The devil has successfully managed to sell a suggestion to many believers and today they are caught up in this misconception; that once delivered always delivered, once blessed always blessed, and once saved always saved. However, this is not entirely true.
The bible says, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage” [Galatians 5:1 NKJV].From this scripture, we learn that we can be liberated by Jesus Christ but if we are not alert, we are likely to find ourselves in bondage again. For Apostle Paul to say, “Stand firm so that you may not find yourselves in slavery again” it shows that there were people who received liberty through Christ but because they were not conscious of their liberty, they eventually allowed the devil to take them back into captivity. The same holds true today.
When Jesus sets you free, He does not want you to get entangled into slavery again at any point in life but that you should live your life freely. Christ’s freedom should be permanent in your life. God’s ultimate desire for you as His child is that you should live in freedom, because life with Christ is bondage- free. That is, no one can be in Christ and continue to be held hostage by satan.
As Christians, we should understand that it is Jesus’s duty to liberate us; to heal, deliver, bless and save our souls. However, it is our role to maintain our freedom by staying rooted and built up in His Word. When you are liberated, celebrate your liberty with the consciousness that there is still a long way to go. Satan will not sit back and watch you celebrate your freedom that is he will not easily accept defeat. Hence the bible says “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. (Matthew 12: 43-45). Therefore, when you are liberated, stand firm and be conscious that satan is still looking for a loophole to sneak into your life.
The bible says “satan is like a lion roaring around, looking for someone to devour” [2 Peter 5:8.] You have to understand that you overcame satan because of Someone much smarter, stronger, more reliable and dependable; that is, Jesus Christ. So as long as you are with Him, satan has no chance nor power over you but if you turn your back on Jesus Christ, he will grab you again because you will have no strength to stand against him. It is only through the name JESUS that we conquer the devil hence the Bible in Philippians 2 says, “It is a name above every name and at that name every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord”. Therefore, we can only triumph over the devil if we hold onto Jesus Christ. In Him, our blessing is secured.
Most people do not understand what freedom in Christ means. Many consider their outward circumstances to determine whether they are free or not and some go to the extent of measuring their deliverance by the response of their neighbours. (For example, when you get to your workplace you will begin to observe the reaction of your co-workers and believe that if your boss welcomes you with a smile, then you are getting there, but if the opposite happens then that becomes the very reason to doubt God’s goodness.) Understand that your freedom takes place in the inside first and then on the outside; not vice-versa. This can be likened to a sick person who begins medication; before their body reflects recovery, healing begins on the inside. Even spiritually, Jesus sets your spirit man free (the inside) first then that freedom will transcend to the physical (the outside).
Satan has realised that many Christians are limited to the natural; they judge their lives by what they see on the outside. Therefore, he uses that as a strategy to cause them to lose their blessing. After receiving the blessing of God, satan will challenge you by touching your outside (job, marriage, business, and health etc). When this happens and you are not vigilant, satan may end up defocusing you; causing you to doubt the goodness of God. Remember, even when satan shakes you on the outside, hold onto the promise of God and stand firm. No matter what your circumstances are, do not listen or concentrate on the deception of the devil but completely focus on what you believe by confessing your faith.
Maintain your liberty by sticking close to Jesus Christ. Remember, you are a product of God’s Word. You are what the Bible says you are, you have what the Bible says you have and you can do what the Bible says you can do. Therefore, when it comes to the promise of God for your life, do not be open to any negotiations.
