From Deliverance To Holiness

Deliverance is a purely act of God. The word deliverance means: To be set free, to be rescued from harm or danger. How can the bound be set free? Since God is the only source of freedom, we are forced to seek the answer in the word of God. We find in the Gospel of Luke 4:18 that Jesus was sent to preach Deliverance to the captives. Lets us discover who or what is binding and holding the people captive. We find in the word of God where the Apostle Paul reveals his conversion on the road to Damascus where he was commission to preach the gospel, was told by Jesus: I am sending you to the Gentiles, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan into God. Now we know who and what has and is binding the people, keeping them in darkness of which Satan is ruler. For we wrestle not against the flesh and blood of people, but against principalities, against the powers of Satan, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. How can the bound get free? The bible says that: If the Son, Jesus Christ set you free, you shall be free indeed. The word of God tells us that God has made us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light; He has delivered us from the power of Satan and darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son. Now we have two types of people in on earth. The saints that has been delivered from the power of Satan, and the unregenerated who remain under Satan dominion. This is a very clear statement in the word of God as Paul tells the Ephesian Church that there was a time when they themselves walked and lived according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air {Satan], the spirit that Now works in the children {unregenerated] of disobedience. How does Satan successful keep the people bound? The word declares; For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is if the world, whom Satan is prince. Satan feeds the lust of the eyes. The eyes of man are never satisfied. Everything that he sees he wants. Another car, another house, more clothes, another watch, another ring. The lust of the flesh. The world has gone mad with lust of the flesh. Man wants someone’s girlfriend, someone’s wife. Men want other men, women want other women, children are not safe in the world that we live in today because of the lust of the flesh. Now we come to the pride of life. We live in a world where people have their confidence in their own ability. They think that they can get alone well in life without God. They put their stability in earthly things, the works of their hands. Satan feeds mans ego and his lust whereby keeping them bound and in bondage to himself. There is no freedom except they cry out to God for deliverance. It is God that delivers from the power of the darkness of Satan’s’ kingdom and translates us into His glorious kingdom. The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers. Nor coveters, nor drunkards shall inherit the kingdom of God. but such were some of you before your salvation; but now you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. God brings about this deliverance in the lives of humanity for the purpose of serving Him in the spirit of holiness. For He said;” Be you holy, for I am holy.” We are told to come out from among them, and be you separate, said the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And I will be a Father unto you, and you shall be My son and daughters, said the Lord Almighty. We are told in God’s word that He chastises us that we might be partakers of His holiness. Sanctification and holiness is God’s plans for the believers. We are further told, strip yourselves of your former nature, put off and discard your old unrenewed self, which characterized your previous manner of life that was corrupt through lust, and be consistently renewed in the spirit of your mind. Put on the new nature, the regenerated self, created in God’s image, and likeness, in true righteousness and holiness. Let us perfect holiness in the fear of God. Bernard Jones Brobern737@bellsouth.net