Setting the captives free is part of our calling. God wants all believers to heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead, and set the captives free. Once, when the disciples could not cast out a demon, Jesus told them that the particular type of demon would come out only by prayer and fasting (see Matt. 17:21). How should we pray? What type of fasting should we do? Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke , to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? (Isaiah 58:6) In the original Hebrew, the word rendered “oppressed” refers to those whose souls are torn apart. 1 In this passage, we find a full range of deliverances from yokes of the devil to bands of iniquity. 2 Fasting is a practice that sensitizes us to the spiritual world so that we can hear and see the Kingdom of God. It assists us in praying effectively under a prophetic anointing to deliver persons being held captive. Fasting has many purposes. It is not simply a religious act to battle our flesh. It covers those who dwell in Him with the power of God so we can love as Jesus loved. His love is full of compassion. When we see souls tormented by the devil, what kind of Christianity must we offer? It is the true love of Jesus, which leads us to give our lives to find answers from the depths of God. His ways are higher than our ways and the natural mind cannot understand them. Jesus’ Bride goes wherever He goes. She is not afraid because perfect love casts out fear. She trusts Him, even if it means experiencing the darkest places on earth to rescue a soul from the flames of hell. Setting the captives free is the call of God’s love to those who love Him more than they love themselves. We have studied the places of captivity of the soul. Now we are going to learn a form of deliverance that is much easier than the traditional way of casting out demons. The fragmented soul is ministered to from the captive place where it is found. The captive soul will see, hear, and feel everything that is happening in the place of its imprisonment. If it is taken to heavenly places, it will hear and feel everything happening in Heaven and will enjoy all of its benefits. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6-7). Jesus took our captivity and seated us with Him in heavenly places. Unfortunately, this does not happen automatically after we say, “Lord, Lord, come and live in my heart.” Everything Jesus did gives us legal right to it. In other words, Jesus signed the check, but we must cash it. Most people in the Church today save the check for when they die, never enjoying the abundant life on earth that Jesus purchased for them . God wants us to possess all the riches of His grace right now. Jesus died for the sins of the world, but this doesn’t automatically save the earth. Each of us must receive the Gospel, repent from our sins , leave our vain ways of living, invite Jesus in our hearts, and truly make Him the Lord of our lives. Only then are we saved . The same thing happens when we say He took our captivity captive and seated us in heavenly places. He gave us the victory so we can leave our captivity without opposition. He opened the way for each part of the soul to be established in heavenly places with Him. In an acceptable time I have heard You, and in the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You and give You as a covenant to the people, to restore the earth, to cause them to inherit the desolate heritages; that You may say to the prisoners, “Go forth,” to those who are in darkness, “Show yourselves.” They shall feed along the roads, and their pastures shall be on all desolate heights. They shall neither hunger nor thirst, neither heat nor sun shall strike them; for He who has mercy on them will lead them, even by the springs of water He will guide them (Isaiah 49:8-10 NKJV). In this passage, God has sent us to set the captives free and to restore the earth; to call the prisoners to come out and to tell those who are in darkness to show themselves . Once that is done, they need only to be established in Heaven, where they can eat and drink of God in the pastures on the hills next to springs of water. We must understand the basics. Each part of the soul must be established in heavenly places: our character, our will, our emotions, the sexual areas, our thoughts, and every captive fragment. We must surrender our souls to Jesus and be ministered to from Heaven, piece by piece. The process of setting a person free from captivity is simpler than delivering someone who is demon-possessed. Why is this true? If we truly are in Him, we hold the keys of death and hell and are full of the Holy Spirit. The invisible Kingdom of God manifests through the prophetic anointing making us one with Him. If our understanding interferes with our spirit and we try to cast out demons in the traditional way, we will not obtain the desired result because of doubt and unbelief. Doing things the prophetic way is much simpler and requires less effort, as will be described later. Everything Jesus did on earth was totally dependent on the prophetic Holy Spirit anointing. Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does. Yes, to your amazement He will show Him even greater things than these (John 5:19-20). Every healing, miracle, or deliverance was done in the spiritual world. Jesus spent time praying, seeking the Father’s direction in the Spirit. Jesus did not let his friend Lazarus die (see John 11). The Father showed Him in a vision Lazarus leaving the region of the dead and rising from the dead. The same visible and audible reality of the Kingdom of God through the prophetic anointing of the Holy Spirit is the heritage He left us. I have my own theory about what happened when Jesus went to deliver the demon-possessed man from the country of the Gadarene (see Luke 8:26-36; Mark 5:1-13). This was the region of the shadow of death, in the land of Nephtali and Zebulun, which Isaiah prophesied: … at first He lightly esteemed the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward more heavily oppressed her, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined (Isaiah 9:1-2 NKJV). Figure 3 The reason Jesus went there, on the Sea of Galilee, was to set the man free. That liberation affected the entire region. I believe the principality of the area was the demon called Legion who possessed the man from Gadarene. The young man dwelt in the cemetery where the deliverance occurred. The graveyards aregates of hell and a good place for a territorial power to have its headquarters. Jesus arrived with a purpose. He knew He was going there to fight against a territorial spirit. On their way there, Jesus and the disciples encountered a storm that arose on the water (see Luke 8:20-25). As the storm raged, the disciples found Jesus asleep in the boat. If I were about to face a principality in the regions of death, I would choose to pray and not sleep. So why did Jesus sleep? Some trances or visions in the Bible happened while the servant of God entered into a deep sleep. This is what happened in the case of Daniel. The people of Israel were at that time captives in Babylon and he prayed and fasted until the angel of the Lord manifested unto him. He fell into a deep sleep and there he saw the Angel of the Lord that came to help him. During this trance he saw Michael, Prince of the hosts of heaven fighting against the King of Persia in the spiritual realm. That battle lead to the deliverance of Israel from their captivity (see Daniel 10:8-13). I believe Jesus was in a trance in which He fell into a deep sleep and there fought against the demon, Legion of Gadarene. I have fought huge battles while sleeping. My body was in bed, but my spirit was in action. While Jesus was in the boat, the battle in the Spirit unleashed the physical manifestation of a storm. I have seen this climatological reaction many times when we are setting a city free and entering the spiritual world. When Jesus was awakened by His disciples, He rebuked the wind and the raging of the water, which is how you deal with the spirit of darkness. When the storm was over, Jesus had won the battle in the Spirit against Legion and delivered the soul of the man from the regions of Sheol. This was why the demon-possessed man ran to meet Him and kneel before Him. When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of Him (Mark 5:6). His soul had been set free for him to do this although the unclean spirit still lived within him. It was through this victim that the entire region was controlled. And he [Legion] begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area (Mark 5:10). This is how territorial spirits talk. The territory is more important to them than human beings. We have witnessed this kind of thing many times after liberating cities and territories. Storms are present when entering the prophetic dimensions and waging war in the Spirit. Afterward, wonderful deliverances occur in the people who were tormented by the devil. Traditional deliverance concentrates on casting out demons from the person, but leaves the person in prison. That soul will feel partial relief because its tormentors have been cast out. Nevertheless, the individual will not enter the levels of glory and freedom from sitting in heavenly places with Jesus because imprisonment continues. New tormentors will be sent. Traditional liberators will think the demons returned because the person opened a door of some kind, but the reality is the person was never truly set free in the first place. Prophetic deliverance sets the captive free from prison without having to deal with the demons. If one is present at the moment of the deliverance, we may have to deal with a demon guard; but in most cases, the cells are not guarded. This makes the rescue easier. Once the person is outside and established in heavenly places, the demonsthat tormented that soul are no longer around. The results of this type of deliverance are much more powerful and easier to carry out. Only rarely do you deal with demons inside the person after a deliverance from captivity.
THE PROCESS OF DELIVERANCE FROM CAPTIVITY
Not everyone is gifted prophetically to see the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. This is primarily because of erroneous teaching. The truth is anyone who has the Holy Spirit can enter the prophetic dimensions necessary to achieve deliverances. The Holy Spirit is inherently prophetic. Therefore, there is no such thing as having the Holy Spirit and not being able to have these manifestations. In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on My servants, both men and women, I will pour out My Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy (Acts 2:17-18). See? Everyone who is Spirit-filled has the prophetic anointing. So, if you have the Spirit of God, believe it and develop this ability.
