Leading the Captives to Freedom
An overview of Personal Prayer Ministry
by Pastor Pete Beck III
These meditations are copyrighted, but feel free to download them for personal use or to forward to friends.
All Bondage Is Built on a Lie
You people are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44 (NET1)
The enslavement of the human race to sin, death, the devil and the world system began with a lie. Satan, disguised as a talking snake, suggested to Eve that God did not have her best interests in mind when He forbade her and Adam to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In fact, the serpent flatly contradicted God's warning that they would die if they ate it. Instead he promised them they would become like God, knowing good and evil, something that was obviously very attractive. So Eve did the deed because she believed the lie, and Adam followed suit, apparently for the same reason. Falling for that one lie opened the door to flood of deception that seeks to undermine the revelation of God and his wonderful life giving truth found in Jesus.
As a result of the first sin in the Garden, every human being enters the world created in the image of our first parents, complete with a fallen human nature. The Bible calls it the "flesh" or the "old man". Basically this means we are pre-programmed to believe lies and reject truth. Adam and Eve did not have this problem, since God had created them perfectly without any default leaning toward sin. This only shows how powerful deception is. Deception appeals to our inborn desire to be "like God" - without having to be dependent upon Him in any way. This is the nature of sin. It is self-will in contradiction to God's will.
Since we now have a bias toward deception, Satan easily locks down humanity in a web of lies, with our pride being a willing accomplice in the suppression of truth. We want to believe that we do not need God, or, even better, that there is no God at all. The deception called Evolution perfectly illustrates this. When Darwin first announced his theory, the Russian communist party embraced it as the perfect "scientific" paradigm to support its godless atheism. Evolution accepts the premise that there is no Creator. Rather, the universe simply "happened" - order and matter proceeding from nothingness and disorder. The second law of thermodynamics guarantees that this is impossible, and even a small child knows that this sort of reasoning, if it can be called that, is ridiculous. Nevertheless, thousands of highly educated people have accepted this theory unquestioningly and have even declared it to be scientific dogma. It is accepted as fact by our public school system and much of the academic community.
What is behind this wholesale denial of God's truth? Paul makes it clear in his first chapter in the letter to the church at Rome.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness, 19 because what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So people are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor their bodies among themselves. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. Romans 1:18-25 (NET1)
The first point the above passage makes is that man's love of the lie is so strong that he chooses to suppress any attempt to reveal truth. This is why those who believe in creationism are ridiculed by the media and followers of evolutionary theory. This is why our Lord Jesus was persecuted and eventually murdered on a cross. People do not like the truth. The run from it. The hide from it. They try to cover it up.
Now this is the basis for judging: that the light has come into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil deeds hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed. 21 But the one who practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may be plainly evident that his deeds have been done in God. John 3:19-21 (NET1)
But truth will eventually win the day. Jesus, who is the Truth in person, will reign victoriously over every form of deception both in our own hearts and in the world. Eventually every knee and every lie will bow before the Lord of Truth!
The refusal to acknowledge and glorify God is behind our seemingly hopeless addiction to deception. In other words, rebellion is the root of our refusal to believe the truth. This is not rocket science, folks. If God is Truth, then the desire to independent from God is the same things as embracing what is false. Anything that is anti-God is by nature deception. Satan can only deceive, because to tell the truth is godly.
The result of refusing to acknowledge, glorify and worship God always results in some form of idolatry. Man was created to be a worshipper. If he does not worship the true God, he will worship something else that is a pretender to the throne. Just look at how people idolize movie stars and rock musicians. It is not surprising that a very popular television show is called "American Idol". Evolution puts man at the top of the evolutionary chain, making him a god. Only more advanced forms of life could dethrone him. Modern atheistic man things that perhaps there are aliens out there in space somewhere who are more advanced than we. If we find them one day, or they find us, no doubt they will be elevated to godhood status immediately. The creature has become god in the postmodern world where there is no accepted absolute truth, no God and no Savior. In that world, we must save ourselves because we worship ourselves and serve deception.
But what about a person who is a believer in Christ who still battles with bondage and oppression? Is this person also suffering because of believing a lie? I believe so, and here is why. Bondage comes from four basic sources - our sin nature, the power of sin, demonic oppression and lie-based strongholds. The cross of Christ, combined with the resurrection and indwelling Holy Spirit, has provided deliverance in each case. If a person is not experiencing that deliverance, there are three possible reasons. First, the person could be ignorant of what Christ has done. In that case, instruction from God's Word accompanied by repentance, faith and obedience to that Word will provide the desired liberation. In the second case, despite sufficient instruction in God's Word, a lie-based stronghold may be present that is hindering or blocking the person from repentance, faith and obedience. In this case, Personal Prayer Ministry is a useful tool to uncover and remove the stronghold. In a third possible scenario, God may allow some form of oppression to remain in our lives so that we learn to live by grace. To my understanding, this is what Paul experienced in 2 Corinthians 12.
I asked the Lord three times about this, that it would depart from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” So then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in me. 10 Therefore I am content with weaknesses, with insults, with troubles, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 (NET1)
In the first two cases, a lie is behind the experience of bondage. The uninstructed person is believing a lie, although unintentionally out of ignorance, that Christ's finished work is not sufficient to deliver. The second person who is bound up by a lie-based stronghold is intentionally believing a lie that effectively nullifies faith and obedience in God's promises because the lie seems more real than God's Word. The last case, of course, is an entirely different matter. It is quite possible for a person to have real faith and not receive the promise in his or her experience in this life, or at least for a season. This is referenced in the letter to the Hebrews.
These all died in faith without receiving the things promised, but they saw them in the distance and welcomed them and acknowledged that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth. Hebrews 11:13 (NET1)
Sin, by its very nature, is based on the deception that it provides something better than does obedience to God. Deceived people choose the temporary pleasure that sin often affords rather than hold out for the eternal rewards associated with obedience to God. This is a form of temporary insanity. It is only through God's grace, activated through the work of the Holy Spirit, that enables any person to escape the clutches of deception and embrace the truth.
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. For he will not speak on his own authority, but will speak whatever he hears, and will tell you what is to come. John 16:13 (NET1)
It is vital that each of us continually ask God to make us lovers of truth if we wish to experience real freedom.
The arrival of the lawless one will be by Satan’s working with all kinds of miracles and signs and false wonders, 10 and with every kind of evil deception directed against those who are perishing, because they found no place in their hearts for the truth so as to be saved. 11 Consequently God sends on them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false. 12 And so all of them who have not believed the truth but have delighted in evil will be condemned. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 (NET1)
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Absolutely not! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or obedience resulting in righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves to sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were entrusted to, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness. Romans 6:15-18 (NET1)