Deliverance from bonds

When a person is saved, he is not always released from all ties. Satan may still disturb him, and he may lack the peace promised by Jesus

- (Rom 14:17) For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

- (John 14:27) Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you: not as the world gives, give I to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

- (John 10:10) The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

This article deals with liberation from all wrong bonds. This area can have several different types of obstacles. One obstacle to change can be the influence of the devil and demons. A person can be spiritually bound without being properly aware of it. Because when someone turns to God and Jesus and allows himself to be saved, it is not a given that he will automatically be freed from all bonds and that his life will be peaceful and serene after that. On the contrary, many have experienced heaviness, restlessness, obsessions, difficulty reading the Bible and praying, even voices within. They may have a constant battle with the world of thought and not have the peace and rest that the Bible promises us. They may have considered the cause of their problems to be, for example, temperament, illness, past experiences or chemistry, but they have not been able to think that it is also a spiritual battle in their mind.

    Neil T. Anderson shares his own observation based on his extensive experience in pastoral care. He tells what kind of difficulties Christians have had since their conversion. They have not automatically been freed from all their bonds, and therefore they have needed special soul care and liberation:

Hundreds of people who have struggled with their world of thought have come to me for pastoral care. Some find it difficult to concentrate on reading the Bible, others actually hear "voices" or they struggle with accusing and judgmental thoughts. With a few rare exceptions, these battles have turned out to be spiritual battles in the mind of man... It is childish to claim that Christians could not begin to follow misleading spirits. It happens all over the world. In the past 15 years, I have helped in pastoral care almost two thousand professing Christians who have had a battle in their world of thought. Some have just found it difficult to pray or read the Bible. Others have heard voices. Passing this off as just some kind of chemical imbalance means that we are depriving the church of its role as a liberator of prisoners. If all negative thoughts are just carnal habits, why do these thoughts disappear when believers bend to God's will and resist the Devil? Carnal habits are deeply rooted and do not disappear suddenly at a command. (1)

When many people are tied up even years after their salvation, there are various reasons why this happens. Probably, the following reasons are the most important:

Satan's deception. The main reason is surely Satan's deception. When we read the Bible, we can see how it is a deceiver that misleads people into believing a lie. The Bible also tells us that the whole world is under the power of evil, how Satan is the god of this world, and how the prince of the air power does his work in the children of disobedience. Verses like these show the great influence the devil's lies have on the lives of the people of the world:

- (2 Cor 4:3,4) But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

4 In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine to them.

- (2 Cor 3:14-16) But their minds were blinded: for until this day remains the same veil not taken away in the reading of the old testament; which veil is done away in Christ.

15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, the veil is on their heart.

16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away.

- (Acts 26:17,18) Delivering you from the people, and from the Gentiles, to whom now I send you,

18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

- (Eph 2:1,2) And you has he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

2 Wherein in time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience:

- (1 John 5:19) And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in wickedness.

What happens when a person receives salvation? Usually he learns to know the truth and is freed from the shackles of evil. However, no believer has perfect knowledge of spiritual matters from the beginning (that's what teachers are for in the church) and he may not be completely free from the things he has done and experienced in the past - they can still bind him, and he needs liberation. In fact, very few are in a state of complete freedom or the state in which Paul and the first apostles were after Pentecost. We are far from the freedom and spiritual life they represented.

The world view affects the fact that there is no belief in the existence of demons or anything supernatural. This kind of worldview is common in Western countries, where they try to explain everything based on natural causes. For instance, in terms of mental illnesses, people do not take into consideration that some of them might be caused by spiritual reasons and not by natural reasons only. The possibility of the supernatural is completely denied.

    On the other hand, Eastern countries and Africa do not have the same way of thinking, but people are aware of the reality of the spirit world. They generally believe in the existence of spirits and the supernatural, but only the congregations in these countries has the solution to how to break free from the shackles of evil. It happens through Jesus.

The lack of spiritual gifts, such as not having the gift of distinguishing between spirits, is one reason behind spiritual blindness. If we do not receive spiritual knowledge and understanding from God, we are like blind guiding the blind if we try to help people. It is difficult to solve conflicts if one does not understand the reasons behind it. That is why we need wisdom from God to lead people towards deliverance.

A story about the Indonesian revival from many decades ago shows how God can give the ability to see spiritually, to help people be delivered. Revivals often lead to people realizing the lies and chains that bind them. Deliverance is found through knowing Jesus and the truth.

In those weeks, the Lord allowed us to clearly see how real are sin, original sin, God's curse that affects the third and fourth generation, the occult curse and the anxiety caused by demons... Some people asked: isn't God's curse, due to ancestral witchcraft, for example, going away by itself when a person is born again in Christ? Do we not underestimate the importance of salvation when we still try afterwards to free the saved from the shackles of witchcraft? The story of Lazarus provides an answer to these questions. Although Lazarus received the gift of life from Jesus, he was unable to move properly until he had been released from the shrouds. This is the mission Jesus gave to viewers who had seen Lazarus being raised from the dead. We experienced the same in a very tangible way with a few of our students. Many who experienced the new birth did not feel the true joy of being saved and were not able to win the spiritual race. But when they were released from the 'wrapping cloths', they became joyful and powerful witnesses of God. It dawned on us in a completely new way the mission and power that Jesus gave to his disciples to deliver people. Perhaps, this is the answer to many questions that churches and Christians around the world tackle with. (2)

SYMPTOMS FROM PRESSURE.  When a person is bound and pressured by the devil, different symptoms can appear in his life as a result. These symptoms can vary in degree. The extreme description is the man from Gadarenes in the 5th chapter of the Gospel of Mark, who was completely possessed by evil spirits and was unable to control his life. He did not live in a normal state, but the spirits spoke through him and corrupted his life.

    However, it is much more common that people are mostly free, but feel limited in a few areas of life. They live mostly normal lives, but they may lack inner peace or have other problems – most fall into this group.

    We will highlight some of the main symptoms associated with demonic pressure. These symptoms are some of the most severe ones, but they can also appear milder.

Physical symptoms include: vertigo, loss of consciousness, headache, loss of memory and moments of unconsciousness, feeling heavy or general pain all over the body. These symptoms are especially common when a person starts to seek deliverance and turns to God. For those with an occult background – either as a result of their own actions or because of occultism in the family – these symptoms are common.

    Some diseases such as falling sickness, deafness and muteness can be attacks of the enemy and caused by evil spirits, although the same diseases can also have a medical cause or an injury that has nothing to do with the devil.

Internal symptoms include:

• Great difficulty praying and reading the Bible. A person can then lose consciousness.

• Recurring nightmares that may involve seeing snakes, death or scary things.

• Uncontrollable outbursts of anger, sexual fantasies, intense fear, or any sin and lust that is beyond normal. These things are works of the flesh, but sometimes there can be the influence of the enemy in the background, which has taken place because of man's sin.

