Understanding Deliverance

Too many Christian counselors have resorted to psychology instead of the power of God in an attempt to "heal" those that come to them. John and Paula Sandford highlight the problems with psychology:

Psychology, insofar as it follows its founders' teachings, believes that life writes on us who we are, that we are conditioned by what happens to us. It tends to overlook sin and talk about conditioning, thus minimizing guilt. Whereas sound theology maintains that many practices stem from our sin nature itself, quite apart causally from events in life ... Adamic sin often initiates many wrong done by us before events happen to form us wrongly. It is not merely that life does things to us; we first do some things to life. Therefore, as Christian counselors we are always dealing first with guilt, then with conditioning.

Psychologists want to restore the individual to a functioning level; Christians want to forgive and bring to death and rebirth ... Unfortunately, wherever men were not grounded theologically in biblical doctrine of sin, the field of healing was becoming problem-centered rather than cross and sanctification-centered. That meant that forgiveness and comforting, wonderful as they are, were all too often being applied apart from the call to our sin nature to die on the cross; that causing men as we said, to "fall short of the grace of God." True and lasting change was not happening.²⁶⁴

Instead of miraculous healing, psychologists train their patients to exert their will and suppress the evil. At a recent meeting at a Christian Center for men dealing with drug addiction, the meeting coordinator announced that he was a "recovering" drug addict and he reported how many years it has been since using drugs. The use of the word recovering indicates that he believes there is a possibility that he may return to drugs: that he is not truly healed. "In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee" (Isaiah 54:14). If the truth set forth in this book thus far has been received and the forthcoming truths about deliverance are also received, then the word that will be used is not "recovering," but rather "recovered": True and lasting change by continual death and rebirth through the power of Christ and faith (Ephesians 2:8-10). "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God" (John 3:19-21).

Since the efficacy of applying the cross by counsel and prayer to every moment of life from conception to the present, in order to mature in Christ, has not been fully grasped, not only by the pioneers but by all of Christianity, "once done always done" becomes a magic motto for born-anew people. All one had to do was to accept Christ as Lord and Savior. That falsely became the magic which was to have accomplished everything to fit us for life here and in [New Jerusalem]. Rightly grasping that every sinful deed was fully washed away, the Body [of Christ] failed to realize that every part of the heart had not fully appropriated the good news of that fact. Rightly believing that positionally the old man is fully dead and a totally new creature is present, the Body [of Christ] failed to grasp that in fact many areas of the inner man have refused even to be seen, much less to lie down and accept that death.²⁶⁵

To start, let us examine how our enemy, Satan, attacks. Do not be concerned that disclosing his "secrets" here will cause him to change his war strategies; after all, there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). "There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men" (Ecclesiastes 6:1). The path of his attack follows the same line: 1) Attack through the flesh and mind; 2) provoke an emotional reaction; and, 3) extort the exercise of self-will. We can see this in his very first attack on mankind:

[Step 1]

Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. (Genesis 3:1-3)

In step 1, he incites Eve to discuss the Word of God. What did God say versus Eve's rendition? "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Genesis 2:16-17). Notice, Eve modified the Word of God: "neither shall ye touch it." This modification signals Satan that Eve had an unsatisfied desire (covetousness), which he pounces on.

[Step 2]

And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise ... (Genesis 3:4-6)

In step 2, Satan elicits thoughts of judgment against God and feelings of injustice in her by indicating that God is keeping a "blessing" away from her. Based on these negative motivators, Eve rejects the truth (mankind was already as a god: created in the image of God and given dominion over all the earth) and she agrees with Satan. That is, she received a lie as the truth. "Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 18:19).

[Step 3]

she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

In step 3, Satan sits back and smiles cunningly, as Eve not only exercises her will to eat of the fruit of the tree but also educes her husband to do the same. Everyone loves a two-for-one sale!

Conclusion

Christian healing comes then not by making a broken thing good enough to work, but by delivering us from the power of that broken thing so that it can no longer rule us, and by teaching us to trust [God's] righteousness to shine in and through that very thing.²³³

Deliverance like the 12-step program from the many "drug anonymous" programs is a process. "And the LORD thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee" (Deuteronomy 7:22). There are generally layers of curses, evil spirits, sins, and strong holds that have to be eradicated; however, total deliverance can be attained. Christians should be vigilant in examining themselves for thoughts, speech, and actions that are not in line with Gods' will—especially for repeated unwanted behaviors. Repeated unwanted behaviors are evidence of the presence of curses, evil spirits, and/or strong holds.

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