were generational curses over my family, that one in particular took a while.
Please do not be offended about my statement about deliverance ministries/ministers. I trust and hope there are sincere men out there who have a heart to see people set free, but I just don't see how those who may travel from town to town doing these meetings in a few hours and not really know anything about the people. Making a disciple like Jesus did, takes time, teaching, and building a bond and relationship with others.
Great topic though Travis, I appreciate your and Davids input. God is faithful.
_________________ David Fella
|