Smashing the power of iniquity
His power was awesome!
He possessed astonishing abilities of sorcery, and knew all the deep, dark mysteries of black magic and alchemy and witchcraft -- secret things whispered down from generation to generation.
Everyone in Samaria knew who Simon was, and they feared him greatly. So much so, that whenever he walked down the street they would all stop and say, "There he is -- it's him! There goes the great power of God!"
Then one day, a man came to town, powerfully preaching the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Multitudes flocked to hear Philip. They saw the mighty miracles he performed: unclean spirits, crying out with loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralysed and lame were healed. There was great joy and rejoicing in the city...
Simon the Sorcerer was amazed to see the miracles performed by Philip. Realising that this power was much greater than anything he had ever possessed, Simon also believed in Jesus, and was later baptised in water.
When the apostles in Jerusalem heard what was happening in Samaria, they sent Peter and John to see for themselves. Realising that these new believers had only been baptised in water, the apostles began laying hands on all of them, so they might receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Simon, seeing that the amazing power of the Holy Spirit came upon the people through the laying on of the apostles' hands, offered John and Peter money saying, "Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit."
Peter's response was sharp and to the point: "Your money perish with you, because you thought the gift of God could be bought with money! Repent of your wickedness, and ask God if He may forgive you for the wickedness of your heart. For I see you are poisoned by bitterness and in the bond of iniquity!"
Then Simon said, "Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me (see Acts 8:4-24)."
We don't know what happened to Simon the Sorcerer after this, but many early writings depict him as the father of some of the heresies that crept into the infant church.
The astounding thing about Simon is that here was a water-baptised believer (Acts 8:13) who, according to Peter, was still "poisoned by bitterness and in the bond of iniquity."
He wanted the power of God for his own gain. He wanted to purchase the power of God to, at best, make his ministry look good and, at worst, for his own monetary benefit. He believed in Jesus Christ and had been baptised in water, but his heart was still corrupted by bitterness and he was bound by his iniquity. If we look at the Greek words of this phrase, we find that Simon was gripped by the slimy, green bile (chole) of bitter hatred and extreme wickedness (pikria) and he was bound by tight bands (sundesmos) of unrighteousness and lawlessness (adikia).
Simon the Sorcerer would be nothing more than a historical oddity if it weren't for the tragic truth that he isn't the only one to have been poisoned and bound. In fact, there are many born-again, Spirit-filled, baptised Christians trying to faithfully serving the Lord today who are still poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.
It is our prayer that this book will serve as something of an antidote to the poison and help to break the bonds of your own iniquity and the iniquity of your forefathers...
Why did Peter use the word iniquity, when referring to Simon the sorcerer? Why didn't he tell him he was under the bond of sin or the bond of transgression?
Some of the modern Bible translations make no differentiation between sin, transgression and iniquity -- simply referring to them all as sin. However, in both the Hebrew of the Old Testament and the Greek of the New there are very distinct and different words used for these three things.
If God saw the necessity (especially in the Ten Commandments!) of differentiating between sin, transgression and iniquity, we should obviously take notice.
So, what's the difference?
Sin (Hebrew word chata, Greek word hamartia) means to miss the mark or fall short of God's standards. This is why Paul was able to confidently say in Romans 3:23 that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." The Lord has His standards, and we sin by not meeting those standards. In ancient England, when an archer's arrow fell short of the target, those watching would say, "You have sinned!" In other words, they had fallen short of the mark.
Transgression (Hebrew word pasha, Greek word parabasis) means going beyond or overstepping the boundary. It is the breaching of a defined law and deviating from the true course to go your own way. God sets out a particular law, and we transgress that law by overstepping the clearly defined boundary which he has set out. Transgression is a more wilful act than sin, and it verges on rebellion.
Iniquity (Hebrew word avon, avah or aven, Greek word anomia, paranomia or adikia) is the worst of three. It has to do with depravity, gross wickedness, rebellion, idolatry and even witchcraft.
Some of the Old Testament scriptures, which give us an idea of how God views iniquity, are:
"Even as I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same (Job 4:8)."