• Delusions, confusion and visions common.

• States of fear and pain.

• Suicidal behavior and suicidal thoughts.

• Obsessive thoughts, in which a person is driven by an internal compulsion to say and do things that are against his basic nature. First of all, there may be thoughts and actions that blaspheme God.

• Voices that are usually accusing, mocking, threatening, telling to harm or embarrass oneself are common. Often the voices can resemble a person's own thinking or inner speech and also be completely foreign to what the person himself thinks.

• In soul care situations, a person may experience threats, accusations or statements in their mind: "This is not working, get out of here, you will never be free!" Internal resistance in these situations is strong.

Reacting to the activity of the Holy Spirit. If there is activity of the Holy Spirit in the meetings, the bound person can react strongly to it. Such symptoms can include seizures and convulsions, screaming and screeching, hissing and writhing like a snake, suicidal or injurious behavior, sexy movements, mocking and cursing, making animal noises, vomiting, pain moving around the body, lying on the ground as if dead...

Where do bonds come from?

- (Eph 4:27) Neither give place to the devil.

When a person has been bound, there are always reasons for it. Bonds are not born by chance, but are connected to a person's own actions, what he has experienced or what has happened in his family. Somewhere there has been an open gate through which the enemy has been able to influence a person's life. We highlight the most important ports:

Occultism

- (Deut 18:10-12) There shall not be found among you any one that makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that uses divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.

11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

12 For all that do these things are an abomination to the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD your God does drive them out from before you.

- (Lev 19:31) Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.

- Lev 20:6) And the soul that turns after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.

Occultism, where you connect with the spirit world, is one of the greatest gateways. People with such a background are the most difficult to turn to God. They may experience great struggles and as if a wall is against them. The most common areas of the occult include:

• Black and white magic: spells, wicca, witchcraft, satanism, satanism, blood oaths and other oaths, self-cutting, fire walking, shamanism, voodoo

• Spiritism, spirit guides, Ouija boards, trance phenomena, automatic writing, UFOs, astral travel, hypnosis, levitation, moving objects without touching them

• Non-Christian movements such as Hindu movements, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormonism, Mormonism and Freemasonry. The two latter entail oaths that people need to break.

• Looking with a magic twig or a pendulum. Divination from cards, hand, crystal ball, tea leaves or entrails (Santeria religion)

• Tarot cards, horoscopes and astrology, clairvoyance, psychometry, telepathy or visiting a fortune teller and psychic.

• Yoga and transcendental meditation and all methods that put the mind into a passive state or require emptying the mind. Many martial arts belong to the same group. People in the occult are used to emptying their minds so that the spirits can work through them.

• Occult books, toys (e.g. monster toys resemble idols and demons in Hinduism) and games such as role-playing games. Heavy metal music and hard rock music have also led many to the occult and bound them.

• Spirit healing, energy healing (neutral energy alone cannot heal diseases), visiting a healer, alternative medicine (treatments for which no medical explanation can be found), acupuncture and biofeedback. Many are unknowingly bound when they allow themselves to be healed by occult methods.

• Herbs. Some herbs in shops have been treated with spells.

• Creating mental images, i.e. visualization, in which one imagines e.g. healing (e.g. small thunderbolts come and destroy the tumor), is an occult method. Answers to prayer from God come by trusting in the promises of the Word, not by visualizing.

• Objects. If a person's home contains objects used in idolatry or spells have been recited over them, they may be a base for evil spirits. Many of these objects may be neutral in themselves, but if they are accompanied by spells, they bring a strain over the home - a strain that will not recede until the object is disposed of. The most common such objects are: 

• Astrologic, spiritualistic, and magical literature

• Many souvenirs such as idols and statues, fetishes, magic drums, and masks of the devil

• Objects placed under one’s skin such as metal needles can be a sign of the worship of Satan, or to the religious practices of primitive people. One should have these kinds of objects removed by a doctor, or ask the Lord to take them away because they provide a channel for evil spirits.

• Talismans, amulets, and magic tools

• There are also non-occult objects received as gifts that can carry a curse and can be difficult to identify unless God gives the person a special gift of discernment. These objects themselves may be neutral, but the curse connected to them can bring a burden into one’s home and life.

- (Deut 7:25,26) The graven images of their gods shall you burn with fire: you shall not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it to you, lest you be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD your God.

26 Neither shall you bring an abomination into your house, lest you be a cursed thing like it: but you shall utterly detest it, and you shall utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.

- (Acts 19:17-19) And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.

18 And many that believed came, and confessed, and showed their deeds.

19 Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.

Unforgiveness is perhaps the main reason why many are bound by the enemy. When a person broods in anger, bitterness, accusations and does not want to forgive, it gives the devil the right to interfere in his life. A person may not know what causes his current anxiety, because the cause may be wrong choices in the past. That's why Paul warned that the sun must not set over wrath because it gives place to the devil. Satan's devices must not be unknown to us: 

- (2 Cor 2:10,11) To whom you forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;

11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

- (Eph 4:26,27) Be you angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down on your wrath:

27 Neither give place to the devil.

The most serious thing about unforgiveness is that it closes the doors of heaven to a person. If he doesn't want to forgive and drop the accusations, that's what happens. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer according to the Bible and does not have eternal life in him. That is why we must choose forgiveness towards everyone. It must also include a relationship with ourselves. Because if hating our neighbor is wrong, so is hating ourselves or e.g. suicidal thoughts. Both wrong things should be repented of.

- (Matt 6:12) And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

- (Matt 6:14,15) For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

15 But if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

- (Matt 18:32-35) Then his lord, after that he had called him, said to him, O you wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt, because you desired me:

33 Should not you also have had compassion on your fellow servant, even as I had pity on you?

34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due to him.

35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also to you, if you from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

- (Hebr 12:15) Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

- (1 Cor 13:4,5) Charity suffers long…

5 is not easily provoked, thinks no evil

- (1 John 3:15) Whoever hates his brother is a murderer: and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

Those involved in soul care have noticed how unforgiveness is the main cause of spiritual bonds. It provides Satan with the biggest doorway to influence people's lives. The doorway is closed by forgiving and dropping the accusations.

Neil T. Anderson: Satan takes advantage of those who do not forgive. I have helped thousands of people find freedom in Christ and I can testify that unforgiveness is the main reason people stay in the chains of their past... Everyone who has been in my care has had one or more people who need to be forgiven. I believe that unforgiveness offers Satan the greatest doorway into the church. If we can't help a person forgive from their heart, we can't help that person free themselves from their past. Someone has said: "Forgiveness is the release of prisoners so that we discover that we ourselves have been a prisoner." (3)

Don Basham: Time and time again I have seen deliverance stop at an unforgiving attitude on the part of the one seeking deliverance; at the same time, I have seen time and time again that people are freed when they finally forgive. Satan and his offspring are legalistic. They know their rights. As long as a person harbors anger, resentment, and unforgiveness in their heart, the demons have the right to remain in their fields; bitterness and anger form the "soil" on which they can stand: it is their territory. (4)

Carlos Annacondia: Seventy percent of the people who suffer from spiritual problems and end up in our liberation tent have in their hearts anger, resentment, and roots of bitterness. These are the main causes of illness and stress in people's lives. The vast majority of them heal physically as they find inner healing through forgiveness.

