The Power to Deliver
Hi Everyone,
God is good! He is faithful! He is still healing people, and delivering them from the wicked one. He is a mighty God and we are so thankful for all the things he does each and everyday! Thank you Jesus! And thank you that the blood you shed on the cross that is still able to save, heal and deliver! Your blood has purchased our salvation and we have eternal life because of your sacrificial death on the cross! What peace it is to know that we can have a wonderful relationship with you Jesus, right now, everyday, and when we pass from this life, we continue with you for all eternity! Just the thought overwhelms us!
I have a vision to share with you today.
The Vision - The Plastic Bowl
In this vision, I saw a clear plastic bowl that suddenly exploded. After the shock, I was surprised that the bowl was not destroyed but fell to the floor, fully intact. It landed in the inverted position. There was no lid in sight and the contents were completely gone. There was nothing at all left in the bowl.
As I prayed about this vision to understand its meaning, I believe that the explosion and the disappearance of the contents speaks of deliverance. The bowl represents a person who has been filled with the things of the world and suffered from the traumatic events of his life. He has believed lies about himself and others.
Inner Healing and Deliverance
Inner healing and deliverance are so important and necessary for a person to be free of the things in the past, and the demonic influences that continue to plague him. There is no lack of sin in the world, and we all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. But we do not have to live a life that is full of lies, shame, guilt and condemnation. We do not have to live with the dark clouds that bring depression and self loathing. We do not have to be critical of ourselves and the world, full of bitterness and resentment. God is love, and his plans for our lives are so much better than we can imagine.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
Inner healing and deliverance both begin at the place in our lives where we become born again and filled with the Spirit of God. This begins our life of freedom with Christ. In order to come to Christ we have to repent, which means to change our minds. We change our minds regarding sin and come out of agreement with the world as to what is important. We need to see with new eyes and recognize that the ways of the world and its values are entirely contrary to God’s ways.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9
We need to examine our lives and the recurring problems and things that trip us up. Are our problems a result of our own willfulness and sinful behavior? Are our passions and desires that drive us, cause us to sin or is there a demonic presence working behind the scenes in our thoughts? It is most likely both. Freedom comes with a willingness to surrender it all to the Lord. We have to declare that Jesus is Lord and we are not. Jesus is Lord and the devil and his demons are not. We have to take our negative and enticing thoughts captive. The Lord wants us to overcome, so we must monitor what we allow ourselves to see, to hear, to do and to experience. We ask the Holy Spirit to lead us away from harmful thoughts and to help us stay on the path that leads to life.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Proverbs 14:12
When Jesus is truly Lord of our lives, it means that He is the boss. But to be able to distinguish the voice of the Lord and voice of the enemy, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit and believe that Jesus is God. We must believe and declare that nothing in all creation is more important than Jesus, our Lord and Savior. We bow our knees and give him our allegiance.
But sometimes professing believers are unable to distinguish the voice in their heads, from their own thoughts. They cannot distinguish the voice of the Holy Spirit from a condemning spirit.
“And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” 2 Corinthians 11:14
Satan and his demons enjoy tormenting us with accusations and thoughts of condemnation. We may think that we have sinned and so continue to repent, but the devil continues with his accusations so as to weaken our faith. But we overcome him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony!
“And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.’” Revelation 12:10
Until we take authority over the devil, he will continue with his schemes. He suggests, he tempts, and when we take the bait, he accuses us before the Father. He fills our thoughts with remorse, shame, guilt and condemnation. We pray for forgiveness, but if we cannot hear the Lord or are insensitive to the Holy Spirit, we cannot receive the knowledge of Lord’s forgiveness. His comfort remains at a distance to us and we continue to hold ourselves in contempt, feeling despair and utter hopelessness.
