What Is Deliverance and How Do You Maintain It

What Is Deliverance

Today I want to talk about a topic that is asked frequently from those seeking spiritual freedom. What Is deliverance and how do you maintain it. Deliverance is the act of being delivered from sin, evil and wickedness.  This act can be the separation and setting apart from people and things.  It’s a spiritual freedom that manifest in the natural to break the bonds and chains of the enemy that have people bound.

True deliverance means to be set free, to take and hand over to another and to leave for another. It is the process of salvation that delivers us out of darkness and brings us into God’s marvelous light. It is God’s desire that we have both salvation in the light of His Son Jesus Christ and deliverance from darkness and the evil deeds of Satan.

Scripture References:

1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Realizing That You Need Deliverance

The first step in deliverance is recognizing that you are all in need of deliverance. We can not be delivered from evil until we come to the realization that there are areas of our lives that we are bound in. It is our own responsibility to seek deliverance for our lives.  Deliverance and maintaining it is a process and not a one time event. We can’t depend on someone else to seek out our deliverance for us.

Ultimately, it’s up to us to desire to be delivered. We must be willing take the spiritual authority that Christ has given us to take control over our own lives and seek Jesus for our deliverance. There must be a level of desperation to be free from everything that has us bound and held in captivity. The two blind men by the side of the road received their deliverance by crying out to Jesus until He turned and delivered them.

Scripture References:

Experiencing Deliverance

The scriptures say “There were two blind men were sitting by the road.” In order to receive deliverance we must first understand that we have a need to be delivered. Deliverance won’t be sought out until you first recognize that there is a need. We must then put ourselves in a position to receive just as the two blind men positioned themselves by the side of the road. They humbled themselves and sat at the feet of Jesus and told Him what they needed from Him.

Our hearts must be open and ready to receive Jesus as our Lord, Savior, Healer and Deliverer. These men were naturally blind, but they were not spiritually blind.  When we’re in bound in captivity and spiritual darkness, our spirit man is just as blind as these men were in the natural. The scripture says “They heard that Jesus was coming by. So they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, please help us!” These men had already put themselves in position to receive their deliverance. They knew their condition and they understood their need for deliverance. They believed in their heart that Jesus was Lord and that He was able to deliver them. It is only through Jesus that we can obtain deliverance.

Come Out of Darkness

The passage goes on to say “The people there criticized the blind men and told them to be quiet. But they shouted more and more, “Lord, Son of David, please help us!” Again, the blind men already knew it was not in man that they would receive their deliverance. We must be careful of the company we keep. There are those in bondage who don’t desire freedom. They enjoy their sin and the dark deeds that they commit. Most often these are the same people that live in darkness and have no true desire to be delivered. You will find that they don’t want you to receive your deliverance either.  

Whenever you speak of coming out of bondage, they tell you to “Shut up and be quiet. Don’t draw attention to us” They discourage you from seeking freedom and they want you to remain in bondage with them. They will often criticize you for desiring to be free and impart fear and unbelief in your spirit. Understand that they are under the influence of demonic spirits using them to keep you in bondage. The word of God says these people love darkness instead of light because their deeds are evil. 

Scripture References:

John 3:18-21
He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

What Do You Want From The Lord

As we read on in this passage it says  “Jesus stopped and said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” They answered, “Lord, we want to be able to see.”  This is one of my favorite passages when it comes to deliverance. What do you want Jesus to do for you? Jesus already knew what the blind men needed, but it was up to the men to confess with their own mouths that they were blind and needed to see.It was very obvious to Jesus and everyone around that the men were blind and needed to see, but the question was did they WANT to see.

There are some people, regardless of knowing they have a need, but they lack the desire to be healed and set free. Sometimes we can allow our weakness and infirmities to become an excuse and crutch for our sin. We put on sin and allow it to grow and become apart of our character and nature. As believers we are to take off sin and put on Christ. When we cry out to Jesus for deliverance, He will hear our cry and come to us.  Jesus asked the men what do you want me to do for you.  In this we are acknowledging to Jesus that we are in darkness and we need to be delivered.

Jesus Is Touched By Our Infirmities

It says “Jesus felt sorry for the blind men. He touched their eyes, and immediately they were able to see. Then they became followers of Jesus.” It is says Jesus felt sorry or pity for the blind men. Jesus is full of love and compassion for us all and He desires to see us all healed, delivered and set free from the hand of the enemy.  Jesus came to announce freedom to those in darkness and to announce to the captives that they are free.

Hebrews 4:14-16
Jesus, the Son of God, helps us as God’s most important priest. He is our great priest who has gone up into heaven. We say that we believe in him. So we must continue to show people that we trust him.  Jesus, our great priest understands us. He knows how weak we are. He knows that we sometimes want to do wrong things. The Devil tried to make him do all those same kinds of wrong things. But Jesus never did anything wrong.  So we should come near to God and we should not be afraid. God is our King. We can ask him to help us when we need help. We know that he will forgive us and he will be kind to us in whatever way we need

Scripture References:

Psalm 86:15
But You, O Lord, are a God full of love and pity. You are slow to anger and rich in loving-kindness and truth.

