In getting the Egypt out of us there are three main areas we need to deal with: sins, wounds, and curses.
Sins
Sins are exposed in our attitudes, habits, and addictions. False beliefs in our attitudes often affect every aspect of our life. They can be so ingrained that we don’t even realize how ingrained, or deceptive, our ideas have become.
Addictions! Now, when you read that word, you probably thought; I don’t have any addictions. I don’t drink, gamble, or cuss, and I don’t hang with people who do. Addictions aren’t just those that enslave people through sex, drugs, alcohol, or gambling. An addiction is anything that we do, that we don’t want to do, but cannot stop doing. That’s the struggle.
Some people are addicted to judging others. We will judge others about their addiction, but can’t get free from their own. We can point out everyone else’s addiction, get all fired up about some guy involved in pornography, but have no problem with Facebook for eight hours a day. We may not smoke, but can’t help ourselves from overeating at every meal. We’ve never gambled, but are glued to the tube all night, every-night. We can’t stop checking our email, twitter, or text messages. We are saddled with phone addiction.
See, addictions are not just “recovery-group issues.” These are life-altering issues.
Let’s come at it in a different way. Answer this: What’s in your life that has control over you?
Here is the life-cycle of an addiction: First, it’s just something we do. Second, it becomes a part of our identity. Another way to recognize an addiction is the manner in which you protect it. Any threat to your addiction becomes a threat to you. People who try to help you or hold you accountable become an enemy. Suddenly, you lose your freedom to an addiction. Then there is guilt, shame, and you run to your favorite comfort to relieve the guilt and the shame, and the cycle starts all over.
Wounds
Wounds are the injuries that you received in your life, either in the past or the present, which came through a negative circumstance or event. Wounds are usually what others have done to you, things which we really never had any control.
Harsh words, abuse, criticism, judgment from others, betrayal from a spouse, or other close loved one, rejection, abandonment, and all other losses leave us feeling wounded. We have tried to forgive, yet it’s often easier to hang on to the anger and the bitterness towards the offending party. This is where our enemy is looking to gain a foothold, or door, through wounds inflicted by others.
We’re reminded that anger is an area that creates an open door for the enemy into our lives.
James 1:20 states, “the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” (NKJV)
However, Ephesians 4:26-27 (NKJV) states, “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.”
Curses
A curse is an area in your life that the enemy has planned to attack you in. Curses are the specific strategies the devil is using to take you down, to ruin your life.
As much as God has a plan for you, so does the devil. Jesus laid out both plans in John 10:10. There, Jesus said the enemy only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He (the devil) is studying and planning for the opportune time to attack you. This is why the Bible tells us in I Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” (NKJV)
God promised us deliverance so that we can overcome the curses, wounds, and sins that are keeping us from living out our destiny. You can live life in freedom every day. You must confront these areas in your lives. God’s desire is for you to move from struggling with sin, being wounded, or falling prey to a curse, to walking into the joy of the victory which He has promised for you. How? Confession! When we confess to God, we have an assurance of immediate forgiveness.
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:8-9 (NKJV)
It seems as if confessing our sins to God would be enough, but I believe God adds one more area of confession in the business of remaining free through deliverance!
“And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” James 5:15-16 (NKJV)
Confessing to God takes care of the past; it takes care of what happened. Confessing to man helps you be able to keep it from happening in the future. You need one other person involved, outside of yourself. This brings accountability. This person should love God and love you.
There is a miraculous happening with confession to others. When we confess our faults, hang-ups, hurts, bruises, missteps, and curses to another, a spiritual dynamic takes place. Our confession to another person notifies the kingdom of darkness that we are coming out, and we are ready for a change.
Get ready for the change to living in freedom every day!
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