By Faith and Declaring the Word
The captivity of a person is discovered by listening to that individual. Allow the Holy Spirit through the word of knowledge and prophecy to show you the specific region of captivity. If you are unable to see the spiritual world, do the deliverance by faith. Simply apply the truth established in Isaiah 49, to say to the captives, “Come out,” and to those in darkness, “Show yourselves!” (see Isa. 49:9). When ministering deliverance, I talk to people about their captivity and fill them with faith so that they believe God will set them free right away. For example, I ask the person to sit in a chair and close his or her eyes. I ask the person to feel the place of imprisonment. I concentrate in the Spirit and say, “I am standing in front of the prison where you are trapped, and I am opening the door.” Then, I take the person by the hands and raise him or her from the chair, as if we were leaving that place. By talking through the process, I make sure the person feels that we are leaving. Sometimes, captive souls are afraid to leave or fearful the devil will do something to them. If so, you must calm them down. With a warm, gentle voice, I encourage them and hug them. Once calm, we continue the process of walking out. People sometimes lose their composure and begin to experience terror. Command them to take control of the situation. Remind them they are in complete control of their own will and the devil has no power over their free will. Be firm and don’t play the devil’s game. Once the person has regained the desire to leave, I resume the action of our leaving the place of captivity. We walk together and I explain that we are leaving together. After taking some steps I declare, “We are entering the regions of light.” I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them (Isaiah 42:16). I make sure they see the light and once they do I establish them in heavenly places. Remember, we can see and experience Heaven and earth in Jesus. The Kingdom of God makes Heaven accessible. They will feed beside the roads and find pasture on every barren hill (Isaiah 49:9b). At other times, I lead them next to peaceful waters. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water (Isaiah 49:10b). Sometimes I put them in Jesus’ lap, in green pastures, or right next to the tree of life. Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations (Revelation 22:1-2). There are beautiful places there, dwellings of peace and security where the soul will never feel anguish or torment again. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest (Isaiah 32:18). The places of light and knowledge are spiritual regions full of the presence and knowledge of God. What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside? Can you take them to their places? Do you know the paths to their dwellings? (Job 38:19-20) People set free from captivity will become increasingly hungry to experience the heavenly places. The Lord will guide you to the places in which to establish the people. It is important to close the door of captivity . Declare the place forever closed to that person. Once the soul is established in Heaven, it will be ministered to by Heaven. It will experience peace like never before. Health will be restored and fears of torment will be gone. Sometimes you must set the same person free from different places. But the most important thing is to teach them to depend on God, not you. Fill them with faith and the knowledge of Jesus. Believe in your authority in Christ and do not allow fear or unbelief to speak.
Prophetic Deliverance From Regions of Captivity
In the prophetic realm, our weapons are very powerful. All demons fear us and we have total authority. In reality, it is a very simple battle. Yet, we must be mature and full of understanding to enter this level of battle. Submission to the direction of the Holy Spirit, who directs the angels, is essential. As Jesussaid, “I don’t do anything that I don’t see the Father doing” (see John 5:19). In this spiritual dimension, there are demons we are not allowed to touch. There are captives outside of our specific mission that we are not permitted to set free in a particular moment. My advice to you who are not experienced in deliverance is to enter this level only after God releases you to do so. If your life is not in order or you do not have spiritual covering, wait until these factors are present. Always operate at the level of faith and authority Jesus has given you. Once He has released you, the first thing to do is enter in the Spirit. That means to enter into deep worship where the noise of your mind is silenced. After the presence of God commands your attention, your eyes will be opened to see His Kingdom. Normally, what manifests is the throne of God or His Court of Justice. Through the prophetic anointing, you can stand before the Lord’s throne. Next, ask for authorization and angels to accompany you to rescue captives. When the angel or angels have been assigned to you, ask God for armor and weapons. Sometimes angels are awarded safe passage or keys that will be needed during the deliverance. The Spirit will show you the spiritual world. The revelation gifts of knowledge and prophecy operate to demonstrate the Holy Spirit’s authority in the matter. From this position, our point of departure is this: He who is one with Jesus, is one Spirit with Him (see 1 Cor. 6:17). Also, in Jesus the heavens and the earth are one (see Eph. 1:10). So, if I am one Spirit with Jesus and the heavens are in Jesus, I have the possibility of seeing, hearing, and feeling everything that Jesus sees, hears, and feels in the Kingdom of Heaven. This premise is what I mean by entering the Kingdom of God. As I said before, in the spiritual world we are 100 percent united in Spirit with Jesus; no doubt or flesh can interfere with that. It is like seeing a movie and then walking inside of it. You become like a subjective camera that takes the place of an actor in the movie and you see where the actor is going as if through his eyes.
