Ministering Freedom

Although I have spoken to several individuals, I have not been able to minister freedom to any. I labored awkwardly through the various prayer prompts and could not apply them. I felt contrived and mechanical. I was unprepared because I had not fully embraced the methodology or the theology.

I extrapolated from the book the process of self-image actualization (recognizing one’s identity as God’s image bearer) that eventually leads to freedom from spiritual bondage.

Every single label you’ve listened to about yourself, every lie said about you, is absolutely about stealing, killing, and destroying the dream of God for your life. As long as you believe that stuff, you will never enter into the fullness of who you were created to be” (p. 129).

I agree with Hutchings that human and demonic influences require our permission to change the trajectory (Ps 1:1; Eph 4:27), but I also believe that God has absolute and sovereign power over every creation (Deu 32:39; Num 23:19; Ps 138:8; Phil 1:6). I tried to place myself outside the perspective of my experiences and learn from Hutchings’ vast knowledge and expertise, but ultimately, I must accept Hutchings’ teaching fully to minister honestly and faithfully.

I struggle to accept Hutchings’ sentiment, “As long as you believe that stuff, you will never enter into the fullness of who you were created to be.” For me, grace is the foundation of faith (Eph 2:8). Belief acts upon that endowment of faith. If the person believes in lies, changing what they believe might not affect the underlying faith. When focusing on changing one’s belief system through rational (or irrational) persuasions, sometimes that belief becomes superficial and fickle. I have seen the cycles of conversions and reversions repeated many times when leading people through the process of identifying and whacking those evil thoughts that pop up. We must help people to know the truth in Christ, which will set them free, but I differ in how we pursue that knowledge.

My conversion experience played a colossal role in shaping how I pursue the Lord. I was angry and belligerent; this smug misanthropist cared nothing for God. But at a moment of pure divine grace, I was transformed instantly. Though my journey with the Lord has not been linear, fundamentally, my faith in Jesus never regressed because I am still focused on learning to walk. “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (Gal 5:16). Some might read this passage and focus on the part: “not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” Instead of transfixing on denying the flesh and its evil proclivities, I focus instead on the first part, “Walk in the Spirit.” In the pursuit of Christ, when I walk in the Spirit, I am not elsewhere fulfilling the lust of the flesh. “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us” (Heb 12:1). Hutchings’ teaching is invaluable in helping Christians identify the sin that weighs them down. That phase is imperative, but we must “forget those things that are behind, and reaching forth unto those things that are before” (Phil 3:13), and “let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”