MAINTAINING YOUR DELIVERANCE (Part 1)

Deliverance,which is defined as recovery or preservation from loss or danger is a process. Process is defined as a particular course of action intended to achieve a result. The result of deliverance is freedom from demonic forces which held you in captivity or bondage. As believers, our task is not only to receive deliverance but to maintain it.

In Mark 16:17, Jesus tells his followers that miraculous signs will accompany those who believe and one of those signs is the casting out of demons. Many people think someone else is supposed to cast out their demons. However, that person is not going home with you and truth be told; we do not want others to know the spirits that are besieging us. So, we need to utilize the authority and power God has given us and do it for ourselves. A confirmation of this can be seen in II Corinthians 7:1 when Apostle Paul tells us to cleanse ourselves from all things that defile our body and spirit.

In Matthew 12:43 – 45, Jesus used this text to share information with the scribes and Pharisees concerning how demons operate. He said, “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”

Here are some things that can be concluded from that text:

1. Spirits come and go. Demons can leave you; however, they will come back.
2. Spirits seek a place of habitation. Demons want a place in which they can manifest themselves.
3. Spirits think they are in ownership of the place in which they formerly resided. Your behavior helps them to come to that conclusion.
4. If found empty, spirits will seek re-entry and bring other spirits with them. You must fill yourself with the Holy Spirit and things that will edify your spirit.

Our enemies are relentless, and they do not accept defeat readily. When one tactic does not work, they strategize and come back with another. The Bible also confirms this practice of the enemy returning in the life of Jesus. It says that after Jesus was tempted three times by the devil in the wilderness, he left him planning to return to Jesus at a more opportune time.(Luke 4:1–13). Satan tempted Jesus with three different strategies which Jesus resisted. Now people, if Satan did that with Jesus, you can only imagine his plans for us. Satan sends his demons and angels to assault us, and they do not tire or abort their assignment. They will return with another plan if the first does not work, and they will bring other demons to assist in your downfall.

As believers, our responsibility is to be sensitive to demonic activity in our lives. We must be truthful and acknowledge demonic activity, cast out spirits that are attempting to gain control of our lives, and maintain that deliverance. Remember you cannot be delivered from that which you will not acknowledge or that which you deny existing in your life.

Throughout the Bible there are mentions of some ruling spirits. Often you may hear them called “strongman.” The Bible reveals these ruling spirits as:

Spirit of Jealousy (Numbers 5:14; Proverbs 6:34)
Spirit of Lying (2 Chronicles 18:22; Jeremiah 23:14)
Spirit of Familiarity (1 Samuel 28:7; Deuteronomy 18:10-12)
Spirit of Perversion (Isaiah 19:14; Proverbs 14:2; Proverbs 23:33; Acts 13:10)
Spirit of Heaviness (Isaiah 61:3)
Spirit of Whoredom (Hosea 4:12; Ezekiel 16:28-39)
Spirit of Infirmity (Luke 13:11)
Spirit of the Deaf and Dumb (Mark 9:17-25)
Spirit of Fear (2 Timothy 1:7; Job 4:14)
Spirit of Bondage (Romans 8:15; Exodus 6:9)
Spirit of Antichrist (1 John 4:3)
Spirit of Disobedience (Ephesians 2:2)
Spirit of Slumber (Romans 11:8)
Spirit of the World (1 Corinthians 2:12)
Spirit of Divination (Acts 16:16)
Spirit of Error (1 John 4:6)
Spirit of the Devil (Revelation 16:4)
Spirit of Seduction (1 Timothy 4:1)
Spirit of Sorrow (1 Samuel 1:15)
Evil Spirit (Judges 9:23)
Unclean Spirit (Zechariah 13:2)
Broken Spirit (Proverbs 17:2)
Blind Spirit (Matthew 12:22)
Spirit of Pride or Haughtiness (Proverbs 16:18; Proverbs 13:10)

Lesser demonic spirits are found to accompany the above ruling spirits, and they are probably the ones that are brought back by the returning evicted demon who is seeking to re-enter our lives. Thus, when seeking deliverance casting out the ruling spirit is essential to uprooting the underlings

Two old books published with great information on deliverance are “Pigs in the Parlor” by Frank Hammond and “Deliverance for Children and Teens” by Bill Banks. I highly recommend these books for anyone seeking deliverance.

In my next blog, I will present part two of this subject, and I will share information on those things that must be done to maintain our deliverance.