Self-Deliverance From Captivity
Everyone who is full of the Holy Spirit can free himself. The most important part of your being, which is your spirit, has to be completely consecrated to Jesus. The Lord has given you all His authority; the keys of the Kingdom of God are for those who have the revelation of the Messiah in their hearts. Among the keys of the Kingdom are those that unlock the regions of captivity. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven (Matthew 16:18-19 NKJV). This is what the Lord says to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor , to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, whosummons you by name (Isaiah 45:1-3). The same thing God told Cyrus, King of Persia, He is saying to all who have entered His Kingdom. Jesus has made us kings and priests, cleansed us, and given us a new name for God, His Father. Therefore, ask the Lord to show you the place of your captivity. See yourself trapped, even if by a piece of your soul. See yourself opening the door of your captivity and setting yourself free. Cast out any demon opposing you. Do it by faith, believing Jesus is more powerful than any demon you may have. Once the door of your captivity is open, break the shackles if there are any; take yourself by the hand out of there. Ask God to receive you in heavenly places and give Him that part of yourself. Anyone can do it. In Jesus, we are strong and powerful. If you have the Holy Spirit, depend on Him and not people. The Spirit wants to train you and raise you up. He wants to make you a true son of God: because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:14-15). I have taken this revelation very seriously in my life. I began establishing every piece of my soul in heavenly places. The parts that were in regions of death, I established them in places of health. I know that sickness cannot touch me. It can attack me, but it cannot prosper in my life. The parts that were in anguish, oppression, or fear, are now in places of peace, drinking from the springs of life. The parts that were harassed and brokenhearted by persecution are now in a fortified castle. You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. Blessed be the Lord, for He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city! (Psalms 31:20-21 NKJV) These are not just beautiful words. Jesus came to unite the heavens and the earth. This is what it means to possess His Kingdom. It causes His designs and benefits of Heaven to be manifested in our lives. But whether or not this occurs will depend upon the location of our souls.
Delivering Those Who Don’t Want to Be Delivered
In certain cases, God can allow you to set someone free from captivity even if the person is not physically close to you or does not want to be delivered. Many people don’t want to be set free because their minds and hearts are in captivity. The Bible says: Teach us what we shall say unto him; for we cannot order our speech by reason of darkness (Job 37:19 KJV). The truth is, not that they don’t want to be set free, but that darkness is hindering them from thinking properly. In the story we talked about previously, when Jesus delivered the Gadarene, He first dealt with his spiritual captivity and he addressed physical person. You can pray that the Lord will send angels to open the prisons of your beloved one, and command with authority that the gates of his or her prison are opening. Then call the person to come out, and to show him or herself into the light. If this is the case of someone living with you, pray at night while they are sleeping and release the Holy Ghost over them to convict them of sin, and their need for Jesus. If you are skillful in the prophetic and word of knowledge gifts, then ask the Lord to show you where the person is captive and pull him or her out of that prison. This prayer will bring your beloved to want to be delivered or saved; at that point you can pray with them with their full agreement.