    Search your own heart. There may be hatred towards a spouse, cousin, relative, neighbor, brother or sister. Anger and resentment bring punishment. Many times they are the root cause of diseases that seem to have no origin, Regardless of why you feel anger, Jesus forgave and told us to do the same. If we do not, we remain under judgment and are disobedient to His word. Forgiveness is not a feeling, it is a decision. If you want to forgive, the Lord will help you do it.

    I have prayed for people broken by illness, and they have been healed the moment they stopped praying and decided to forgive. It is tremendous how God's power works through forgiveness. Don't allow the devil to use your emotions to bring sickness into your life. (5)

OTHER SINS. Occultism and unforgiveness are two major factors that keep people tied up. They are perhaps the most important reasons that give the enemy of the soul the right to interfere in people's lives. They must be recognized as sins and renounced in order to be freed.

    There are also other gates that allow the devil to interfere in people's lives. This includes sins committed by a person himself or what others have done to him. We highlight the most common ports.

Sexual sins can lead to demonic contamination. Just as STDs or other diseases can pass from one person to another through sexual contact (AIDS, gonorrhea...), demons can do the same. God has given us the commandment to flee from all fornication to protect us. Fornication is all sexual relations outside of marriage. It also includes sex with the same sex, pornography and masturbation (the sin of lust) or sex with animals and demons. Incest and rape are also big reasons why people get tied up involuntarily and experience severe emotional trauma. It can take years to recover from them.

- (1 Cor 6:16-18) What? know you not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body?  for two, said he, shall be one flesh.

17 But he that is joined to the Lord is one spirit.

18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man does is without the body; but he that commits fornication sins against his own body.

- (Rev 2:21) And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.

- (Lev 18:22) You shall not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

- (2 Tim 3:1-4) This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

3 Without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

4 Traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

- (Hebr 13:4) Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

Drugs and drinking can be gateways. Drug users often have experiences similar to those found in Eastern religions as a result of years of meditation. Former Hindu guru Rabi Maharaj tells in his book The Death of a Guru how he came across this issue after meeting Western drug users:

In this way I began to meet even more drug users and made an astonishing discovery: Some of them had similar experiences when under drug influence, as I had in my day of doing yoga and meditation! I was astounded listening to them describing the “beautiful and peaceful world” they were able to enter with the help of LSD; a world which’ psychedelic visions and colors I was all too familiar with. Of course, many of them also had had bad experiences, but most drug users seemed as reluctant to take into consideration these warnings as I was, when practicing yoga.

   “I did not need substances to see visions of other worlds or supernatural beings or to feel unity with the universe or to feel that I am “God”, I told them. “I achieved all that through transcendental meditation. But it was a lie, a trick of evil spirits to gain the upper hand over me when I freed my mind from my own control. You are being deceived. The only way to the peace and satisfaction that you are looking for is through Christ.” Since I knew what I was talking about and had experienced it myself without drugs, many of these drug users took my words seriously. (6)

Self-hatred, self-blame and self-pity can be gateways. The problem with these things, like bitterness, is that people don't see them as sins. Because if hating others and accusing them are wrong, they are also wrong against the person himself. Both things need to be repented of.

    These attitudes towards oneself, like bitterness towards others, have usually come as a result of difficult life experiences, but they are still wrong before God.

As we prayed for the woman to be freed from all her guilt and bonds, the Holy Spirit expressed a strong spirit of self-hatred. When the woman tried to say: "Spirit of self-hatred, I leave you in the name of Jesus", she literally couldn't get the words out of her mouth. His face turned red, he grabbed himself by the throat. He struggled to be able to say: Self-hatred, out in the name of Jesus". I quickly said, “Satan, I bind you in the name of Jesus. You have no power over this woman. We plead the blood of Jesus that has been shed for this woman. You must let go of her immediately.” From the power of God, Satan immediately loosened his grip. The woman said, "You know, it was like someone inside me said, 'I'm not coming out of you. I won't come out because this is my home. I'm not going out'.” After praying for her inner healing, she left the city and continued her journey across the country. The Lord did a mighty work in him, and in time he returned to his home. He wanted his marriage to last. She wanted to change and be the kind of wife she should be. We have received many letters from her. She still rejoices in the Lord and serves Him. (7)

Pride, envy and rebellion can be gates. Pride easily opens the door to a deception, just as Satan got lost because of his pride. A person can imagine that he is more surrendered, better, more spiritual and more advanced than others, and there is a great danger in this. Peter and James wrote:

- (1 Peter 5:8,9) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour:

9 Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brothers that are in the world.

- (James 4:6,7) But he gives more grace. Why he said, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

An example of envy is King Saul, who eventually received an evil spirit because of his apostasy. He gave up God's will and couldn't stand David being praised more than he was.

- (1 Sam 18:7-12) And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.

8 And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?

9 And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.

10 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came on Saul, and he prophesied in the middle of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul's hand.

11 And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice.

12 And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul.

What about rebelliousness? It was the first sin of Lucifer, Satan, when he in his pride turned against God. To avoid this attitude, we must first surrender to the will of God, as Jesus taught us in the Lord’s Prayer: Your kingdom come, Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. (Matt 6:10).

   Moreover, the Bible teaches to have respect for our superiors. We can see this in the following areas. If we do not respect our superiors, we rebel against God, and in that case, we cannot expect Him to help us with our problems:

Authorities

- (Rom 13:1,2) Let every soul be subject to the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

2 Whoever therefore resists the power, resists the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

 - (1 Peter 2:13-17) Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;

14 Or to governors, as to them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.

15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:

16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

17 Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

- (Ecc 10:20) Curse not the king, no not in your thought; and curse not the rich in your bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which has wings shall tell the matter.

Parents

- (Matt 15:1-6) Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,

2 Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.

3 But he answered and said to them, Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

4 For God commanded, saying, Honor your father and mother: and, He that curses father or mother, let him die the death.

5 But you say, Whoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatever you might be profited by me;

6 And honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have you made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.

- (Eph 6:1-3) Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

2 Honor your father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;

3 That it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth.

Wife’s respect for her husband and a husband’s love

- (Eph 5:22-25) Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body.

24 Therefore as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

- (Col 3:18,19) Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.

19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.

