Reclaiming Hearts

Finding Freedom, part 2

Read part 1 here: Releasing Secrets

For a solid chunk of years, I lived out a faith that was devoid of power. I loved Jesus, but I wanted more than experienced His words to be true. I modeled my lifestyle after much of the church: I tried to be good, I tried not to offend, and I had next to no impact on the world around me. I would’ve been embarrassed to admit that my sincere belief lacked the power to change me, but that was my sad reality. No wonder I was a reluctant evangelist: I had little worth sharing. The problem wasn’t Jesus, though. The problem stemmed from how I — and much of the American church, I’m convinced — interpreted the faith Jesus died to invite us into. 

Recently, I’ve been coming across all this research about how, as a culture, we’re smothering our kids with overprotection. We don’t let them play anymore — climb on top of the monkey bars, spin themselves silly on merry-go-rounds, roll down hills, and jump off swings — because we’re so afraid they’ll get hurt. But in the process of keeping them “safe,” we’re robbing their brains of the very things they need for proper development. (Click here for an example).

It occurs to me that we’ve done the same sort of thing with our faith. We wanted it to be “safe” — read: welcoming, inviting, inoffensive — and so we’ve stripped it of the wild and rough and unpredictable elements that make it so intoxicating, so dangerous, so … true. 

When I first encountered deliverance, it did not jive at all with the squeaky-clean Christianity I had been schooled in. It was messy, uncomfortable … offensive. How dare anyone suggest that I — someone who had been raised in the church, gone through years of church camp, Christian college, even seminary, and was preparing for a life of ministry — could be harboring demons? Absolutely out of the question! Hadn’t I asked Jesus into my heart, not just once, but multiple times? And if God lived there, how could Satan? Besides, surely the prince of darkness had more vital matters than tormenting one little no-account Christian … right?! It was all ridiculous, a little fanatical, and, as vehemently as I tried to deny it … true. 

Here’s the thing: we are in the middle of a war zone. Deny it all you want, but read very far into Scripture and there is no getting around the reality. Jesus came to redeem humanity from sin, and His death and resurrection proved His final victory and made the enemy fighting mad. However, until Jesus returns and brings the fullness of His Kingdom here on earth, we will be dealing with the fallout. We have a very real enemy who knows his days are numbered, and he is not going to go down without a fight. His ultimate goal is to make God out to be a liar, to destroy the very character of God’s truth and holiness, and to set himself up above God. He attempts to do that by destroying the lives and testimonies of Christians, because if he can show God unable to keep His promises of redemption, the enemy wins.

When it comes to unbelievers, the enemy already owns them. He can torment them all he wants, just for the diabolical pleasure of it, because their own choices have consigned them to living out hell on earth, to say nothing of eternity. But his real focus is believers, because of what we represent. We are the Beloved; if he can make us fall, he knows he can pierce the very heart of God. To bring us to the point where we would, as Job’s wife tragically counseled him, “Curse God and die,” is the consuming desire of the enemy over our lives. If that doesn’t shake you up a little bit, I’m not sure what would. It definitely got my attention! 

But maybe you’re wondering, like I was, how could the enemy have much sway in the life of a believer? I mean, he can spew out curses and lies and temptations all he wants to try and bring us down, but his influence is all external; he doesn’t have access to the most intimate parts of us. After all, our hearts and spirits are off-limits to him, once we give them over to Jesus … right?

Here’s how I’ve come to understand it. I believe that once a person surrenders his or her will to Jesus and becomes a Christian, that person cannot be fully possessed by Satan (isn’t that a relief!). However, I also believe that Christians can harbor demons that need to be defeated and removed (“cast out,” in other words) if that person is to be truly free. This is the process of deliverance. Here’s the good news: Jesus is absolutely able and willing to set His beloved free! But getting there requires a journey of faith, and it comes with a cost.

Think back to the Israelites, the Hebrew children God sent Moses to rescue out of bondage in Egypt. After the unbelieving generation died off in the wilderness, a new generation rose up, children who were reared on the promises and wonders of God, who had never known the bitterness of slavery. All they had ever known was God’s tangible presence — a cloud by day, a pillar of fire by night — protecting them, providing for them, and guiding them toward the elusive Promised Land. When the time came at last for them to enter in to the land He promised them, God gave them a warning. “The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you. But the Lord your God will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion until they are destroyed” (Deuteronomy 7:22-23). Even though the land belonged to God, and He had promised it to His people, there remained a hostile presence that needed to be dealt with. These enemies were now squatters, illegally occupying the territory of God, but they were not just going to turn tail and run. Each would have to be conquered and forcibly removed in turn. Thankfully, God was prepared to give His people the strategy, ability, and authority to make that happen — one battle at a time.

As believers, our hearts beautifully mirror this picture. The Hebrew children obediently spread lamb’s blood upon their door posts to keep out the angel of death. This act anticipates the blood of Christ spread upon the heart of the believer at salvation. God opened the Red Sea for His children to cross over from death and slavery into a whole new way of life. For us, this step is water baptism, in which we are proclaimed dead to sin, but alive in Christ Jesus. Following the period of testing and trials in the wilderness, a second body of water rose up before the Israelites, a second baptism, as it were, to empower willing hearts to make good on their commitment. For them, it was the Jordan River; for us, it is the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

And now, we come to the point of deliverance. Our believing hearts are the Promised Land in which God dwells. However, there are giants in the land that remain to be conquered. God honors free will: because of choices made, by us and by others, the enemy has legal right to occupy certain areas of our hearts. Sin, trauma, and generational influences combine to provide fertile ground for the enemy’s lies. Until these strongholds are broken — through repentance, through standing in our authority under the blood of Jesus — the enemy will continue to wield power in these places. Yet just as He was for the Israelites, God is jealous to see His people take back His land. Our sovereign God is fighting for you, to see your heart completely reclaimed and freed to live out the Kingdom life He has planned for you. He will provide the strategy, the ability, the community, the authority necessary to win back your own heart from the enemy. It will not be easy, but it will absolutely prove worthwhile! In His power and might, in His grace and mercy, you can live FREE of the bondage that has been tormenting you. Isn’t that a beautiful thought? Beautiful, powerful, and absolutely … true! 

Stick with me, and we’ll dig further into this messy, unpredictable faith that has the power to bring freedom and fullness of LIFE! We’ll continue our series on deliverance with an exploration of how strongholds are built in our hearts … and how to begin tearing them down. If you have specific questions, please leave them in the comments or email them to me at lindsey@wovenofwonder.com; I would love to address them in future posts!