Freedom to Return to Vomit?
Why does it seem like many of us attain freedom but then backslide later on in life? What is this pattern of feeling and experiencing freedom, but that it does not seem to last and we fade right back into the old habits that caused us to be bound in the first place?
Is this the fault of the deliverance ministers? Sometimes, yes. If a person is not living holy and walking in God’s unconditional love, they will not have the full power and authority to make all the demons leave. Likewise, if a person is not intimate enough with God and walking in the Spirit, they will not see all the bondages that exist in a person’s life and how to free them.
This is certainly not God’s fault – as He has spelled out clearly how to live and behave. So what else is it?
A dominant problem in the Body of Christ is on the part of the believer. What exactly is the average believer ‘believing’? For the most part, a large portion believes that they can live as a Christian and continue to sin while God’s grace covers the sin and allows them a ticket into Heaven through Salvation.
This is wrong, and a lie. Allow me to explain:
The free gift of Salvation is strictly given by God’s grace alone – which means we don’t deserve it but He gave it to us anyway because of His great love. This is in contrast to God’s mercy which is when we do not receive what we do deserve.
With Salvation our sins are washed away because of Jesus’ work on the Cross and the Resurrection. We now have the possibility to enter Heaven. However, there is a huge process that many are lacking in that dictates whether or not we’ll make it into Heaven. This process is called Sanctification.
[1 Thessalonians 4:1-3] (NLT)
1 Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more.
2 For you remember what we taught you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
3 God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin.
God’s will is that we be holy. This is found many times throughout the Bible. God commands us to be holy as He is Holy. Grace is not a ‘big cover-up’ but rather empowerment to live holy, without sin. God does not suggest we do this, He commands us to do this. His grace is the empowerment to live HOLY.
I think it is worthy also to note that the writer of Thessalonians states that God’s will for you is to be holy, therefore stay away from all sexual sin.
So many in the Body of Christ have made light of sexual sins, denying that many acts are even ‘sin’. This is why people never get completely free or stay free. There are habits, mindsets, ideals, values, principles and characteristics they hold onto as part of their personality and beliefs that directly binds and hinders their freedom from taking place.
Again, the Scripture says:
[Matthew 5:48] (NLT)
But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.
[Titus 2:11-12] (AMP)
11 For the [remarkable, undeserved] grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.
12 It teaches us to reject ungodliness and worldly (immoral) desires, and to live sensible, upright, and godly lives [lives with a purpose that reflect spiritual maturity] in this present age,
If God has magnified His Word above His Name, why do we minimize the importance of the Word?
[Psalm 138:2] (KJV)
I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
The Word of God is a sharp sword that cuts deep right down to the core. For many people this is uncomfortable, but the Word never fails to reveal Truth and expose darkness. It is always a choice that is up to us. When the Word convicts us, what do we do with it? Are we even studying the Word let alone applying it to every area of life? God commands us to do so – so anything less is disobedience. Disobedience provides an open door for the enemy to attack us, which brings us back to the original point: We are to blame for the backsliding and the hardships we endure outside of God’s will.
The Word of God says that if we are truly born again, we will have no sin nature and we are commanded not to sin. God’s grace has empowered us to do this. There isn’t really any excuse. The Word is the Word and it cannot be watered down to fit into our lifestyles but rather we must change to conform to it. And this is exactly why we walk around bound, surviving, until Jesus returns rather than living in the fullness of the freedom He purchased now.
What parts of you have not conformed to God’s Word? Is your bondage a result of your hardness of heart to God’s precepts, principles and commands? Does holy living interfere with your daily and personal lives?
It all comes down to this:
[Acts 14:22] (AMP)
strengthening and establishing the hearts of the disciples; encouraging them to remain firm in the faith, saying, “It is through many tribulations and hardships that we must enter the kingdom of God.”
Without the trials, tribulations and hardships of living holy {and the cost in which it incurs} we will not enter the Kingdom of God. Because “without holiness, no one will see the Lord.”