- (1 Peter 3:1,7) Likewise, you wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;

7 Likewise, you husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

Man’s respect for Christ

- (1 Cor 11:3) But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

Congregation leaders

- (1 Tim 5:17,18) Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the word and doctrine.

18 For the scripture said, You shall not muzzle the ox that treads out the corn. And, The laborer is worthy of his reward.

Employers

- (1 Peter 2:18,19) Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the fraudulent.

19 For this is thank worthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.

Emotional crises and difficult life experiences can be gateways. If a person experiences violence and resistance, he may develop a fear of people. Or if he has been in an accident and traumatic event, he may develop a fear of similar situations. For example, fear of dogs, fear of water and fear of death can originate from traumatic experiences. People may also experience nightmares about their difficult experiences.

Even more common are the fears that haunt people based on past experiences. Example: A mature Christian woman was afraid of death. Since he was firm in faith and had a close relationship with God, there was no apparent reason for her fear. The Spirit of God revealed that when he had been taken to a dead man's home at the age of six, he had experienced waves of fear around him and fled the room choking and gasping for breath. This fear haunted her for many years. (8)

Furthermore, Paul mentioned that a spirit can be related to a fear. He wrote to Timothy:

- (2 Tim 1:7) For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Depression can be similar. It can be connected to our temper and our circumstances (Paul was also depressed and afraid from time to time: For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fights, within were fears. Nevertheless God, that comforts those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 2 Cor 7:5,6), but there may also be an underlying spirit of depression. Sometimes it might be linked to difficult childhood experiences, sometimes to occultism or to other sins. Derek Prince tells his own experience:

A decisive moment in my life had come. I had always considered my depression and negative attitude to be an expression of my own nature, something I was born with. I had felt guilty for not being a "better" Christian. Now it became clear to me that my battle was not at all against some part of my personality.

    Immediately the Holy Spirit reminded me of the promise in Joel 3:5: “whoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered” I decided to take the promise as my own and act on it. I said a simple prayer that went something like this: “Lord, you have shown me that the spirit of depression has depressed me, but you have promised in your word that those who call on your name will be saved. So I ask you to set me free in the name of Jesus!”

    The answer came immediately. It was as if a huge heavenly vacuum cleaner came over me and sucked away the gray haze that had surrounded my head and shoulders. At the same time, the pressure on my chest was greatly relieved and I gasped for breath.

    God had answered my prayer. Suddenly everything around me seemed brighter. It felt like a great burden had been lifted off my shoulders. I was free! All my life I had been anxious. It felt strange to be free. However, it quickly became clear to me that it was normal to be free and anxiety was abnormal.

    My old enemy did not give up on me. I was still able to fight depression. But the big difference was that now the attacks came from without and not from within. Little by little I learned to resist them.

    The main target of the attacks was to make me act and behave pessimistically. When everything seemed to go wrong, I started to harbor negative thoughts about what was going to happen. Very soon I felt the all-too-familiar fog begin to settle around my head and shoulders again.

    At that point, God taught me another important lesson: he would do for me what I can't do myself, but He wouldn't do what He wants me to do. God had answered my request and freed me from the spirit of depression, but now it was my responsibility to practice biblical discipline in terms of my thoughts. (9)

Curses uttered by others, magic and spells are common in countries where witchcraft is practiced. The problem with them is that they are difficult to detect. But one can still be delivered from those bondages as well, when people surrender their life to God and resist all powers of the devil in the name of Jesus. The following letter by an anonymous person describes this area well:

I have just recovered from a terrible attack of the enemy. Bleeding, heart disease, heart beating and exhaustion. My whole being is in a state of collapse. Suddenly, I remembered in prayer to pray against all psychic powers focused upon me (psychic 'prayer'). In faith and by the power of the blood of Jesus, I cut myself off that, and the result was surprising. Suddenly my breathing was normal, the bleeding stopped, the exhaustion disappeared, all the pain left and life returned to my body. Since that moment, I have been refreshed and become stronger. God let me know that my condition was due to a group of betrayed souls in opposition against me who directed their 'prayers' against me. God has used me to release two of them, but the others are still in a terrible abyss... “ (10)

Illnesses can originate from natural causes or they can be caused by spiritual power. If someone has bad hearing, it can be due to normal reasons - for example, damage to the hearing organs - but sometimes there can be a supernatural influence behind it. When we read the Bible, we can see how some diseases were really caused by the enemy. In these cases, it is certainly not wrong to resist the illness and tell it to go away (the normal way to pray for the sick is to lay hands on them). You can also ask God for healing. Before these, however, we must seek God's will and confess to him all conscious sins. The order is always this, as it says in the letter of James (James 4:7: Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.).

- (Mark 9:25) When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying to him, You dumb and deaf spirit, I charge you, come out of him, and enter no more into him.

- (Matt 12:22) Then was brought to him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, so that the blind and dumb both spoke and saw.

- (Matt 15:22,28) And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried to him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, you son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.

28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, O woman, great is your faith: be it to you even as you will. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

- (Matt 4:24) And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought to him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.

 - (Luke 8:2) And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,

- (Luke 6:18,19) And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed.

19 And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.

- (Luke 7:21) And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and to many that were blind he gave sight.

- (Acts 5:16) There came also a multitude out of the cities round about to Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.

- (Acts 19:11,12) And God worked special miracles by the hands of Paul:

12 So that from his body were brought to the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.

- (Luke 4:38,39) And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house.  And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever; and they sought him for her.

39 And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered to them.

Inheritance

- (Lev 26:38,39) And you shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up.

39 And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies’ lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them.

- (Lam 5:7) Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities.

- (Deut 30:19) I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both you and your seed may live:

- (1 King 15:3) And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father.

- (1 Peter 1:18,19) For as much as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:  

When occultism and serious sins have been practiced in the family, they are gates. A person can get tied up because of what

parents or ancestors have done. He may also inherit occult gifts—spiritual healing, gazing into a well, clairvoyance— which should not be confused with spiritual gifts given by God. One should renounce such false gifts and ask God to take them away. One woman's story describes this area:

Since I was a little girl, I had mental problems. They started when I realized I was clairvoyant – I could see what was going to happen; I knew facts, people and places. Someone revealed things of the past and future to me. It always scared me because I couldn't control those situations and they kept increasing day by day.

    … At a later stage I saw shadows in broad daylight. I heard whispering voices calling me. I saw strange shapes. At night I could not sleep; I had nightmares and heard chains rattling and voices telling me to do things. I felt someone pull me by the hair and throw me against the wall. My father was a heavyset man, but even he couldn't hold me in those situations because I suddenly gained enormous strength. My mother held my hands so I wouldn't tear my hair out.

