Setting the Captives Free

Our remarkable journey with the Lord began back in 1975 when Tommy and I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit in Atlanta, Georgia. It was during the height of the Charismatic Renewal sweeping through the United States. At that time, I was teaching elementary school and Tommy was working as a licensed stockbroker.

Five years later we were called to serve the Lord in the ministry. So, we packed up our belongings, sold our property and followed the Cloud/Lord to Liberty Bible School in Pensacola, Florida. After Tommy graduated and was ordained, we were asked to serve as elders and home group leaders at Liberty Church.

In 1991 we founded a counseling ministry called Tree of Life Ministries and were ordained with Christian International Ministries Network.

In 1994 we became counseling ministers and trainers in the Healing House Network. We have been 'setting the captives free' for over 35 years by providing healing and deliverance to hundreds and hundreds of people.

Therefore, today's word is not a message of hope or encouragement. It is an equipping lesson meant to train God's people for works of service -- so you can experience more freedom in your own life from demonic strongholds and-- be equipped to set others free.

Lesson Objectives:

1. To teach some basic principles on deliverance and how to be set free from demonic oppression.

2. To encourage you to do additional reading and studying on the topic of healing and deliverance.

3. To encourage you to begin to practice what you have learned to help set other Christians free.

Our Messiah's Great Commission

Isaiah 61:1-3 (and Luke 4:18-19)

61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord (God) has

 anointed me (Jesus) to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind

 up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from 

darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor (the day

of salvation) and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and 

provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty 

instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise 

instead of a spirit of despair. 

Was this prophetic scripture meant just for Jesus to fulfill?

No. It was also meant for all his disciples down through the ages, because

we represent Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God. We are called to 

be mature sons and daughters of God proclaiming freedom for the

captives and releasing prisoners from darkness! 

The Great Commission for Christ's Disciples

Mark 16:15-20. 15. He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all  

creation. 16. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not

believe will be condemned. 17. And these signs will accompany those who believe:

In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18. they will

pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will 

not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will

get well."

In Jesus' day poisonous snakes, such as a viper, and deadly poisons put in 

a drink, were two common ways people would try to kill someone. Jesus 

knew his disciples might encounter such a deadly attack by their enemies.

Today, we can take authority over any type of poison that enters

our body and pray for healing. For example, chemotherapy to destroy

cancer also destroys the immune system.

19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and

he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached 

everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the 

signs that accompanied it.

The Great Commission is not about getting people saved and building

big churches. Our assignment is to preach the gospel message of Jesus Christ 

and train people how to see the kingdom of God manifest on earth. The 

Lord's prayer written for his disciples says, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be

done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Definition of a Commission- noun

1. a formal written warrant granting the power to perform various acts or duties.

2. an authorization or command to perform prescribed acts.

3. authority to act for, on behalf of, or in place of another.

4. group of persons directed to perform some duty.

Is the Lord's commission in Mark 16 just a suggestion for believers-- if we feel like doing it?  

No. It is a command, an authorization, an assignment given to believers in the body of Christ.  Particularly, those in leadership should understand and practice Mark 16 in their own personal life, and ministry to others, just like Jesus did.  Disciples of Jesus Christ are called to preach and teach God's Word … and to set the captives free so the kingdom of God can be manifest in them.

Did you know that in Jesus' time, no one was sent out to evangelize without first being filled with the Holy Spirit and commissioned to deal with evil spirits? (Derek Prince) (Mark 16:15-20, Acts 1:8).

Saved, Salvation & Delivered (the Greek words and meanings)

1. Saved- "sozo" #5392- means to save, rescue, heal and deliver.

Rom. 10:13, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (The Passion Translation- "rescued and experience new life").

2. Salvation- “soteria” #5401- means to rescue and deliver.

Acts 4:12, Salvation is found in no one else for there is no other name by which we must be saved.

3. Deliver, delivered, deliverance- “rhyomai” #4861- means to rescue or deliver. Webster's definition- To set free. The act of setting captives or slaves free.

Example. The Israelites were delivered from their enemies.

Matthew 6:13, “and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Is the Lord's commission in Mark 16 just a suggestion for believers-- if we feel like doing it?  

No. It is a command, an authorization, an assignment given to believers in the body of Christ.  Particularly, those in leadership should understand and practice Mark 16 in their own personal life, and ministry to others, just like Jesus did.  Disciples of Jesus Christ are called to preach and teach God's Word … and to set the captives free so the kingdom of God can be manifest in them.

Definition of Demons

“Demons are invisible spiritual entities with minds, emotions and wills of their own, in league with, and under the control of Satan. They are out to do his bidding and to torment the people of God.” (Derek Prince).

