Hi Friends,

Hi Friends,

Today I am writing about an important topic.  I received a vision last night while in prayer, and I know that I must write about this.  The topic is bondage. Many people both within and without the church are in bondage. This is not God’s desire for them.  Over 700 years before Jesus came in the flesh, Isaiah wrote about him, the Christ or Messiah, and what was his mission, the reason for his coming.

“He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom.  He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:  ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’  Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’”  Luke 4:16-21

The Lord came “to set the oppressed free” and “to proclaim freedom for the prisoners.”  He wants us to walk in freedom. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”  2 Corinthians 3:17

The Vision

I saw a young female doe (deer) in the ocean, just off shore.  The doe was bound around her muzzle so that she could not open her mouth.  Her two front legs were bound together as well as her two back legs. She was trying to keep her head above the water, but the water was too deep to stand.  Because her mouth was bound shut, she could not get a deep breath. With her legs tied, she could not use them to stay afloat. She would eventually succumb to drowning.  

A minute or two passed, and then I got a vision of a fully cooked large steak.  

What I believe the vision means:

The doe represents people who are in bondage.  The steak, is a means of depicting the outcome of this horrible situation - death.

I have been a vegetarian for almost 32 years, so the idea of a steak does not appeal to me.  However a steak is something others enjoy. The question I had was who benefits from placing the doe in bondage, and expects to enjoy the steak?  Our enemy the devil is the one who benefits from our bondage. and takes pleasure in it.

How does he benefit?   The devil opposes God, and has rebelled against him.  And, since we are the Lord’s treasured possession, the devil would do all he can to destroy us.  Because the Holy Spirit is the restrainer of evil, and the Holy Spirit abides in each believer, this makes us a target for the enemy.  We, as the church, are given authority to bind and to loosen, so we use that authority to bind the demonic powers in the name of Jesus. We use the name of Jesus to pull down strongholds and uproot lies.  We use the powerful name of Jesus to cancel the devil’s assignments, and in the name of Jesus we command the devil to loose those who are under his influence. As we pursue the Lord’s plans for our lives, building the kingdom of God, and praying for the demise of the enemy’s schemes, we are certain to draw fire.

That is the Christian’s life and purpose - to bring glory and honor to our Lord. We exalt the Lord Most High, lifting up the name of Jesus, and we bring down and oppose the work of the devil.

The devil is very much aware that he is a defeated foe, and that his final destination is hell.  It would please him to take as many as people as possible to hell with him. So the devil and his demons work overtime to bring down the church.  He will attempt to cause disunity, dysfunction, anger, resentment, bitterness, and division.

He also uses sickness and disease to stop the church from functioning. He wants to destroy our faith, causing a sense of hopelessness. He will distract some with material possessions and tempt others with sensual pleasures. His goal is to get the church distracted, to become complacent, to engage in secret sin, or become so offended by others in the church that they leave the faith or even rebel against God.

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”  1 Peter 5:8  

What are the conditions that lead to bondage and spiritual death?

It is sin, complacency, rebellion, and turning away from God to do your own thing.  When we sin, whether willfully or unknowingly, we open a door to the devil and demonic influence.  Sin can be found in our actions, and in our thoughts: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.  But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”  Matthew 5:27-28

So sin whether in deed, or thought, opens the door to the devil.  He comes into a non-believer to take possession of his house (his mind, and body).  He comes to the believer oppressing him with enticing, seducing or tormenting thoughts.   He also inflicts a person with pain, sickness, depression, mental illness and disease. There is nothing good with the devil.  “The thief does not come except  to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.”  John 10:10

We see that sin can open the door to the devil, and with him comes disease, and whole lot of trouble.  Even though the Lord is not with us in the flesh, he is with us in his word and in the Holy Spirit, so we can ask him our perplexing questions, like his disciples did:  “His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’”

They wanted to understand if generational sin had opened the door to the devil.  Seldom do people today think of generational sin as having an effect on us. I wrote about this in my post called:  “A Curse to Be Broken.” Generational sin comes to us by way of the Ten Commandments: “...for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”  Deuteronomy 5:8 

“The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in love, and forgiving sin and rebellion.  Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”  Numbers 14:18

This generational sin can open doors to the enemy.  The curse that comes from these family sins can be broken by repenting for these sins, and seeking God for restoration.  