    … Today I go to church. When I remember and look at my past, I realize that it all happened to me because my ancestors sacrificed my life to witchcraft. - Sandra. (11)

Behind unbelief lies a demon spirit. When one has a hard time reading and understanding the Bible, and their mind feels fuzzy, it is all because of the devil who wants to keep people spiritually blind and unbelieving. There are also people who want to believe but cannot. In such cases we can tell powers causing fuzziness and unbelief to leave in the name of Jesus Christ.

- (2 Cor 4:3,4) But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

4 In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine to them.

- (Luke 8:11,12) Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then comes the devil, and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

A great example in the Bible of how one can be freed from confusion is the man from Gadarenes. He was completely possessed by evil spirits, but when Jesus freed him, he was in full understanding. Such a person is an extreme case, but any bound person can experience a struggle in his mind that makes it difficult for him to understand the Bible and spiritual things. The answer to freedom is found when we confess our sins and then resist the devil in the name of Jesus Christ:

- (Mark 5:1-15) And they came over to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.

2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,

3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:

4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.

5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.

6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,

7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with you, Jesus, you Son of the most high God? I adjure you by God, that you torment me not.

8 For he said to him, Come out of the man, you unclean spirit.

9 And he asked him, What is your name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.

10 And he sought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.

11 Now there was there near to the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.

12 And all the devils sought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.

13 And immediately Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.

14 And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done.

15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.

FOCUS ON YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD!

- (John 3:19,20) And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

20 For every one that does evil hates the light, neither comes to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

- (Rom 13:12) The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

If a person has lived deeply in sin, it is possible that he has been bound by evil spirits. When the works and sins of the flesh are practiced long enough, especially witchcraft and occultism, they open the door for the devil into a person's life. It is a natural consequence when a person drifts away from God.

    What about deliverance from evil forces? It is important that we do not focus on spirits but on man's relationship with God. Because if a person's relationship with God is restored, he will feel godly sorrow for his sins (2 Cor 7:10 For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world works death.)  and repents of all conscious wrongs, spirits can give way by that alone. They may not need to be specifically told to leave, but a person can experience freedom right away. Sven Reichmann shares his own observation on soul care:

So instead of spirit powers, let's focus on helping people towards a fuller connection with God. Let us help them see their sin and break before God. When in this way the relationship with God is renewed and deepened, one can only calmly speak to the spirit powers that one knows to be in a person. Then you don't have to indulge in a dramatic expulsion with coughing and vomiting. Spirits leave by doing this without any unpleasant consequences. You can lay your hand on a suffering person and command anxiety, depression, anger and bitterness to leave in the name of Jesus. There's really no need to talk about spirits. Usually, a person then experiences immediate relief and begins to praise the Lord who has freed him.

    The less signs of brokenness appear in a person, the more certain one should be of the Lord's express command to use authority in deliverance. However, in my experience, such situations are extremely rare. (12)

The right foundation for liberation is that we fix the areas of life where we have violated God's will. If it's about bitterness, self-hatred, occultism or any sin, they should be brought to light, that is, let go of them and confess them to God. Darkness, or unconfessed sin, gives the devil the right to influence our lives, but if sins are confessed to God, the devil loses this right. Then it is easy to expel.

    On the other hand, if a person is unrepentant and does not want to forgive or repent of his other sins, it is impossible to help him - the spirits can return, even if they are expelled, and the person's condition can become even worse (Matt 12:43-45). ´Each of us must first fulfill God's conditions so that He can help us.

- (Matt 3:1,2,6) In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,

2 And saying, Repent you: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

- (Matt 4:17) From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

- (Acts 2:38) Then Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

- (Acts 17:30) And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commands all men every where to repent:

- (1 John 1:9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Sven Reichmann continues on the same topic. He tells about a man who freed himself from bitterness and other bonds in a wonderful way. However, when suicidal thoughts were not yet confessed to God, the suicidal spirit had the right to influence a person's life. The example shows how important confession of sin and genuine repentance are. When the areas of life that are not in order are dealt with in order and the sins committed are confessed to God, the devil's right to influence a person's life disappears. After that, the spirits are easy to drive away or they disappear by themselves.

I remember a person who came to me. He had many bondage -related symptoms, many harmful relationships in his life. He felt anger and resentment towards many and lived in a chronic state of anxiety and depression. We went through his life led by the Spirit and progressed all the way to breaking. He himself prayed for forgiveness and release from his anger and bitterness. It was quite evident that his prayer flowed from a deep sense of guilt.

    Afterwards I laid my hands on him and commanded the spirits of darkness to depart. Without any drama, the man's face brightened and his entire being exuded immense relief.

    I suddenly remembered him saying that he had been harboring suicidal thoughts for a long time. I laid my hands on him again and commanded the spirit of suicide to leave him. But this was something we hadn't covered during our conversation and hadn't acknowledged to God. The spirit of suicide still had rights over the man. The man jumped up from his chair and was obviously going to attack me. But during the conversation and prayer, so much breaking and purification had already taken place that the new command made the spirit leave. However, it caused a coughing fit when he left.

    Half a year later I met the man again. He assured me that after that moment he had never once contemplated suicide. At that time, he was also completely freed from all other bondage and slavery. The spiritual deliverance had truly worked. The fact that the spirit of suicide had been able to resist at that moment was due to the fact that the suicide had not been dealt with sufficiently before God before the spirit was spoken to. (13)

What if in a process of deliverance, we focus on the devil and the demons, instead of a person’s connection to God? What happens if we seek information from the evil spirits? We are going to look at this more closely:

• Man does not become free. If a person's relationship with God is not first repaired and he does not confess his sins, it will be difficult for him to be freed. Satan knows his rights and cannot be banished permanently if man himself does not repent of his past and present sins. Unconfessed sins give it legal ground and the process of liberation cannot then be completed. It's pointless. We must first be subject to God; only then can we resist the devil. That's the correct order:

- (James 4:7) Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

• When we read the Bible, we don't see Jesus talking to spirits. Only on one occasion did he ask the spirit's name (Mark 5:9), but usually he told them to be silent and go away. When we follow the same pattern as how Jesus acted, we will certainly not do wrong.

• Conversation with and asking information from evil spirits (e.g., asking how they have ended up inside a person) is questionable, because they are spirits of lies. We cannot trust their information, because they deceive people, or they can make people become intoxicated with power when in contact with them (Luke 10:20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject to you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.).

   Instead, the best source of information is the Holy Spirit. He can reveal what is necessary to a person in a process of deliverance.   

• An important reason for not to converse with evil spirits is that it is the same as asking advice from a clairvoyant spirit! It is sin! It does not greatly differ from a session with a medium conversing with false spirits. The Bible gives us a strong warning about this kind of activity:

- (Lev 19:31) Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.

- Lev 20:6) And the soul that turns after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.

