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Life Recovery, Inc.—Setting Captives Free
Introduction—The Need
People Locked in Prison Houses
Is. 42:6-7 “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness, and will hold your hand; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house.”
People Held Captive in Their Own Souls The captives, the bound, the brokenhearted, …where are they? Are they not like the trees of the forest? Are they not all around us? Who are they? They are believers stuck in the bondage of oppression, disease, despair, and death. They are overwhelmed and exhausted, and have given up on knowing God’s peace and presence in their lives. They have settled for popping pills for pain and learned to tolerate racing thoughts and mental torment. They struggle to cope and have given up on ever conquering. They are loved ones, unbelievers, and the lost. They are all of us, whenever or wherever we are bound in lies and held under the control of the evil one.
The time is short and the need is urgent. Many of us are imprisoned within the confines of our own lives, unable to do the will of the Lord. We are frustrated with ourselves and with God. We feel condemned and abandoned, leaving the work of the Kingdom—the salvation of the lost—left undone.
Key Verse: Is. 42:22 “But this is a people robbed and plundered; all of them are snared in holes, and they are hidden in prison houses; they are for prey and no one delivers; for plunder, and no one says, ‘Restore!’”
Life Recovery Counseling The time is short. The need is urgent. We can be free.
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What is Life Recovery Counseling? Life Recovery Counseling is a combination of inner healing and deliverance that uses the principles of spiritual warfare to rebuild lives destroyed by a lifetime of lies and bondage.
Part I—Scriptural Foundations
What is Life Recovery Counseling?
The objectives of Life Recovery are to: 1. Release believers from the strongholds of satanic oppression. 2. Establish the power of biblical truth to help believers regain control of their lives. 3. Introduce Jesus Christ as the Wonderful Counselor and the Faithful Witness. Life Recovery uses the truths of God’s Word to set free those held captive by Satan’s lies. People who have been held captive all their lives are being set free through the power of the truth. They are confronting the enemy head on and making him put back the life, the truth, the health, and talents he has stolen from them. His lies are replaced with the presence and truth of Jesus Christ as the enemy is evicted from the premises of their lives. Spiritual, mental, and physical healing verify the restoration of innocence, forgiveness, and hope. Dignity and peace replace condemnation and defeat as Jesus brings them into new freedom and the abundant life He died to give them.
Life Recovery Uses: Inner Healing
Key Verse: Luke 4:18-19 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”
Deliverance Spiritual Warfare
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Part I Scriptural Foundations A. Concepts Drawn From Scripture
Part I—Scriptural Foundations
The concepts and procedures highlighted in this manual are drawn from God’s Word. They provide the scriptural basis and strategies for freedom that are hidden in God’s Word.
Lesson 1-A
The following explanations are part of the progressive revelation of truth that the Holy Spirit refers to in Col. 2:13. He wants our hearts to be encouraged, “being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Many scriptures, which we interpret in a tangible, literal context, may have spiritual meaning and relevance for the soul—just as well as many things that we have routinely interpreted in a spiritual context may also have a literal and tangible application for the body.
Body-Soul-Spirit We are a three-part being made up of a body, soul, and spirit. Our soul has three (3) areas we identify as the mind, will, and emotions. The Holy Spirit wants to heal and restore our life on all three levels, and make us vessels fit for the Master’s use. “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thess. 5:23).”
Scriptural Principles Form the footing and foundation for: •
Key Verse: 2 Tim. 3:16-17
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Our legal rights as children of God. • Our spiritual authority as believers.
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The strategies for freedom.
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Life Recovery, Inc.—Setting Captives Free
B. Seated With Christ
Part I—Scriptural Foundations
We can be seated with Christ in heavenly places and still be experiencing incredible setbacks and opposition in the natural world. Why?
Lesson 1-B, C
The Bible says in 1 John 5:4, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” Jesus said He came “…that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly (John 10:10).” Yet, where is that abundant life? Many Christians are as oppressed and overrun as the non-believers; even suffering from the ongoing effects of sins they have not committed themselves. C.
The Contest and the Kingdom Within
Jesus indicated that His kingdom on earth is in us. The battle between God and His adversary are for the souls of men, fought within the very hearts of those men. The Ruined City of the Soul Our souls are the prize, the territory on which and over which the war between God and Satan is waged. Many of us are torn and overcome with the effects of that war. We are weakened and vulnerable, full of fears, and ruined. Rebuilding the “Old Ruins” We are the “ruined cities” that need to be “rebuilt,” the “old ruins,” “the desolations of many generations.” God compares us to a devastated city that needs to be repaired. He wants to build us into a habitation, a dwelling place for His glory. Key Verse: Luke 17:21 “…nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
The Kingdom Is Within The contest between God and Satan is for the kingdom held in the hearts and affections of men. •
Ruined cities need to be rebuilt.
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Old ruins—the desolations of many generations—need to be restored.
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D. Legal Rights and Authority of Believers Our Authority as Believers We need to understand our position as believers, as new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). This is not just a position meant to be held in the ages to come, but is relevant for now. Christ has purchased this place of authority for us through His death and resurrection, and expects His church to act in His name, and use the legal authority He gave us. Claimed Rights Scriptural principles form the footing and foundation of legal rights and spiritual authority of the believer. They also present the first critical element in inner healing and deliverance. The first step to defeating the strongman entrenched in the ruined city-soul is to understand what it is that has given him legal right to be there in the first place. After we are saved, the devil claims rights he does not have. After we get saved, he no longer holds any legal right to us. We are the temple and dwelling of the living God; and Satan, at the instant of salvation, becomes a trespasser.
Part I—Scriptural Foundations
Lesson 1-D
Ways the Devil Gets in: 1. Sin Committed Against Us (Abuse)—the World 2. Personal Practice of Sin—the Flesh 3. Generational Sin the Devil
2 Cor. 6:16 “…For you are the temple of the living God…” 1 Cor. 6:19 “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you…”
Key Verse: Luke 10:19 “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing any means hurt you.”
The devil’s rights are only legal until we get saved.