RECOGNIZE YOUR SOURCE
In previous chapters, I talked about regions of death such as hospitals. These spiritual gates trap souls. We are used to hearing about God’s children going to these places, and we have not stopped to consider that these places are not for us. Jesus did not pay such a horrible price, having been tortured and pierced for our sicknesses, so that we would then go to the hospital. That would be like Him saying, “I took away your sicknesses, but it really didn’t work. So perhaps it would be best if you take medications made by men, because I have decided to use doctors. My stripes were not enough to get the job done.” Isn’t this the most ridiculous thing you have ever heard? Either He suffered for our sicknesses or He didn’t! And if He did, why would it be the Father’s will to ignore His Son’s suffering and use the strength of man? Do you really believe that an antibiotic has more strength than the stripes of Jesus? The very power that conquered sickness and death flows through those wounds. The problem is that our minds are trapped in regions of the fear of death. We want to have control over our health and not give it to God. Medicine and hospitals killed my twin sister, my mother, and many of my friends. According to statistics 700,000 Americans die per year because of side effects of medications and a third of all people admitted to hospitals are there because of negative effects of medication. 3 But that will not be my destiny or that of those who want to go to greater heights with Jesus. My husband and I made a covenant with God. We will not bow to Pharmakeia. This is the name that both the spirit of witchcraft and medicine go by. We said the same thing that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said as they stood before the fiery furnace into which Nebuchadnezzar threatened to throw them: If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up (Daniel 3:17-18). God is powerful enough to set us free from sickness! The stripes of Jesus were not in vain. If they are real, let them be real. If He chooses not to set us free, may He receive us into glory; but we will not bow. Since we made this decree, sickness does not prosper in our home. Pain and the devil have no place in any form. We established our souls in places of health. We eat from the tree of life by taking Communion daily, and Jesus’ stripes shine with power throughout our bodies. The Lord led us to exchange one organat a time in our body, for Jesus’ organs, heart, kidneys, lungs— everything . Hospitals and medicine are for those who do not know Jesus and for those in the process of breaking through patterns or for those who don’t know that they can live in this level of glory because they have not been taught about it. But God is calling you to greater levels in your relationship with Him. He wants you to reach radical victories because that is what Jesus conquered for you. We do not condemn anyone in any way who still takes medicine or who needs surgery, but we want to announce to you that there are better and more lasting solutions that can be yours. The soul must be established in God. We must learn to dwell in Him and with Him. We must make Heaven a reality that everyone can see in our lives. The soul that has been rescued and translated to regions of light is the one that dwells with the Lord and is nurtured by Him and evil cannot touch him. God’s dwelling is a place to be inhabited, not a place we visit on Sundays. It is the place of our peace and security. He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation” (Psalms 91:1-16 NKJV). My desire is for this book to be an inspiration that challenges you to enter glorious liberty. My prayer is that it opens your vision and understanding to believe that you can live a life of peace, joy, and health in the Kingdom of God. Take time for yourself, pinpoint the areas of your life in which you do not experience the total victory that Jesus bought for you with His blood. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you where your soul might be held captive. Then take the authority Jesus gave you and make up your mind to be set free. Remember, your will is yours and no one else’s. God cannot touch it, the devil even less so. Then, make up your mind to be free, no matter what the cost, and you will see how the devil will flee from your life. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13). Listen to the call of God, first to be set free and then to free others. I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness (Isaiah 42:6-7). The offer of complete freedom in Christ still stands. Our Savior has paid handsomely for it. It is up to us to enter in to the depths of salvation and help others to join us there. It is a kind of freedom that has been experienced all around the world, as you are about to see. E NDNOTES 1. 7533. XA∂r ratsats, raw-tsats’; a primitive root; to crack in pieces, literally or figuratively:—break, bruise, crush, discourage, oppress, struggle together. 2. Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. CD-ROM. Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.; 2784. h; DbUx√rAj chartsubbah, khar-tsoob-baw’; of uncertain derivation; a fetter; figuratively, a pain:—band; 7562. oÅv®rresha{, reh’-shah; from 7561; a wrong (especially moral):—iniquity, wicked(-ness); 4133. hDfwØm mowtah, mo-taw’; feminine of 4132; a pole; by implication, an ox-bow; hence, a yoke (either literal or figurative):—bands, heavy, staves, yoke. 3. Guylaine Lanctot, The Medical Mafia: How to Get Out Alive and Take Back Our Health and Wealth (Here’s the Key Inc., 1995), 32.