Yet at other times, our trials, and difficulties, are for teaching us the Lord’s ways.  Through hardship, we draw close to him. Through these trials, our faith and our trust in God will be tested.  And still God may use these situations to strengthen our resolve to resist the devil, and over come sin. In this example of the man born blind, Jesus wanted his disciples and all, to see that God had a higher purpose: to show the glory of God revealed in his son, and in the healed man.

“‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.’”   John 9:2-3

Jesus healed the blind man, demonstrating his power to his disciples, and teaching them that the blindness existed solely for the purpose of the miracle.  Signs, wonders and miracles build faith in those who witness them first hand, and in others that later hear of them. Jesus showed his power over the laws of nature, proving to his disciples, that he had genuine authority and that his teaching was true.

He gave that same power and authority to his followers:  “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.  Freely you have received, freely give.”  Matthew 10:8 

And He gives us that same power and authority as believers:  “And these signs will accompany those who believe:  In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all;  they will place their hands on the sick and they will recover.”  Mark 16:18

There is an aspect about bondage and deliverance that amazes me about people.   I appreciate deliverance having gone through it myself. But I am so amazed at how many people seem to seek inner healing and deliverance but do not really want to be free.  They may come to prayer asking for healing and/or deliverance, complaining of their ailments, and their mistreatment by others, then after receiving prayer - pick up those same problems and go on their way, as if no change was expected or intended.

Some of you may say, “That cannot be!  How would someone not want to be healed?  How would someone not want to be free?”

Well, I have seen it over and over again.  Some people enjoy the attention they receive when they share about their problem.  Some identify with their problem, so much so, that they cannot relate to people without speaking of their problem. 

This is an example:  

There was a man from Alabama, who met a Christian woman on the internet.  She took pity on him and encouraged him to visit her church and get set free.  He traveled to New Jersey and showed up on a Sunday morning, carrying a large stuffed rabbit.  He held it close to his chest as a child would, but looking rather ridiculous being a man of over forty.  The pastoral counselor brought him into our small prayer group on a Tuesday night. There were only three of us, so we told him that we would be happy to pray with him.   We found that his man claimed to have been raised in an abusive home. His mother and brother were constantly treating him with contempt and much verbal abuse.  

We told the man that it was imperative that he forgive his mother and brother, if he wanted to be free himself.  Forgiveness is often what is needed to set people free. We shared this important passage of scripture with him: “But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”  Matthew 6:15 

We told him that he was sinning by refusing to forgive them.   We saw his countenance change when he heard and understood the scripture.   He also realized that he was getting no sympathy from us, but instead we were offering something better: the opportunity to get right with God, and receive real freedom.   He prayed with us, and acknowledged his bitterness and resentment toward his mother and brother. He forgave them, and asked God to forgive himself for his sins.  

Afterward, we worshiped and praised God.  The man put the stuffed bunny down, and raised his hands in praise to God.  We sang and danced before the Lord, but when it was time to go, he went to the rabbit and picked it up again.   I told him, “Don’t carry it anymore. Don’t pick up the offense again. You need to continue to forgive and walk in love.”  He couldn’t or wouldn’t part with it. He chose bondage over the Lord and freedom.

Why?  What did he need the bunny for?  Why was the bunny still important to him?  There are several reasons that I see at play.  First, the bunny represents who he thinks he is.  Everywhere he has gone, he has told his story, and carried the bunny.  It is his identity. Who is he, if not the poor little boy who was victimized by his mother and brother?  He could not see himself as a free man of over forty years. Emotionally, he was still not free.

The truth is - he enjoyed the attention that the bunny brought him.  He enjoyed the compassion and kindness of those who would meet him, and try to help him.   He was choosing to play the role of victim for an ever changing audience. What attention would an ordinary man receive?  He would then be responsible for his actions, and could no longer blame others. He would have to support himself, and not receive income for his disability.   There was much for him to lose, should he be deemed of sound mind.

I also believe that he picked up the bunny, “just in case.”   The familiar spirit does not want to let go without a fight. He probably hung around, waiting to remind him of all the reasons I had just mentioned. 

I know that after I was delivered, it was only about two plus hours later, that the demon spoke to me saying, “You’ve got to invite me back!”   Thank the Lord that when I cried out to him with the words, “Lord send your Holy Spirit!” That the demon immediately left and I received the gift of speaking in tongues!  Hallelujah! 

