God's Pattern For Deliverance Part 4 - The Power Encounter: The Beginning of the End

God’s Pattern For Deliverance

 

Part 4 – The Power Encounter: The Beginning of the End

 

If we are Free…

 

               If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. Joh 8:36

 

               If the Son shall make you free. How exactly does that happen? How does the Son go about bringing freedom to a life of oppression and servitude?

               We know that we serve a God that uses patterns to communicate His nature and His will for every given situation. By coming to understand the patterns that God has given us, we can always achieve the desired results in any situation.

               It’s just like making a dress from a pattern. Every time we follow the pattern we have, we end up with the same dress. The same is true for God’s patterns. If we follow His pattern for deliverance, we will always end up being delivered. And we will stay delivered. No exceptions.

Enslavement is Pride

 

               Back in the very beginning of things as far as man is concerned, satan was cast down. His downfall was due to a pride issue. Any time anyone rises up to defy Almighty God it is a pride issue, plain and simple. When we refuse to humble ourselves before the Lord Jesus Christ and do as He commands, it is an expression of pride in one form or another.

               Once he was cast down, he again defied the will of God and contributed to the downfall of man in the Garden of Eden. Obviously, he was still struggling with that whole pride thing.

               In order to cause man’s downfall, he played on Eve’s pride, as well as her lusts. It was her pride that was the real culprit, however. It was her desire to be like a god that caused her to take a bite of the forbidden fruit.

               Let’s face it: that tree had always been in the Garden. The fact that it was good for food and pleasant to the eye had never been a problem for her in the past. The difference this time was that she was promised the wisdom of the gods if she ate it. Like most of us would have done, her foolish pride manifested in her desire to be like God, so she took a bite. Pride was her downfall.

               Because of her pride, she and her husband fell from grace. As a result of the fall, sin, sickness and disease, and everything unwholesome was given authority to operate on the earth. Therefore, every form of sin, sickness and oppression is a direct result of pride. Either the pride of man or the pride of satan. Regardless of whose pride we’re talking about, someone’s pride is always at the root of every sin and every form of oppression, including disease. Had it not been for pride, none of these various forms of oppression would exist on the earth. If it were not for pride, they would not have the freedom to operate as they do.

               So when we begin to discuss the need for deliverance in any form – salvation, healing, or demonic deliverance – we must first address that what we really need deliverance from is pride. Whether it’s out pride, the pride of our culture, or the pride of the enemy, it is pride that is always the root.

               But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Jas 4:6

 

               Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Pro 16:18

 

               Since we are talking about pride, we need to understand that God hates a proud heart (Ps. 101:5). As such, He is always willing to get involved in our situations in order to bring humility. If we are struggling with pride, God will bring humility through the working of His Holy Spirit as we learn to submit ourselves wholly to Him. If it is the pride of our culture that has taken up arms against us, He is more than willing to become involved in our situation in order to honor his Word and exalt the humble. If it is the pride of the enemy that has oppressed us, He is more than willing to put His hand on that thing and declare that it must let us go. It is all about bringing humility to a place where pride is oppressing us.

The Provision of the Promise

 

               One expression of man’s pride is the inability or the refusal to believe in the promises of God. We see this all the time in the church world. Some denominations refuse to believe that God still heals today. Others claim that the gifts of the Spirit are not for today. Still others say that apostles and prophets are no longer in operation.

               When we make the decision to walk with Jesus, we need to quickly come to a major decision in our walk. Either we’re going to believe the Word of God or we’re going to believe the doctrines of men and the doctrines of devils that are so prevalent in the church of today.

               If we’re going to believe the Word of God, then we need to decide we’re going to believe all of it. Not just selected passages that agree with what we’ve been taught. If what we’re being taught does not line up with the Bible, then we need to decide in favor of the Bible. Always. Every time.

               If we’re going to believe the doctrines of man, then there is nothing that I or any other minister can do to help. Sorry.

               Once we come to the decision to believe the Word of God, it is a short walk to believing that every promise that God made to the people in the Bible is still good today. 

