What is Deliverance?

The in dictionary meaning of deliverance is to be freed from restraint, that is, to be released from moral corruption and evil.  The word salvation comes from the Greek word soteria, which also means deliverance. This word is used in Acts 4:12: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."  In order for one to be delivered, or to be preserved by God and be safe, one must believe in Jesus.  Acts 4:10-12 is saying that it can only be done in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Deliverance is not just about casting out devils; rather, it is bringing the Light into one’s life. This is done through guidance of the Holy Spirit.

John 1:4-5 “In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” These verses are talking about Jesus Christ of Nazareth, that He gave us His very Life which carries the Light.  Darkness refers to the dark kingdom lead by satan and his cohorts. The light of God can rescue you from any trap of the enemy and release you from any curse the devil has kept you in. Sickness, poverty (lack), pride, unforgiveness, jealously, greed, anger, lust, witchcraft, satanism, you can name it all, these all yield to the light that is carried in Jesus and to the believers which are the body of Christ.

For too long many folks have been suffering, being church attendants but with no change. It reminds of this time I was preaching and after that, we had a powerful time as the Holy Spirit was present mightily and people were filled with the Spirit and full of laughter and Joy. After the service, a lady, whom I will call sister Rosy for privacy’s sake, came to me and she began to tell me her dreams. Immediately God told me that she needed deliverance. It turned out sister Rosy was suffering because of her aunt who was not happy that she was gifted with intelligence. The point is that even after sister Rosy was so much in the presence of God, and prayed and attended church, she still needed deliverance.

Remember, Jesus is the same yesterday, and today, and for ever more (Heb13:8) and He gave Himself for you and me to be rescued from darkness and to be in fellowship with God.

Ephesians 5:8-10 “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.”

1 Thessalonians 5:5 “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.”

1 Peter 2:9-10 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”

Article By Sheunopa Matambo

Opening the Doors of Blessings; How? Through Giving

Malachi1vs6-14, Malachi 3vs6-12 (Giving the BEST and Not ROBBING God)

Question: Being a parent, how would you feel if your child who now has a high paying job and never buys you anything? Maybe only sends some money once in a while usually when you have asked for it to cater for a certain problem.

The answer from most of you is hurt, why then do we hurt God by giving Him what we do not want or the remainder of our fortunes. The same way one is hurt is the same way our Father is also hurt. Malachi 1vs8 “When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? When we offer the coins that we do not want whilst we have notes for KFC is that not insulting God. Why do we give the last and unworthy gifts to God and not set aside offerings for our Father rather set aside the best for the Lord.

Why do we rob God, yes robbing God, some may wonder how can we rob God? Let me explain. We rob God when we do not give tithes and offerings Malachi 3vs8, it is compulsory that one give tithes. Are there consequences of robbing God? Of-course Malachi 3vs8 “You are under a curse the whole nation of you, because you are robbing me.” Give to God what belongs to Him so that you will not invite curses in your life, the Lord curses those who rob Him.

Some may not know what is tithing and offering

· Offering is something given to God as an act of worship

· Tithing is the giving to God of one-tenth of what one earns

By tithing you open the doors of 1) Blessing Malachi 3vs10

2) Protection from the devourer vs11

3) The goodness of the Lord will be seen upon your life vs12

If you want to walk in the fullness of Blessing, it is not enough to just write a cheque and throw it in the offering basket. Rather set aside the best for the Lord and not give Him the leftovers or what you do not want to use, give whole heartedly. Take your extra time and seek the Lord over your tithe. Do not be like Adam who cut himself from the blessing of the Lord by eating the fruit (Genesis 3). He robbed God and blamed his wife for it. Do not blame it on anyone or even on your parents for sending you less money. No matter how much it is take 1/10 and give it to the Lord, it is your responsibility.

“Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it” Malachi 3vs10. When you begin to tithe that is when you open the doors of blessings in your life. Genesis 26 talks about the blessing that was upon Isaac during the time of famine in Canaan, he was the only one who prospered and had abundance whilst people died from hunger. You can be the Isaac of this nation, whilst the recession is at peak you will have abundance and people will be amazed not knowing that you were obedient to the word of the Lord.