"Depart from me all you workers of iniquity; for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping (Psalm 6:8)."
"(The wicked man's) mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue is trouble and iniquity (Psalm 10:7)."
"If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear (Psalm 66:18)."
"He who sows iniquity will reap sorrow (Hebrew word aven -- meaning, will reap the sorrowful connsequences of iniquity) and the rod of his anger will fail (Proverbs 22:8)."
"For the terrible one is brought to nothing. The scornful one is consumed, and all who watch for iniquity are cut off (Isaiah 29:20)."
"He who kills a bull as if he slays a man; he who sacrifices a lamb, as if he breaks a dog's neck; he who offers a grain offering as if he offers swine's blood; he who burns incense as if he blesses an idol (Hebrew word aven -- the same word used for iniquity). Juust as they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations, so I will choose their delusions and bring their fears on them (Isaiah 66:3&4)."
So, when Peter confronted Simon the Sorcerer about being bound by iniquity he was being very specific, telling him that he was bound by something bigger and more powerful than sin or transgression. Simon the Sorcerer was bound by something that was in the realm of idolatry, rebellion and witchcraft. Simon was born again and baptised in water but Peter was, in effect, telling him that he had not been delivered from the demonic strongholds attached to his rebellion, idolatry and witchcraft. Peter knew that here was a man who was demonically bound by the forces of iniquity.
Throughout scripture we can see the vast difference between those who were bound by iniquity, and those who weren't.
One only has to look at Saul and David to see this...
When the pressure was on, Saul rebelled. In 1 Samuel 15, when Samuel went to confront Saul because of his disobedience and rebellion against God's word, Saul immediately tried to blame the people, and even begged Samuel to allow him to save face in front of the people. He took no responsibility for his own iniquity, but simply tried to blame everyone else.
Saul's iniquity became so bad that he ended up consulting a medium. A medium is a spiritist who operates with the power of a demonic familiar spirit -- and that familiar spirit will only be able to give accurate information to someone who is also demonised. The demonic spirit in the one person communicates with the demonic spirit in the other. Through his iniquity, Saul had become demonised.
We read in 1 Chronicles 10:13&14 that Saul died for his unfaithfulness against the Lord and because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and also because he consulted a medium for advice. He did not inquire of the Lord. Therefore, it says, the Lord killed him and handed the kingdom over to David. Saul was destroyed because of his iniquity.
The devastation caused by iniquity is clearly seen in Saul's family. His sons were killed and Michal, his daughter who was married to David, was afflicted with what was probably the worst curse that could come upon a woman in Biblical times -- barrenness. Here was a family reaping the fruit of iniquity.
David, on the other hand, never rebelled when the pressure was on. When he was guilty of sin, transgression and iniquity (in the incident with Bathsheba he broke all 10 of the Ten Commandments at once!) he was quick to take responsibility for his own wickedness and quick to cry out to God in genuine, heart-ripping repentance (Psalm 51).
We see the same with Job, whose own wife said to him, "Just get it all over with: curse God and die!"
Job, totally free from the bond of iniquity was able to say, "Even if He slays me, I will still trust Him (Job 13:15)."
People will often speak of the sins of the forefathers having an influence upon succeeding generations. They will remark that an individual or a family is suffering certain spiritual, physical, emotional or circumstantial consequences because of the sins of the forefathers.
However, this is not scriptural. Nowhere does the Bible speak of God visiting the sins of the fathers upon the children. It only ever speaks of God visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation.
This means that the sins and transgressions of our forefathers do not have an influence upon our lives (except sometimes in the physical realm where, for instance, the sin of substance abuse might have a physical effect upon a child) -- but the iniquities do.
Where you have people who have rebelled against God, or who have been involved in gross wickedness, idolatry and witchcraft then this iniquity has very definite consequences that carry down through the generations.
Scripture is very clear on this:
"You shall not make for yourself a carved image -- any likeness of anything this is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments (Exodus 20:4-6)." Note that God is specifically speaking here in the Ten Commandments about the iniquity of idolatry.