However, if we are born again, and know the word of God for ourselves and understand God’s heart, we can see the enemy’s tricks and become aware of his temptations and his plans to undermine our faith. We see it and take authority over the lies and the condemnation that the enemy brings to torment our minds, and bring grief to our hearts. Therefore:
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5
When we are aware of what the enemy is doing in our minds, we take the thoughts captive and send them back to hell from which they came! We have to bind up the demonic powers that are working in our minds to cause turmoil and upset. The enemy enjoys keeping us tied up in knots, and emotionally spent. He wants us to become depressed and anxious. Fear is another tactic that he uses to paralyze us. He wants us to feel inadequate, and helpless, so that we remain stuck. Everyday is the same. We cannot step out in faith and be used by the Lord if we are so bound up in fear that we stay in your pews, stay at home, or stay in a job that we do not like, and do nothing, but sigh: “I wish that I could…Oh, well…”
God does not want us to live in a place called shame or guilt. He does not want us to remain in a place of isolation, loneliness, or sadness. He wants us to know that we can be free. But freedom comes with a price. We have to let go of pride. We have to let go of “I am right and he is wrong.” We have to let go of self-pity– “They hate me! They are always leaving me out, and mistreating me. They can never say a good word about me…I don’t deserve this…”
We have to forgive others and forgive ourselves. We have to trust the word of God:
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us. 1 John 1:8-10
Unforgiveness is a very common stronghold. It is the sin that keeps the door open to the devil and his demons. This sin begins with a hurt, and a stubborn heart. Someone has offended us, and we think that we are right and they are wrong. We hold the offense and think about the offense. We decide that they need to apologize. But they don’t. So we now are angry with them for they have broken our trust, trampled on our feelings and refuse to apologize. Now the hurt turns into resentment.
Later the same person offends us again, or a similar situation arises, and we are hurt and offended once more. We decide to pull back and avoid them. They begin to resent us and we them. After a while, the resentment turns into bitterness. Now the offense has opened the door to stronger feelings of hatred. This is when every relationship and every event has the potential to turn sour, for we become predisposed to expect the worse. The enemy wins, as long as the offense remains unforgiven.
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14-15
Unforgiveness is probably the one sin that can be hidden and remain that way. But we see it when someone gets angry over things that others would shrug off. “How dare they!” Followed by a tirade of contemptuous words. This is a sure sign that this person needs deliverance. The enemy is camping out in their minds and they are unaware of the intensity of their words or the body language and facial expressions that resemble the devil inside.
Generational Sin
Deliverance is needed whenever there is an open door to sin. Sometimes bondage comes to someone, not because of his own sin, but because of the sin of a parent, or grandparent.
“…for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.” Exodus 20:4-6
When a child has nightmares, sickness, or mental or emotional issues, they may be caused by sin in the family line, which we call generational sin or a generational curse. This sin needs to be acknowledged and forgiven. The curse then can be broken and the child can be set free.
If there are sinful lifestyles and sinful behaviors in the blood line, then the children can be set up for the same sins. We have to break the curse by first acknowledging it before God. Ask God to forgive the sin of drunkenness over all people in the family. Then those who are true disciples of Jesus, who are born again and filled with the Holy Spirit have been authorized by the Lord to forgive sin. Here are Jesus’ words just after he was raised from the dead and appeared to his disciples:
Again Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so also I am sending you.” When He had said this, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.” John 20:19-23
The disciples received the Holy Spirit and became born again. What Jesus said to his disciples regarding sin and forgiveness applies to us, if we are born again and filled with the Holy Spirit. The sins we forgive are forgiven and what sins we retain are retained. Therefore, when we forgive the sins of the fathers going back 3 and 4 generations, the curse brought on by that sin can be broken. Jesus came to set the captives free. These curses are broken by his death on a cross, for he became a curse for us:
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” Galatians 3:13
Jesus took the curse of the Law upon himself in order to redeem us from the curse of the Law. We no longer are commanded to follow the Mosaic Law, but we are to follow the teachings of Christ and the Law of Sin and Death which existed before the Law was given to Moses. When Jesus came he established a new covenant in his blood.
