Deliverance

Hi Friends,

I was praying this morning regarding a difficult situation for a friend of mine.  I was asking God to show me what we needed to do to help her.  The path that she was on was one we have walked down several times now.  It seems to be a hopeless journey, only to arrive once again at the same place in the road.  I asked the Lord, surely, this is not what you intend for her life.  How can we take a new path that will lead her to freedom?

I began praying in earnest for her and God showed me a seven part vision.  

The Vision:

First, I saw a typical merchandise page on Amazon.  What was being featured was a bloodhound.  He started moving on the white page, no longer a 2D image. The dog sniffed around a bit, and then turned his back towards me.  He seemed to be following a scent, that took him out of view and off the page.

Then I saw a large snow plow, trying to clear what must have been a heavy snowfall, at a gas station.  The snow was still falling and the wind was blowing.  A man in the foreground was supervising the snow removal.

Next, I saw a pair of white workout shorts being folded.

Then I saw a white path, in front of me. The path formed a continuous circuit, going round and round.  I was reminded of cleaning a fish tank, by turning the tank a quarter turn to clean each of its sides.  The path's turns seemed to follow in the same repetitive manner.

Then I saw a circular band of sheer white fabric.  It was perhaps twenty feet in circumference and four feet in width.  I placed part of it over my shoulders, like a shawl,  As I begin to kneel and pray, the fabric lifted up off my shoulders and begins to float around me.  The fabric moved in a circular motion, in a very irregular path, like an ameba whose cell membrane is fluid.   As the fabric encircled me, it constantly changed directions, at times resembling a gyroscopic motion.

Next I found myself standing behind someone, placing my hands on the his shoulders.  The person was wearing a hooded jacket, so I couldn’t see the face.  Everything surrounding us was white.  Then suddenly an opening in the space before us appeared.  The person in front of me fell forward onto his knees, as in prayer.  The floor onto which he fell was that of an elevator.

Then in the last piece of the vision, I saw a row of men kneeling.  They were wearing metal helmets with wide flat brims.  They wore two straps of bullets criss-crossing their chests.  They were in a pure white space .  One of the men looked at me, while another tipped his helmet. There were no words exchanged.

The Meaning of the Vision

 We have been praying for deliverance for this friend for many years now.  We have done all that we believed was possible to set her free.  Breaking generational curses and soul ties, breaking word curses spoken over her or made by her, exposing and acknowledging lies, dealing with offense and unforgiveness, etc.  We have felt that we covered all the bases, yet we find ourselves chasing our tails.  We are at the cross road once again, with the cycle beginning to repeat.  The question that I asked the Lord, was, how do we deal with this?  What do we do differently that will bring about a positive and lasting outcome?  Surely, this is not the life that you intend for her to live.

We knew that the Lord instructed the disciples that "This one comes out only with prayer and fasting."   So three of us began praying and fasting.  God is faithful, the answer is in the vision:

1.  Amazon Website and the Bloodhound

The first part of the vision shows a page on the Amazon website.  Amazon is of course the preferred shopping website, where you can buy almost anything.  I believe that Amazon, represents, God’s resources and his provision.  

The bloodhound, is the dog known for having the ability to track down people, or find things that an ordinary dog would not be able to locate.  I was asking God for help in finding a solution to a spiritual problem.  God chose to use the bloodhound to direct me to “Follow the scent,”  or in spiritual terms, “Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.”  

2.  The Snow Plow and the Gas Station

The snow plow was plowing the gas station out of the deep snow.  It was uncovering what was hidden beneath.  When we pray, we ask God, that whatever is hidden in darkness, be brought to the light.  "For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open."  Mark 4:22  The snow was white, the background on the Amazon page was white.  And without exception, everything in each of the seven parts of the vision appears to be white.  The white represents things unseen, things that are spiritual not physical.  

The gas station is a place to fill up on fuel to power a car.  In the vision the gas station represents the Holy Spirit, the power within the believer.  My friend should be able to access the fuel, or power to overcome sin and the enemy. "For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, 'I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.'"  2 Corinthians 6:16  However because of the deep snow, she has not been able to access this power. 

The snow I believe represents the supernatural influence of the wicked one.  His influence and control have kept her in bondage and hindered the power of the Holy Spirit by which she could be delivered. The snow is the sum total of lies, deception, and false beliefs that she has embraced as truth.  The snow can also be the entanglements she has with co-dependent relationships and spiritual ties that need to be broken.

The snow plow represents our prayers that carry authority.  We pray God's perfect will when we pray in the Spirit, and when we are fully submitted and obedient to him.  Our prayers are powerful and effective when we are in agreement with the Holy Spirit. 

The person supervising the snow plow is the Holy Spirit.  As he directs our prayers, his authority over darkness is made manifest.  I know that my friend will receive her deliverance when the snow is removed and she chooses to live for God.  When she is able to see who she is in Christ, and to use her authority as a child of God, to resist the wicked one, then she will be able to walk in freedom.

3.  The White Workout Shorts

In the vision, the white workout shorts were being folded.  This shows two things.  First the action, of folding demonstrates the desire for order, and conformity.  She has been living under the influence of one who would like to control her.  He does this by demanding order and unnatural focus on objects and possessions.  She in turn, demands of those in her household, to conform to her objectives.  Her desire is to control her environment, and to maintain order, dictating to everyone her demands.  

