Isaiah 61 says that Jesus was anointed to preach good news to the poor, to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. The word "bound" carries with it the meaning of "to be taken prisoner by being a follower of false doctrine." It also refers to a gemstone being bound in that it has been covered with a film and no longer shines. However God proclaims in Isaiah 60 that the time for the gem to begin to shine has come!

"Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you" (Isaiah 60:1,2).

Jesus' mission statement is wrapped up in Isaiah 61. The whole mission is to grant to us our true God-given identity by removing those things that caused a false identity to prevail in our lives. Notice that in Isaiah 61:3 the end result of that mission however is bigger than you and me, it is "for the glory of God."

The good news to the poor was that they no longer need to be love-poor by guilt, shame and rejection. He binds up your broken soul, and gives you the joy to comfort your pain while you are being healed. However the next thing He mentions is opening prison doors and proclaiming liberty to the prisoners or captives, or in other words the slaves.

Mankind does not like to admit it, but we are not self-sufficient beings. God did not create us that way. He created us to be "slaves" to Himself, or if we chose, to another being other than God. We are very much like computers. Computers do not have an intelligence of their own. They have only the power to do those things that their software tells them to do. So we are created in a similar sense. The only real choice we have is what "software" we will allow to be admitted into our beings. No other created being has this wonderful God-given privilege.

Romans 6:16 says that we are slaves to whomever we continually submit to, or obey. If we continually submit to and obey the Word, Jesus the person, through the Holy Spirit, then we are "free-slaves." However if we submit and therefore obey anything or anyone else, we are slaves of bondage, hard labor, and captives to evil demon spirits all of whom report to Satan in one order or another. "Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey-- whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?"(Romans 6:16).

Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 10:20 (Amplified version) that behind every idol there is a demon. People in the Oriental and Eastern cultures know this. People in Africa know this first hand, and know this is a fact. However so many Western cultured people do not realize this fact. They believe that if they live their lives for money, career, fame, love, family or other such idols, that they are just doing the "right thing." Be sure however, that behind every idol of this sort, there is spiritual being who is taking you captive and making you a prisoner and a slave.

Slavery is one of the oldest concepts in all of history. Slavery produces free revenues of one kind or another for the slave master. Satan was not allowed to operate here on earth, much in the same way that God restricted Himself. God gave dominion of the earth to man, therefore man rules. However, following our facts mentioned above, man does not really rule but the ruler is really he to whom man submits. Therefore Satan wants to enlist you as his slave in order to obtain his will here on earth. God wants to be in loving union with you in order to have you help Him obtain His will here on earth.

Another fact about submission and man's will must also be understood. If man does not make a conscious decision to follow some master, like God through Jesus Christ, then by default man will become a slave to some idol, and therefore to some demon. This is a law!

Could you be a slave without knowing it?

Lets take a look at John chapter 8 where Jesus Himself told some Jews "who believed in Him" that they were slaves to sin. Not only would they not believe it, but they actually retaliated and called Jesus a demonized Samaritan. The scene begins in the Temple courtyard as some men bring a woman who they caught in the act of adultery. Most of us remember this story. Jesus did not condemn her to a stoning death as the men requested, but instead gave her the power to become a free person. What He wrote in the sand has been speculated about for centuries, and while I have some theories, I do believe that not only did the men read what He wrote but the woman read it as well. She also read the Living Word, Jesus, as His compassion, light, love and forgiveness filled her with revelation and healing. She responded by calling Him "Lord." That very act brought her freedom, and she was no longer a slave. She no longer needs to commit adultery in order to define who she was, and in order to strive to be loved. She was loved to the uttermost and was made a free person.

Now the attention turns to the others, the Pharisees, in the Temple yard.

After much discussion about who He claimed to be, some believed on Him and others did not and actually wanted to kill Him. But even some of those who believed still could not bear to hear that they were slaves.

"As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, 'If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.' They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, 'You will be made free'?' Jesus answered them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you'" (John 8:30-37).

Are we deceived?

The Lord gave me a vision many years ago, not anything that I saw with my physical eyes but I just saw it as clear as light in my spirit. I saw a long row of prisons cells with their doors flung open. However the prisoners were still standing there yelling at one another, accusing each other of wrong deeds, etc. Then I saw Jesus standing there with the keys in His hand with a face of pleading. He had opened their prison doors but they were so focused on themselves, their hurts and pains, and what the others had done to them, that they missed the opportunity to really be free.

How to begin. One of the first steps is to know that you are a slave, or that to some degree you have prisons that you need to walk out of.

First lets take a look at some attributes of a slave, and how many slaves behave in their lives. What are some of the symptoms of the slavery mindset? Give yourself a check-up.

