“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.” Luke 4:18
Today’s Christian daily devotional
“It’s over there!” My sister pointed while my mother followed in the direction of her finger.
We pulled our old car into the parking lot of a Holiday Inn. My mom dropped us off in the front lobby. It looked no different than any other Holiday Inn. I shuffled past the complimentary coffee and newspapers and went straight up to the front desk.
“We are here for the spiritual warfare seminar.” I said with a tinge of embarrassment. I felt crazy for saying the words, but I was just too desperate not to.
The assistant behind the desk pointed to a closed door just as my mother walked into the lobby. I felt my heart skip a beat. Was my ticket to freedom really behind that door? In silence, I turned to my mother and nodded in the direction we needed to go. Holding my breath, I pushed the door open. The three of us walked in as the speaker was introducing himself.
He continued to talk, despite our interruption. With fiery red hair and eyes that seemed to look right through a person, he spoke of the horror of what we were up against; the unseen spiritual battle for our souls. As we found three empty seats, we plopped our exhausted bodies down and allowed the air conditioning to revive us. I looked around me. The room had a scattering of people that looked as if they came from a myriad of different worlds. There was a Native American family donned with feathers and silver, a group of “Goth” kids with multi-colored hair, people that looked as if they went to church every day and some who looked as if they had never stepped foot in one. But, there was a common bond that drew this diverse crowd of people together. They all were looking for deliverance. The desperation for it was thick in the air.
During the break, I watched as a boy about the age of fifteen walked up to the front. His eyes were bloodshot and sunken-in with dark circles cast beneath them. He was growling and writhing as his mother tried to control his flailing arms and keep him from making a bigger disruption.
“Please help my son. I don’t have any money to buy your one-on-one session. (It was $500 for an hour) But, I have all your books on the subject. It has helped a little, but my son is still in bad shape.” The boy looked comatose as he stood there. A dribble of saliva formed a thread on the side of his mouth. His hands were twisted and flexed like claws.
“I’m sorry.” His said with little conviction. “We do take credit cards—and I will be here tomorrow if you need time to collect the funds.” The speaker smiled and it was as cold as ice.
“Can you at least pray for him?” The mother looked so desperate, I almost forgot that I was currently suffering from demonic possession myself. I wished I could have done something to help them, but I was wrestling with the same issue.
“If I did it for him, I would have to do it for everyone. I have to go back to speaking in five minutes. I’m sorry.”
With her head and shoulders dropped, she ushered the boy as they returned to their seats. I could see her holding back the tears as I watched all hope drain out of her face.
What this speaker failed to mention was that God provided freedom for all in His word. It is so powerful that it can set anyone free, rich or poor. The grace of God does not discriminate. God intended for all people to be free—money should never stand in the way of a person getting free from any kind of oppression.
On my desperate search for freedom and deliverance, I learned that a person who needs to be set free from demonic forces could be by personal repentance, prayer and God’s word.
When one is truly repentant of their sins, accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior, and totally submits to finding the truth in God’s word they will find freedom.
Little by little, as I continued to listen and obey the word of God, I got my freedom. It did not come overnight, and was not an easy road. But, nothing valuable in this life ever is. Are you ready for real healing? Don’t rely on another flawed human being; turn to God Himself.
“Dear Heavenly Father,
I need freedom from so much; I don’t know where to start. So, let me get to the root of my problems and we can go from there.
I have a spirit of rebellion and I am at the point where I see that this is getting me nowhere and fast.
I admit that this has caused a chain reaction of bad behaviors, activities and associations. Lord, I am sorry for my rebellion. I ask that you forgive me for fighting against the authority of God and the truth of your Word.
Your word was designed to set me free—and I have been running from the wisdom of it.
Today, I want to start fresh with you. Show me the other root causes of all my issues and problems. Let me know what sins I need to give up in order to enjoy the freedom that Christ died to give me.
When I get strong enough, help me to love others enough to lead them into the light of your freedom. Let nothing stop me from enjoying the good life you have for me, Amen.”
Thank you for reading today’s Christian daily devotional on verse: Luke 4:18
Please check back and see what we have for you tomorrow!