6 Ways the Devil Falsely Keeps You in Bondage

The Mental Game

The devil is known to be a psychologist, who has been studying human nature, behavior, and tendencies since the beginning of his fall. It started in Heaven when sin entered Lucifer’s heart, and he persuaded 1/3 of the angles to forsake God with him. “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” Isaiah 14:12

The devil continued to “weaken the nations” by deceiving our first parents. Adam and Eve doubted God and used their own logic causing sin to enter them. “And when the women saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” Genesis 3:6.

We are in spiritual warfare. The fall of man has created generational momentum, causing shame, pain, anguish, and death. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12

Thank God for Jesus! We have a Redeemer, a Savior, who has not left us to self-destruct, but by laying His life has given us a way to salvation. Victory is in Christ Jesus. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

6 Ways the Devil Falsely Keeps You in Bondage

1. Shame: Before the fall of man there was no shame, we see this in Gen 2:24-25 “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” After the fall of man, however, one of the first (immediately seen) consequence was shame.

“And the eyes of them were opened and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons…and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.” Gen 3:7-8.

Shame is defined as:

1. a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior.

Jesus Christ died for the remission of sin. Therefore, when we repent; turning completely away from that which God has called us from. He not only forgives us but erases it from His record. We are set free in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 says “There is therefore now no condemnation of them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.”

2. Torment: Torment is a type of attack done to a person in the spiritual realm. There are two types of torment, one physical and the other mental. Physical torment is the state of being physically demon possessed. We see this all throughout the Gospels, Jesus casting out and freeing people who were being physically oppressed by demonic spirit(s). Whereas mental torment is a debilitating mental state of captivity. This form of bondage or mental prison prohibits one to move forward, this can manifest in the form of deep shame, chronic hopelessness, restless anxiety, or fear. Torment, physical or mental, keeps one imprisoned.

Torment is defined as:

1. severe physical or mental suffering.

3. Fear: Fear can be seen as a subdivision of torment. This fear cripples and keeps one from progressing or reaching their full potential. It can also sometimes rob you of your blessing. We see this in quite a few places in the bible. One of the most famous stories of fear is the story of Jonah. The LORD spoke to Jonah and ordered him to go to Nineveh and warn the people in that city that the judgment of God will come upon them if they continue in their wicked ways. Jonah, however, was afraid and ended up fleeing from his purpose (Read the book of Jonah). We also see this in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) where the one who received one talent was so led by fear, that he buried it.

Fear holds us hostage, and interestingly enough the bible mentions “fear not” 365 times. God knew that unhealthy fear was poison to the human soul.

One way to combat fear is by reciting God’s promises:

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7

“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you.” Isaiah 41:10

4. Guilt: The devil has a way of reminding us of our past sins, even after we have repented and given them to God; causing us to revisit the guilt and condemnation we once felt. This can cause us to feel defeated, and harbor emotions associated with that thing. This feeds the lie that we are not truly delivered, and if we can’t forgive ourselves we unconsciously call God a liar by projecting our unforgiving heart on Him, thus forfeiting the freedom that He has given. The Bible says in Psalm 103:11-12 “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love towards those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.”

5. Lack of Knowledge: Ignorance is the lack of knowledge or information. When we don’t take the time to know God for ourselves or don’t understand who we are in Christ; the devil can use that to his advantage. Hosea 4:6 says “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.”

Build up your relationship with God by spending time with him by reading The Bible and communicating with Him in prayer. Also, know God’s promises and find out who you are in Christ.

6. Unbelief: When we don’t believe in the fullness of who God says He is, it causes a huge rift. Unbelief starts with doubt and doubt unresolved becomes unbelief. Unbelief is at the core a trust issue. Psalm 78:22 says “Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation.” Unbelief hinders you from experiencing God fully. “And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.” Matthew 13:58.

If you are battling with unbelief, ask God for help. I love the humility of the father In Mark 9:24 who said “…Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief.”

Freedom in Christ

Walk in freedom.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation of them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.”