Isaiah 61:1-3
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;

To comfort all who mourn,
Console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

Salvation and Deliverance

When we receive Christ as our Lord and Savior, we must then begin to seek our deliverance as well.  Salvation brings deliverance and deliverance brings healing, freedom, miracles, prosperity, joy, peace and the fruit of the spirit. This is an area that many people neglect to tell babes in Christ. You have to walk out your deliverance and you maintain through your obedience to Christ.

Salvation means that you acknowledge and receive Jesus Christ as bot your Lord and Savior. When we make Him Lord in our lives, that means that we surrender our will to His will. We are no longer ourselves, but we belong to Him. You have become a new creature in Christ. The deeds of darkness that you did prior to your confession must now become a thing of the past. As you grow in the Lord and in His word, you will not desire the things of this world, but the things of the Kingdom of God.

Repent And Turn Away From Sin

Lets just say a sinner comes to Christ who has been in bondage to alcohol, prostitution, homosexuality, stealing and lying. This person must understand that they can no longer practice these sins any longer. These are the sins that you will need to be delivered from. Your soul has to be delivered through confession and repentance and a turning away. Thee must be a washing of water in the Word of God and a separation from everything that is wicked and evil.  You must be willing to turn your back on sin and walk away in order to receive and maintain your deliverance.

Sometimes it will require you giving up everything you know, including friends and family. You have to be willing to leave it all behind and walk away from toxic environments that foster sinful behavior. It’s important to be sober and vigilant, because our adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. It wouldn’t be wise to go back into the bars, hang out partying with their friends all night or accept those midnight calls from ex-lovers. This will only lead you right back into bondage and you will be worse than what you were before you received deliverance.

Scripture References:

2 Peter 2:22
What they did is like these true sayings: “A dog vomits and goes back to what it threw up. And, “After a pig is washed, it goes back and rolls in the mud again.”

Luke 9:62
But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”

Mark 10:29-30
Jesus said, “I can promise that everyone who has left their home, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or farm for me and for the Good News about me will get a hundred times more than they left. Here in this world they will get more homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and farms. And with these things they will have persecutions. But in the world that is coming they will also get the reward of eternal life.

How To Maintain Your Deliverance

When deliverance has taken place and the enemy has been cast out of our lives and we must fill that empty space with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will bring forth a clean heart and a renewed spirit, newness of life and the light of Jesus Christ. It is very important that we maintain our deliverance and continue to walk in the light of Christ.  Lets read what the Word of God has to say about what occurs after a person has been delivered.

Matthew 12:43-45
When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”

The Danger of Emptiness

Once deliverance has occurred and your house is cleaned from evil spirits, your work is not complete. You must accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and receive the Holy Spirit into your life. If your house (your spirit) is not filled with the Holy Spirit and the things of God, when the evil spirits leave (for a while) they will come back to their home. Evil spirits need a body to dwell in and so when they are cast out of a person, it says they go through dry places seeking rest.

These demonic spirits are seeking a body in which they can enter and work through. When they find no place or body where they can rest and abide in they come back to the home or person in which they were cast out of.  If they find that you have not replaced the empty space with the Holy Spirit and the things of God then they will re-enter you again and bring seven other spirits more wicked than the ones that left.

Do Not Become A Dry Place

The scripture says it travels to dry places.  Dry places represent desert places. Dry places are areas where there is no water, no life and where the Spirit of God is not moving. Evil spirits are looking for rest where they can abide in a person comfortably without being stirred up and bothered. Water indicates life and the spirit of God moving. When these spirits finds nowhere to rest, it will return to its home. Home is where it is most comfortable. It has probably grown up with that person since childhood and is very familiar with that person and their ways.

When the evil spirits come back and find that the house is still empty, neat and clean then the evil spirit goes out and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself. They all go and live there, and that person has even more trouble than before. The purpose of bringing in seven other spirits more evil than itself is to make it even harder for you to be delivered again.  Demons group themselves together and create strongholds in a person’s life that makes it very difficult to see your way out of. It is important that we fill our houses which represent our spirits with the things of God. After deliverance has occured, do some re-decorating in your spiritual house. Decorate it with the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, prayer and fasting.

Scripture References:

Matthew 12:43-45
When an evil spirit comes out of a person, it travels through dry places looking for a place to rest, but it finds none. So it says, ‘I will go back to the home I left.’ When it comes back, it finds that home still empty. It is all neat and clean. Then the evil spirit goes out and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself. They all go and live there, and that person has even more trouble than before. It is the same way with the evil people who live today.

Galatians 5:1
We have freedom now, because Christ made us free. So stand strong in that freedom. Don’t go back into slavery again.

Receive Salvation Today

If you are not saved today and you would like to receive the salvation of Jesus Christ and be free from the bondage of Jezebel and every prison of sin, you can pray this simple prayer right where you are today. Don’t wait until tomorrow, tomorrow is not promised to any of us. Accept Jesus today….TODAY IS YOUR DAY OF SALVATION!