The early followers of Jesus understood His death, burial, and resurrection as His victory over the kingdom of darkness. As a result they held to the declaration “Jesus is Lord!” In the 19^th century, Abraham Kuyper, Dutch theologian, educator, and politician, made the claim, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, ‘Mine!'”

That’s either true or it isn’t. And if it is true, there is nothing in your life or world that has a higher claim on you than Jesus.

That has sometimes been used as a means of forced behavior management. “Jesus is Lord, so you better shape up.” That doesn’t work, and that paradigm only leads to harm, bitterness, and hiding. I’d like to apply this in a different way, to considering the things that keep us stuck, bound, oppressed, and in darkness.

If you’ve been seeking to walk with Jesus for any time at all, you’ve sensed that your journey to wholeness is opposed. The spiritual warfare of our Christian life is not the whole thing; Jesus is also bringing us forgiveness, healing, integration, and maturity. And other articles in this series address those aspects further. But we ignore the opposition at our own peril.

The wonderful news is that Jesus came to set the captive free (Isaiah 61:1). The early followers of Jesus believed that securing victory over the kingdom of darkness was the primary thing Jesus accomplished through His death and resurrection. Have we lost some of that understanding today?

Where does this understanding fit into the whole picture of what Jesus is doing in us today? And what does it take to experience that freedom and deliverance?

What is Spiritual Warfare?

This is not a place for a full theology of spiritual warfare, but a few comments will help the rest of this article make sense.

The kingdom of God and Satan’s kingdom of darkness are in a fierce battle not over power or territory, but over the human heart. This is the primary reason the battle is not yet finished. If God chose, He could wipe out Satan and his minions right now. But that would simply prove His power; it wouldn’t secure our love.

While it’s possible with the right force to make someone obey, force is not useful in winning the human heart. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection secured Satan’s defeat. The only question remaining is who you and I will love, honor, believe, follow, and worship. Your affection is what both God and the enemy is after.

So now a few dynamics in how Jesus goes about setting us free.

Lies and Agreements

In a great love story the questions capture our attention; will the hero win the heart of the heroine? Will she recognize her true love? Or will she give her heart to the charming but devious villain? It’s the same in the unseen war over our own hearts.

In our lives things are not always as they seem. We encounter thoughts which are actually whispered to us from the dark powers in a voice that sounds like our own, interpretations of our traumas that seem like the only logical response. We make agreements with these lies, often unconsciously. And our agreements give the enemy a foothold through which to “steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10).

These lies feel so “normal.” And they’re deeply rooted in our right brain. Simple information by itself is usually ineffective in changing those pathways our nervous system runs down so easily. An agreement with the kingdom of darkness is only broken through applying the tools Jesus gained for us through His victory on the cross.

That might look like, “In the name of Jesus, I break the agreement I made with the kingdom of darkness that [I don’t matter, God dislikes me, my addiction is hopeless, whatever]. I choose to embrace the truth that [name the truth].” This is more than an intellectual ascent to some abstract propositional truth; this is breaking an invisible chain keeping you bound, and availing yourself of the victory Jesus accomplished.

Breaking agreements you’ve made with the kingdom of darkness brings great freedom.

Consecrate That to Jesus

Yes, Jesus is Lord. But is He Lord in your life?

Part of what evil has done to us is fracture our souls into multiple parts. Integrating those parts is part of Jesus’ work in us. And along the way, the enemy would love to entice you to keep that part for yourself, outside of the Lordship of Jesus. Doing so, of course, only keeps you stuck. “You are my Savior. But don’t touch my entertainment. Don’t touch my sex life.”

Of course that doesn’t work. If you want to find freedom, whatever is troubled, consecrate that to Jesus. You allow Him access, and what He says goes. Is it your marriage? You hold your marriage up to Jesus with open hands, asking for Him to “fix” things while at the same time giving Him complete say over what the outcome will be.

Troubled with sexual “stuff” such as pornography, sexual encounters outside of God’s design, an affair, etc.? Consecrate your sex life to Jesus. Every single day, out loud, make Him the Lord of that part of you.

That can look something like, “Jesus, I once again make You the Lord of my life for today. And I specifically make you the Lord of [my finances, my sexuality, my work life, my emotions, or whatever]. I set my mind and heart completely under Your direction, and choose to give my whole being to following You for today.”

Winning in Spiritual Warfare

There’s an important understanding when it comes to winning in spiritual warfare. This is not you and I learning some technique to go out swashbuckling against the devil; please don’t do that! You’ll get hurt, or worse. And neither is this passively sitting back and waiting for Jesus to fix things, although He can and does at times.

Instead, our role is to align our hearts on God’s side. It’s choosing where to take our stand, and to take our stand there again every day. And in the process we do get stronger! (See Psalm 18:33-34).

In walking this out, a powerful tool is to plead the blood of Jesus, which I do every single day. It’s not a talisman or mantra; it’s an action of my will speaking into the spiritual realm, aligning myself on God side again for today. It makes Jesus’ victory active and alive in my corner of the universe, agreeing that I am His.

This journey of freedom is largely about allowing Jesus increasing access to every area of our lives. And as we do so, the ever-increasing glory becomes a reality (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Next week we focus on what increasing maturity looks like.

Your Turn: where have you experienced Jesus setting you free in your own life? Where do you still need to experience His victory? Leave a comment below.

Want more? This week’s podcast is with Dr. Kathy Koch, all about dealing with adult children. So much wisdom!  Listen or watch.

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• Without the freedom Jesus’ victory accomplishes for us, we would remain forever bound. But thank God, deliverance is real! And we can avail ourselves of that freedom every day. Tweet that.

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