"The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and fourth generation (Exodus 34:6&7)." Here, the Lord says very clearly that He forgives our sin, transgression and iniquity when we confess it to Him, but that the iniquities of the fathers carry to the third and fourth generation.
Numbers 14:18 and Deuteronomy 5:9, which also mention the Ten Commandments, are similar to the above two passages.
"Prepare slaughter for his children because of the iniquity of their fathers, lest they rise up and possess the land, and fill the face of the earth with cities (Isaiah 14:21)."
"'Behold it is written before Me: I will not keep silent, but I will repay -- even repay into their bosom -- your iniquities and the iniquities of your fathers together,' says the Lord, 'Who have burned incense on the mountains and blasphemed Me on the hills; therefore I will measure their former work into their bosom (Isaiah 65:7).'"
"They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers who refused to hear my words, and they have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers (Jeremiah 11:10)."
"You show lovingkindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them -- the Great, the Mighty God, whose name is the Lord of hosts (Jeremiah 32:18)."
"Our fathers sinned and are no more, but we bear their iniquities (Lamentations 5:7)."
So, it is crystal-clear that it is the iniquities of the fathers which have an impact down through the generations.
In the Old Testament when Israel had fallen into rebellion, idolatry and even witchcraft -- and God was in the process of restoring the nation - He always commanded them to confess their own sins, transgression and iniquities. However, on many occasions, He also commanded them to confess the iniquities of their fathers and take full responsibility before Him for those iniquities. He never called upon them to confess the sins of their fathers.
Some examples of God calling Israel to confess the iniquities of their fathers are:
"But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, with their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, and that they also have walked contrary to Me, and that I also have walked contrary to them and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, and they accept their guilt -- then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham I will remember; I will remember the land (Leviticus 26:40-42)."
In the process of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, there came an important moment in that restoration when "Those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers (Nehemiah 9:2)."
"We acknowledge, O Lord, our wickedness and the iniquity of our fathers, for we have sinned against you (Jeremiah 14:20)."
"Our fathers have sinned and are no more, but we bear their iniquities (Lamentations 5:7)."
"O Lord, according to Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us (Daniel 9:16)."
When someone is guilty of iniquity (which, as we've seen has to do with rebellion, witchcraft and worshipping false gods) they open themselves up to demonic control of their lives. These demons establish themselves as family gods. They take up residence in that family and will do everything possible to remain in that family through as many generations as possible.
The Hebrew word for family gods is teraphims, and families would have literal idols to represent these family spirits. In Genesis 31:19 Rachel stole the family gods, the teraphims which were normally inherited by the eldest son.
In 1 Samuel 19:13, Michal placed a teraphim in David's bed and put goat's hair on its head to make it look like David -- so you see the outward, physical evidence of the idolatry in Saul's family! What on earth was the king's daughter doing with a family god? And this was not some fat little Buddha that sat on the mantlepiece, it was a god that was big enough to make everyone believe it was David sleeping in the bed!
These teraphims stayed in a family, from one generation to the next -- and, unfortunately, the demons attached to those gods also stayed in the family
We see the same principle in operation in every pagan religion around the world today of demonic spirits, under the guise of family gods, being passed from one generation to the next.
For instance, when a Hindu is on his death-bed, he will cling tenaciously to life until a chosen family member from the next generation has been summoned to his bedside. The person from the older generation will say, "I give you my gods" and will then die in peace. The family gods, or demonic spirits, have then been passed from one generation to the next. If a Hindu should die unexpectedly, a ceremony is held some days later to ensure that the family "gods" are successfully transferred to the person who has been specially chosen from the next generation. This person will, in the years to come, take on many of the habits and idiosyncrasies of the person from whom he received the family "gods."
In most indigenous African religions, there is a recognition of family or ancestral spirits, and the need for these spirits to be appeased and to remain in a family. Again, these are nothing more than demonic spirits that have established a hold in that family over many generations.