John 10:10. The thief (Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Derek Prince- (1915–2003) was educated as a scholar of Greek and Latin at Eton College and Cambridge University, England. He also studied Hebrew and Aramaic, at Cambridge University and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He is the author of over 80 books, 600 audio and 110 video teachings, many of which have been translated and published in more than 100 languages. He preached at many Christian conferences worldwide. He was regarded as one of the dynamic voices in the Charismatic Renewal (www.derekprince.org).

Scriptures on Deliverance

How Jesus dealt with demons.

Derek Prince tells us in his book, They Shall Cast Out Demons, that one-third

of Jesus' ministry was spent doing healing and deliverance with signs

and miracles following.

1 John 3:8. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 

In order to establish the kingdom of God here on earth, Jesus had to destroy the 

devil's plans to kill, steal and destroy the people of God.

Matthew 12:22. Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. (Sozo- rescued or delivered him)

Matthew 12: 28. Jesus said, But if it is by the Spirit of God (Holy Spirit) that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Mark 1:39. So he continued preaching in their synagogues and expelling evil spirits throughout the whole of Galilee.

A Key Point to take notice of in these scriptures: Deliverance was accomplished by the Lord Jesus working with the power (anointing) of the Holy Spirit to set people free from demons and demonic strongholds.

Colossians 1:13,For he (Jesus) has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son (of light) he loves.

How did Jesus do that? By delivering us from the demons we brought with us from the dominion of darkness before we experienced salvation in Christ. Or by casting out the demons we picked up through our own sinful behavior since we were saved. 

Once the Lord Jesus rescues us out of Satan's kingdom of darkness and translates us into the kingdom of Light, He wants to deliver us from the demons that came with us. For example, if a Christian had a practice of playing with occult games, had engaged in adultery, or homosexual behavior, they would need to have those evil spirits cast out to be set free from those bondages. Demons do not automatically leave just because someone receives Christ as their Savior.

Matthew 28:18-20. This is Matthew's version of The Great Commission.

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth 

has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all 

nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the

Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. 

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

How did Jesus deal with demons?

By taking authority over them, commanding them to leave, driving them out or 

expelling them. 

The Authority of the Believer

Matthew 10:1 and 7.1. Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. Verse 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, and drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

Matthew 16:19 (Matthew 18:18). I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Mark 6:7 and 12. Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by 

two and gave them authority over impure spirits. AND verse 12 They went out 

and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and 

anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

Luke 10:17-18.17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the 

demons submit to us in your name.” 18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like

lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and 

scorpions (evil spirits) and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing 

will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but

rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Acts 10:38. 38. God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, 

and [how] he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power 

of the devil, because God was with him.

1 John 3:8. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 

Jesus was commissioned to destroy the devil's work; his disciples had that same commission and so do we today. If we have experienced being born-again and filled with the Holy Spirit, then we are the sons and daughters of God!

What should Christians be doing with the authority Jesus has given to us?

We should be driving out demons, healing the sick, overcoming all the power of the enemy, destroying the devil's work, cleansing the lepers, raising the dead and generally speaking …  setting the captives free!

Successful Deliverance Ministry

A. Seven Steps to Victory

1. I confess (repentance) the sin of: (write the name of the specific sin or curse. (Example. Anger) _____________________________________________

2. I forgive and release the people involved. (Call out their names, write them.
Ex. Parents, spouse, pastor) ___________________________________

3. I ask you, Lord Jesus, for forgiveness of this sin.

4. I choose to forgive myself.

5. I renounce the sin of (from line #1) and break agreement with it. I take authority over the demonic spirit and command it to leave me now in Jesus' Name. (Continue to command and expel the spirit until you experience freedom. Quote Bible scriptures to run demons out. Use the Name of Jesus and plead His blood over yourself.)

6. I receive God’s freedom from this sin and confess God’s Word over it.
(Write out a scripture to stand on, or positive confession you can pray over yourself. Ex. Instead of anger, I have the fruit of patience and kindness abiding in me).
_________________________________________________________

7. Maintain your victory with prayer and worship. Pray your blessing over yourself for the next two weeks to insure your victory.

B. Maintain your healing and deliverance (Derek Prince)

• Yield to the Lordship of Jesus in every area.

• Be continuously filled with the Holy Spirit. Eph. 5:18

• Live by the Word of God. Luke 11:13, Acts 2:4, Matt. 4:4, 7 and 11.

• Put on the whole armor of God. Eph. 6:10.

• Cultivate godly relationships.

• Fellowship with other believers.

• Make Jesus central in your life. John 12:31-32.

