A Modern Woman's Perspective On The Kingdom of God on Earth


February 3, 2017

Can You Lose Your Deliverance?

     As we Christians learn to walk out our "authentic" faith, we will have questions as suggested by the title of this blog.  And by the use of the word "authentic", I will probably have a different meaning than popular theologians who use the word as a slogan or catchphrase in expressing their doctrine.  By authentic, I mean doing the things Jesus did, and following His model for establishing God's Kingdom on earth.
     I know that I have explained what that looks like before, but because of the confusion among the Body of Christ, I do not think it can be expounded upon too often ... When God revealed Himself on earth as the Son of Man and the Son of God, He came as our Savior, Jesus Christ, King of the Jews.  And on a very base level, we can recognize that what the King rules over is His Kingdom.  So while Jesus was on earth, we can say that His Kingdom had arrived (although His orderly rule among men had yet to be established -- that is what He wants us to partner in setting up).  Also, Jesus made it very clear that the Kingdom of God is God's rule in our hearts.
     As a representative of God's Kingdom on earth, what were some of the acts He conducted when demonstrating what it meant to Seek first, the Kingdom of God? You are aware that I have pointed out the significance of His act of Healing as a signal of the Power of God on earth, and as a condition of the order and rule in His Kingdom.  And it is to the Glory of God that the Bible records that Jesus healed 31 individuals, including the Leper in Galilee; the paralyzed servant of the Roman Centurion; Peter's mother-in-law in Capernaum; the man with a withered hand at a synagogue in Capernaum; the woman with an issue of blood; two blind men departing from Jericho; the infirmed man at the Pool of Bethesda at Jerusalem... to just name a few.
     But if you diligently search the Scripture, you will also find that not all of Jesus's healings were defined by sickness or infirmities.  For instance, Matthew 15:22-28 reveals that He healed the Canaanite woman's daughter who was "grievously vexed with a devil".  Matthew 12:22 tells us, "Then was brought unto Him one possessed with a devil; blind, and dumb: and He healed him."  Then there are those mass healings that took place, as in Matthew 4:24:  "So His fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them".  And the last one (though not the final one) I will mention is in Luke 4:40-41:  "Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him, and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying, You are the Son of God! But He rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that He was the Christ".
     These are just a few of the healings that have been described in the Bible -- cases of deliverance from both illnesses and demonic oppression.  But I would be negligent if I did not point out what John, the Apostle said, regarding this subject:  "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written".  Our Bible very plainly says that Jesus performed these miracles as signs that the Kingdom of God was now being set in motion upon the earth.  Yet, we the Church, are largely ignorant that this is to be our duty as servants of the King -- to continue His work!  And while my writing has concentrated on this, as our moral obligation to our King, I want to take a look at another aspect of what He taught in regard to Healing.
     As my husband and I have studied and communed with God and Jesus about our divinely-assigned ministry of deep (spiritual) healing, [and what others term as Deliverance], we are being shown a Truth in Scripture that is important for the Body of Christ to understand if we are going to truly seek to establish the Kingdom of God here on earth.  Yes, we are encouraged by the evidence shown us [in the Bible] that Jesus healed people from their torments and the oppression of the Enemy and his demons.  And we have partnered with Him in helping quite a few people to escape the captivity in which they were bound.  But we have also begun to see that just because a person is set free by Jesus [in the spirit], it does not guarantee that this freedom is permanent.  And although it's taken me quite a few paragraphs, I'm finally ready to explore the question as presented in the title of today's post ... Can You Lose Your Deliverance?
     I'm going to cut right to the chase... I believe that yes, you can.  And I want to make it perfectly clear ... this is not a question of Salvation.  I did not ask, Can You Lose Your Salvation? Nor do I assert that a person's Deliverance is dependent on their Salvation (although I do believe that if a person experiences Jesus setting them free of bondage and captivity due to their sinful life choices, it can lead to acceptance of Jesus as one's Savior).
     So here is the Biblical evidence that I believe one can lose their Deliverance (or Healing).  Recall, if you will, the story in the Bible of the man at the Pool of Bethesda as related in John, Chapter 5.  This man had been an invalid for 38 years, and has positioned himself at the edge of the Pool, where it is stated that an angel comes down to occasionally stir the water, upon which the first ones entering are miraculously healed. [And I want to state that I have no problem believing in this miracle; just as I can believe other places in Scripture that record supernatural events, such as the healing of Naaman in the River Jordan (2 Kings 5:10-14); and the healing of those who have the shadow of Peter fall across them (Acts 5:14-16)].
