Process of Deliverance
A Heartfelt Prayer and Determination Is All Needed For Genuine Deliverance
“…Many, many have been promised that if they stick with it and believe God for it, God will deliver them. And they have been bitterly disappointed and felt like failures when that didn't happen.
It's something like someone delivered from cancer, or receiving some other miraculous healing, and then holding that out as the best plan for everyone. But as you know (at least with healing), it DOESN'T happen for everyone. (I'm not comparing homosexuality to cancer, just that the hope for "deliverance" is similar.)”
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| Love Family Christian Assembly |
The point that Mrs. Cottrell and many in the LGBT community who are praying for deliverance miss is that overcoming any sin is a process. For very few, there is an instantaneous deliverance. For instance, take my deliverance. Prior to my deliverance, for months, I felt a tugging at my heart to get my life together and get right with God. For months, I fought that desire and tried to silent the voice in my head – “It was time to come back home.” Prior to this, during the 10 plus years of serving God faithfully, I never heard God’s voice before and I thought I was losing my mind. In my frustration, I went to a trusted friend, who happened to be living the lifestyle as well. To my surprise, God was calling her back home too. That evening, I left my homosexual relationship, repented, begged for forgiveness and surrendered to God. I went to bed confused and unsure about my future. But the next morning, I woke up feeling stronger than ever. Renewed. Determined and freed from my homosexual tendencies. My deliverance was not by aid of another Christian. But for me it was simple as a heartfelt prayer and a determination to do whatever it took to free myself. (Also see my book, Surrendering: A Blueprint of My Life, for the full story concerning holding myself accountable and receiving my deliverance).
Now, does that mean that there are no temptations once deliverance is received. NO! Satan will make every effort to get you to return to your sinful ways. I can remember, women coming from left to right approaching me after my deliverance. Something that did not happen often prior to my deliverance. Satan and his demons are constant in my ear trying to convince me that my action of repentance is wrong and that I am born this way. In the beginning, my fleshly sexual desires to engage in habits that I developed would reared up. And sometimes it was hard to resist. Really hard! The temptations I experienced after repenting and deliverance were the processes I had to endure to overcome my sexual tendencies. To crucify my flesh from its fallen state and to learn to love God more than my sin nature.
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| Love Family Christian Assembly |
Now here is the thing that those who want to be freed from their homosexual tendencies must be aware of.
1. In your own will power, to overcome your sin nature, it is impossible. But developing a wholesome and personal relationship with God is key. Mark 10:27 says “…Everything is possible with God” (NLT). Jeremiah 32:17 says nothing is too hard for God. And there isn’t. God will always do His part.
2. As long as you are in your flesh, Satan will always attack you with his tricks to get you to fall. Satan uses the same tricks that we have fallen prey to over and over again. We have the free will to choose for ourselves to give into them or to say NO! I won’t give in! The fact that Satan keeps putting this temptation before you do not mean you are born that way. You are born a sinner (Romans 3:23; Genesis 3). Yes, every man and woman and child are born a sinner. However, there are many factors that come into play that determine which sins that we may become subject to – i.e. our background, the way we were raised, environmental factors, events we become victim to, elements we expose ourselves to, etc.
Changing the Mindset of Christians
The same is true concerning the process in changing the mindset of Christians toward the gay and lesbian community. There are too many Christians who limit the power in individual’s lives in this community because of their vicious and unrealistic view toward this group. They do this by focusing too much energy on legal debates about gay rights and not enough energy on simply loving these individuals as Christ does despite their sinful nature (Romans 5:8; Matthew 5:43-48; 1 John 4:10; 2 Peter 3:9).
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| Christie |
Take a moment and go back in time when the Jewish leadership convinced Pontius Pilate to crucify Christ. How did Jesus respond to their cruelty? How did he respond to their debates and even questioning over his life? In fact, how did Jesus respond to their persecution, name calling, and verbal and physical abuses? In response to all the charges the priests, elders and the teachers of religious law (the entire high council) brought against Jesus before Pilate (the government official), Jesus said NOTHING (Mark 15:5). It was not necessary for Jesus to respond, to debate, or even fight back against the charges that was brought against him. For one, Jesus realized his battle was not with mere men (flesh) who were leading the charges against him, but his fight was with the invisible enemy. Ephesians 6:12 says, “for we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”
Our battle as Christians, concerning the sins of the LGBT community, concerning our spiritual battle for their souls (lives) is not with them (flesh and blood) as too many Christian fall prey to. But our battle is with the invisible forces that have infiltrated their souls. We need become more skillful in recognizing the tricks and schemes of the devil. His vicious plights to control the lives of people (2 Corinthians 4:4). When we as Christian recognize this, we will stop the fruitless debates with LGBT leaders and others and get down to the main business which we were called.
1. To love (Matthew 5:43-48).
2. Casting out demons (Mark 16:16-18; Luke 10:17; John 14:11-13; Ephesian 6:10-18).
3. Teaching this community how to genuinely love Christ by taking steps toward repentance (Mark 16:15; 2 Timothy 2:24-26; Matthew 28:19, 20).
4. Patiently teaching them about Christ. His love, grace and mercy and showing them how to gain everlasting life (2 Peter 3:9; 2 Timothy 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:14).
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| Quora |
Instead, too many Christian leaders and Christian media outlets (with the exception of CBN and Daystar) are still rejecting God’s provision to help answer and resolve this deep rooted social problem. There are Christians sitting in the congregations of many churches worldwide, who have been freed from the homosexual lifestyle. Often time, leadership are aware of their presence as well as aware of the struggles of children in their congregation with same sex attraction, adults too that are not only struggling, but maybe even engaging in such a lifestyle. And yet, leadership in the church don’t use these valuable resources that God has purposely positioned in their congregations. And we wonder why this sin has become so widespread and even have found its way in the body of Christ.
IGNORING THE CALL AS WATCHMEN
How long will Christian leadership will stand by and not make this a priority on their church agenda? How long will Christian leadership will stand by idle and allow more and more souls to suffocate and die in their sin under their watch? We are watchmen, who are expected to sound the alarm of the havoc that Satan is causing in their lives of the LGBT community (Ezekiel 33:3). If members within the LGBT community refuses to respond, then their own blood is on their own hands (Ezekiel 33:4, 5). They have chosen for themselves death over life. But if we as Christians continue to fail to make this a priority. If we continue to fail extend love to this community. If we continue to choose to ignore the silent cries for help that are screaming up to the heavens before God’s throne from this community, then we, as the watchmen are responsible for their captivity (Ezekiel 33:6,8,9) and their blood is upon our own hands. God has spoken through his apostle and demanding that we as the body of Christ act now.
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