One of the sneakiest types of slavery is slavery to oneself, otherwise known as selfishness. When we continue to yield to our own selfish desires, we become slaves to our old fallen nature, the flesh.

A lack of identity is the primary attribute of a slave. Slaves have to get their identity from someone else. That is why you see people in the American culture running around trying to get fancy cars, having certain types of friends, dressing a certain way, being part of a movie star's fan club, etc. In some cultures it may include belonging to the proper tribe or family. They are trying to define who they are by how they look, what they drive and with whom they associate.

How are we supposed to receive our identity? I believe that God created us to receive our identity through having a relationship with another being. We are designed to become like the person with whom we become intimate. We receive our identity from whom we obtain our needs. God wants us to become intimate with Him in order to receive our identity from Him. He has taken up residence inside of us. If that does not give you identity, self-worth and dignity, then nothing will!

During the first century, the Romans dragged people from their homes and made them slaves. Families were forever separated, never again to see their parents, children, brothers, sisters or spouses. Most likely the women and men were raped and beaten. They completely lost their identity.

From the slave's point of view his life was now different. He had no identity of his own; he was a non-person. The only thing that he had left was what he could do in his work. The only scale or measure of who he was now was the way he performed his task. If his master looked at him with pleasure because his task was done well, he could feel some self-esteem. Even if another slave admired his work, or perhaps someone else up the ladder of authority gave him one compliment, one measure of "well done," he could feel good about himself.

His life was now a formula. (How I perform) + (how you feel about my performance) = (my self-worth).

The human being was created by God to obtain his worth from God's unconditional love. Now exactly the opposite has happened; humans feel like all love is totally conditioned upon how they perform, and worse, how their masters feel about their performance.

Slaves are "men-pleasers" (Ephesians 6:5). They are constantly trying to get the applause and approval of other people. Their work has no other meaning. If their boss, their parents or teachers are pleased with their work, they feel good about their self worth; if not, they feel like "nothings" They are always attempting to get friends who will give them their identity and self-worth.

Slaves work for "eye-service" (Ephesians 6:5). While they are being watched, they work hard, but as soon as their authorities turn their backs, they goof off. They hold in their resentment against their authority. They criticize them and bring them down all the time.

Slaves Complain. They always blame their problems on other people. In their minds, their horrible state of being is always somebody else's fault.

Some slaves become very good at manipulation. They learn how to please and even "love" others, so that they will be "loved back."

Slaves do not like obeying authority. They have learned that authority is bad; they hate their authorities.

Slaves have no authority so they are always manipulating others in order to serve their own needs. Some slaves use their sheer brute force, like shouting and screaming in order to get others to conform.

Slaves have no self-esteem so they use other people, religion, amusement and immorality, which are some of the same things the Israelites used in the desert to achieve some sense of self worth.

What is the solution?

God has already provided the solution, but it is up to us to appropriate it.

Jesus took all of the sin, rejection, shame, guilt and abuse that came to us to make us prisoners. As we have disclosed in past chapters, all of the sin perpetrated against you that caused your slavery was actually put on Jesus. He was there taking it in your stead. He was the Lamb who took death for you.

The Holy Spirit comes into your life and reveals this wonderful good news to you. You see it, you are delighted, and you feel free. However often it does not end there. Sometimes there is instant deliverance, but sometimes Jesus wants us to "be made free" over our lifetime. Often He continues to give us our choice to be free.

Our choices.

This gets back to the computer and the software. Now that we have seen the good software, are we going to load it, or will we continue to use the old disks and software of slavery?

Here is what Jesus said about getting free. "Then Jesus said to the Jews who believed on Him, If you continue in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31,32).

First you must continue in His Word. The word "continue" is a strong word. It means to settle down, abide, and make our home in His Word. It does not mean to look at His Word once a week or even five minutes a day, it means to sustain your very life by His Word. "But He answered and said, It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).

The word used in this Scripture for "word" is "rhema." Rhema means a personal Word spoken from Jesus to you. You must invest time with God to receive His rhema.

Knowing the Word is knowing Jesus personally. I am not talking about an intellectual knowledge of the Word. One of the most vicious Communist leaders of the past Soviet Union knew the Bible from cover to cover because a priest would give him candy to memorize Scripture. However it was all head knowledge and not real knowing. Know in Hebrew is "yada," which means a deep, intimate and personal relationship. We need to abide with Jesus through the Word and the Holy Spirit. That is the only sure way to be a free-slave.

Next you must be committed to being Jesus' disciple. That means to be so united to Him that He is your teacher in everything. It means that you drop your pride and allow God, who knows you better than you know yourself, to have His way with you. He also loves you more than you love yourself. When you are going through discipline with the Lord, remember He is doing it because He loves you. Being a disciple requires discipline. Although the finished work of Jesus at the Cross is what sets us free, often we cannot appropriate that grace without the discipline of keeping our relationship with Jesus, the Word.

