GOD’S WORDS OF DELIVERANCE

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall MAKE YOU FREE” – John 8:32

Our Testimonies of Freedom and Liberty in Christ are hinged on GOD’S WORDS of DELIVERANCE: “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you FREE” (Jh.8:32). Our knowledge of the Truth is the chief instrument of Deliverance! Even in the old Covenant, the Psalmist sang: “And I will walk at LIBERTY, for I seek YOUR PRECEPTS” (Psa.119:45). Today, many are attempting to do deliverance using various methods and gimmicks, but Christ’s Ministry of Deliverance was carried out essentially by proclaiming liberty or preaching deliverance: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Lk.4:18).

God’s Word is our primary Instrument of Deliverance. The Word of God is Truth (Jh. 17:17). The knowledge of truth is the guarantee of freedom (Jh. 8:32). The freedom that Jesus promised us is not synonymous with personal independence or freedom to do as we please; to make our own decisions and choose our own path in life, doing whatever we want, whenever we want. Biblical Freedom is not the right to do what we want, but the ability to do what we ought. Jesus liberated us to walk in relationship with God and be the kind of people He created us to be. This spiritual freedom is the ability to obey God and choose His will for our lives – the Freedom that Sin had long denied us: “whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (v.34b).

Without Christ, we are slaves to sin, unable to do what is right. Christ’s death on the Cross set us free from the penalty and power of sin: “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (v.36). His Resurrection empowers us to live in Newness of Life. True Deliverance is therefore: freedom from: Sin – to no longer be enslaved to sin; and freedom from the bondage, penalty, and power of sin, including freedom from addictions and curses. As we hear the Word of God and submit to Christ, sin loses its power – Christ’s power takes over. As we choose to trust and follow Him, the sinful habits, thoughts and attitudes lose their control. Guilt disappears, and peace of mind saturates. Right habits become the norm. That’s freedom – true Deliverance! Practically, this deliverance is realised through the Word and Prayer.

Notice that our key verse – John 8:32 – doesn’t simply say “the truth shall SET you free.” It shall MAKE: to make is to manufacture; so when you know the truth, the truth shall construct you into freedom – absolute, total, irreversible freedom; complete healing and deliverance! There is an answer to every affliction; a solution to every situation; and a way out of every trouble and predicament under the sun. The Word of God bails us out of affliction and trouble. There is no dilemma, trouble or problem that is beyond His Word. Every problem has its solution rooted in the Word.

The key in releasing the Power in the Word is “delighting in the word”: “Unless Your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction” (Psa.119:92). To not delight in God’s Word is to not know it. And without knowing the Word, liberty is not guaranteed. The liberty we enjoy in Christ is proportional to the revelation of God’s Word that we have: “And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts” (Psa.119:45). Power for Deliverance is wrapped up in His Word: “He sent His word and…delivered them from their destructions” (Psa.107:20). Colossians 1:13 declares: “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Col.1:13).

Many suffer unduly, die, and perish for want of the knowledge of God’s Word. We must not continue to suffer in ignorance! Our liberty, deliverance, and true freedom lie in seeking to know, cherish, and obey God’s Word.