“When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. 2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them.” – Psalms 106:1-2 KJV
You are welcome to another important topic in this series: “Power over captivity” where we will examine the various aspects of captivities in the lives of mankind. Here we will examine what is captivity, what brings about captivity, the outcome of captivity, how captives can be delivered, and who has the power to deliver the captives. It is a fairly long journey but we enjoy you to follow us as we journey in this series.
The greatest illusion man faces all the time is that he is free from the oppression of the devil when actually Satan has captured his soul, body and spirit. This is a dangerous situation. It is not entirely wrong to be captured because in nature we mankind were born into captivity (sin), However, what is wrong is to remain in this situation unchecked, unperturbed, and unwilling to change the situation. May the Lord open our spiritual eyes to see anywhere we were being held captives and set us free in the name of Jesus Christ.
Captivity is a state of being demobilized as a result of forces of darkness. The inability to fulfill one’s destiny, the state of operating below the capacity ordained by the Almighty God, the absence of substantive or identifiable progress in the lives of man, the state of being grind to a halt, lack of capacity to excel in well-being, lack of progress in all ramifications, inability to enjoy good health, inability to have good marriage.
In addition, lack of clear purpose in life, to depend perpetually on the desires of others. To depend on the good-wills of others, leaving on hand-outs, desires to fail where others are succeeding, experiencing failure at the edge of breakthrough, etc., etc. These are some of the classical definitions of captivities. The first solution to a problem is to acknowledge that the problem exists. May the Lord open our understanding to see where we have been affected, in the name of Jesus Christ.
Now that you know what captivity means, the next step is to know how captivity comes about or what brings about captivity in the life of mankind. We will classify sources of captivity into two. The first is when a man knowingly or unknowingly walks into captivity. He trades his freedom with either the devil or his agent in exchange for something in return. The second way is to be born into captivity without one’s consent.
“29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: 30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. 31 And Jacob said, sell me this day thy birthright. 32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? 33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright” – Genesis 25:29-34 KJV
The above scripture illustrated how Esau willingly surrounded his birthright in exchange for red pottage cooked by his brother! He unknowingly, but willingly surrendered his future including his generation yet unborn. This affected him negatively and in no small way!
Like Esau, many people, both Christians and unbelievers alike, have mortgage their future in exchange for quick fix. Many people who went into captivity of the devil usually entered into it unawares. No wonder, Jesus Christ said “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly“– John 10:10 KJV. One of the weapons the enemy uses to ensnare the unsuspecting man and put him into captivity is ignorance. He wants you to think that he does not exist. May we not be captured by the devil in the name of Jesus Christ.
What is the outcome of being a slave to the devil? What do you have to loose when your soul is exchanged for short-term pleasure, or what happens when you are caged by the power stronger than you? To answer these questions clearly, have you seen a rich man who became poor and begging for bread before? You are saying that yes you have seen one before. Then you have an idea of the outcome of being in captivity of the devil.
“And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day” – KJV.
Can you see from the above bible passage that all that God created, including you and I, were good and perfect? Not just good but very good. God does not create you to be in captivity. The only person that is responsible for your captivity is the devil. The only reason why the devil is planning, strategizing and fighting you daily is to ensure that you lose your soul to the hell fire on the last day. I guess you do not want to hear the word “hell fire”. As much as you hate the truth, that is the outcome of being in captivity of the devil. That is where the devil is leading you to, hell fire. That is what makes the devil happy. That is why he moves about like a roaring lion looking for whom he may devour. Do not allow him to devour you as he has done to your loved ones. Do not negotiate or agree to his terms. His conditions can only lead you to captivity and thereafter to hell fire. Be vigilant!
“Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.” – Matthew 12:29 KJV
The above scripture was spoken by Jesus Christ to the Pharisees when they accused him of casting out devil through the power of the devil. Let us note the following from this passage: (1) You cannot overcome evil with evil, (2) it will take a greater power to deliver someone that is in captivity, (3) a strong man is someone that is able to incapacitate another one as explained in the introductory part of this write up. Above all, the person in captivity must be willing to be delivered, set free or liberated from captivity. Therefore, if the person in captivity is unwilling or still pursuing the same course, or pretends to be free when he is not, or unwilling to accept the truth about his position, then his deliverance from captivity would take a little longer and would depends on the mercy of God.
