The Book of Judges describes the first 350 years of Israel’s experience in Canaan. This period also included seven cycles of Israel backsliding in their faith as a nation. The cycle was: sin, servitude, supplication, salvation and stagnation.

Even though this is history, it still happens to us today as Christians. Many of us go through cycles in life. We fall into sin or walk away from God and sin always leads to slavery. He who sins becomes a slave of sin. Sin begins as an act, becomes a bondage and then, becomes a cycle. Cycles can be transferred to the next generation.

Whatever is not transformed in your life gets transferred down our bloodline. Click To Tweet

The things a lot of us are dealing with did not necessarily begin with us; we are dealing with the iniquities of our forefathers.

Judges 10:15-16, “And the children of Israel said to the LORD, “We have sinned! Do to us whatever seems best to You; only deliver us this day, we pray.” So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD. And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel.”

There are two main ways demons gain access to a person: the legal way and the way of opportunity.

The Legal Way

Demons look for a legal way by which they may have access to a person. The legal way is predominantly through involvement with the occult or witchcraft either by us ourselves or our ancestors.

It doesn’t matter if it was by deception, curiosity or a conscious choice, the moment you go to the dark side and get engaged with witchcraft or the occult, you give demons legal right to enter your life.

Opportunity Sin

The second way demons get access to a person’s life is through an opportunity sin.

The second way demons get access to a person’s life is through an opportunity sin. Ephesians 4:27 advises us not to give place to the devil. Right before this instruction, Apostle Paul warns us against certain behaviors that we are all capable of falling into.

“Don’t give the devil an opportunity where he does not have a legal right.”

Dr Bob Larson

Not all fleshly sins lead to demonization but there is a risk if they are not dealt with right away. Click To Tweet

The legal right must be repented of and renounced. Opportunity sins need to be broken gradually by correcting our behavior and progressively surrendering to Jesus Christ.

If you fall into a sin and stay down, keep justifying and hiding it, you are giving the devil a bigger window of opportunity to access your life. The best thing to do is run to God and close that door so you do not put your life at risk, (Proverbs 24:16).

What To Do If You Are In Bondage

1. You have to repent genuinely.

Saying you are sorry is not repentance. What makes people say they are sorry is usually if they got caught or they feel bad about the consequences of their sin. Repentance means you know that you broke God’s trust and heart, (Psalm 51:4).

It is common when people say they are sorry that they are not actually repenting of their sin but just hoping to get out of the struggle and mess their sin has made. When a person doesn’t repent of their sin but only repents of the problems their sin caused, they are trying to fix the symptoms instead of the problem. Genuine repentance does not require tears. Some people manipulate with their tears. Repentance is about brokenness of heart.

If your eyes are crying but your heart is not, that is nothing but empty hypocrisy. Click To Tweet

2. Surrender wholeheartedly.

Don’t wait for God’s deliverance before you surrender. Israel did not come to God with demands but complete surrender after their repentance. Your surrender can usher in your complete freedom.

3. Pray for deliverance.

Before you go to ministries seeking deliverance, pray for it yourself. Why did Jesus Christ instruct us to pray this way in the Lord’s prayer “Deliver us from evil”? He wants us to pray for deliverance. King David frequently prayed for deliverance in the Psalms.

4. Take out the garbage.

This means remove the things from your life and yourself from things which you know Jesus would not like if He came into your house. The Israelites did this before God sent them deliverance.

5. Commit to serve God.

6. Be desperate and determined.

When God sees that your desperation meets determination, He will not dismiss your case. There are a lot of desperate people but they are full of panic.

7. Be determined, not picky for your deliverance.

The people of Israel were not delivered even after all this until they recalled Jephthah in Judges 11. The Israelites had kicked Jephthah out because of his background. Jephthah represents somebody who can pray for you. God wants to humble us and for us to walk in humility. You don’t come to God to make an order of how you want to be delivered, you surrender.

If you are in need of deliverance, or have a bondage over your life, today is your day. God wants to set you free today. However, the most important decision you can make in life is not to be delivered but to be saved. Jesus did not come to make your old life better but to give you new life.

Salvation Prayer

Lord Jesus, I am a sinner. Please forgive me of all my sins and wash me with Your blood. I believe You are the Son of God who died on the cross for all my sins. I surrender my whole life to You right now. Fill me with Your Spirit. Make me new and deliver me from all the shackles of the enemy. I renounce every demon, curse and legal door that I have opened before, in Jesus’ name. Help me to live a life that is pleasing to You.

Sermon By Vladimir Savchuk; Blog By Ed Gardiner

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