We need to understand that this principle applies, whether we recognise it or not. The average person with a "Western" mind set simply doesn't acknowledge this process. However, whenever a person is guilty of iniquity, he opens himself up to becoming demonised - and those demons will then do everything in their power to establish themselves as family "gods" that are then passed down from generation to generation. This is the bond of iniquity, and it is a devastatingly powerful force that desolates many families.
Where you have this bond of iniquity at work in a family it will manifest itself in number of ways:
Physically, in the form of a variety of illnesses. These include fatigue, heart palpitations, nerve jumps and twitches, sensations of heat and burning, ME (yuppie flu) symptoms, illness which runs in the family such as diabetes, sinusitis, allergies and epilepsy. A person under this form of physical curse will often go to the doctor, have every possible test and show no concrete evidence of sickness. A medical scientist from Stellenbosch wrote to us recently and said she had carried out in-depth research on ME patients, and she had found an occult connection with most of these patients.
Emotionally, in the form of depression; nervous disorders; addictions to alcohol, drugs, sleeping pills and tranquillisers; extreme rage; and suicidal tendencies.
Spiritually, manifesting in the form of a strong root of rebellion. Even after becoming Christians, these people will often have lengthy struggles in the area of rebellion against God and His purposes. And even as Simon the sorcerer did, they will seek God's gifts and ministry with wrong motives and to draw attention to themselves. They often battle to come into a close intimate relationship with God, and will often be spiritual yo-yo's - one week up on the ceiling, and the next moping around in the doldrums. People under the bond of iniquity will also often be born with psychic or mediumistic abilities: being able to see into the spirit realm and communicate with spirits without any conscious effort.
In circumstances, in the form of marital strife, adultery, and divorce; homosexuality; incest and abuse; barrenness and problems with childbirth and pregnancy; and financial problems. Even when they should have more than enough money to cope, people under the bond of iniquity seem to limp from one financial crisis to the next.
Nowhere is the bond of iniquity more evident than in families where there has been freemasonry, which has a catastrophic effect down through the generations.
Many people say "Yes, but Galatians 3:13 says Jesus has set us free from the curse of the law -- because he became a curse for us." Yes, we are set free from every curse through Jesus Christ.
We are released from the curse -- but we are not necessarily automatically delivered from the demons that have come upon us as a result of that curse of iniquity
When people come to salvation who have been involved in occult or other sins, they are not automatically delivered of demons that have come upon them as a result of that occult sin. They have to be delivered of those demons through repentance and confession of their sins. It is the same with inherited spirits of iniquity - we are delivered of those family spirits through confessing and repenting of the iniquities of our forefathers.
We are in a season when God is wanting to break the bond of iniquity once and for all in our lives.
Before dealing with the bond of iniquity in prayer, it is important to spend some time concentrating on the whole aspect of rebellion, which is often the most lasting and difficult fruit of iniquity to overcome in our lives -- not just inherited iniquity but our own iniquity, too.
God forgives us where there has been a root of iniquity, but he doesn't necessarily release us of the consequences immediately -- and this is where the problem comes for many of us. Where there has been iniquity in our lives or the lives of our forefathers -- where there's been rebellion, idolatry or witchcraft -- there will be physical, emotional and spiritual consequences.
So, we confess our iniquities, and the iniquities of forefathers, and God forgives us. But then suddenly one of these consequences crops up -- it can be some physical affliction or sickness, it can be some emotional problem like depression, or a spiritual thing like feeling separated from God or not being able to believe that he loves us.
Now comes the acid test: how are we going to respond? Are we going to go back to conforming to the bond of iniquity and rebel against God or are we going to draw near to God and embrace the truth of His Word?
James 4:7 says submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.
But more often than not when some kind of trial or testing comes along we draw near to the lies of the devil, and we rebel against the truth of God's word. We say, "God obviously doesn't love me, so I'm just going to go off and do my own thing!"
We do the exact opposite to what scripture commands us to do, and the stronghold of rebellion remains in our lives and gets even more entrenched.
The heat gets turned up a bit in a situation and we start believing the lies of the enemy -- God doesn't love you anymore, how could a loving God allow this kind of thing to happen to you, nobody likes you or understands you.