Now, once the person in captivity has decided that he needs freedom, the next question is who can deliver him from the powers that put him in captivity? There are several instances in the bible where Jesus Christ demonstrated power over any form of captivity. Be it sickness, demons, poverty, long-time sickness, etc, etc. Several times Jesus Christ demonstrated mercy and grace towards mankind. His grace is still available till today.
In Isaiah 49: 24 – 26 the Almighty God himself declared that he will deliver you irrespective of who puts you into the captivity, irrespective of the circumstances that brought you there, and not minding the time you might have spent or to spend in captivity. Likewise, God the Holy Spirit has the power and ability to deliver you from any form of captivity.
In summary, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit can deliver you from any form of captivity. But how do you access this privilege? How do you access these heavenly provisions? Find out from the next topic in “How to de delivered”.
There is no formula as to how someone can be delivered, but by observing these basic steps. Meanwhile you must have discovered these simple steps from the write up. Nevertheless, let us enumerate them for completeness.
The first condition is to know Jesus Christ. You must seek him, give your life to him and surrender to his power of supremacy. It is only through him and his blood that was shed on the cross of Calvary that you can be delivered. Any solution for deliverance sought outside Jesus Christ and His blood is null and void.
It might sound interesting to note that some people do not want to be delivered from their present predicament. They are contented with whatever is happening to them. Talking to them about deliverance is meaningless and of little or no use at all. Knowing, appreciating your situation and desiring for better change are the next important steps towards deliverance. You must admit to yourself that you deserve a better position and treatment in this life. You must also believe that somewhere solutions exist for you. You must not take no for an answer. In 2 Kings 6:1-7, the people identified the need for expansion and they cried for it, they believed that the present place they were living could be expanded. Thus they ask for an expansion from the man of God. In 1 Samuel 1:9, Hannah refused to take no for an answer about her situation. She persistently called upon the God of Israel for divine intervention. In the New Testament, Mark 10:46-47, blind Bartimaeus cried out unto Jesus Christ for the restoration of his lost eyesight. In all these examples quoted in the bible, one thing is common to them all: the people realized that their current status is not pleasing to them, they require a change. Therefore the second step is that you must desire change, and you must pursue change. You must realize that change is inevitable, but obtainable from the Almighty God. In Luke 1:37, Jesus Christ said “For with God nothing shall be impossible”. Your deliverance will not be impossible for the Almighty God.
Now that you have accepted Jesus Christ into your life, you have asked God for change, the next steps is to ask the Holy Spirit for the particular root cause of the adversity or the predicament that is affecting your life. You cannot afford to be clueless or devoid of the root cause of the problem. You need knowledge from superior power to outrun the devil, and his agents. It is often said that this world is a battle field. You need knowledge and superior information to survive every attacks of the Satan. You need knowledge to outperform your present state of wellbeing. You need knowledge for your daily living. In 2 Kings 6:12, Elisha has the secrets of the Syrians King and reveals them to the King of Israel. As long as he knows the secrets, the king of Israel is safe. May the Holy Spirit reveal the secrets of your enemy to you. Knowing this vital information will put you always at a vantage position, always ahead, and inaccessible to the enemy, and you will stay delivered.
Only God can deliver. But deliverance from God mostly comes from His divine mercy and grace. In John 5: 1-9, Jesus Christ came to the pool of Bethesda even on the Sabbath day to heal a man. There was no record that he healed any other person apart from this man that had been there for thirty eight years. Whereas, in Matthew 4:23-24, the bible says that Jesus Christ went about Galilee, teaching, preaching the gospel and heals all manner of sicknesses. I can safely conclude that there is no method, principle or procedure for receiving deliverance from God. It is not by number. It is not by age of the problem. It is not by the severity of the problem. It is simply by His divine mercy and grace. May the divine mercy and grace of God locate you today and deliver you from every attacks of the enemy.
Wait on him and do not be in hurry. Be expectant and never lose hope. Learn to wait on God.
This is the concluding part of this series.
