Letting Go

Letting Go

Deliverance ministry is frequently so mis-represented. Yes it can be about discernment of and dealing with the demonic. Yet that is only a part of deliverance ministry. There is also the part that deals with the baggage we all carry around with us from other times in our lives.

We all have bad stuff happen to us and bad stuff hurts. It hurts when bad things happen in our home or work life and it hurts, perhaps even more, when it happens in our Christian life.  Christians hurt other Christians much more than they hurt non-Christians. The Church is the only army that does not go back and pick up their wounded. Rather it is the only army that turns their back on their wounded and shuns or otherwise ignores them. Whatever the source of your baggage, or hurts, Jesus is the answer to them and deliverance ministry is the key to healing.

This facet of Jesus is summed up in the one verse of scripture, “Casting all your cares upon Him, because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7 He cares about every part of your life including that which is already gone. He can heal the abused as well as the abuser. He can heal the mentally and the physically sick. He can heal the bound and the captive as well as the free but lost. He can heal all the hurts and disappointments, all the lies and the cheating, all the demonic and addictions.

The first step to any deliverance lies in forgiving those who have hurt you in any way. This is not easy especially in cases of physical or mental abuse, betrayal or anything to do with children. It is probably the hardest thing in the world to forgive your child’s killer or molester, yet that is precisely what Jesus says we must do in order for us to be forgiven and for us to have peace.

Then we come to another really difficult area of deliverance and that involves forgiving yourself. Oh how Satan loves to taunt us with blame and condemnation for both that which was done against us and that which was done by us, often in retaliation. Forgiving ourselves for perceived or actual actions, or for inactivity, is so very hard. But Jesus says to bring it to Him and leave it with Him for Him to deal with. We beat ourselves up so very badly but Jesus tells us to forgive ourselves and leave it all with Him.

Now we get to the crux of deliverance, which is letting go and giving back to God. This involves repenting for whatever we have or maybe have not done; renouncing any future involvement in it, and then laying it down before the Lord. So easy to write and yet so difficult to actually do. We may not feel we have in anyway done anything of which to either acknowledge or repent. We may feel our attitude has been righteous all along. Yet we must repent for any wrong attitude or for anything we may have done or omitted to do – absolutely anything. Then we can move to the next step which is to renounce, and ask God’s help to not hold onto or do again or have anything to do with that for which we repented. We must set our attitude towards God and His kingdom alone – no repeats, no vengeance, no backsliding at all. Finally we lay it down and walk away to get on with the rest of our lives.

The final action in deliverance is that of laying it all at the cross – laying it down, leaving it with God, and walking away. I have always approached this by trying to use a bit of imagination.

You are walking along carrying a dirty old sack over your shoulder. The sack is not only dirty, it is heavy and a bit smelly too. You try to drop it but you cannot. In the distance you can see a cross. The sun catches it and it shines a little. As you approach it, the cross seems to shine brighter and your heavy sack seems to be easier to carry. When you get to the cross, it turns red – awaiting your load. You dump your sack at the foot of the cross and, as Christ’s blood flows, your sack is simply dissolved until it has disappeared completely. You feel the burden come off you. You have given your baggage to God and He has dealt with it by the Blood of the Lamb. It is gone – forever.

Isn’t that worth a Hallelujah or two. Now your life seems easier and you really do feel you can move on – get back on with the things that, perhaps, God wants you to be doing. Isn’t that easier now?

“Casting all your burdens upon Him because He cares for you.”