Deliverance from the Spirit of Despair

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  Philippians 2:9-11(NIV)

by Alexandra Copeland

There are many Christians today that have become so cynical that they’ve literally cut themselves off from receiving from God. They won’t soak in manna from heaven because they have convinced themselves that a life filled with endless possibilities just isn’t in the cards for them. This is a sad predicament no doubt about it, and it typically comes from having experienced disappointment after disappointment. Some feel this way because people have let them down—the very people that they believed they could count on. For others, a string of missteps and mishaps has made them fearful. They tried to put their best foot forward, and it didn’t yield the results they expected. So all of these individuals for which disappointment has been a constant companion have taught themselves to never see the glass half full, but always half empty.

If this kind of looming cloud of gloom seems to encapsulate your life, it is important to know that it didn’t just come on the scene all of a sudden. Although it may seem like it, the disappointments of your life didn’t cause that dark cloud to appear; it was quite possibly there long before your disappointments arrived. In other words, disappointments don’t usually cause the dark cloud; the bad weather comes because the dark cloud is already there. 1John 4:18 (NIV) tells us, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” Fear is the culprit that opens the door for feelings of pervasive gloom. We fear that God doesn’t love us enough to prevent our lives from falling into the pits, and this fear causes us to doubt Him; therefore, we doubt ourselves.

The result of doubting ourselves is doubting the power, love, and faith of Jesus Christ that should flow through us; because he lives and operates on the inside of us. Our unbelief keeps his power from being activated, but we very definitely have his power. Matthew 25 gives us an account of a man that had been empowered by his master to make an investment. Matthew 25:18 (NIV) tells us, “But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.”  This man had a choice to act upon the empowerment he had been given and produce significant results. The others that had been given bags of gold did just that, but this man made a decision to act in fear instead. In verse 25, the man reported to his master that he was afraid and hid the bag in the ground.

All of us have fear, but the question is whether or not we make choices and decisions because of it.

Do we allow our fear to keep us from acting on the promises of God? The answer for many is unfortunately ‘yes’. In Philippians 2:9-11(NIV), we learn a precious and potent piece of knowledge regarding our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It says, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” There is no name above the name of Jesus Christ, and there is power in that name. We, as God’s sons and daughters, do not have to live in fear. We do not have to cower under circumstances. We can decree and declare that we are healed in the name of Jesus Christ, and be delivered from the spirit of heaviness that is sent from the devil to pull us down.

The Prophet Isaiah communicated to God’s people in Isaiah 61 an astoundingly comforting Word from God that He, through Christ, delivered again to us in Luke 4:18-19. In Isaiah 61:1(NKJV), the prophet said that the Lord would“…console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.” God’s people were in captivity under unthinkable cruelty and bondage, and the spirit of heaviness and despair was on them.

This spirit infiltrated God’s people because their fear and doubt had opened the door for it to come in. It brought with it chaos, confusion, and other oppressive spirits. Many Christians have fallen into poor self-esteem, insecurities, and depression because of this same demonic spiritual influence, but God’s deliverance in the powerful name of Jesus Christ is available. Jesus Christ said in Luke 4:18 (KJV), “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.”

Again, we are healed and delivered from any spirit of despair and bondage through the powerful name of Jesus Christ, our precious Lord and Savior. Our disappointments and upsets in life did not cause us to experience feelings of gloom, they were byproducts of the spirit of heaviness and despair that has made itself comfortable in our souls far too long. I’m really big on calling a spade a spade. No sense in sugar-coating something. God has called His people to deal with the truth and to develop the spiritual maturity required to handle the heft of it.

The enemy is on a mission to keep us in the dark about the way demonic spirits behave, so that we blame ourselves, others, and circumstances for the pain we experience. This is done so that he is not exposed, and so that we do not receive the healing and deliverance that Jesus Christ has made available. Don’t be tricked this way. Activate the power of Christ within you by inviting the indwelling Holy Spirit to swell to such a degree that only God’s love has room to live and abide in your heart.

God said that He will give us a garment of praise to put on in place of the spirit of heaviness; and He has done just that through Christ! The garment of praise is in your possession through the spirit that indwells you, and it is your choice as to whether or not you will put it on. We put it on by making the choice to see the glass half-full. It’s not about feelings; it’s about knowing that you are healed in the name of Jesus Christ, not because of what you feel, but because of what God has said. He said “YOU ARE HEALED through the stripes of Jesus Christ!” (1Pe 2:24) Christ made your healing and deliverance available and it is yours for the asking and taking. The horrible things that have happened in the past were not your fault. A spirit of heaviness took up lots of space in your heart and mind; it kept you bound by fear, and kept your attention diverted away from the treasures of God’s love. Receive God’s Word into your heart, and you’ll put on the garment of praise and give God the glory He deserves. ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.