BE FREE

By Jemima Rayan

God wants His children free. Free from all kinds of bondages. As believers, our deliverance starts the day we were born again into the kingdom of God. Then God works His way in us one day at a time. Just like how we peel an onion layer by layer, God is in the process of setting us free in every area of our life.

There are four major areas in a believer's life that needs deliverance. They are sin, sickness, satan and self. It is up to the believer whether or not he wants to be free. Only when we exercise our will to get free and align with the principles of God, we can be set free. Let us see how to deal with these four areas. Apparently, the English Bible has the same word "deliverance" for "getting freedom" in all the four areas.

First of all, sin is separation from God. Every time we sin against God, we restrain ourselves from His presence. We need to hate sin so much that we will never think any sinful thoughts in our life. We need to get away from all that is evil. Paul writes to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 7:1, ' …Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God'. We need to initiate the cleansing process. David, a man after God's own heart sinned against God and said in Psalm 51:10, 'Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me'. It is what we do after we have sinned that matters. God does not want us to hide ourselves like how Adam did. Run to the Lord and ask Him to forgive your sin. Our acknowledging is what is important. We should never sweep our sins under the rug and think we can just get away with it. Only repentance will set us free from our sins. Do you have a heart of repentance?

Secondly, sickness and disease is something that we see affecting a believer and an unbeliever. The good news is a believer has the promises of God to cling on to. The word of God will set you free. Psalm 107:20 says, 'He sent His word and healed them'. By the stripes of Jesus, we are healed. He wants you well and made whole. The Bible says, in James 5:14-16 that we should call the elders of the church and have them anoint us with oil and the prayer of faith will heal us. As New Testament believers, God has called all the saints 'a royal priesthood'. The disciples anointed with oil and prayed for the sick and they were healed.

Thirdly, satan is a defeated foe. The Lord Jesus conquered, satan on the cross of Calvary and gave us the victory. Mark 16:17 says, ' In My name they will cast out demons'. Demons need to be cast off every time they show up. They are like the flies. The moment they see a fruit, they come to eat them. In the same way, the enemy comes to steal, kill and to destroy (John 10:10). So, we need to be very alert and make sure Satan does not keep his hand on God's property. Jesus has given us the authority to trample over serpents and scorpions. Nothing shall by any means hurt us (Luke 10:19). Renounce Satan in Jesus name!

Fourthly, self is the most difficult thing to deal with among the lot. Our spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. We need to overcome this weakness by drawing strength from the Word of God. Obedience to God's word will liberate us from ourselves. We need to be delivered and totally set free form self and the selfish desires. We need to crucify the flesh on the cross of Calvary. We should never choose to please ourselves at the cost of not pleasing God. Every time we obey the Word of God, we put ourselves in the right way. Paul writes in Gal 2:20, " I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me'. Will you crucify your flesh?

May the Lord deliver us from evil in Jesus' name. Amen.