     But along comes Jesus, who notices the man, and asks him an important question:  Do you want to be healed?  I can tell you that in our experience, that is an important question indeed. We have found it quite common that as bad as a person's current situation might be, at least they are familiar with it. They know it intimately. It's familiar and doesn't run the risk of surprising them. They can be more comfortable in their present misery [and bondage] than taking the steps they need to meet Jesus and be set free.  Believe it or not, as miserable as people will admit to being, they can't always say they want to be healed.
     When Jesus discerns that the man could not be healed on his own, He heals the man, who immediately recovers his strength.  And what does Jesus tell him?  Snatch up your pallet, start walking and keep on walking.  This is the expanded Greek translation of John 5:8.  Note the underlined words which imply that our deliverance (or healing) is not confined to this one moment in time.  We must continue on the path Jesus has set us upon.  This is further clarified just a few verses later, when Jesus happens upon the same man in the synagogue.  This man has been questioned about his healing, as if the very fact of his healing is in question.  After all, the Jews ask, who had the authority to do such a thing?  And the man is hard-pressed to provide a rational answer, not being able to identify the Son of God as his Deliverer.  But Jesus speaks to the man in the synagogue and tells him, Behold, you have become well.  Do not go on sinning any longer, lest something worse happen to you.  Right there, Jesus presents the possibility that this man's healing and Deliverance is dependent on him.  It is not unconditional -- it is not a Get Out of Jail Free card with no expiration date. And the failure to keep his Deliverance runs the risk of a return to a life which is even more oppressed.
     I must tell you that this is a concern as my husband and I minister to people who are in spiritual bondage, and in need of both spiritual and physical healing. [It is not uncommon for physical ailments to be rooted in spiritual issues that need healing].  There is usually much cause for celebration as a person meets Jesus in the spiritual realm and He is able to deliver them from their spiritual bondage and deep soul wounds.  There is elation and a sense of freedom; a sense that they have seen the end of their oppression and misery.  But just like Jesus cautioned the man at the Pool of Bethesda (and the adulteress woman at the well), it is not a one-time, done deal.  We must "Sin no more" and Keep walking in the new direction that Jesus has provided by His healing.  Jesus makes it very clear that He is warning against a return to sinful lifestyle choices, which will only re-open Satan's legal authority to once again attack and oppress you.
     I know this is a huge concept, but it is one that Christians in the modern world need to understand.  It ties into the concepts I've presented on the Court in Heaven, and Our Authority vs. Satan's. But we desperately need to comprehend that Jesus's words extended His mercy, but also demanded our holiness.  He is telling us that any return to the sin that subjected us to oppression and captivity will nullify any release or freedom we have gained.  In essence, if we do not fight to keep our Deliverance [and resist the temptations and urges to return to the comfortable state of sin that resulted in our spiritual misery], then Satan will take advantage of that weakness and renew his attacks, and most likely our return to captivity will be even harsher.
     This, in effect, is the principle as expressed in Luke 11:24-26: When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ On its return, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and dwell there. And the final plight of that man is worse than the first.”
     If, through Deliverance, or deep healing, a person is rescued from a life of demonic harassment or oppression, but does not make an effort to fill their life with the newfound freedom from Jesus and seek to keep walking in His ways, then they are leaving themselves open to be revisited by the same whispered lies of the Destroyer.  In no time, they will find themselves back under the control of demonic influences and their freedom will vanish.  In short, it is our responsibility to STAY FREE if we don't want to lose our Deliverance!
     In closing, I guess my final thoughts are these:  Jesus did not come to earth to establish a Kingdom that could be so easily won and lost [because we don't make the effort to hold on to the freedom and territory that He helps us to receive].  Or you can look at it this way ... It cost Jesus everything to come set us [the captives] free.  When He Delivers us from Satan's clutches, we are being conformed to His image.  Why would we want to exchange our newfound identity to return to the tarnished image that Satan presents us? Why would any of us want to return to those prisons and chains?

