Deliverance takes place in the broader context of advancing God's kingdom. Deliverance is much broader than deliverance from evil spirits . . . Reading a book like this could lead someone to think, 'Now I have the answer. Now I know what I need. I will get it right this time.' We look for a formula for freedom instead of looking for a relationship. We want to escape the need to depend on the Lord daily. We want to be free, not from bondage but from facing the cross.
Deliverance from evil spirits removes the obstacles to freedom, the hindrances and the bondage. It does not remove the cross from our lives. Suffering is the pathway to maturity. The eradication of pain is one of our idols in the Western world. But suffering is part of what it means to be human. - Neal Lozano, Unbound: A Practical Guide to Deliverance (emphasis added)
So about six weeks ago I put a bookmark in this book at this passage, intending to reflect on it further. I suppose it is a reflection of my degree of busyness and my lack of any consistent spiritual discipline that I am just now getting around to entering it here. Further, it may indicate how true the latter half of the first paragraph above still remains for me.
I have often lamented how much we tend to approach Christianity as if its purpose is for us to reach a point at which we no longer need a Savior. While it is important for us to grow in holiness and closeness to God, these things can never happen if our attention is wrongly focused on ourselves rather than our relationship with Christ Jesus.
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