Total Liberation

All over the world, people need freedom from one thing or another. It could be freedom from economic hardship, freedom from addiction, freedom from the curse of sin, or freedom from sickness, affliction, and demonic possession. Many people are in bondage and do not know the way out. The man in bondage is not necessarily the one with physical shackles on his feet, nor the one caught in the hands of human law. He is not simply the one in a physical prison, for there are many innocent people behind bars. The deepest prison one could ever find oneself in is the state of spiritual blackout—the darkness that engulfs the soul. Billions of people are trapped in this darkness, yet the majority are ignorantly unaware of the thick darkness within their own souls. Isaiah prophesied: *"For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee."* — Isaiah 60:2 Darkness here is associated with despair, terror, and ignorance. The world has gone through many phases of terror and wickedness since this prophecy was given. There have been numerous wars, widespread violence, and countless episodes of civil unrest. On my visit to Liberia, I had the privilege of listening to a woman who had witnessed all the wars in the country and to a former rebel leader who gave his life to Christ during my missionary work there and is a preacher today. For several days, I sat for hours as they shared their experiences during the civil wars. According to their accounts, rebels raped women and forcibly recruited children into armed groups. These men compelled some to kill their own families and friends. People can do the unthinkable when gross darkness fills their souls. A few decades ago, we saw Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust. There was also Idi Amin of Uganda and Foday Saybana Sankoh of Sierra Leone. These men took pleasure in seeing others suffer and die. The recent Russian invasion of Ukraine is yet another example of darkness upon the earth — one man woke up one morning with the ambition to seize a territory that was not his, subjecting innocent people to pain and misery. Thousands have perished since the invasion began. More recently, an eighteen-year-old, Salvador Ramos, fatally shot nineteen students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. What drove Salvador to commit such an act? Why do men find pleasure in wickedness? Can we ever have a sin-free world? Darkness will cover the earth until every human being receives liberation from the power of darkness. The United Nations cannot save the world, nor can any government or civil organization. Campaigns and demonstrations against crime have not stopped crime; on the contrary, crime continues to rise. Science, technology, law, and law enforcement agencies do not have even the slightest power to make the world peaceful and sin-free. However, there is hope for humanity. When the Lord arises upon a people, there is illumination. This means that the solution to the darkness Isaiah spoke of is the Lord Himself—and it also reveals that man is in darkness because of his ignorance of the Lord. The earth is in despair and terror because of the absence of the Lord. Who is this Lord? He can be none other than our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. *"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life."* — John 8:12 No man ever spoke like Jesus. He boldly declared that He is light personified and the giver of light. He came to bring light to the world, and whoever becomes His disciple shall not walk in darkness. The only true light left in this world is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Man continues to manifest the deeds of darkness and has taken deliberate steps to legalize and normalize evil in our societies. Jesus told Nicodemus: *"And this is the condemnation: that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."* — John 3:19 Light has been given, yet men love darkness rather than light. Many have rejected and persecuted the gospel of Jesus because their deeds are evil and they want evil to thrive in the world. There is no other hope for the souls of men apart from the hope found in Christ Jesus. The devil has caged the souls of many in thick darkness, manipulating their minds for the works of evil. Yet Jesus has come to set us free from that darkness. *"Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."* — 2 Corinthians 3:17 The Lord Jesus is the Spirit, and where His Spirit is, there is liberty—there is freedom. Therefore, the only way out of the prison of darkness is through the Spirit of the Lord. That is why Jesus emphatically declared that He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). He is the way out of your predicament. He is the way out of addiction, depression, prostitution, and demonic possession. He is the way out of darkness, out of sickness, and out of poverty. However, as the Scripture reveals, Jesus is no longer a physical man—He is the Spirit. And He does not dwell merely in a church building; He lives within us. When you receive Jesus, the Spirit of God takes residence in you, and demons and evil spirits no longer have authority to possess your soul. *"What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"* — 1 Corinthians 6:19 We are the temple of God. When the devil possesses a soul, he uses that person as he pleases — and people can act in the most extreme ways under his influence. Surprisingly, many in the church profess with their mouths that they are born again, yet have no true understanding of who the Holy Spirit is. If a person believes he has found Christ and still does not know where Christ stands on issues that concern humanity, then the Spirit has not yet fully taken hold of him. The voice of a man filled with God's Spirit is the voice of God. When we can fearlessly tell the world what Jesus stands for, there is total liberation for our souls. Our minds become the mind of Christ when we are truly liberated. *"For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."* — 1 Corinthians 2:16 Jesus came to break the prison gates open. He came to set you free from the power of darkness. If demons are controlling your life, Jesus has come to deliver you. If they have imprisoned you to the point where you have no control over your mind and emotions — which may explain many addictions and a love for evil — you do not have the power to break free on your own. That power comes only through Christ. *"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek, he has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound."* — Isaiah 61:1 There may be Christians who are still battling with the deeds of darkness. It happened in the church at Corinth, and it is happening today. The permissiveness in contemporary Christianity tends to make the devil comfortable in the pew. Whatever holds you bound is not willing to let you go without a fight. Until we address it with the authority of the Holy Spirit, it will persist. We do not deal with demons through arbitration; the only language they understand is power. We have no time to negotiate with demons—we command them, and they flee. We break prison gates open with authority. The blood of Jesus has secured your pardon, though the jailers may be reluctant to release you. The Supreme Judge has accepted a sacrifice on your behalf and has issued your release. You may still feel imprisoned because you are not yet conscious of your freedom or because you have not accepted the pardon. If you will accept Jesus Christ as the price of your freedom, then you are free. The first step to breaking out of prison is repentance. Until you begin to hate where you are, God has no business meeting you there. Until you repent, the blood of Christ does not benefit you. When you love your prison, you cannot benefit from what Jesus has done. The message is foolishness to those who are perishing—but Christ is here to break loose all who will accept Him and invite Him into their hearts. *"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."* — Galatians 5:1 Christ has made us free, yet it is possible to entangle oneself again with the yoke of bondage. Suppose you ended a relationship with a former lover, and years later you went to visit that person in their home—the old emotion is capable of reigniting. A young man once gave his life to Christ and recovered from drug addiction. One day, he decided to pass through the ghetto to greet some old friends. Before he knew it, he was back into drugs. Do not return to slavery if Christ has brought you out. Do not accept the weaknesses of your flesh as something normal to live with. Light and darkness cannot coexist—one must give way to the other. **Decree** I decree that I am no longer bound. I decree that I am free in Jesus' name. Whatever held me in bondage is defeated in Jesus' name. I disengage every weapon of the devil against my life in Jesus' name.