Luke 21vs1-4 Jesus considered the poor widow to have given more than anyone including the rich but she had only put 2 smaller copper coins. But Why? Because she had given out of her poverty, she sacrificed all she had and gave whole heartedly but the rich just gave the leftovers, they did not set aside the best for the Lord and were just giving because they had to and some to be seen. Do not give the Father what is not worthy to you or giving because you have to, without love or giving only to be seen and appreciated by others. Remember God is not human that He sees the outward but the inward.

In closing James 4vs17 says “Anyone who knows the good he ought to do and does not do it, sins.” The word says give offerings and tithes, now that you know it you ought to obey the word of the Lord, failing to do so is sin. We are like God so we ought to have the giving nature as that is God’s nature. Imagine he gave his only son (John 3vs16) so that you and me could be saved and have all in Christ Jesus but we struggle to give just a tenth of what you earn or offerings. It is high time you and me open our hearts and allow the nature of God to dwell in us, Give, Give and Give!

Article by Irene Mutumha

Your life is hid in Christ

Colossians 3: 1-3 says, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God

Gal 2:20 says, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

Gal 3:26-27 says, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

• The bible clearly states in Habakkuk 2:4 and Romans 1:17 that the just shall live by faith.

• What happened is that our lives were bonded with the life of Jesus on the cross. When He died, we died with Him and hence we have already served the penalty of sin, death. (Rom 6:23).

• Brothers and Sisters, the good news is that Jesus Christ has risen from death and has ascended to the right hand of God (Power) and our lives are hidden with Him. The Bible says that we are the body of Christ and He (Christ) is the Head. (1 Corinthians 12: 12-14 and Colossian 1:18)

• The truth is by faith, our life is in Christ. Remember that Adam and Eve had died spiritually and so had we (the offspring), but Jesus sacrificed His life, that we might be joint to it.

• The truth is without Jesus, we would have all died and with no hope of resurrection, but since He Has resurrected, so are we in Him. That is why Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.” (John 11:25).

1 Corinthians 2: 12-14 says, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

• We have been given the Spirit of God, such that He(the Spirit) teaches and reveals the things that are vague to us that are in Christ Jesus. There are so many dear brothers and sisters, for example; the promises that God gave to Abraham now apply to you also, since in Christ, you are the seed of Abraham, and heirs according to the promise. (Gal 3:26-29).

Philippians 2: 5 says, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God…”

2 Peter 1: 3-4 says, “as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

• The truth is that you are partakers of the divine nature, through the promises that are laid up for you in Christ Jesus, which make you escape corruption (decay, ruin) that is in the world through lust (longing, desire for what is forbidden, craving)

• Let us discover the promises we have in Christ by studying, meditating on the Word of God and allowing the Holy Spirit to minister to us. (Colossians 3: 1-3).

Article By Sheunopa Matambo

Jesus bore your sickness

“Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin.... (Isa. 53:10)”

§ God did not give His Son only for us to be pardoned of iniquities. He gave His Son, Jesus to bear also our sickness and diseases.

§ Make sure that this sits in your heart. The Lord Jesus was made sick with our diseases. He was made sin for our sins.

§ According to Father God and Jesus, our diseases and sins were borne by the Lord Jesus Christ. And if they were borne by Him, then it's wrong for us to bear them.

§ So many people that doctors declared their sickness would lead to death are living today because they have grasped the truth.

§ So how did they grasp the simple truth into their hearts? They acknowledged it as truth. They meditated on it. They spoke it over and over to themselves until it recorded on the inside of them.

§ Father God revealed that it was His will to heal people physically and mentally throughout the life of the Lord Jesus on earth. God redeemed us, breaking the power of disease over us and set us free by laying disease and sickness upon Christ Jesus.

Confession to make:

§ My disease and sickness were laid upon Christ, therefore, I am healed and free. I accept that Jesus bore my disease and sickness as truth.

§ And I confess that I am healed and made whole.

Article by Sheunopa Matambo