Common Obstacles To A Successful Deliverance
Many individuals are seeking or expecting a “Drive Thru Deliverance” (i.e. fast, easy).
About 40% of those who apply to receive prayer for deliverance do not follow through. They attend the first interview, and it is there that they discover that something will be required on their part. Here are a few of the reasons why so many choose to live with their torment, emotional pain (and demons), rather than get set free from them.
1. Refusal To Be Crucified
Instead of “crucifying the flesh“, they expect someone to offer a simple prayer that will deal with their problem. Some assume all their problems are demonic, and if there is prayer, the torment will go away. There may indeed be demons exasperating problems and making their situation worse, but the root may sometimes be a simple denial of their need to rein in their fleshly desires.
2. Do Not Want To Discipline Themselves
In-conjunction with #1, many do not want to discipline themselves long-term to maintain their deliverance. They want someone else to wave a magic wand over their head and make all their problems go away, with no investment on their part. This is similar to a person who is searching for a pill that will guarantee immediate and permanent weight loss.
3. Refuse To Unearth Buried Emotional Wounds
When they see that they will have to face their deep buried hurts and emotional wounds, they choose to allow those wounds to remain buried, instead of letting them come to the surface to be healed.
4. Love Of Sin
Many love their sin more than they want to be free. Deliverance is for a person who wants Christ at the center and forefront of everything they are. When a person finds out that they cannot continue commiting the same sins that caused them to need deliverance in the first place and still receive a lasting deliverance, they often choose to live with their pain and torment, instead of being set free from it.
5. Fear Of Past Sins Being Exposed
There are sins people may have committed many years ago that influence who they are today. Though those sins may have been forgiven (1 John 1:9), they have the potential to leave lingering aftereffects. It is when those sins are confessed to a trustworthy person that healing can come. Confessing sin to a another person is often the thing that breaks its power off a person’s life and brings healing to the soul and physical body. "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (James 5:16)
6. Submission To Godly Authority
We have found that some do not want to make a commitment to a local church, and by not being under an umbrella of a fellowship, where others can unite with them and lift each other up, they are left to stand alone. While they may initially receive a successful deliverance, these individuals can sometimes fall back into their old sinful habits and perhaps end up in a worse condition than before. (Luke 11:25)
7. Pride
They choose to live with their torment and emotional pain rather than confess that they are human and that they need help. This is common among those who have been a Christian a long time and feel they have an image to protect. Please trust me when I tell you that your deliverance minister has "heard it all", so do not be ashamed to share your past experiences and/or transgressions with them so you can be healed. We are not here to judge or shame anyone, we are here to heal you. Do not allow your pride to stand between you and your freedom!