• Practice the spiritual disciplines of: regular Bible reading, prayer, worship, fasting, and attending a Spirit-filled, Bible-believing church.

C. Sample Scriptures to personalize and confess to get victory over demonic spirits are:

Fear- God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, of love and a sound mind. 2 Tim. 1:7.

Overcoming- I have overcome Satan by the blood of Jesus, the word of my testimony and that I do not love my life unto death. Rev. 12:11.

Sexual sins- It is no longer I that live, but Christ that lives in me. Gal. 2:20. I choose to live a life of sexual purity.  

When engaging the devil, Jesus confessed God's Word over the temptation. (Matthew chapter 4). Just like he did, we use the sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) to overcome our enemy (Eph. 6:10).

Compile a list of scriptures you can use to overcome sin, the temptations of the world and Satan for different issues. There are Bible Promise booklets you can purchase from bookstores.

D. Using wisdom and the power of agreement

Having a particular sin or spirit could be a blind-spot you have not recognized. Therefore, you need to pray in the spirit and ask Holy Spirit to show you any spiritual strongholds on which you need to work. Denial, doubt, unbelief are common strongholds that you might need to bring before the Lord.

Going to see a counseling minister may be necessary to identity strongholds and help you work on personal issues. Experiences that were traumatic or extremely painful will require you see an experienced, Christian counselor rather than try to deal with them by yourself.

It is also highly recommended you ask your pastor or another minister you trust to pray with you. Having the power of agreement increases your authority, anointing and confidence. Whenever, two or more agree on anything according to God's will, it shall be done by our Father (Matt. 18:19).

Let's Review:

• The Great Commission given to us by Jesus was a commandment to all believers, not just missionaries and pastors.

• Jesus Christ gave us the authority to cast out demons and destroy all the plans of the evil one. Jesus did all he needed to do to break the power of the enemy when He died on the cross, was buried and rose again. 

• God's plan of salvation (“sozo”) includes: saving us from our sins, healing our diseases and delivering us from all demonic oppression so that we might be transformed into the image of Christ.

• Jesus Christ came to announce the arrival of the kingdom of God, to destroy the works of Satan and... to set the captives free.

• The mature sons and daughters of God are called to work with the Holy Spirit to destroy the work of the evil one and manifest the kingdom of heaven here on earth.

I pray this introductory lesson will get you started off right and motivate you to go deeper into the study of healing and deliverance. I can recommend the writings of Derek Prince who is the most well-known and highly qualified teacher and minister in this field. 

To see his books, materials and copies of his lessons on many different topics, go to www.derekprince.org. Many of his public teachings can be found on Youtube.

“Baal Perazim- God of the Breakthrough”

Part I. Introduction and Principle One.
During January of 2013 I was attending a traditional, denominational church which was struggling with some past issues. The pastor asked everyone to pray and ask God to give them a fresh vision for the new year. On the way to church one morning, the Holy Spirit told me to pray for breakthrough for the church. Since I was not really sure how to do that, I knew I needed the Holy Spirit to give me understanding and show me how to accomplish a supernatural breakthrough (from now on BT) for myself and for others. That's when my study on this topic began. Over the past year I collected quite a lot of material, prophecies and revelation from the Holy Spirit. I could write a whole book, but for this blogpage format, I divided it into multiple sections and will post them separately.

To my amazement, I discovered that the Lord was speaking about BT to many people in the body of Christ this past year. Numerous prophetic voices are talking and writing about how the Lord plans to bring about supernatural BT to the body of Christ in order for God's purposes to be fulfilled in 2014. I'll be sharing some of these later as I go along.

Let's begin with the definition of breakthrough from the Random House Dictionary.

1. a military advance all the way through and beyond an enemy's front-line of defense.
2. an act of removing an obstruction; the overcoming of a stalemate.
3. any significant achievement or advancement that removes a barrier to progress.

So to achieve BT one must advance past the enemy's line of defense and overcome all obstructions, stalemates and barriers to progress. Aren't you glad God doesn't ask us to do all that by ourselves! Later on we'll see how He is Baal Perazim- God of the Breakthrough! He leads us into the battle, fights with us and enables us to be overcomers in this life.

Supernatural Results!

Examples of BT would be receiving a miracle, emotional or physical healing, deliverance from demonic strongholds, experiencing restoration of a broken relationship, experiencing the loving Presence of God or reaching our destiny in the kingdom of God. All the fleshly or demonic barriers to spiritual progress are destroyed and we become overcomers in Christ Jesus. With God's supernatural help we are enabled to accomplish something we could never achieve on our own and the glory of the Lord will arise upon us!

