Oppression

There is much examination and deliberation over whether a Christian can "have a demon." Rightfully so.

This is what The Lord has been Talking to me about last night and this morning. It is about agreement.

Luke 4 (ESV)
The Temptation of Jesus
4 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” 5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’” 9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ 11 and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” 12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

The Lord is Highlighting that all of these temptations were petitions for Jesus's agreement.

Satan did not push Jesus off the top of the temple. Could he have physically done that? Satan did 'take Jesus up' and Satan did 'take Jesus to the top of the Jerusalem temple.' Was this a physical change of location or a spiritual one? Regardless, Satan suggested the action and petitioned Jesus to come into agreement with it. And each time, Satan provided a logical reason why Jesus should agree.

(Sidenote: Here Satan tempts Jesus to sin. It is not clear if Jesus would have jumped off the building if the result would have been both sin and bodily death. But it is clear through Jesus's Trial and Crucifixion that Satan used human agreement to carry out Jesus's Death.)

Jesus Denies the petition and rebukes the suggestion, all with The Word. 'I will not do it. I'm aligned with God.' Denial of petition and profession of alignment with God. He Rebukes the devil with His Profession.

• SUGGESTION: The process by which a physical or mental state is influenced by a thought or idea, especially through association. A proposal or idea offered for consideration that does not particularly demand authoritative action.

• PETITION: A pleading initiating a legal case (let that one sink in). To make a formal request to someone in authority; soliciting a favor, right, or legal action from a superior, such as a government body, a court, or a deity.

  • Dominion of earth given to man in Genesis, so 'legal' superior initially. Luke 4:6 Satan says authority over kingdoms of earth was delivered to him. Refer to The Fall in Eden, when humanity agreed with another spirit.

  • Legal debt: Colossians 2:13-14 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

  • Vision of a Heavenly Court: Daniel 7:26 But the court shall sit in judgment, and his dominion shall be taken away to be consumed and destroyed to the end.

  • Vision of a Heavenly Court: Daniel 7:9-10 The Ancient of Days Reigns 9 “As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat, his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire. 10 A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.

  • A form of Heavenly Court: Psalm 82:1 God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment ** this list is not exhaustive

• DENY: To declare untrue; assert to be false. To refuse to believe; reject. To refuse to recognize or acknowledge; disavow.

• REBUKE: To express sharp, stern disapproval of; reprove; reprimand. To force back (this definition is most fitting re: Luke 4).

So, Jesus successfully rejected the temptations. What happens when humans do not?

We give our agreement. This is what is happening. Then when we give enough of our agreement, for long enough, an altar is built and extensive worship occurs there, strengthening the legal / official agreement, and we have a new god on a throne in our heart... another spirit is the driving force of our thought and behavior because we're so deep in agreement. Even if it's just in a particular area. Does this mean a person is not Saved? We should not assume that. Scripture describes this state as "double-minded':

• 1 Kings 18:21 And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.

• James 1:5-8 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

• James 4:8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

• Psalm 119:113-115 113 I hate the double-minded, but I love your law. 114 You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word. 115 Depart from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commandments of my God.

This is why Christians sometimes need deliverance prayer. Assistance to officially break our agreement with the wrong spirits and align with God in that unyielded area.

Can we break our agreement ourselves? Sure. But sometimes we need other saints to come around us. Especially if the oppression has been strong, longstanding, entrenched, deeply veiled, etc. We can be in a weakened spiritual state in an area of oppression. It is not a sin to need others to pray with you. God actually Commands us to do this. Pride and unbelief can stop us.

• James 5:13-20
  The Prayer of Faith
  13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. 19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Here is a prayer template I use, most simply put:

1. confess (recognize and acknowledge the temptation & sin)

2. repent (turn away from it, but this also includes expressing conviction regarding your agreement. *** Conviction versus regret - this is important: Conviction is a forward-looking, constructive awareness of wrongdoing that leads to repentance, restoration, and behavioral change via Work of The Holy Spirit. Regret is backwards-looking, characterized by shame, self-condemnation, and a focus on personal loss or consequences, which often leaves individuals feeling stuck or hopeless.)

3. break agreement (officially verbalize breaking the contract of agreement). This includes verbalizing forgiveness as needed.

4. resist / rebuke spirit (cast the tempting spirits away from you)

5. align with God (profess agreement with The Word, best by quoting Scripture applicable to the specific temptations)

The process I prefer is to do a trauma-informed interview. Then write up a "repeat after me" prayer using the model above. Then meet back to actually do the prayer together.

This is not the only way we can pray. I've done spontaneous deliverance prayer without an interview, and without the person repeating after me in prayer. But this process hits important points on legality of agreement, and also it's a form of discipleship tool in how we can do this ourselves on the daily, taking every thought captive and making it obedient to The Lord. (those 2 links are to prior posts)

Romans 6:12 & 16 & 21-22 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions... 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? ... 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.

Isaiah 58:6 “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?

Saints, engage in prayer to break any yoke that still ensnares.

In Jesus's Name,

Christy Hale

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