The Assistant Pastor in charge of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Rivers Province 3, Pastor Oludotun Olusanjo has identified acknowledgement that one is bound, bracing up for a fight, choosing to be bound by Jesus Christ and the need for a deliverer as pathways to break free from the oppression of the devil.
The pastor who stated this while delivering a sermon on the topic, ”Total Freedom Through Christ, at the healing and deliverance service organised by the Spring of Life Parish of RCCG in Port Harcourt, on Sunday, said that these keys were necessary if one needs total freedom-
Pastor Olusanjo who took his text from JOHN 8: 31 – 36, called on the congregation to accept Jesus as not only the saviour of their life but also their Lord.
His words; ”Freedom means to be delivered from whatever is holding you down. There are people who believe that because they are now saved, they don’t need to be free from any other bondage, while this is true in a way, there are bondages of the devil that a man needs to free himself from, howbeit, through the power of Jesus.
”There are five (5) points to note if one needs total freedom;
”One, For one to be totally free, he must first acknowledge that he is bound. In our text today, Jesus made it clear that it is the knowledge of the truth that will set you free. Only a man that knows he is sick will look for the services of a doctor. A man who doesn’t know he is sick will not think he needs a doctor. So only a man who knows and acknowledges he needs deliverance will look for how to be free.
”Two, there is no freedom without a fight. Jeremiah 50: 33,34; the passage says that the children of Israel and Judah were oppressed together; and all that took them captive held them fast and refused to let them go. What do you do to an oppressor that has refused to let you go? Do you beg? Or cry? Or wish? NO! You brace up for a fight. This is where The Lord of Host comes in; He comes in ready for a battle, because total freedom demands a fight! The price tag for freedom is a fight.
”Three, it is better to die than remain in the captivity of the devil. Mark 5: 1- 13; we saw from this passage that the demons which left the man by the tomb of gaderenes, begged Jesus not to cast them out to hell but into the herds of swine. However, the swines decided that it was better to drown in the sea that be possessed by the demons and be in bondage, hence all the swines ran into the sea and drowned. When a man is under captivity of the devil, such a man will be so frustrated that he would wish he rather die.
”Four, every man needs a deliverer; no man can set himself free. John 8:36; 1st John 3:8; Jesus is our deliverer and it was for this reason The Son of Man was made manifest, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
”Five, to be free at last is to be bound; we must all understand that life is a paradox. E.g proverbs 11: 24,25 the Bible tells us that a man can scatter his resources yet he emass so much, and a man can withhold more than is necessary, and tends to poverty.
”Life abhors a vacuum, it is either you are with God or you are for the devil. So anyone that wants to be free from demonic oppression must decide to be yoked by God. The problem with many christians is that they want to eat their cake and have it; they want to be free from the devil and equally free from God. It doesn’t happen that way. Matthew 12:43-45 is an example.
”When a person gets free from demonic oppression and does not submit himself to God, when the devil sees his life empty, he will come back with more reinforcement and repossess that person, such that the end of that person will be worse than the beginning.
”The Goodnews is that the yoke of Jesus is easy and his burden is Light. Matthew 11:28-30.
”John 10:10 says the devil came to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus came to give us life and life everlasting.
”So the question today is; will you rather put on Jesus yoke, or you’ll remain yoked to the devil? The end of one is eternal life, the end of the other is eternal damnation.
”So why not accept Jesus today as not only the saviour of your life but also your Lord? And watch Him turn your life into a sign and a wonder to you and to everyone that sees you.
”So if you will like to surrender your life to Jesus, break free from the oppression of the devil and make Jesus your Lord, please say this prayer from the depth of your heart.
”Lord Jesus, I come before You today with a broken and contrite heart full of repentance. Please, forgive me for all my sins. Today, I surrender my life to You, I believe that Jesus is Lord and I confess it with my mouth. Jesus, come into my life and save my soul from eternal destruction. In Jesus’ name, I pray. AMEN!