So you draw near to the lies of the enemy and resist the truth of God's Word and the reality of his love for you.
So, are we going to just allow the root of rebellion to remain in our lives, or are we going to break its power over us by drawing near to God and by submitting to God's will for our lives?
You see, until that stronghold of rebellion has been totally destroyed in your life, you can pray for deliverance, you can cast out demons, you can fast, you can pray -- and you're never going to stay free. Why not? Because that root of rebellion will just keep feeding all the junk and it will keep springing back to life again
When Samuel came to Saul in 1 Samuel 15, Saul had not obeyed God's very specific word to him. Saul said I obeyed partially, but the reason I didn't obey fully was because we wanted to take some of the sheep and oxen as an offering to the Lord your God.
And Samuel says in verse 22, God is not as interested in burnt offerings and sacrifices as he is in obedience -- He says to obey is better than sacrifice and to listen to God's voice and His Word is better than the fat of rams.
For, he says in verse 23, rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Let's look at that verse word by word:
Rebellion against God is as the sin (chatta'ah) of witchcraft or divination, and stubbornness (patsar -- meaning insolence, arrogance, presumptuousness) is as iniquity (aven -- idolatry) and idolatry (teraphim -- being bound to family gods!)
He's saying that if you've got rebellion in you, you've as good as got witchcraft -- because the two go hand-in-hand. Thaat's scary, isn't it?
And if you're stubborn and arrogant and proud, it's the same as if you're guilty of idolatry and worshipping family gods.
And Samuel says it's because you have rejected the word of the L ord, so now you've been rejected as king.
God is saying to Saul because of your stubbornness and rebellion I can't use you: in my sight, it's just as if you were involved in witchcraft, idolatry and iniquity.
So, if we are going to be effectively used for the Lord, the root of rebellion and stubbornness (or arrogance and pride) is going to have to be removed from our lives. Otherwise we're just going to keep going round and round the same mountain all the time.
If we want to enter God's promised land, rebellion is going to have to be dealt with once and for all.
If you read Hebrews 3:7-4:16, which speak about Israel not entering into the promised land, you will notice a significant pattern:
Verse 8 talks about hardening their hearts. Rebellion starts when our hearts begin to become hard to the things of God. It speaks of the time of rebellion in the day of trial. So, when the children of Israel went through trials they rebelled.
Verse 10 says they went astray in their hearts and did not know God's ways.
Verse 12 tells us they had evil hearts of unbelief.
Rebellion is bred in the heart, through unbelief and going astray and hardness of heart.
This passage says that what prevented the Israelites in the time of Moses from entering into God's rest in the promised land was first of all their hardness of heart, which led to unbelief which led to rebellion.
They did not enter the promised land because of unbelief (verse 19), because of disobedience (verse 11 of chapter 4) and rebellion (verse 8).
The same applies to us today. If there is unbelief, disobedience and rebellion in our hearts, we will never be able to enter the place of God's rest.
Some of us have a misunderstanding of God's rest. It's not a place where you're just parking off doing nothing and saying, "Well, I've entered the rest of the Lord, so I can sit back, relax and smell the flowers!"
When you have entered into God's rest, you have entered into and are flowing in the fullness of God's plan and purpose for your life. You have surrendered to the lordship of Jesus and are totally controlled by the Holy Spirit. You can say with the Apostle Paul, it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
Verse 10 of Chapter 4 says when you have entered into God's rest you have ceased from your own works. You've ceased from your own efforts, your own striving and your own battles. You've ceased from all of these distractions so that you can be at rest in doing all that the Father is calling you to do.
So -- how do we break out of the grip of the stronghold of rebellion? We first need to resist the devil and draw near to God.
We need to believe the truth of God's Word. It says in verse 12 of Chapter 4 that the antidote to disobedience is the Word of God. Verse 11 speaks about disobedience. Then it says for the Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the divisions of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
God's Word reveals the secret and hidden things of the heart.
