As we gear up to Easter, as we celebrate what Jesus did at the cross, i want to remind you that the cross was not only for salvation. The cross was for everyday life. Everyday of your life, Christ wants to see you free.
I have seen people in bondage. One day a friend of mine came to me and said; Pastor i have a problem. I said; what is the problem? He said; every time I look at money, I want to take it. I think the day I was born, the first thing they gave me was money.
He continued to explain that every time he interacted with someone, what was on his mind was; how can I get money from them. I told him; my bother you have a problem, a challenge and you need to be set free.
I sat down with him and took him through a process, which we are going to be doing for the next five weeks [At Watoto Church]. Jesus set him free. The series we are dealing with is not to scare you, it is good news to every believer.
I remember – we all do -the israelites were set free from the captivity of Egypt but during transition where they were in the wilderness, stuff happened – they were full of bitterness, resentment, fighting each other, yet God set them free from the Egyptians.
And that is the picture of our salvation. Christ has set us free, yet we still leave as though we are under bondage. They told Moses it was better off being in Egypt. “We had onions to eat. Why have you brought us this far?”
I believe that many of us as Christians still have the same resentment.
We are born again, we love Jesus but still asking God; Why am I saved, how come I cannot over come lust, greed, bitterness – What is it – is their anything wrong with me?
And the greatest deception is to believe that Christ cannot set you free.
I am here to declare to you that there is nothing Christ cannot deal with in your life. Many people ask many questions about the devil.
To share two questions frequently asked about the devil and his work – I will also help you see certain areas of your life, some indicators that maybe you might be under demonic influence.
First question people often as is; Pastor, do demons really exist? I met a friend last week who asked me; pastor do demons really exist or do pastors just want to make money out of us.
I know that many of us, the more educated we become, the more intellectual we become. This guy is very educated. he said, “I don’t believe demons exist.”
I believe that is one of the greatest strategies that the devil has laid out for us – to believe that he does not exist, because whatever you believe, will determine how you react.
If you do not believe they exist, then they will affect you. You will never deal with it. Then in Africa, we have a certain set of people that say in everything, there is a demon.
If a rat passed here, your neighbor would begin to rebuke and bind. We believe that in everything we do there is a demon. In everything we interact with, we believe there is a demon because many of us know more about demons than Christ. That is not good.
I need to say this, both mindsets are not biblical. Scripture teaches that they are real, but not in everything.
Ephesians says this, for we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against persons without bodies—the evil rulers of the unseen world, those mighty satanic beings and great evil princes of darkness who rule this world; and against huge numbers of wicked spirits in the spirit world.
The greater news is that Jesus defeated them. Scripture says for the reason the son of God appeared, was to destroy the devils work. All work of the devil was destroyed at the cross.
Louis says this, there are two equal and opposite eras in which our rest can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence and other is to believe in their existence, and feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. So we believe that demons are there, but we also trust that Christ conquered them.
Other question people ask is; Can Christians be demon possessed? “Pastor I am born again – can I be demon possessed?”
For me to answer that question well, I need to bring to your attention the meaning of possession.
Because the whole theological argument is on possession. The original Greek word of possession means to have control over or have influence. The English translation of possession is ownership. Which is not a good translation compared to the Greek translation.
So can demons have control or influence a christian? Yes they can. I will give you an example.
If you left the door to your house open, and a thief comes in – does that thief won your house? No, but does he have certain control over certain things of your life? yes. So before you kick out that thief, he still has influence in certain areas of your life.
Same with us, our spirits and souls belong to Jesus but at times we open certain doors of our lives and we allow the enemy to have control over us.
Growing up, I opened my life to pornography, I used to come and sit in the sinners corner. I enjoyed worship and everything. but every time I would go back home, I would go back to porn. It killed my life.
So it is true you can be a Christian and still be under the influence of demons. But I thank God 10 years ago, I was set free. I’m married for 7 years and God has been doing amazing things. That is why I am so passionate about today, I want Christ to set you free.
There is a reason why we have deliverance to cast out demons. Discipleship is to help you grow in the likeness of who Christ is. As Christians, once we recognize that there is a foot hold in our lives – we have allowed the enemy to take territory – lets deal with it by the authority of Christ.
We need to take responsibility of the choices we make. I know many of you say the devil did it. No, you chose to do it. And the scripture says this; do not give the devil a foot hold.
Iniquity is a word that means sin – if you have an area in your life where you are continuously sinning, I know this generation is saying the grace of God is enough. No, the grace of God is not a license to sin. the grace of God is the power to over come sin.
Message by Pr Andrew Kimuli from his sermon series “Break Free Part 1”.
You Can listen to the full audio version Here