Another example:

A relative of mine, had for the last several years been practicing what I call “hocus pocus medicine.”  He had opened the door to a demonic entity, with whom he had become quite familiar. He described the spirit as a woman, playful, coy, seductive and even humorous.  He told me that they joked with one another.  

One day, a couple of years ago, he heard the voice change from a playful woman to a demanding man who wanted him to die.  That same day, my relative tried to commit suicide, but by the grace of God he survived.   

I went to stay with him for ten days, praying much of the time.  And arranging for him to meet with a deliverance team. Then shortly later, I returned again to stay with him another six days.  He seemed to be doing okay. But soon after I left, the demon tempted him with the easy money he could make practicing “medicine” which was actually divination.

He found that his professional career was far too demanding, and he disliked the commitment of a 9-5 job.   The familiar spirit enticed him to go back to working with the same people doing the same thing that had opened the door.  Needless to say, his situation is now worse than it was before.  

Jesus warned us of the possibility:  “When an impure  spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order.  Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in a live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.”  Luke 11:24-26  

While I was with him, he prayed for forgiveness and salvation, healing and deliverance.  He has now been through deliverance twice, after very serious events. When his situation was acute, he wanted his freedom, but as time would go by, he would return to his former alliances.   “As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.”  Proverbs 26:11 

In order to have real lasting freedom, he needs to commit his entire life to the Lord.  He must come to the point where his desire to be free, and his willingness to submit to God is greater than his desire to go his own way, and do his own thing.   

The last time we spoke, he told me there were forty demons.  I bound them in the name of Jesus, and he became calm, or “normal.”   Then I called the pastor from Kenya who had met with him before. What he said, only confirmed what I believed.  He said that in his experience, the person must prove his desire to be delivered by going on his website, and filling out the questionnaire he called “Do I have a demon?”  And filling out an application for deliverance which included a personal history. He said that until he is willing to do these two things, he is not ready and will not be able to hold his deliverance.

I gave these instructions to my relative, and told him precisely what he was to do, to receive real help.  Yet I know that he has not taken even one step towards this goal. I wish to do things the Lord’s way, so I have stepped aside, to allow him time, to do the right thing.  He must choose God over money.

What is God’s directive in situations where people choose a sinful lifestyle rather than following his ways?

“A man has  his father’s wife.  And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this?.....hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord…..But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler.  With such a an do not even eat.”  1 Corinthians 5:1, 2,5,11

The Lord gives further instruction: “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near.  Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right;  and let him who is holy continue to be holy.”  Revelations 22:10-11  

 God expects us to make every attempt to help someone to be reconciled to God, for in this we please him by being peacemakers.  “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called sons of God.”  Matthew 5:9  But when we do all that is possible to help them, and they still refuse to submit to God, then we must let them go.

In a similar situation, with a  woman friend who refused to accept the Lord’s salvation, God spoke to me, through the parable of the fruitless tree.  He told me to give her another year. At the end of that time he spoke to me saying, “I must increase and you must decrease.” 

So I ended our friendship, reminding her that she needed the Lord, and where she should go for help.  Two and a half years later she was saved. She no longer came to church to see me. She came to church to meet with God!  She was truly changed, born again, and filled with the Holy Spirit! Hallelujah! When we do things God’s way, he will bless our efforts and things workout. We are told, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will direct your paths.”  Proverbs 3:6 

I am hoping the  same for my relative.  He is in the Lord’s hands.  “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.”   Isaiah 59:1

For those you know that need healing and deliverance, and want - truly want deliverance, we need to fast and to pray for them.  The Lord will give us wisdom and lead us in helping these people receive their deliverance. God is faithful - he will deliver!

One last thing to mention - when you pray for healing and it doesn’t happen right away, the Lord maybe allowing it to continue so that you, or the one for whom you are praying develops perseverance and the ability to take authority over the sickness, disease, or condition.  Do not give up but learn to fight in the Spirit, bind and loosen in the name of Jesus. Cancel the assignments of the wicked one, and speak out and declare the things that are not, as though they were. Learn to plead the blood over yourself and others.

And “Never, Never, Never Give Up!”  (a former post you may want to read.)