Neil Anderson tells how he has found the right methods in deliverance work. He helps people to solve personal and spiritual conflicts and does not allow demons to express themselves. He also teaches people to resist the devil themselves after they have confessed their sin. When we focus on people and help them fix their relationship with God, deliverance is simpler:

I haven’t tried to drive out a demon from anyone in many years. But I have seen hundreds of people find freedom in Christ when I helped them solve their personal and spiritual conflicts if they genuinely repented and believed in God. I am no longer directly in contact with demons and I do not converse with them. I also do not allow them to express themselves during pastoral care. I only work to help people take responsibility and to subject themselves to God by resisting evil (James 4:7).

   I have learnt from my own experience that if we try to resist evil before subjecting ourselves to God, we will generally end up in a fight. On the other hand, we can subject ourselves to God without resisting the devil, but then we are left in our chains. It is deeply saddening that most rehabilitation programs do neither. (14)

Rebecca Brown continues on the same topic. She tells that she does not allow demons to express themselves, and she also explains the significance of confessing one’s sins. If a person is not ready to give up their sins and repent them, we should not continue with the process of deliverance, or even start it. It will not help anyone:

Jesus gives His servants authority over demons in His name. Unfortunately, deliverance has gotten a very bad name in Christian churches because it has been done unbiblically. We all go through a learning process. I regret that in my first book "He Came To Set The Captives Free" that my struggle against the spirits in Elaine was precisely because I did not know how to act. The Lord demanded that I write my mistakes as well as my successes. I want to emphasize that I no longer speak with demons, and I do not allow any physical manifestations, as was the case when I began this work. If I had known what I know now, it wouldn't have taken so long to free Elaine.

    … Sins are committed one at a time. They should also be recognized one at a time as much as you can remember. When someone confesses their sin and asks the Lord to forgive and cleanse them, they take away from demons all the legal soil that a demon can hold on to. That's why the liberation done this way is so much faster and easier than what I went through with Elaine. It took ten hours for her to be fully released. After the Lord taught me how to deal with deliverance situations, I can now help in a couple of hours completely deliver a person who was as deeply possessed by demons as Elaine was.

    If you feel that the person does not truly repent of their sins, then do not continue the release situation. Wait for the Holy Spirit to bring a real sense of sin into his life. It could take years. Once again, I emphasize: you must be extremely sensitive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit in each individual case. (15)

Make sure you are in the faith! Before you look for deliverance in your own life, make sure you have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ! Turn to him and ask him into your life! According to the Bible, only in him is eternal life and only through him can you be freed from all your bonds. Do not reject him, but turn to him and welcome him, and you will have eternal life:

- (Rev 3:20) Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

- (John 14:6) Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me.

- (John 5:39,40) Search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

40 And you will not come to me, that you might have life.

So, if you have turned to Jesus Christ and received Him in your life, you are a child of God and have eternal life. You have eternal life regardless of what you feel right now. Do not base your assurance of salvation on your ever-changing emotions, but rely on the word of the Bible and on Jesus Christ, just like the anchor of a ship is always thrown outside the ship, never inside.

- (John 1:12)  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name

 - (1 John 5:11-13) And this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

12 He that has the Son has life; and he that has not the Son of God has not life.

13 These things have I written to you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God.

THE PRAYER OF SALVATION: Lord, Jesus, I turn to You. I confess that I have sinned against You and have not lived according to Your will. However, I want to turn away from my sins and follow You with all my heart. I also believe that my sins have been forgiven through Your atonement and I have received eternal life through You. I thank You for the salvation that You have given me. Amen.

Once you have said the salvation prayer and confessed Jesus as your Lord, you can then unbound from the devil in the following way, e.g. If it is difficult for you to say the following words, tell the devil to leave in the name Jesus Christ and say the words again:

In the name of Christ Jesus, I break away from your power, Satan, and from all the powers of darkness with which I have been involved and served. At the same time, I also break away from any witchcraft practiced by my forefathers and my parents, and I hand over my life to Jesus Christ who is now my Lord and my Savior!"

Surrendering your life to God. When you have received Jesus Christ into your life and said the prayer of renunciation of Satan's power, remember to surrender your whole life to God! Don't just look for a way out of your difficulties, but give yourself unconditionally to God and say that you want to follow God's will and Jesus Christ with all your heart! If your goal is just to feel good and not to seek God's plan for your life, that is the wrong starting point. You can lose your soul because of that attitude because Jesus said:

- (Matt 16:24-26) Then said Jesus to his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

25 For whoever will save his life shall lose it: and whoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

R.A. Torrey has explained the same thing. He emphasizes the importance of surrendering all life to Jesus Christ:

Not understanding that Jesus is both our Lord and King, as well as our Redeemer has led many Christians’ lives on the wrong path from the beginning… Nothing is more important to getting a proper beginning in a life with Christ than unconditional surrendering to Jesus with our thoughts and with our entire being. Say it from your heart and keep saying it: everything for Jesus!

   Many are shipwrecked because, frightened, they back away from this total surrender. They would like to serve Jesus, but only half-heartedly, they want to give him only a part of themselves and their possessions. If we keep something to ourselves that should be given to Jesus, the result will be misery in life, stumbling and falling.

    A life that is fully devoted to the Lord will bring joy in every way. If you haven't sacrificed it yet, do it today. Go into solitude, kneel before God and say: "all to Jesus" and do this honestly. Say it sincerely, from the bottom of the heart; stay before Him until you understand what it means and what you are doing. Whoever takes this step correctly will make wonderful progress. If you have already taken it, renew it often. It always has a new meaning and brings new blessings. In this total surrender is the key to all the treasure houses of divine truth. (16)

CONFESSING SINS AND resignation

- (1 John 1:7,9) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleans us from all sin.

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

- (Prov 28:13) He that covers his sins shall not prosper: but whoever confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy.

When freedom is sought, the key to liberation is the confession of sins and the resignation from all wrong things. A person may be liberated through that alone, without focusing on evil spirits. Corrie Ten Boom shares her own experience: 

In the same way as Elisha sent 'the son of the prophet' back to the place where he had lost the axe and where the miracle took place (2 King 6:5,6), I too send people back to the place where they have, being guilty of sin, opened their hearts to the devil. I ask Jesus our Savior to close the door where they have opened it. Firstly, it is necessary to convince people that they really have sinned! Deut 18:10-13 proves this. Confession is necessary, and after it we can claim that the precious promises of purifying belong also to us (John 1:7-9). How many people I saw freed when they acted obediently according to this word!  (17)

Following are some model prayers and commandments that can be said. They deal with different areas of life through which the devil has been able to influence people's lives. It is useful if the person himself writes down all the sins of his life in chronological order that he remembers. Systematization, where different areas are mapped, facilitates liberation. The more sins are brought to light, that is, they are confessed to God, the less the devil has the right and opportunity to influence a person's life. Whereas, not repenting and not confessing your sins gives the devil a chance to still hold you in bonds. If the sins you have committed are not included in the following list, you can confess also them separately and tell the devil to leave.