Secondly, the folded shorts represent the desire for no change.  She is directed to not change, but to conform to the one who directs her.  The act of folding is an act of completing - an act of finalizing.  The one who directs her does not want anything to change, to be reopened, or moved.  It sends out the message loud and clear, "Don’t mess with me!"

4.  The White Path

The white path was like a circuit, never ending.  In the past, we have attempted to set her free on several different occasions with a variety of people who have prayed with us.  However, we eventually return to the same spot.  There have been short-lived, small successes, but never has there been a total break away with complete freedom.  "If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning." 2 Peter 2:20 

5.  The Twenty-foot Circular Fabric Band

The answer we have been looking for I believe is prayer.  The large twenty foot long, circular fabric band I believe represents three things:  

          1.  I placed a part of the fabric on my shoulders. The fabric became  a prayer mantle. The mantle represents power and authority that one receives through intimacy in prayer and obedience to God’s command.  

          2.  When I knelt down to pray, the fabric became a shelter, or covering that surrounded me.  I believe this is God’s protection.

          3.  The fabric also represents the indwelling Holy Spirit.   "For in him we live and move and have our being."  Acts 17:28

When we pray, we gain insight into God’s will, his plans, his thoughts, and his ways.  The Holy Spirit is the revealer of all truth, the comforter, the healer, the counselor, and the guide.  So through prayer, God moves mountains.  And the solution to freedom for my friend will come with prayer.

6.  The Laying on of Hands and the Elevator

The Holy Spirit is imparted by the “laying on of hands.”  In the vision, I placed my hands on someone’s shoulders, and an opening appeared.  The person dropped to his knees and found himself in an elevator.  It is through the Holy Spirit, that we receive power, power to witness, and power to overcome the enemy and sin.  The elevator represents going higher with the Lord.

I believe that the person in the vision is my friend who needs freedom.  By this vision, God is directing us to pray, and lay hands on her, to receives the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

In the vision, the opening came when I laid my hands upon her. Once the opening was there, she fell forward to kneel. This is an act of submission to God, and his lordship over our lives. Through submission to the Lord, our hearts become tender to him. Our desire to know him increases. I believe that this is the key to her deliverance.  Her desire for the Lord, to live for him alone, and to be free from oppression and sin, has to be of utmost importance to her.  The Baptism comes to those who truly want to dedicate themselves to the Lord.

Secondly she has to be willing to give up the relationship she has made with this very familiar, controlling spirit. She has grown so accustomed to it, that she does not resist it, but she has allowed it to direct her actions and form her thoughts and attitudes regarding those around her.   And as long as she agrees with him and does what this controlling spirit wants her to do, she will remain in bondage.  

I believe freedom will only come to her when she wants the Lord more than the companionship of the familiar spirit.  Freedom will come when she chooses to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and to live her life for the Lord, rather than to live her life to please herself or the sinful nature, by trying to control others and her environment.  Someone said once, "God will deliver you from your enemies, but never your friends."  If we have made a relationship with one of God's enemies, (the devil or his demons), then we have engaged in idolatry.  We have placed someone or something ahead of God.   

Fear may also be a factor.  Do we fear God, or do we fear the oppressor?  The one we fear is the one we serve.  Regardless, we have to choose.  "But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.  But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."  Joshua 24:15 

There is a deliberate choice that needs to be made.   "No one can serve two masters.  Either you will  hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other."  Matthew 6:24  Complete freedom in deliverance comes when we make the right choice, and when both of these aspects are fulfilled:

          1.  Resisting the devil and saying no to sin.

          2.  Seeking God and his righteousness and being filled with the Holy Spirit.

7.  The Soldiers

The last part of the vision is the scene of soldiers.  The Lord will dispatch his soldiers, when he hears the call for help.  When we need healing, he brings healing, when we need favor, he gives us favor.  And when we need deliverance, he provides deliverance.  There is a continual battle in the heavenlies for souls.  The angels in the vision, were preparing themselves for battle.  They were on their knees, they had their helmets on and were battle ready.  The bullet straps across their chests, meant that they were prepared to win this battle.   God will dispatch his angels when we cry out to him for help.  They were equipped by God with armor, their defensive equipment and bullets, their offensive equipment.  But they also prepared themselves by kneeling in prayer.  This is the act of submission, as I had previously mentioned.  But for those who are submitted, it is a place of strength.  "For when I am weak then I am strong."  2 Corinthians 12:10

"Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army.  for the battle is not yours, but God's."  2 Chronicles 20:15

Summary

I have spent much time in prayer over this situation.  I feel confident, that I understand what is needed for her deliverance now.  Prayer is the key - We pray that God will change her heart, that she will seek him above all else.  We pray that she will renounce the lies she has believed. We pray that she will not feel justified in her actions, towards others, but will regard them as sin.  We pray that she will understand that to stay in agreement with the demonic spirit is to choose to live in sin and bondage.  We pray that she will choose the Lord over the familiar spirit.  We pray that she will receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, and that she will give herself fully to the Lord in every aspect of her life. 

And we all said,  "Amen!"