              

 

               Once God makes us a promise, it as good as money in the bank. God has made us numerous promises that we need to hold onto. Many, many promises are contained in the Word. They are just as valid today as the day they were recorded.

               And the Word is not the only source that God uses to reassure us that He is taking care of something for us. Sometimes He will witness His promises directly to our spirits. At other times, He may use a prophetic voice to speak into our lives. It doesn’t matter how He communicates His promises to us. A promise from God is a promise from God; period.

               And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt: And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty: But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians. Exo 3:15-22

 

               In this passage, we see a promise from God that He will lay His hand on the thing oppressing the Israelites to bring them out of their oppression. In addition, He is going to make sure that they are reimbursed for all their trouble. These promises to the children of God are still good, today. When we are being oppressed by something, all we have to do is to follow the pattern that God has given us. When we do so, we activate every promise that He has made for that type of situation. How do we know that the Old Testament promises of God are still valid?

               Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. Act 10:34-35

 

               God does not have more love for those in the Bible than He has for you. Everything that He did for those that are recorded in the Word, He is still doing for His children. It doesn’t matter what has happened in your past. It doesn’t matter where you came from. It doesn’t even matter that you are not worthy of His help. We have all participated in numerous sins worthy of a death sentence. We’ve all come from bad places in our lives. None of us are worthy to be called the sons of God on our own. Nevertheless, He loves us all the same. Just like He loved those in the Word. We are all His chidren, and we are all entitled by right of our spiritual rebirth to all of His promises. We just have to make the decision to believe the promise and then to stand on it until it manifests in our lives.

               In other words, with very few exceptions, everything that happened in the Bible can, should and does happen today. Everything.

               And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go. Exo 3:20

 

               If God was willing and able to strike down the thing oppressing and enslaving the children of Israel for their benefit, He will do the same for us. In fact, since we are covered by the blood of Christ Jesus, we have a right to expect even more because we are sons and not servants.

The Uprooting Begins

 

               And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go. And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword. And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens. And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens. And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves. And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God. Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words. And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw. Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished. So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw. And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore? Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people. But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD. Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks. And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task. And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us. And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all. Exo 5:1-23

 

               In this chapter, we are seeing the first stages of the actual power encounter between God and the nation of Egypt. The Power Encounter happens when the power of God directly confronts the oppressor in our lives. It doesn’t matter whether that oppressor is our own flesh, the world we live in, or the demonic forces of the enemy. The deliverance process is the same, and the reaction will be the same.

               Once God has seen our affliction, heard our cry for help, and come to an intimate understanding of our struggle, He comes down to deliver us. When He comes down to deliver us from our oppressor, the first thing that He does is to “fire a shot over the bow”. He does this in order to let that thing, whatever it is, know that He is about to set us free.

               When God first informs this oppressor that He is setting us free, the first thing we usually see happen is that it rises up in defiance. Because of its pride, it will rise up against the will of God in our lives. In short, the problem will become worse than ever. Sickness and disease will manifest more and usually worse symptoms than ever. Addictions will seem to become even harder to struggle against. Those that struggle against rage or similar issues will notice that for a time they are having even more trouble than usual. This is only a temporary situation, as we will soon see.

               The fact that it is rising up in defiance is actually a good sign. That means that God has pointed His finger at that thing and informed it that He has come down to bring us deliverance, healing, etc.

               Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. Mat 13:24-30

 

               When God comes into our lives, He immediately begins to sow good things into our lives. Unfortunately, all of us have had a life before Christ. As a result, we all have areas in our lives where we deal with things within us that are not of God. Many of us are broken, hurt, unloving, etc. Once God comes into those areas of our lives, He turns over the field and begins planting a new crop.

               Like most farmers, when God plants a seed, He is looking for a harvest. Unlike human farmers, however, God doesn’t just plant a seed and look for the harvest. He sets the date for the harvest. Just like God created corn and wheat and squash to grow in a certain time span, the seeds He creates and plants within us are assigned a certain amount of time to grow and bear fruit. Once God sets that date, He doesn’t change it. God doesn’t worry about coming up with a “plan B”, because His “plan A” always works out just like He wanted it to.