I want to introduce this message by sharing three principles for BT which the Holy Spirit has shown me over the last year. Then we'll study 2 Samuel 5 to learn how David was able to acheive BT. We'll look at Hindrances to BT and finally, some Keys for How to Receive a Spiritual BT. Does this message sound like one from which you could benefit? Do you feel fairly competent or incompetent at knowing how to achieve BT? Would you like learn more about how to help others receive a BT?

Principle #1
The first principle came to me back in May through an Elijah List newsletter entitled, “God of Our Breakthrough.” The author said that for a church or organization to obtain a spiritual BT there has to be an end of all “works of the flesh first” in the leadership and organization. Wow! That caught my attention. I knew the Spirit was speaking to me that day.

There has to be a breakdown of the current way of doing something before God can bring about a breakthrough. The old way of doing something has to come to an end; such as the traditional worship music or leadership style. It has to come to a halt! It has to be discontinued for a time so it can be replaced with God's new and living way. If there isn't this complete breakdown, then the new way of the Spirit will be competing with the old ways. The result will be conflict, competition, strife and discontentment from both groups within the organization. All this results in people being dissatisfied and leaving.

Scriptures to support this principle would be the following:
Judges 16:28-30. The story of Samson and Delilah, his imprisonment and eventual revenge on the Philistines.
Jeremiah 31:28. “And it shall come to pass, that as I have watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to throw down, to destroy, and to afflict, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the Lord.”
Matthew 9:16 -17. “No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. 17 Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
Luke 5:39. “And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’”
Galatians 5:19-20. “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

In Churches
Traditional, denominational churches for the most part do not experience signs, wonders and miracles, or the awesome Presence of God in their services. This is because they just “keep on keeping on” with the same traditional way they have always managed their services for the last 50 years. They are not willing to embrace anything new or different. They insist on having only “sacred music” and a printed bulletin with the order of service every Sunday. Change is not something they wish to embrace, and indeed, resist it at all cost. These types of churches are filled with wonderful people who love God, obey His Word and serve Jesus Christ faithfully. However, adhering to tradition is a priority with the members and leadership.

On the other hand, some non-denominational, charismatic churches also get “stuck in a rut,” habitually doing what they have always done, because it always “worked in the past.” What once was a fresh, vibrant move of God twenty years ago, becomes a routine program with only a resemblance of the way things used to be. We get comfortable with our routine and don't want change. We don't even realize the Presence of the Holy Spirit is no longer manifest in the services. “The show must go on” as they say in the theater, so our services become more entertainment and hype than true worship “in spirit and truth.”

Warning! 
Works of the flesh, no matter how religious or spiritual they may seem to be, will not produce the Presence of God, nor the anointing of the Holy Spirit in a church or organization. Doing what we've always done, because we're comfortable with it will not produce BT no matter how many scriptures we use, or how loud we may preach. When we insist on managing services our way, we leave out the possibility of the Holy Spirit doing something fresh and new. The Holy Spirit is alive and wants to produce vibrant change in our lives on a regular basis. Getting in the flow with what the Holy Spirit is doing today requires change! Bringing an end to the current way has to proceed a BT by the Holy Spirit. It can be a difficult process to bring about change, but not impossible with guidance from the Lord. All things are possible with God in control.

In Marriages
My husband Tommy and I have a Christian counseling ministry called Tree of Life Ministries. Couples come to us for marriage counseling, because they are... in crisis. They experience a critical event, such as adultery or pornography, where there is a breakdown of their relationship. This crisis brings them to their knees where they humbly ask God to help them change.

When they both acknowledge and repent of the “works of the flesh”, then we can help them. They have to bring a halt to all the destructive attitudes and behaviors, and humbly repent before God. Then we can help them achieve the BT they need through emotional healing and deliverance ministry.

The crisis becomes the opportunity for growth.
In fact, it is going through the restoration process, experiencing the breakdown and the breakthrough, that the Holy Spirit empowers a husband and a wife or a church with new covenant hearts capable of demonstrating God's agape love toward one another. The crisis becomes the opportunity for growth toward Christ-like maturity and a new loving future together. God removes the critical, judgmental hearts and give them tender, pliable hearts capable of loving and serving each other.

Some questions to consider.

Have you ever experienced this negative principle of “breakdown before breakthrough” in your life, family or church? What was the outcome? Were you able to successfully achieve the desired Godly results, or did it end in a stalemate, division or broken relationships? Were you able to overcome all the obstacles and barriers to progress? Were you able to overcome all the plans of the enemy to keep you stuck in the breakdown stage? Have you also observed that in time with wisdom and guidance, God can bring restoration and reconciliation to broken churches and marriages? Yes, and Amen, He can bring about supernatural BT.

Part Two follows in the next post.