"Lord, Father, forgive me for participating in spiritism, spirit healing... Thank you for forgiving me and cleansing me from all unrighteousness through the blood of your Son Jesus."

"Satan and you demons, I have confessed to God that I have participated in spiritism, spirit healing....Now you no longer have any legal right in these areas, because through the blood of Jesus I have been forgiven by God for these things. Therefore, in the name of Jesus Christ, I now command you get out of me and around me, and you must never come back!"

__________

"Lord, Father, forgive me for emptying my mind and making it inactive because it is not your will. Thank you for forgiving me and cleansing me from all unrighteousness through the blood of your Son Jesus."

"Satan and you demons, I have confessed to God that I have emptied my mind and made it inactive. Now you no longer have any legal right in this area because through the blood of Jesus I have been forgiven by God. Therefore, in the name of Jesus Christ, I now command you get out of me and around me, and you must never come back!"

__________

"Lord, Father, forgive my wrong connections with the spirit world! I ask that you take away from me now those supernatural gifts and abilities that are not of you and that you also take away from me any connection with the spirit world that is not of you. Thank you for cleansing my body, my soul and spirit from all wrong through the blood of Jesus. In Jesus name, amen."

"Now, in the name of Jesus Christ, I command all evil spirits that give me the ability to communicate with the spirit world to leave my life immediately, and you must never come back!"

__________

"Lord, Father, forgive my involvement in extramarital affairs, pornography and other sins in this area! Thank you for forgiving me and cleansing me from all unrighteousness through the blood of your Son Jesus."

"Satan and you demons, I have confessed to God that I have been involved in false relationships and pornography that are not God's will. Now you no longer have any legal right in this area because through the blood of Jesus I have been forgiven by God for these things. Therefore, I now command In the name of Jesus Christ, get out of me and around me, and you must never come back!"

__________

"Lord, Father, forgive my bitterness and accusation against ....! Thank you for forgiving me and cleansing me from all unrighteousness through the blood of your Son Jesus."

"Satan and you demons, I have confessed to God that I have been bitter towards.... Now you no longer have any legal right in this area because through the blood of Jesus I have been forgiven by God for these things. Therefore, in the name of Jesus Christ, I now command you get out of me and around me, and you must never come back!"

_________

"Lord, Father, forgive my self-hatred, suicidal thoughts and self-pity! Thank you for forgiving me and cleansing me from all unrighteousness through the blood of your Son Jesus."

"Satan and you demons, I have confessed to God my self-hatred, suicidal thoughts and self-pity. Now you no longer have any legal right in these areas, because through the blood of Jesus I have been forgiven by God for these things. Therefore, in the name of Jesus Christ, I now command you to get away from me and around me, and you must never come back!"

__________

"Lord, Father, forgive my pride and envy of others. Also forgive my rebellion and disrespect for those you have placed above me. Thank you for forgiving me and cleansing me from all unrighteousness through the blood of your Son Jesus."

"Satan and you demons, I have confessed to God my pride, my envy and my rebellion. Now you no longer have any legal right in these areas because through the blood of Jesus I have been forgiven by God for these things. Therefore, I now command you in the name of Jesus Christ to leave me and around me, and you must never come back!"

__________

"Lord, Father, I bring before you all the fears and feelings of shame and inferiority that have come to me through traumatic events. Thank you that I can be free through your Son Jesus Christ, because he said:  “Come to me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest to your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matt 11:28-30)

"Satan and you evil spirits, I have confessed to God all the fears and feelings of shame and inferiority that have come to me through traumatic events at school, at home or accidents. Now you no longer have any legal right in this area because through the blood of Jesus these things are forgiven and their influence is cut off. Therefore, I command you now in the name of Jesus Christ to get out of me, and you must never come back!"

_________

"Lord, Father, I confess to you that it is wrong to worry about things that cannot be changed. Thank you that I can bring all my sorrows to you and believe that you will take care of me and I will not have to worry and be depressed about the future.

"Satan and you evil spirits, I have confessed to God my unnecessary worry and depression and have said goodbye to them. Now you no longer have any legal right in this area, because through the blood of Jesus these things have been forgiven and their influence has been cut off. Therefore, I now command Jesus Christ in the name of all spirits of depression and despair depart from me and around me, and you must never come back!"

__________

"In the name of Jesus Christ, I break all curses that have been placed against me. At the same time, in the name of Jesus Christ, I command all demonic powers and diseases to leave me and around me and my family's life, and you must never come back!"

    And Lord, dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you give me protection against anger and that you cut off all connections between me and the attacks of the spirit world. In addition, I want to bless those people who have spoken ill of me and cursed me. In the name of Jesus, amen."

_________

"Lord, Father, I confess to you all the sins of my ancestors and parents, such as witchcraft, spiritism, spirit healing, immorality, false oaths... and I am freed from them. Thank you for letting me be free from the influence of these sins and all evil spirits through the atoning work of Jesus. Thank you that my spiritual heritage comes from Christ and not from the sins of my ancestors, amen."

"Satan and you evil spirits, I have confessed to God the sins and false oaths of my ancestors and parents and renounced them. Now you no longer have any legal right in this area, because through the blood of Jesus these things have been forgiven and their influence has been cut off. Therefore, I command now, in the name of Jesus Christ, depart from me and from around me, and you must never come back!"

AFTER-FIGHT. When a person has gone through different areas of life, confessed the sins that come to his mind and told the devil and demons to leave, he may still have symptoms from the past: dizziness and loss of consciousness, headache, feeling sick, noise and voices in the mind or other symptoms. This may happen especially if a person has lived in occultism and other serious sins or if his family has practiced the same sins. In such cases, you should remember a couple of things.

Belief and feelings are different. When a person has been deep in the occult, it is good for such a person to know that he may have to fight the aftermath for weeks, even months. For even if he has experienced liberation, he may not be at peace, but the devil is still trying to oppress him. It is part of the weeding process that a person may have to experience because they have previously made their mind inactive and given place to the devil.

    Of great importance in this area is the stable attitude of the will and resisting the enemy. When a person actively resists the devil and his interference and maintains a stable attitude of will, the forces of evil have to give up before long. They have to be given up, because man does not give them a place.

   In her book "Pyhien sota" (War on the Saints, p. 83), Jessie Penn-Lewis wrote about the importance of keeping a firm attitude, "When the believer keeps his mind in a normal condition of action, he should sustain firm willpower, i.e., ‘I want my mind not to be passive, I want to completely control and use all my abilities, I want to be clear of all that comes from the enemy’. All this indicates man's choice rather than his decision to do these things. The Powers of Darkness do not care for  mere choosing, but they give up powerless, when the willpower is manifested in a determined decision. God gives us power to walk in the right direction, if we choose the right way."