               So when we come to Jesus as Lord and Savior, God immediately begins to place seeds within us. He plants the nature of Christ within us; the fruit of the Spirit. He plants a new love within us. He plants many things that weren’t there before.

               Once God begins to plant seeds for righteousness within us, our flesh, the world, and the forces of the enemy will rise up to try and choke out those good things the Lord has planted. After God first plants for His harvest, we will suddenly seem to be battling on every front. Our flesh will rise up, and those things we haven’t struggled with in years will come back to haunt us. Our friends, family, and even our spouses will come against us. The world around us will start treating us like we’re lepers. Problems will arise at work. We will suddenly seem to be getting sick s lot more often than is usual, etc.

               It seems like the more we pray for relief from this uprising, the worse it gets. If we are not careful, we can come to believe that this is God’s fault. We can come to convince ourselves that He has abandoned us. If we listen to the voices of others, or the voice of our flesh, we will be constantly reminded that things weren’t this bad before God got involved in our lives. We may even allow ourselves to be convinced that the only safe thing to do is to turn around and walk away from God.

               And Moses spake before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips? Exo 6:12

 

               If we’re not careful, we can allow ourselves to be convinced that the issues we are dealing with are bigger than us. We may even come to the conclusion that they are bigger than our God.

               Do not be intimidated by any of these things in your life. If God is sowing into you, then He has already planned and set the date for the harvest. On that date, He will pull up the things that are struggling against you and remove them from your life. Once the tares in our lives rise up in prideful defiance to His will, we can be assured that He can and will strike them down. We can also take comfort in the fact that the date for their destruction has already been set, and that their days are numbered. We can also rest assured in the fact that when God sets the date for the harvest, everything after that is His work. We can’t mess it up even if we try because it is no longer about us. It’s about Him versus the tares.

               Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant. Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD. Exo 6:1-8

 

               Once God has set a date for the harvest in our lives, He never waivers. He never takes a step back. Even if every single thing which has power over our lives rises up in defiance, God never changes the schedule. He never forgets His covenant promises to His children, and His Word is as good as gold.

               So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Isa 55:11

 

               You can rest assured that when the mouth of God uttered those promises of freedom to the children of Israel, that He was speaking to you, as well. He had your exact situation in mind, and the date for the harvesting of the tares is set in stone, written in Heaven.

God Marches Forward – The Engagement Initiated

 

               And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land. And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them. And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so did they. And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh. And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.

Exo 7:1-9

 

               Once any form of bondage rises up in prideful defiance to the Word and the will of God, God responds by increasing the pressure. Remember back in Chapter 5, God only instructed Moses to tell Pharaoh that the children of Israel needed to go three days into the wilderness to celebrate a feast. Now that Pharaoh has risen up against God and His children in prideful defiance, God changes the terms of His command to Egypt. No longer does He tell Moses to demand three days for a feast. Now He tells Moses that He is going to execute great judgments against Egypt until the Egyptians know that Jehovah is God. Once God has executed those judgments and the Egyptians realize Who they are defying, God assures Moses that the Egyptians will send them from Egypt, not just let them go to sacrifice.

               This pattern still works today in our lives. Once any form of bondage rises up, God begins the engagement by putting pressure on it. People we don’t even know will begin interceding for us. The Spirit of the Lord will come over us and minister rest and peace to us in the middle of its uprising. Those that God has placed in our lives will suddenly begin to hold us up when we start to falter. In short, God begins to pressure that thing until it is time to engage it.

               And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. And he hardened Pharaoh's heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

Exo 7:10-13

 

               Regardless of what rises up to defy the Lord, His power always dwarfs it and eats it up.

               The Hebrew word translated here as “serpent” (Strong’s #H8577) should have actually been translated as “sea monster, sea serpent, or dragon”. During the time of the exodus event, it was also used to describe very large crocodiles. We need to take just a minute to consider the implications of this.

               When God met Moses at the burning bush, He instructed Moses to throw down his rod and it became a serpent. In Pharaoh’s court, however, it is Aaron that throws down the rod. At the burning bush, the Hebrew word for serpent is used in the original text (Strong’s #H5175). In the court of Pharaoh, the same word is not used because the rod of Aaron became a very large crocodile, not a serpent.

