It’s about freedom, not about the devil, says Neal Lozano
OTTAWA (CCN)
Deliverance is a good word that has too often been confused with a focus on the devil and scary demonic manifestations, Neal Lozano told the Unbound conference here Oct. 28-29.
“Deliverance is not about the devil; it’s about freedom,” said the author of “Unbound: A Practical Guide to Deliverance,” at the conference sponsored by the Archdiocese of Ottawa. “Jesus came to destroy the enemy’s work.”
Deliverance is not an exorcism, which is a liturgical rite done by a priest to drive out a demonic spirit, he said. “It’s more than just deliverance from evil spirits; it’s translation from one kingdom to another.”
Christ came to bring us from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light, and that “includes freedom from evil spirits,” Lozano said. It involves discovering one’s identity as a son or daughter of God, and finding belonging as a member of Christ’s Body.
Many of the misconceptions about deliverance come from movie depictions of exorcisms, he said. Others came from mistakes made during the charismatic renewal in the 1970s when inexperienced Christians first encountered demonic activity and tried casting out evil spirits.
“Many think deliverance is frightening,” he said. Some pastors do publicly battle evil spirits and that “can bring a kind of notoriety” but that approach is a distraction from the person who needs healing and “takes away from our focus on God.”
Deliverance is not a one-time event, but part of the ongoing process of conversion so even those “small slaveries” that we often think are part of us, can be overcome, he said. It involves humility and complete dependence on God and the work of the Holy Spirit.
Lozano said he offers five keys to deliverance that are “simple, safe, and something people can freely receive and from that place give.” He also has written Resisting the Devil: a Catholic Perspective on Deliverance.
Lozano and his wife Janet have spoken around the world. “We have confidence in the Gospel and the power of God,” he said. He said they had prayed a lot the front doors of the Church would be opened for them to bring this ministry inside. He thanked the Archbishop of Ottawa Terrence Pendergast for the invitation and for the many other doors that have also been opened to them.
Lozano recalled “the good, the bad and the ugly” during the 1970s, when some people were sat on or had oil poured down their throats during “deliverance” or were accused of not having enough faith to drive out a demon. Though some people saw amazing results, they “gave up because it got messy.”
“Some people got help but did not seem to have long-lasting fruit,” he said.
Some failed to see the connection between evangelism, healing and deliverance, he said. He admitted he was distracted by the idea of battle. Instead he discovered deliverance is not about battling evil spirits, but about uncovering the devil’s schemes to enslave people and removing their legal grounds or rights to do so. It’s a matter of uncovering the entry-ways the enemy has gained to work in a believer’s life, he said. These entry-ways include curses perhaps by parents; involvement in the occult, rebellion or disobedience to parents or proper authority; identifying with lies one has believed, and sexual activity outside of marriage, he said.
“Deliverance is always in the context of proclaiming the Kingdom of God,” he said.
The first key to deliverance is repentance and faith. If faith is isolated from repentance, “we’re going to miss the power to have our life change,” he said.
“The greatest deliverance anyone will ever receive is surrendering to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior,” he said.
The hundreds of people attending the conference were offered an opportunity to make a public confession of their surrender to Jesus Christ if they had not previously done so. Participants were invited to come to one of the dozens of prayer teams which had spent months preparing for the conference.
Many of us are deceived and unaware of how “deeply we are offending God and hurting others,” he said. But as we become aware through the Holy Spirit of the lies we have believed, “we can renounce the enemy and his lies and take the leap forward into the love of the Father.”
The second key is forgiveness. Forgiving from the heart those who have wronged us helps us to become more like Jesus, Lozano’s wife Janet Lozano told the conference. “Unforgiveness blocks God’s love; forgiveness releases it,” she said.
The third key is renunciation, announcing to the enemy, “I’m done with you,” said Janet Lozano. “Renunciation breaks the legal access the enemy may have.” It involves renouncing each lie believed or sinful states such as anger, resentment, envy, fear or unforgiveness. “I renounce the spirit of fear in the Name of Jesus,” or simply, “I renounce fear in the Name of Jesus,” Neal Lozano said.
The fourth key is authority, taking authority in the name of Jesus Christ to command every evil spirit that has been renounced to leave in Jesus’ name.
The fifth and last key is the Father’s blessing. Neal Lozano spoke on the many times God the Father’s blessing was confirmed in Jesus’s life, confirming His identity has God’s beloved Son: at his conception at the Annunciation; during Mary’s pregnancy at the Visitation; at his birth; in his infancy at the Presentation; at his Baptism; at the Transfiguration and at the Cross. “His blessing belongs to us because we are in Christ,” Neal Lozano said.
“Blessing is a word that finds its source in the heart of God,” he said. “The thoughts of God about us are the treasure we’ve been seeking.”
Satan’s schemes always involve our identity and our mission, he said. He tries to undermine our identity as God’s beloved sons and daughters, who are free and accepted in Christ and have a unique and meaningful purpose.
More than 70 people received individual prayer ministry using the five keys, organizer Anne Manders said. Many had traveled from other provinces to attend the conference.