“But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people. No longer will each man teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more.” Jeremiah 31:33-34
So these generational curses or any curse for that matter is broken by repentance for the sin that opened the door. We repent on behalf of our fathers and those in the blood line for their sins. And the sins that we forgive are forgiven in heaven and the sins that we retain are retained in heaven.
Returning to the Vision
In the vision, the clear plastic bowl exploded and all its contents disappeared. I believe that this represents the actual deliverance. The bowl represents the person being delivered, for it was clean with nothing clinging to the inside of the bowl. The bowl was perfectly intact and clear. This means that every unclean spirit was forced to leave. The explosion was the powerful hand of God moving to oust the demon.
In the vision, the lid was gone. I believe that the lid represents the spiritual door that opens when we sin and the devil is allowed to enter. The contents of the bowl prior to its explosion represent the demons and all the lies that they had planted and taken root in the mind. Included in the contents were the behaviors, the lustful and sinful desires of the flesh that manifest in our bodies, minds and spirits. All things that result from sin create bondages that need to be broken and purged from us. Every negative thought and every destructive lie needs to be exposed and removed. The explosion represents the mighty power of God to deliver. It is the Lord who gives us the power to overcome the enemy:
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me, therefore go and make disciples of all nations..” Matthew 28:18
And I bestow on you a kingdom, just as My Father has bestowed one on Me, Luke 22:29
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. Matthew 10:8
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. John 15:7
The power to deliver resides with the Holy Spirit who indwells us as believers, but there is an anointing and a greater empowerment that comes with the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. This is not water baptism, which is a command of the Lord, and which symbolizes dying to oneself and living to God. In water baptism we recognize Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection and become united with Christ. But the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a greater infilling of the Spirit and an empowerment to receive the gifts of the Spirit, of which speaking in tongues is the initial evidence. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is to empower one to perform miracles, signs and wonders, and to overcome the plans of the wicked one. John the Baptist makes this distinction:
John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Luke 3:16
Jesus tells his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they receive power from on high:
“And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” Luke 24:49
Back to the Vision
In the vision, the bowl was left clear, but it landed in the inverted position. The lid was gone, but the opening to the bowl was shut because it was resting on the table or floor. When we are born again, everything is totally different. It may seem to everyone around you that you have changed. But what has happened is that your spirit that was dead, has now been made alive in Christ. What seemed to you normal before, is now alien. Everything that seemed right and purposeful, now seems wrong and unimportant. Your values have changed and everything in the world is upside down or backwards. But this is what truly happens when we become born again. All things immediately change. We no longer see as the world does. We become highly aware of sin and do not want to be part of it anymore. Those things that once brought us pleasure now might seem shameful.
In the vision, the lid representing the door was gone. And the bowl was inverted. I believe that God is showing us what may still be incomplete in a deliverance. What is necessary for a deliverance to be complete and lasting is for the person to receive the Holy Spirit. The door (the lid to the bowl) that was once there needs to be permanently sealed. While the bowl remains upside down, the opening is shut. But if the bowl were now to fulfill the purposes of God, it needs to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus has explained what happens to one who is delivered but does not remain with the Lord:
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.” Matthew 12;43-45
This is a reality, for my brother is an example of this very thing. He was delivered, and we prayed for him to receive the Holy Spirit and he was truly convinced that he wanted to walk with God. He even insisted that we talk to our nephew who was doing the very same thing that my brother was – practicing divination. As a medium, he tested himself to gain knowledge about a client’s diagnosis several states away. He was seeking information from the demonic world through an apparatus that works like a Ouija board as a communication device.
Unfortunately, my brother could not hold his deliverance. After I was with him for 10 days, I needed to return home. When I left, he had promised me not to re-entangle himself with the occult and that business. But not many days later, he chose to finish a project in which he had already invested his money. This was nothing but another aspect of the same business. He intended to make money on the internet by selling the product. He chose money over the Lord. The same demon who wanted to take his life, is now living with him and brought with him many more, just as Jesus had warned in the scripture above.