               Why is this important? We must take into consideration that we are dealing with ancient Egyptians.  Ancient Egyptians revered the Nile crocodile as one of the most powerful gods in their pantheon. The crocodile god was worshipped by nearly every class of Egyptian, and was thought to be nearly undefeatable, even by other gods.

               When Aaron’s rod turned into a giant crocodile and swallowed up the crocodiles of Pharaoh’s magicians, it sent a very clear message to Pharaoh and his wise men that their gods had been turned against Egypt by the power of Jehovah. With this one simple act, Jehovah proved that He was so powerful that He could, in fact, turn the Egyptian gods against the nation that worshipped them. This sent a very clear message to the children of Israel to have faith in Jehovah. This also sent a clear message to the Egyptian magicians that all of their demonic power would be of no avail against this unknown God of the Hebrew slaves.

               This is always the next step in the pattern for deliverance. After the defiant uprising of whatever is binding us, God begins to turn the power of that thing against itself. For example, cancerous tumors will begin to devour themselves instead of the healthy cells of the body. The drugs that a person is addicted to will begin to exhibit unusual, undesirable side effects at this stage. The idolatrous things in a person’s life will begin to turn on them. There are many examples of how this step manifests in our lives.

               And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go. Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand. And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear. Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river. And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone. And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said. Exo 7:14-22

 

               The Nile was ancient Egypt’s greatest source of nourishment. In one way or another, it fed and watered the entire country.

               The Nile brought trade of foodstuffs from other nations. It overflowed its banks every year, creating the most fertile soil for farming in the Middle East. Irrigation ditches kept the Egyptian crops watered and healthy. It supplied drinking water for people and animals. Many of Egypt’s pantheon of gods were connected with it. In short, it was indispensible to the health, welfare and spiritual life of Egypt.

               For an ancient nation, the Egyptians were actually fairly civilized. They had a system of written laws that were enforced throughout the country. Their religious system was more advanced than most any heathen nation, with the priests becoming wealthier and more politically powerful as they progressed in rank. Egypt had a standing professional army of thousands, and by military standards, was one of the most powerful nations in the world. The country’s military machine was well organized and well funded. The country was well protected from outside invaders by a system of manned border keeps and an advanced early warning system of professional military messengers. Their roads and buildings were some of the most advanced architectural achievements in the old world. In short, they were far from being barbarians.

               They were so civilized, and their religious beliefs so strong, that the thought of drinking blood would have made most of them sick enough to vomit. When God turned the Nile to blood, He caused the one thing that nourished all of Egypt to become an abomination to it. By doing so, He also defiled the religious worship of a number of Egyptian gods in the process.

               So because Pharaoh has risen up in prideful defiance to the Word of Jehovah, the consequences are severe. God demonstrates that the Egyptian gods are not only powerless against Him, but that they are His to turn against the nation. In addition, the one thing that nourishes the entire nation has now become abominable to it.

               It still works this way. Once any form of bondage raises itself up in defiance, God turns the power of that thing against itself and then takes whatever is feeding it and turns that source of nourishment into an abominable thing. For instance, during these stages of this process, an alcoholic may begin having horrible hangovers when they drink (unusual, undesirable side effect). As a result, they will begin having days when the mere thought of a drink will make them physically ill (becomes abominable).

               Once these steps have been instituted, God begins the plaguing process to achieve the full working of deliverance.

               For those of you that are struggling against something in your lives, please take just a few moments to review your circumstances. Can you see yourself or a loved one in the steps of this pattern? If so, then you know that your answer to prayer is in the works. God is already working to bring your freedom from whatever it is that is oppressing you.

               I encourage you to continue praying and to keep seeking the Lord for your freedom. If you have progressed this far in this pattern of events, then you know that the date for your freedom is already on God’s calendar. Whatever is working against you has a limited number of days. Begin to praise Him for the things that He has accomplished and is accomplishing for you.

               I also encourage you to continue reading and studying along with this series. The next article, “God’s Pattern For Deliverance Part 5 – The Uprooting Begins” will be out soon. Blessings!