Rebellion, disobedience and unbelief all begin in the heart, as it says earlier in this passage. But it is the Word of God that reveals and discerns the secret thoughts and intents of the heart. All things are revealed and exposed when they are exposed to the truth of God's Word.
We need to start taking God's Word seriously and using it as that sharp sword against the stronghold of rebellion and disobedience.
When you come up against a hurdle of fear, and everything in you wants to run and hide and rebel against God, you use the sword of truth: God has not given me a spirit of fear -- but of love and of power and of a sound mind.
When you feel a wall of separation beginning to be built up between you and God, you use the sword: nothing shall separate me from the love of God. No matter how vrot I feel or unloved I feel, I declare that nothing shall separate me from the love of God.
You use the sword, but you also go boldly to the throne of grace and cry out for grace and mercy.
Because it says in verse 15 of Chapter 4 that we have a high priest in Jesus Christ who sympathises with our weakness.
And because of that we can come boldly to the throne of grace and cry out for mercy.
We don't get all huffy and start rebelling, we simply cry out and say, "Lord Jesus, in your grace and mercy, please will you help me and strengthen me and see me through this situation."
So we need to make a decision that when trials and testings come, we will choose to break the yoke of rebellion over our lives by embracing God's Word and crying out for mercy. You will begin to find that it will get easier and easier as you break free from the yoke of rebellion.
And all the other junk that's been clinging on to that stronghold of rebellion will also go. Sin that you've battled to overcome for years will leave. Illness that has troubled you will disappear. Emotional problems that you've struggled with will go. Spiritual problems such as not knowing and understanding the love and grace of God will melt away.
Resist the devil and he will flee: choose with your will to draw near to God, and His heart will be turned toward you and not away from you.
So, we've seen the scriptures which show that it is scriptural to confess iniquities of forefathers. That's what we're going to do, and then ask God to deliver us from the bond of iniquity.
If you've had people in your family who've been involved in the occult; witchcraft; going to witchdoctors; fortune telling; spiritism; psychic phenomena; freemasonry; any false religion such as Christian Science, Scientology, Jehovah's Witnesses, the Moonies - you need to confess that iniquity.
If you've had people in your family who have known Jesus then chosen to rebel against him, and have been involved in wickedness and perversion - you need to confess that iniquity. A very specific iniquity you need to confess is where family members have been guilty of persecuting or ridiculing God's chosen people, the Jewish people.
Confess the iniquities of your fathers back to the third and fourth generation. Even if you don't know all the specific iniquities, cry out for mercy.
Pray a prayer something along these lines:
"Father, I thank You for my salvation through Your Son, Jesus Christ. I thank You for the blood of Jesus, which cleanses me from all sin and unrighteousness. I thank You for the power and authority that there is the name of Jesus Christ, and I come to you now in that precious name.
I ask You, Lord, that in the name of Jesus Christ You would forgive me of all my sins, transgressions and iniquities ( name them - especially the iniquity of rebellion, idolatry and witchcraft). I pray that through the blood of Jesus Christ You would cleanse me now and break the power and authority of these sins, transgressions and iniquities over my life.
I gratefully receive Your forgiveness now in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
According to Your Word, I now confess the iniquities of my forefathers - both the known iniquities (name them)), as well as every unknown iniquity of rebellion, wickedness, idolatry and witchcraft. I ask You to forgive me and my family for these iniquities, and to release me from every curse and bondage of the enemy attached to these iniquities.
And as those curses are broken, I pray that every physical, emotional, circumstantial and spiritual fruit of these iniquities would be rooted out of my life. I proclaim death to the roots of iniquity in my life, and in faith I thank You that the fruit will shrivel up and die.
And, Father, as those fruits begin to shrivel and die, I cry out to You for patience and endurance so that I do not fall into rebellion against You.
I pray that you would anoint me now to be able to withstand the backlash of the avenger, who would seek to destroy the mighty work of deliverance You have purposed to do in my life, as the bond of iniquity has now been destroyed.
I ask these things in the mighty name of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, through the powerful working of Your Holy Spirit.
Amen."