Many spiritual issues are double-edged, and looking at them from only one side will leave much room for confusion. Consider the subject of salvation. In Paul’s epistle to the Philippians he said, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). Yet in another place he said, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). These two scriptures will appear contradictory on the surface; but the confusion will disappear when we consider the fact that there is God’s side to our salvation where we can do nothing at all; and there is man’s side to salvation which, if left alone, makes our salvation experience incomplete.

God may never allow any external help of deliverance until you have first taken care of what is within your reach. Until we do what we could God may never step into what we can’t!

The subject of deliverance is also double-edged. There are basically two forms of deliverance. The first is the type you carry out by yourself and on yourself. This is the case when the cause of bondage is self-imposed. Hear what the Lord said to Israel in one of the prophecies of Isaiah.  “Shake yourself from the dust, arise; Sit down, O Jerusalem! Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion!” Isaiah 52:2 NKJV. Here we have a situation where Israel, through their own negligence or commission, walked into bondage. So, the onus to shake themselves from the dust and the shackle squarely rested on them. Under this situation, no external anointing is of any use. The other type of deliverance is when you require the input of others, the ministry of the saints or the involvement of a ministry gift. The lesson to conclude with is this: God may never allow any external help of deliverance until you have first taken care of what is within your reach. Until we do what we could God may never step into what we can’t!