     Likewise, the following verses show the importance of resistance and also endurance in a person's life. If these aspects are in order, true freedom can be achieved:

- (Eph 6:13) Why take to you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

- (Hebr 10:35,36) Cast not away therefore your confidence, which has great recompense of reward.

36 For you have need of patience, that, after you have done the will of God, you might receive the promise.

- (James 4:7) Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

- (1 Peter 5:8,9) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour:

9 Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brothers that are in the world.

- (Mark 16:17) And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

- (Matt 4:10) Then said Jesus to him, Get you hence, Satan: for it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.

- (Rev 12:11) And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives to the death.

Another thing to remember is that it is good to distinguish between belief and feelings. Deliverance is always based on belief, not feelings. ”We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor 5:7), and feelings are often a complete opposite to what we have in the Christ.

   It is especially common to look to feelings when the delivered person feels physical -and other symptoms similar to their past symptoms. They might think that they have not been truly delivered and saved, and that the evil spirits have returned.

It is good to remember, however, that we need to have faith that the evil spirits are gone. If someone has already confessed their sins, been forgiven for them through the blood of Jesus, and told the evil spirits to leave, then they should really be gone – it is a matter of faith, not feeling.

   On the other hand, it is possible for someone to experience similar symptoms to what they had before, but now from the outside – it is a different thing. Every believer can sometimes end up being attacked – Jesus also went through it in the desert (Matt 4:1-11) – but that does not mean that the person would be under the influence of badness.

   The following verses attest to God’s protection. If you happen to struggle with this at the moment, it is better for you to trust the verses below, rather than to rely on your feelings, which keep quickly changing and alternating:

- (1 John 4:4) You are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

- (Ps 121:7) The LORD shall preserve you from all evil: he shall preserve your soul.

- (Rom 8:38,39) For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

- (Col 1:13) Who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son

Reading the Word of God

- (Eph 6:16,17) Above all, taking the shield of faith, with which you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

The verses above describe the shield of faith with which a person can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

   The word of God is also a tool of grace in deliverance and the fight. Whenever we read the word of the Bible – especially verses that explain our position in Christ and as a child of God – we can experience increasing freedom, when ‘the truth shall make you free’, as Jesus said (John 8:32). This goes especially to understanding true righteousness and the grace of God, when we are freed from false self-accusations and enter a new level in our relationship with God.

   The word of the Bible can also help free us from occultism and other devilish tortures. Reading verses that tell of the defeat of the devil and his destiny in hell have been found especially good for this purpose. (Rebecca Brown worked among many people who were seriously bound. She wrote in her book (Prepare for War), that the Book of Revelation Chapter 18 and the last two chapters of the Revelation are especially good.). The following verses describing the defeat of the devil are also good. If reading these verses is difficult for you and you fear that you may lose consciousness, you can immediately resist the devil in the name of Jesus and continue reading again:

- (1 John 3:8) ... For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

- (Col 2:15) And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

- (Luke 10:17-20) And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject to us through your name.

18 And he said to them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

19 Behold, I give to you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject to you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

- (Luke 11:20-22) But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come on you.

21 When a strong man armed keeps his palace, his goods are in peace:

22 But when a stronger than he shall come on him, and overcome him, he takes from him all his armor wherein he trusted, and divides his spoils.

- (Matt 4:10) Then said Jesus to him, Get you hence, Satan: for it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.

- (Matt 25:41) Then shall he say also to them on the left hand, Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels

- (Rev 20:10) And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

- Chapters 18-22 of the Revelation 

Are there any other gateways? Sometimes the problem might be that we don't know what is causing the problems. The cause might be occult objects in the home or an inheritance. If these objects are not removed, or Evil spirits that have come through family legacy are not disclaimed, Deliverance might be prevented. Being systematic in searching for and recognizing gateways helps to solve such problems.

Derek Prince: One day in 1970, I was thinking about the Bible verse: ”Neither shall you bring an abomination into your house, lest you be a cursed thing like it: but you shall utterly detest it, and you shall utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.…” (Deut 7:26). I walked around my house and realized that I had many “idols”. That's when I made a decision that I believe had an important impact on the direction of my future life and work: I decided that I would not have anything in my possession that would disparage Jesus Christ or open the doors to demonic influence.

   I threw away items inherited from my parents: four beautifully decorated antique dragons and a large pile of Chinese antiques depicted dragons... I cleaned my library of all the books that glorified occultism.... My action dramatically changed the spiritual atmosphere that surrounded me. It was as if I had come from dusk to bright light. (18)

The works of the flesh. Not all problems are caused by the devil or demons. The main reason is our own flesh that tempts us to sin. Even if all the forces of the enemy have been cast out, we still have the temptation to sin, and we have to choose how to live. The works of the flesh can indeed open the door to demons (for example, witchcraft is one of the works of the flesh), but if we walk in the Spirit, we can avoid both committing sin and giving the devil a place. Paul and Jesus taught on the subject:

- (Gal 5:16,19-23) This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, jealousies, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 Contentions, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

- (Mark 7:21-23) For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

REFERENCES:

1. Neil T. Anderson: Enemmän kuin voittaja (The Bondage Breaker), p. 72,209

2. Kurt E. Koch: Indonesian herätys, p. 89,90

3. Neil T. Anderson: Enemmän kuin voittaja (The Bondage Breaker), p. 68, 290

4. Don Basham: Päästä meidät pahasta (Deliver us from devil), p. 270

5. Carlos Annacondia: Kuuntele minua saatana (Listen to me, satan!), p. 100,101

6. Rabindranath R. Maharaj: Gurun kuolema, p. 160,161

7. Betty Tapscott: Eheäksi eilisestä (Inner Healing Through Healing of Memories), p. 69

8. Carroll Thompson: Haavoitettu ja parannettu (The Bruises of Satan), p. 16,17

9. Derek Prince: He karkottavat demoneja (They Shall Expel Demons), p. 32,33

10. Cit.from Sielun piilevä voima, Watchman Nee, p.46,47. Originally written in the book "Soul and spirit", Jessie Penn-Lewis, p. 58

11. Carlos Annacondia: Kuuntele minua saatana (Listen to me, satan), p. 95-98

12. Sven Reichmann: Vapauteen kutsutut (Kallad till frihet), p. 152,153

13. Sven Reichmann: Vapauteen kutsutut (Kallad till frihet), p. 150,151

14. Neil T. Anderson: Enemmän kuin voittaja (The Bondage Breaker), p. 278,279

15. Rebecca Brown: Astiaksi jaloon käyttöön (Becoming a Vessel of Honor), p. 193,201

16. R.A. Torrey: Kuinka kasvaisin kristillisyydessä, p. 9,10

17. Corrie Ten Boom: Lyöty vihollinen (Defeated Enemies), p. 11,12

18. Derek Prince: He karkottavat demoneja (They Shall Expel Demons), p. 76

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life

Grap to eternal life!