How to be fully set free if you had promised to serve Satan before you became a Christian?

Question:

I once promised to serve Satan. Many years have passed since then, I repented and got baptized, but I can not feel a full release. My father is a minister of the Church and missionary in another country. I do evil, I understand it, but there are some situations when I feel like I am not myself, although I live in fear of God. How can I be fully set free from this state?

Realize the power of God in you

It is sad that growing up in a Christian family and hearing the Word of God, you chose to be rebellious and got there that you promised service to Satan. Thank God He had mercy on you and that He received you again to be a child of His. Now, if you have repented from heart and entered the new covenant with the Lord Jesus Christ, the Spirit of God lives in you and this Spirit of God is more powerful than the evil spirit. Therefore, you can be victorious in all circumstances. The Apostle John wrote on this topic:

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of theantichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. You are from God,little children, andhave overcome them; becausegreater is He who is in you thanhe who is in the world. (1 John 4:1-4)(NASB)

I particularly draw your attention to the word which says that greater is He who is in us, that is the Holy Spirit, than he who is in the world, that is the spirit of Antichrist. And it also says here that just because we are of God, we have overcome the devil. You have already overcome him when you believed in Jesus Christ with all your heart and entered the New Covenant with Him, if you have done so. However, maybe you have not yet acted firmly and have not entered the New Covenant with Jesus Christ. If you have not already done so, hurry up to enter into this covenant. If you  do not really understand what it means to enter into the New Covenant, I recommend you to get the inductive Bible study course “Covenant” and study it carefully, or you can go to a Bible study group in your area. You can check the website http://www.eurasiaprecept.org and see if there is any group in your area where this Bible study course is studied now.

But if you have all faith and belief that you have entered and are a part of the New Covenant with the Lord Jesus Christ, then …

Do not give the devil any opportunity

The Epistle to Ephesians was written to Christians who had practiced pagan and devilish religions before they entered the new covenant with the Lord Jesus Christ. And now, as Christians, they were surrounded only by such practices and by people who followed fornication and idolatry. These practices were a threat to the new Christians, and therefore, the Apostle Paul wrote to them to take heed not to give the devil any opportunity.

So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another. BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do notgive the devilan opportunity. (Ephesians 4:17-27)(NASB)

Do not think that if we became Christian, the devil has left us all alone and no longer follows or wants to hurt us. On the contrary, the Bible says the devil is our adversary and is like a roaring lion seeking whom to devour. That is why the Scripture says:

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing thatthe same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by yourbrethren who are in the world. (1 Peter 5:8-9)

To be sober, to be on the alert and not give the devil an opportunity, you must do the following things:

• No longer live as the Gentiles in the futility of their mind (not to have a well defined purpose and seek to achieve it). Pagans do not know know what they want nor what purpose they have and they are led by time and its influences. You must not be so and not get their way of being and thinking, as not to be attracted by them.
• Lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit. Yes, they are in your body but now the Spirit of God is in you and you have power to overcome the flesh every day of your life.
• Seek to renew your mind through deep and systematic studying of Scripture. Only by knowing the Word of God and by applying it daily in your life you will become a true Christian. Set time aside and make it a priority every day. In this way you will put on the new self, made in God’s image.
• Do not be angry because when you are angry you give the devil opportunity to put all kinds of evil thoughts into your mind, that are against the knowledge of God and faith in Christ. If you had a conflict with someone, quickly hurry to resolve this conflict, because unresolved conflicts are opportunities that we give the devil to catch us in his snare.
• Be very careful to the communication you have with unbelievers. Because, for example, if you have some conflicts with your husband and your unbelieving mother comes and says that you are worthy of a better husband, and so, every day, she shows you only your husband’s shortcomings rather than helps you face your responsibilities in the home and relate properly to your husband, with obedience and love, she encourages you to divorce. See? You gave the devil an opportunity to overcome you, and if you do not repent for such thoughts, do not be surprised if one day you will be dragged by the devil to the registry office to submit the application of divorce. Why? Because you gave the devil an opportunity by listening to the erroneous advice of your unbelieving mother, exactly when it was the best opportunity to put on the preparation of the Gospel and tell your mother the message of salvation and God’s truth on marriage and divorce. And whom did the devil use to lay you a trap? Your loved ones who do not know God or who do not want to know Him, but assure you that they love you. Their love is blind, as it is the love of anyone who convinces you to do something against the will of God and ensures that he/she wishes your good. Do not give the devil an opportunity.