Romans 6:17-18   "But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness".
   


9 comments:

  1. Thank you for this article, it was excellent.

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  2. wow... how about the pain? I am not going out of my way to hurt someone, but my pain is going very slowly and the same wounds keep re occurring ... I go out of my way to care but I get the same treatment ... and I say and keep confessing that I forgive and indeed I even go on and offer gifts and apologies to do my part of reconciliation but the pain remains especially because no one bothers to apologise...so now I speak out when one condemns me or even withdraw.. does this kind of pain attract attacks? I am begging God to take away the pain cause on my own I have failed. please write back and help me.

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    1. First of all, I want to say this .... I don't know if your pain is coming from something you've done, or if it is something that someone has done to you. All pain comes from being separated from the Father and Jesus. We are made in their image (as spirit beings) and are born desiring a relationship with Them. But when sin comes into our lives (whether our own sin, or sin committed against us by another), our spirit suffers that separation and we experience pain in our soul and spirit. I would be interested in knowing what these "same wounds that keep recurring" are -- is it Rejection, Anger, Bitterness, Self-Hatred, Unworthiness, Loneliness, Depression?

      And as far as forgiveness, we may sometimes need to forgive more than once. Do you remember in the Bible, when the man asks Jesus how many times he has to forgive, and Jesus says, it may be 70 x 7? Also, you ask if pain can attract attacks. I would say if you are experiencing the same kind of attacks (whether it be rejection, or whatever), you are listening to a lie from the Enemy and need to counter it with a truth from the Lord. For instance, if you find that you are apologizing a lot for speaking out, and then you get rejected again (and no one apologizes to you), what are you thinking in your mind that causes you to speak out? Do you get your feelings hurt because they don't respond in kind? Or whatever it is that the Enemy is using to keep you from enjoying the forgiveness you have extended towards that person.

      And you have said that you have failed at taking away the pain on your own. That's right! It is Jesus who takes away our pain. We must submit to him and surrender the lies the Enemy tells you about why you should be offended and hurt.

      I really don't have enough information to deal with your pain specifically, but if you would like to email me at belle@salvationandsurvival.com, and give me more information, I would be glad to try to help you.

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  3. Thank you so much for getting back Pam...allow me to quote you here "I would be interested in knowing what these "same wounds that keep recurring" are -- is it Rejection, Anger, Bitterness, Self-Hatred, Unworthiness, Loneliness, Depression?" ... Yes true...those exactly.

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  4. Also for those who may read these comments...we would like to know...why does the pain remain even after forgiving? How do we deal with this?

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  5. Here is a truth that many people don't recognize ... Forgiveness is a very powerful tool for getting free from bondage to the devil. But too often, we just say "I forgive you, but we don't back it up. When we hang on to unforgivenss, it is a sin, and the Enemy exploits it by continuing to whisper the lies that cause those spirits of rejection, anger, bitterness, etc. to linger. Simply saying you've forgiven someone often doesn't release you from the bondage. I recommend that you do the following exercise (preferably by yourself in a place where you can speak out loud). Speaking out loud let's the spiritual realm hear your declaration and they take notice. So, you say the following out loud: I forgive _____ for ______. It made me feel ________. Father, I release _____ to You, in the Name of Jesus.

    By being honest and saying out loud EVERYTHING you forgive them for (ex., abandoning me, rejecting me, lying to me, abusing me, etc), and EVERYTHING it made you feel (ex., unloved, angry, humiliated, invalidated, rejected ... whatever), it legitimizes the hurt that was caused. Then, if you can picture in your mind taking their hand and leading them to Jesus to walk off with them and minister to them, as you are speaking that you are releasing them to Him, then it is a spiritual image that becomes a reminder that you have truly let them and the hurt go.

    HOWEVER, if you pick that unforgiveness back up, and let a thought from the devil tempt you to remember and concentrate on the hurt again, then you're going to feel the pain again. You must, as the Bible says, take every thought captive. Again, speak out loud, "I refuse to pick that unforgiveness back up, because I have released that pain to Jesus, and I am set free". You may have to do the forgiveness exercise multiple times until you are able to resist picking the hurt back up.

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    1. Wow thank you ... Pam how are you today? ... I shall be giving you feedback as I practice this. God bless you so much.

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  6. I had occasion to travel overseas a few years back and I can tell you that when our little group hit the airport in Taipei on the return trip we made a beeline for the first recognizable icon we saw. deliverance ministry

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    1. I saw that you commented on another post I wrote on Deliverance and Inner Healing. From the spirit of your comments, it sounds like you are skeptical of anything spiritual or outside the Christian experience. We must be wise to recognize when false gods are at work in other cultures and when the Most High God points you to true freedom through His Spirit. And not sure what icons you made a beeline for????

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