We continue to pray for him to have a genuine encounter with God, so that he will want his freedom. We cannot go against his will but simply wait until he is ready to surrender and re-commit his life to the Lord.
My Deliverance
I was delivered 30 years ago. Because I wanted to be right with the Lord more than anything else, God made it happen! On an Episcopal retreat, when I came forward to receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, the demon manifested. I had two voices: mine and the demon’s. The priest and seminarian, tried to command it to leave, in the name of Jesus, but the demon refused. The priest said to me, “You tell it to go.” I said, “I can’t!” In fear and desperation, I called out to the Lord, “Help me Jesus!” Immediately, the demon left!
I thought, “If this was in me, what is in my mother?” She did all she could to persuade me to believe that Jesus was just a man and not God. But as a child, I already had a relationship with the Lord. And nothing was going to take that from me!
On the long drive home from the retreat where it all happened, the demon came back into the car. He pressed against my arm and said, “You’ve got to invite me back!” I know it was the Lord who prompted me to say, “Lord send your Holy Spirit!” for those very words sent the demon packing. I immediately started speaking in tongues and the demon was gone! I prayed in tongues, sang in tongues all the way home. For three and a half hours, I prayed in the Spirit, as the Lord flooded my mind with faces and faces of people. I prayed for every face that I saw. By the time I was home I could hardly see, for my eyes were so swollen because of the tears and the awesome presence of God. I was so thankful, so grateful for what the Lord had done for me. I wasn’t sure how I could tell my young children and my husband what had happened, but somehow they understood. I was afraid to sleep that night for fear that the devil would return. As a child I had terrible nightmares because of all the occult practices and false religions of my mother. So I spent the night praying in the Spirit (in tongues) and the Lord kept giving me faces of people to lift up in prayer. When the morning finally came, I called my born again, Spirit filled sister. She had been praying for me. She told me, “Didn’t you know that you could bind that thing?”
I said, “No, no one told me anything! I wasn’t even given a pamphlet!”
But from that moment on I have never been the same. I love the Lord and I pray constantly. I want to be close to Him and hear his voice. I receive visions from the Lord, for He likes to communicate with me. I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to know him. He gives me peace, and insight as to how I should look at things. The enemy can try to throw me off course, but my relationship with God is too important to me that I will never let that happen. God is good, and He is so good to me!
Authority in Christ
To have spiritual authority, it is important to walk in the Spirit and deny the flesh. It is important to know who you are in Christ and to take authority over every lying and deceiving spirit. We bind all demonic powers, and we loose the Spirit of God, his mighty power and his angels to come and take these demons away in chains!
We have to know the word of God which is the Bible and the one who is called the “Word of God”— Jesus! (Revelation 19:13) He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him! (John 14:6)
To have authority, we must put God first in all things. For me, God is my life, my all in all, and I want nothing else but Him. To know God is peace. There is nothing in all creation that is worth more than my relationship with Him. Thank you Lord for saving me and filling me with your Holy Spirit.
We have to have a true relationship with the Lord to have his authority. There is a story in the Bible of the sons of Sceva who were doing exorcisms, using the name of Jesus. But their authority came into question.
But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. Acts 19:15-17
To be empowered by the Holy Spirit and to do the works of God, we need to be Baptized in the Holy Spirit.
I hope that you too will seek the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and receive the gift of speaking in tongues, for this edifies your spirit and draws you closer to God, to hear his voice and to receive visions.
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. 1 Corinthians 12:7-11
I hope that this vision and post has been helpful for you. Please share with others and let me recommend a few sources that may help you in becoming free:
Generational Prayers 2022 Edition by Paul Cox
Bondage Breaker by Neil T. Anderson
The Steps to Freedom in Christ by Neil T. Anderson
The Bait of Satan by John Bevere
God bless you all! Have a blessed Easter!