The Scripture also teaches us that in this spiritual warfare (by the way, I recommend you to get as soon as possible the course “Lord, is it warfare?” by Kay Arthur, which is an excellent study and will give you answers to your questions) one should …

Put on the whole armor of God

In the same letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul used the image of the Roman soldier, known to all inhabitants of the empire and thus, also to the Ephesians, to teach some deep spiritual things. Here is what the apostle tells them, using the image of a soldier:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 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. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and thesword of the Spirit, which isthe word of God. With allprayer and petitionpray at all timesin the Spirit, and with this in view,be on the alert with allperseverance andpetition for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:10-18)(NASB)

If you are a Christian (a Christian is the one who entered into the New Covenant with the Lord Jesus Christ through a personal decision), then it is your responsibility to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. You must take the whole armor (weapons) that you will be provided by God to be able to resist the devil’s wiles. Take into account that the devil not only prowls around like a roaring lion, but continually plots against you and seeks to defeat you. Now, it is the responsibility of every Christian and yours to put on the whole armor of God and to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. It also says here that there are some evil days when we are under direct attack of Satan and if we are not wearing all this armor, we can not stand firm then. Therefore, you must always be ready and:

• Have your loins girded with truth. The Lord Jesus said that God’s Word is truth and He also said that His true disciples are only those who remain in His Word, know the truth and are free from sin. The Roman soldier’s belt hold the scabbard for his sword and other necessary weapons. The belt of a Christian is truth, that is the deep knowledge of the Word of God. But if you do not systematically study the Holy Scriptures, or you are contented with the Sunday sermon, or with mechanically reading one, two or even five chapters of the Bible daily, and you do not seek to understand and get in the essence of the Word of God, then you do not have a good belt and your loin is not girded.
• Put on the breastplate of righteousness. Breastplate or chainmail consists of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh to protect the chest of the soldier. Righteousness, that is the living according to the truth of God, is the breastplate that protects us from the attacks and strokes of the devil. And the devil attacks exactly those who do not live in righteousness. He also lacks their conscience from the freedom of God’s children.
• Have shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace. You should be always full of desire to proclaim the Word of God. Share with people the good news of Jesus Christ and how to inherit eternal life. This will keep you in a good spiritual condition, so that the devil can not have any gain from you. When the devil attacks you through certain people, you should counter-attack those people, proclaiming the Gospel to them.
• Take up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. I think that you lack this shield. Judging by the question you’ve asked, I think you do not have enough faith concerning your salvation. But, my dear, faith comes from hearing, and hearing comes from the Word of God. Begin to seriously study the Scriptures to have faith and not to be vulnerable to any attack of the devil.
• Take the helmet of salvation, that is the conviction and belief of your salvation. They also come when you know the Scripture. It seems that now you are not fully convinced that you are a child of God and that you got a full release from the power of Satan.
• Take the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. In this spiritual battle against the devil you’ll be able to attack and be victorious only when you master well the sword of the Spirit, that is God’s Word.
• The text also says to pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and petition. This is a very necessary military exercise for every Christian.

God help you realize these important truths and discipline yourself in your Christian life, so that you may always have victory over the devil and his wiles. And do not forget that from the moment when you entered the New Covenant with the Lord Jesus Christ you are a new creature, the old things have passed and now you are a new creature. Live like a new creature and do not rummage in the dustbin of the past.

Translated by Felicia Rotaru