Last week, I finally took that leap of faith and went through deliverance with the ministry I belong to. I have not been the same since, all praise to the Most High God, the King of Kings, the LORD of Lords, Jesus Christ!
Since my deliverance, I’ve felt so much lighter. I truly feel joy again. I feel like I can truly start over now, like my mind has been restored, that this is a brand new chapter of my life, all praise to the LORD.
The sun and the sky seem brighter and I have a renewed appreciation for God’s beautiful creation. A few nights ago, I walked outside and just stood and took in the night. I had a heart full of gratitude and thought, “I feel like I can truly enjoy life again. Thank you so much, LORD!”
I did not realize just how much I was battling with before that had affected me until my mind was finally clear after my deliverance. A huge weight has been lifted from me, all praises to the Most High.
You may truly never realize just how much spiritual bondage you are still carrying until the LORD delivers you. For me, I was walking in my own strength oftentimes, not fully trusting the LORD, and I was honestly still living lukewarm in many ways.
I’ve been able to focus more deeply on the LORD and His Word, without the distracting thoughts that once made it difficult to give Him my full attention. I’ve been able to see my sins more clearly, leading me into more constant repentance and a yearning for God to put in me a clean heart (Psalm 51:10).
By the grace and mercy of the LORD, I was able to connect many things and recognize how strongholds had been hidden beneath things like trauma. Facing a traumatic experience helped me understand just how deeply spiritual bondage had become connected to that experience. Through that process, I feel as though a tremendous weight has been lifted off my shoulders. The chains that once held me captive have finally been broken, and I’m walking in a new sense of freedom in Christ.
I’m incredibly grateful to the LORD for this second chance. I feel that now I understand more of what 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
Now, I am aware that believers fall into two camps: those who understand that Christians can be oppressed (not possessed) by demonic strongholds, and those who don’t believe such a thing exists. So, I understand that my post may be hard for those who fall into the latter camp to fully comprehend. But I hope today that the Lord reveals the truth to you, and that you see just how awesome our God truly is and the precious gifts He gives to His daughters and sons who trust in Him.
For the first few years of my walk, I kept having cycles of deep discouragement and a lot of ups and downs. It seemed no matter what I did, I couldn’t change old habits and thought patterns. I struggled to comprehend why, despite all my best intentions and prayers to the LORD to help me change.
I kept having cycles of anxiety and declaring the Word over myself and trying to trust God more didn’t always work. I felt deeply that there was something wrong with me but I felt very helpless. That is what I now know is oppression.
Until the LORD delivers you, you could be bound with many chains of spiritual bondage. Chains which you mistook for your “personality” or “this is just how I am.” Strongholds of pride and offense can prevent someone from seeing the full truth of their spiritual state. Unhealed trauma can hide behind strongholds, too.
Until deliverance, you could be walking around with many spiritual chains and shackles, wondering why you feel stagnant, far from God and lack the peace and joy the LORD promises. Disobedience can severely hinder this, coupled with rebellion. It could be why you keep running away from prayer and fellowship with the LORD.
Don’t ever assume a thought pattern or behavior is just your normal way of life. God did not call us to have insomnia and tormenting thoughts of shame and condemnation. God did not call us to be walking around on egg shells, riddled with anxiety and worry.
Deliverance is the key for us to truly and fully walk in the life God called us to, to have His peace and joy continually in our hearts, to no longer live in spiritual bondage and oppression. For those who have not gone through deliverance, every experience is different, but essential components include the LORD leading you through confession of sins and strongholds, renouncing and repenting, and severing ties to spirits of oppression.
One caution I will give: Deliverance is not an end-all, be-all, one-time solution and additional deliverance sessions may be neccessary, depending upon how oppressed someone is. We also still have to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). The LORD can greatly deliver us, but it is also up to us to do the work. As Proverbs 25:2 says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.”
And, right after deliverance, it is crucial to not open doors intentionally. The things the LORD delivered you from, do not go back to them.
Do not go back to the romance movies that caused you to stumble into lust. Do not go back to the horror movies that caused you to let in spirits of fear and anxiety. Do not go back to the secular music that caused you to entertain rebellion and disobedience. Do not go back to the drugs and excessive alcohol, to the state where you were living lukewarm, trying to mix darkness with light.
After deliverance, it is crucial to fill the empty places where those spiritual strongholds once resided (remember Matthew 12:43-45). Fill them with the Word of God, the Holy Bible. Fill them with intimate prayer and fellowship with the LORD. Fill them with worship and praise to the LORD.
Where once doubt and unbelief lay, fill it with His promises and trust fully in His Word. Where once anxiety and fear lay, fill it with worship that tells of His faithfulness to protect and save and stand firm on Scriptures that speak on His protection and safety.
Where once rejection and abandonment lay, fill it with reminders that you are His, you belong to Jesus Christ, that you are fearfully and wonderfully made, a daughter or son of the Most High God. Where once pride and rebellion lay, fill it with a heart of humility and an eagerness to learn like a child. Where once complaint and heaviness lay, fill it with gratitude and find blessings in every circumstance.
If you are a follower of Christ and you have not had deliverance before and you are struggling in your walk, I highly encourage you to seek the LORD about deliverance.
If the LORD is leading you down that route, Sister Sandielyn Taylor of El Go’El Ministry is a wonderful deliverance minister who does online deliverance sessions, no matter where you are in the world. To contact Sister Sandielyn or to learn more about the El Go’El Ministry, visit https://www.elgoel.org/.
Until next time, LORD willing, Shalom to my brothers and sisters in Christ.
FYI – As I mentioned previously to my email subscribers, I will be writing every other week for this month, and I may keep this schedule through November. I am planning to spend a lot more time resting in the LORD.
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