Jesus made it clear in John 15 when He spoke about the vine and the branch relationship that His life would flow through us if we maintained our relationship with Him through the Word.

The result will be that you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. "Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me"(John 14:6). Knowing Jesus is knowing the Truth. Having a personal, close, intimate relationship with Him is the only thing that will really make you free. The word "know" is "yada" in Hebrew, which indicates a very intimate relationship.

God may use many methods of delivering this freedom to you. He may cause demons to be cast out of you, or out of the influence of your life. Or He may take you through a long process of getting free through pouring the Word into your life.

My own personal experience has been one of displacement. I continually pour the Word into my vessel, and everything that is not of God comes out, including demons. Matthew 8:16 is an example of Jesus casting out demons with His Word. It says, "And evening coming on, they brought to Him many who had been possessed with demons. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick."

Often we are responsible for becoming slaves to various things and people (excepting of course those issues that have to do with our childhood). We become slaves to whomever or to whatever we yield. Only we can exercise our own will (volition) in yielding. The cure is to begin to yield to Jesus in obedience to His Word, and by doing so you will become His bond-slave. In that, and that alone, will you find perfect liberty and freedom.

Be honest. Confess your sin. Practice honesty and truth at all cost. When you lie, you make Satan your father.

Renounce any contact you have had with anything demonic: music, porno, TV, movies, drugs, alcohol, occult, horoscope, Quija boards, fortune telling, card games, etc.

Renounce any relationship to family ties that may be used to pass down curses. You can be courteous to family without receiving their curses.

Stay close to Jesus through prayer, His Word, selective friends and church groups. Keep your mind filled with Godly things. The mind is the battlefield.

Be open for whatever ways God wants to deliver you. Desire to be free and don't limit God. He has many ways to set you free. His mission is to set you free (Luke 4).

Forgive. This is the big one! Here is a principle that is too often overlooked.

So many people are tormented their entire lives because they will not forgive. Sickness, disease, poverty and many other maladies have been instantly healed when forgiveness is accomplished.

If you will do this with everyone in your life, The Holy Spirit will fill you in a mighty way, and you will unlock the hands of God to work on your behalf. You will be set free from things you didn't even know existed.

Prayer for deliverance.

"Lord Jesus Christ, I confess that you are my Lord."

1. Personally affirm your faith in Christ. "Lord Jesus Christ, I believe that You are the Son of God and the only way to God - that you died on the Cross for my sins and rose again so that I might be forgiven and receive eternal life.

2. Humble yourself. "I renounce all pride and religious self-righteousness and any dignity that does not come from You. I have no claim on Your mercy except that you died in my place.

3. Confess any known sin. "I confess all my sins before You and hold nothing back" Now list and confess them.

4. Repent of all sins. "I repent of all my sins. I turn away from them and I turn to You, Lord, for mercy and forgiveness."

5. Forgive all other people. By a decision of my will, I freely forgive all who have ever harmed or wronged me. I lay down all bitterness, all resentment and all hatred Now list and confess them.

6. Break with the occult and all false religion. "I sever all contact I have ever had with the occult or with all false religion. I renounce all the works of the devil, Satan, and other evil spirits in my life. I confess and renounce all my occult practices and sins as abominations before You, a Holy and righteous God. I renounce any occult influence from my forefathers Now list and confess them.

7. Prepare to be released from every curse over your life. "Lord Jesus, I thank You that on the Cross You were made a curse, that I might be redeemed from every curse and inherit God's blessing. I renounce every curse from my forefathers. On that basis I ask You to release me and set me free to receive the deliverance I need.

8. Take your stand with God. "I take my stand with You, Lord, against all Satan's demons. I submit to You, Lord, and I resist the devil. Amen!

9. Expel. Now I speak to any demons that have control over me Speak directly to them. "I command you to go from me now. In the name of Jesus, I expel you! I pray that any evil power or ability I may possess, or which have oppressed or possessed me, be completely destroyed or removed from me. I commit myself, my body, my mind, my personality, my emotions, my whole being to the Lord Jesus Christ to be my Lord and savior. I pray this in the mighty Name of Jesus, believing I am delivered."

10. Now I commit to abide in You, in Your Word so that Your blood will always flow through me and make me free in new ways for the rest of my life. I am the branch and You are the vine. I come to you for intimate fellowship with your Words in my heart and in my mouth, mediating one them day and night so that no strongholds can even come near me. I understand that I must use discipline to keep this relationship vital and alive in Your Word.

It is important to have Godly counseling during and after deliverance.