Forgiveness Opens the Prison Door

The following is an excerpt from Choosing to Forgive that explains how forgiveness paves the way for freedom and healing.

A few years ago, I was on a ministry trip to a city in Mexico. A team and I were doing some deliverance equipping with a ministry school in Pachuca, Hidalgo. On the last night, we held a service with a local church that was associated with the school. I preached on healing broken hearts and setting captives free based on Isaiah 61:1-4:

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
And they shall rebuild the old ruins,
They shall raise up the former desolations,
And they shall repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.

As I led the congregation in a prayer for deliverance after the message, a young lady in the front row began manifesting a demon. She bolted out of the room at one point, but made her way back in as the prayer time continued. I was drawn to pray for her as my team and I started ministering to individuals seeking deliverance.

When I began to pray for her, the demonic manifestation intensified with her body shaking and an unclean spirit clearly coming to the surface. I commanded the demon to come out in Jesus’ name several times, but it did not seem to be budging. After a few minutes, I paused to ask her through an interpreter what she was experiencing. She immediately said, “I was abused as a child and I cannot forgive.” With this information, I now understood why the evil spirit was not being expelled. Though I was using my God-given authority to command the demon to leave, she was using her authority to allow it to remain. (In a later chapter I will explain how unforgiveness is an open door to demonic influence.)

I began to share with her about the importance of forgiveness in the life of a believer. I explained what forgiveness is and what it is not, what it means and what it does not mean. Forgiveness did not mean that it was okay what happened to her, that she had to pretend like it was no big deal, or that she had to allow abuse to continue. I also described how unforgiveness allows for demonic torment and how choosing to forgive leads to freedom. I shared how Jesus calls us to forgive in light of how He gave Himself on the cross so that we could be forgiven. After talking through these points for a few minutes, I asked if she was willing to forgive her abuser (who I later found out was her father). She said yes.

Tears ran down her face as she verbalized her forgiveness. Then, once she was finished, I went back to commanding the demon to come out in the name of Jesus. This time, it was a completely different outcome. Instead of a struggle, there was instant breakthrough. She fell back to the ground under the power of God, and the evil spirit left her quickly. She wept as I continued to minister to her, and she experienced the love of God in her heart. She was free!

Opening Prison Doors

The young lady’s testimony above is a perfect illustration of how unforgiveness is a spiritual prison and how forgiveness opens the prison door. Remember, opening prison doors is part of the mission of Jesus outlined in Isaiah 61: “To proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound” (Isaiah 61:1).

We live in a fallen world that is full of broken people. It is inevitable that as we walk through life, we will experience hurt and be sinned against by others to one degree or another. How we respond to these situations has a dramatic impact on our life, relationship with God, and destiny. If we harbor hatred, resentment, and unforgiveness, we will end up in a spiritual prison. The longer we stay in this prison of unforgiveness, the more torment and affliction we welcome into our lives. But through the key of forgiveness, the prison door is opened.

I have noticed that quite often the most powerful time during personal deliverance sessions or corporate prayers for deliverance is the part when people pray out to forgive those who have sinned against them. The love of God comes in a tangible way, tears run down faces, and spiritual chains begin to melt. Hearts begin to heal from years of pain, disappointment, and abuse. Powers of darkness lose their hold as forgiveness is received from God and extended to others. Light comes in, prison doors are opened, and captives are set free.

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We live in a fallen world that is full of broken people. It is inevitable that as we walk through life, we will experience hurt and be sinned against by others to one degree or another. How we respond to these situations has a dramatic impact on our life, relationship with God, and destiny.

Choosing to Forgive gives biblical teaching and encouragement to help you release the ones who have hurt you so that you can walk in the freedom that God has for you.