If you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us (1 John 1:9), but if you hide your sins, you are giving the enemy ground in your life (Proverbs 28:13). Act 3:19, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.”
Category: Biblical
Unforgiveness
Unforgiveness is one of the biggest tools the devil uses against God’s people. It not only cuts us off from God’s forgiveness (Mark 6:15), but it also turns you over to the tormenters (Matthew 18:23-35), which are demons. You give demons legal grounds in your life when you are bitter and unforgiving against others. Unforgiveness is a sin which can defile a person (Hebrews 12:15). Unforgiveness in itself is a sin which should be repented of.
Stage Two: Legal rights are involved
Stage two bondages have a root and that root could be unforgiveness in a person’s heart, un-repented sins in that person’s life (things they are hiding that they know is wrong), ties which need to be broken (cursed objects, soul ties, etc.) and things which may need to be renounced (vows made with Satan, spirit guides/demons that a person has welcomed into themselves, etc.). The goal of addressing stage two bondages is to break yourself off from any legal grounds that the enemy has gained in your life. This list is not a complete and detailed list, but it’s goal is to give you an idea of some of the things which can give legal grounds to the enemy in our lives.
Recommended reading
The Bible, the Bible, and the Bible!! The Word of God is the single greatest way to combat the lies and deceptions of the devil! A great book to help you realize who you are in Christ is Victory over Darkness by Neil T. Anderson.
Some other good books to read are on spiritual warfare and include Basic Training by Kim Freeman, Spiritual Warfare Derek Prince, Battlefield of the Mind Joyce Meyer, The Beginners Guide to Spiritual Warfare Nail T. Anderson & Timothy M. Warner
Your sins are forgiven
If you aren’t sure your sins are forgiven, you will be experiencing guilt, and a feeling of unworthiness to live in victory. The enemy moves right in on this weakness and fault in your belief system, and uses it against you. Guilt gives the enemy room to move in and make you feel worthless, and therefore he keeps you fighting from a defeated position. You must know that your sins are forgiven so the enemy won’t hang guilt over your head! Look at Luke 7:47, where Jesus forgave that woman who lived a very sinful life, with no strings attached! Also look at other stories where Jesus said “Your sins are forgiven” with no strings attached. And Paul is another great example of how he was moved from a sinful lifestyle right into the kingdom of God without any strings or conditions attached!
Legalism verses the law of grace
This is a vital thing you need to understand; it’s the law of grace. Many Christians feel they must goto church every Sunday, and keep a list of laws in order for God to accept and love them. This is not true, God has already accepted you just as you are, and He loved you so much while you were a sinner, that He sent His son to die for your sins! Our good deeds should be a result of our love for God. Scripture says that we have died to the law, and are no longer subject to it. We are under a new law now. It’s a law of grace, and it’s worked out through love. When we realize the love God has for us, and the hate that God has for wrong, we not only stop sinning, but develop a hatred against that sin. This breaks the power of sin in our lives. It’s not a question of doing right, but a question of why you are doing right. Are you doing it because you feel obligated and are trying to earn favor with God? Then you have fallen from the law of grace and into legalism. The reason we are to do what is right should come out of our love for God and as we realize His love for us, we will naturally become more like Him and do what’s right because we want to, not because we feel obligated to.
Who you are in Christ
If you think of yourself as an evil and worthless piece of meat, you will live like it. You cannot live contrary to what you believe. The truth is, you have died to the old self, you are no longer associated with your past! If you have accepted Christ, you are a whole new person! The Bible refers to us believers are saints! We are not simply sinners who are forgiven, we are saints! It may be true that we ‘were’ sinners, and that we’ve been forgiven, but we are no longer sinners, we have been washed by the blood of Jesus, and we are whiter then snow! You are not just a servant of God, but you have been adopted into God’s royal family as a child of God!
Stage One: Ignorance, strong holds and deception
The first stage of bondage is caused by ignorance, strong holds, and the enemy’s greatest weapon in this stage is deception. Understanding a correct picture of who God is, and who we are in Christ will dissolve a lot of cases involving stage one bondages.
The primary weapon of the devil to put a person into stage one bondage is deception. It is extremely common and there isn’t a person alive who hasn’t been deceived in one way or another. If you keep in God’s Word, which you use to pull down strong holds, Jesus said that you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. Stage one bondages are caused by deception and lies from the devil, so the way to combat them is with the truth, which is found in God’s Word. God also says that, “My people are destroyed by lack of knowledge.” Ignorance is a nasty disease that we need to defeat!
Your picture of God
If you see God has a taskmaster, you will act like He’s one, and you will hurt the intimacy that God wants to have with you. You will put up a wall between yourself and God when you don’t see Him as a loving God. Is there one person in your life that you know loves you to pieces? Maybe it’s your spouse, parent, friend or even your pet. You can feel that person’s love, and have a very special relationship with that person (or pet). Now think if you saw that person as a cruel taskmaster with a cold personality? Even though it’s not true, it would kill your relationship, wouldn’t it? Think how God feels when you see Him as a cold and cruel taskmaster? It kills the relationship that He gave His son so that you could have with Him! Why did He give His son? So that we could be reconciled with Him, like it was before Adam sinned! Our relationship with God means so much to Him, that He gave His son so it could be restored!
Physical or Medical Symptoms Correlating With Histories of Trauma
- Bothersome or worrisome health issues that don’t show up as positives in lab tests (no medical validation)
- Neck, spine and back problems
- Muscle weakness, muscle pain
- Digestive problems, e.g. IBS
- Immune system problems
- Skin disorders
- Myofacsial pain syndrome
- Environmental sensitivities
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Fibromyalgia
- Neuralgia
