Of

I have a need to witness about how God has been working in my life, but I don’t know the words and I’m wondering how my sentences, paragraphs, and phrasing will turn out; however, my goal is to honor God and so I write – in the hope that my words will make sense when I’ve had more sleep.

I have been under attack for many years. The attacks have been of certain categories, and certainly they have attacked in waves, but have focused on two predominant categories.

The first was an attack of loneliness. I do not know whether it was caused by my family's modest gypsy-like travel docket, the assignments of a parent to be not-present, the loss of a treasured friend early on, the discovery of perversion in a public place, dreams that placed me at odds with the authorities in my family, or some combination, but the first measured attack was that of loneliness. I can distinctly remember feeling suicidal, apathetic, seeking answers and being disconnected from everyone around me. Regardless of the cause, the attacks were very real, and it was through various means that God has saved me from suicide, insanity, and worse.

The second was perversion. I believe it was introduced through the earlier public perversion, magnified by the loneliness, and reinforced through peer and family, to the point where it was the norm for many years – for perversion is a special kind of deception that implies it is its own standard. It breeds rebelliousness, pride, false-righteousness, haughtiness, and points only to itself. This, much like creating an opening for loneliness, directed me back still more to loneliness.

And so both attacks mirrored one another, the result being a life that has had much potential but for which little potential was claimed.

Of late it has been pointed out that I had chosen, some time prior to the recent framework, to agree with a few forms of perversion … the result was a spiritual deadening and destruction that directed me to still worse forms of perversion … and it has only been His holy hands and will that have given me the strength to turn away from what looked like a completely sane and perfectly natural path to walk - for God's ways are not our ways. So GREAT are His ways!!!

I write these words to both remind myself how far God has brought me and to draw attention to the two categories which God drawn me close to him - for I believe that much like before, loneliness wants to creep in and become a part of my life. I claim that God has HEALED the years the locusts have eaten, I claim deliverance, and I claim an awareness that God has something greater!

Thank you, Jesus, for reminding me that I need you, that one of my weaknesses is to choose loneliness, and that only through prayer, humility, and faith can we heal, draw closer to you, and claim the reality of hope.

Thank you, Jesus, for never giving up on me and for giving me hope – and for wanting me delivered more than I could ever imagine. And for reminding me of my weakness.

What

Deliverance is a very prickly subject. Most believers have an opinion about it - sometimes that opinion is based on scripture, sometimes it is based on what a particularly revered speaker says, sometimes it is based on personal experience, and sometimes it is gleaned from popular culture. Regardless, deliverance is real, and something every believer should research. They should do so for at least two reasons.
1 - Demons are real.
2 - Spiritual protection only protects those who engage it.

As a result, there are many people, the world over, under the influence of demons. I would argue, without the Holy Spirit, it is nearly impossible to defend yourself against demons. And here is where it gets sticky. The question is simple - can a believer be under the influence of a demon?

If you believe the answer is no, and you know someone is saved, then you could point to that person and state that they had a relationship with Jesus, thus fully believing they were free from influence. You likely believe that the person, prior to being saved, may or may not have had demons within them, or about them, and upon being saved were freed from the immediacy of the demons. Likely, you also believe that, because the New Testament makes no mention of deliverance where a believer is concerned, that it then can be argued that believers have no real need for deliverance.

If you believe the answer is yes, whether someone were saved wouldn't indicate the presence of a demon, it would merely indicate that the person had more tools with which to fight the demon. You likely believe that the person, regardless of their state, will have demons within and about them, believe that everyone has demons about them, and upon being saved were given the first set of real tools to combat those demons. Likely, you also believe that, because the old testament makes mention of deliverance, and because the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, that deliverance is very real and for today.

I have my own opinions in this matter, and I don't wish to sway you - what I wish for you to do is truly delve into the matter. I have personally seen too many people delivered, people who were believers, who clearly loved Jesus and were saved, and who were given deliverance, to be convinced that believers aren't under the influence of demons. Likewise, I believe that the whole of scripture is true, thus anything in the New Testament that doesn't quite make sense can often be clarified from the Old Testament, and events in the Old Testament can often be expounded in the New Testament. They are similar messages bound in different parchment but from the same source.

My only true wish is that you pray before and during your quest for information on this subject - I believe this one subject to be so fundamental to a believer's walk that it can dictate whether they truly are freely able to access the Lord's love and walk His path.

Call to action
Research deliverance
Much like selling cars or anything else, the primary purpose of sales is not to sway so much to research. And the best salesmen convince others to purchase from them by providing that research that best exemplifies their point. So your best defense against immoral salespeople is to conduct your own research. Thus, delve into scripture, with prayer, and ask God to reveal to you the truth about deliverance.

Purpose deliverance
Much likely prayer and fasting, deliverance can bring you closer to God's heart. Akin to the reactive deliverance that fasting exemplifies, acting on and realizing proactive deliverance can not only cause a real and sometimes immediate improvement in our walk in Christ but can also gird us against different types of spiritual attack.

Realize deliverance
Once you've researched deliverance and discover who can be its recipients, seek God's will about whether you should be involved in the administration of deliverance. There are billions who would benefit from being freed and released from the demons that sway their decisions, minds, and hearts, have destroyed family lives, and have kept them from hearing and hearkening to God's heart. Being a part of someone's deliverance, and seeing God work the miracle that deliverance is in someone's life is a profound life-changing event.