Tag: drugs

De Oppresso Liber

Posted on by ascendthehill

De Oppresso Liber is a motto that the United States Army Special Forces has adopted. It means, to liberate the oppressed. They know in order to liberate the oppressed that they need to take out those who are the oppressors. So they must utilize tactical violence to liberate those who are in oppression. This is just in a carnal sense, but let’s take a look at this in a spiritual.

Jesus said, “…the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (from Mat. 11:12). We know that Jesus is not saying to get violent with men. Because mankind is not our enemy, but there is violence involved in the kingdom of heaven. This violence is directed toward our true enemy, the devil (Eph. 6:12).

“…the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force”
(Jesus the Messiah)

When Jesus began his ministry he began with these words,

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 recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are [oppressed], To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

Luke 4:18-19

Jesus said he came to liberate the oppressed, but who are the oppressed?

The bible declares sin as bondage (John 8:34). A type of bondage that keeps people enslaved to unhealthy desires. How many of us have done things that we are not proud of? And how often have we gone straight back to those things even though we know they are not good for us? This is what I am talking about. We know that it is wrong. We regret it every time we do it and yet we keep going back to it. No matter how many times we have tried to stop we just can’t seem to stop. This is oppression from the devil!

“…For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, so that he might destroy the works of the devil”
1 John 3:8.

And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity. And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God… And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?

from Luke 13:11-16

There were times Jesus would heal people and attribute it to bondage from the devil. So, not only is sin bondage, but the effect of sin is bondage as well. When I say the effect of sin I mean anything in the category of death (i.e. separation from God). Sickness, disease, and mental affliction all fall under the category of separation from God. They are works of the devil and we know that the Son of God was manifested to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). These works are the true enemies of God. And the Bible declares that “the last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:26).

Tactical Violence!

But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are undisturbed. But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder.

Luke 11:20-22

In order to set the person free, Jesus utilized violence against the true enemy. The devil or the works of the devil that held that person in bondage. And it wasn’t a difficult task. He said that he cast out devils with the finger of God. This actually reminds me of a dream the Lord gave me:

In the dream was in a subway station. There were these two guys that were following me and I saw Jesus so I went up to him. When I got to Jesus one of the guys came up to Jesus and punched him in the face. Jesus stretched out his hand and put his index finger on the man's forehead. It did not seem like a very violent act. But as soon as Jesus' finger touched the man's head, the man was launched back with so much force that he hit this tile wall. The wall dented in and the tiles cracked and started to fall. It was truly amazing to see. The other man who was following me ran off. Then I realized these two guys were devils.

For God, casting out a devil is as simple as extending His finger. It’s effortless. But the action against the devil is extremely violent, you can believe that!

How Should We Judge?

In Luke chapter 10 Jesus shared a story about a man falling among thieves. The man asked Jesus who is my neighbor? And Jesus told him the story about a man falling among thieves. Found in Luke 10:25-37. When I read this story with my wife I thought about how many Christians look at homeless people and ask themselves, What has this person done to get in this place? And then withhold their mercy from the person because they are on drugs or alcohol.

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
(Jesus the Messiah)

I will tell you what that person has done. They have fallen among thieves! The thief has come to destroy their life and sometimes we pass by them on the street. And justify ourselves by withholding our compassion from them because they did something to allow this to happen to them. What a shameful mentality that the bride has adopted. We have all done something to destroy our life, but our King has been merciful to us!

We forget that they are like sheep with no shepherd. That they are blind needing the redemption of our savior. Even Jesus when he was hanging on the cross told our Father, “Forgive them for they do not know what they do” (from Luke 23:34). They murdered someone that they knew was innocent. And while he was hanging there in misery they mocked him. And Jesus said they were ignorant of what they were doing?!?!

Why? Because we do not war against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces. The people were not Jesus’ enemies; the demonic spirits that manipulated those people to do those things were the real enemies.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places

Ephesians 6:12

True Righteous Judgment!

We need to change our perspective on our neighbors who have fallen prey to thieves. They are not in that position because of what they have done, but because the enemy saw that they had something of value and is stealing it from them. They are dearly loved and valued by our Father and the thief has come to kill, steal, and destroy; but, we have come in the name of our Lord Jesus to give life and life more abundantly.

Love you guys. If God hadn’t stepped into my life I would be dead. But God in His great love and mercy pierced through the lies of the devil and allowed me to hear Him. I am forever indebted to our King who has shown me so much grace. This is why I want to raise an army who will not be lawyers trying to figure out what people have done to deserve what they have received but will follow the order of our King: Liberty to the Oppressed!

He has proclaimed liberty to those who are bound in addiction. To those who are wounded by the devil, Who had their ears closed to the truth, Who satan has blinded their eyes. He has proclaimed healing and freedom to ALL that satan has held in oppression.

We are the lawyers that need to get our minds right. Our King says mercy triumphs over judgment. Our King says it’s his delight to show mercy. Our King says he is not holding the Earth’s sins against them but is calling them to himself.

I love you guys, but I love the LORD more and he loves judgment. True righteous judgment! The kind of judgment that is covered in mercy. That restores the broken, not casts them to the side. The judgment that has proclaimed LIBERTY TO THE OPPRESSED! DE OPPRESSO LIBER!