evan 670 the bondage breaker
TRANSCRIPT
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Liberty Theological Seminary
Reflection on
The Bondage Breaker
A PaperSubmitted to Kennedy Adarkwa, Ph.D.
In Partial FulfillmentOf the Requirements for the course
Strategic Prayer and Spiritual WarfareEVAN 670
ByBaskin, Deborah M.
ID # 23181365
23 February 2012
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INTRODUCTION
Neil T. Anderson has twenty years experience as a pastor and has written several
books on living free in Christ. Dr. Anderson has five degrees from Talbot, Pepperdine
University and Arizona State University. He is a former aerospace engineer. He founded
Freedom in Christ Ministries and is currently the president emeritus.1
In The Bondage Breaker: Overcoming Negative Thoughts, Irrational Feelings,
Habitual Sins, Anderson wrote a guide in how to overcome bondage manifested in some
believers lives. Dr. Anderson wrote the Bondage Breaker as his dissertation while
pursuing his second doctorate from Talbot. He asserted that he wrote this book to help
Christians discover who they were in Christ.2 He wanted to show Christians how to take
steps into making every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.3
He stressed that this
lack of understanding allows Satan and his demons to influence believers and eventually
take possession of some Christians.
Anderson wrote this book with both the laity and the clergy in mind. The
vernacular and the syntax make this book user friendly for people of any education. The
book is in a logical structure that allows the reader to follow Andersons suppositions
with ease. The author utilized personal experiences and scriptures to substantiate his
positions on combating both the flesh and demons. However, this controversial subject
matter can undoubtedly be sensationalized; therefore, caution should be taken when
reading this book. This reflection will give a succinct summary, followed by an
evaluation and critique of a few salient ideas presented in the book, and concludes with a
1Neil Anderson Biography, Freedom in Christ
Ministries, http://www.ficm.ca/neil_anderson_bio.htm (accessed February 19, 2012).2Neil T. Anderson, The Bondage Breaker: Overcoming *Negative Thoughts *Irrational Feelings
*Habitual Sins (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2006), 5.3Ibid.
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personal application acquired from its contents.
SUMMARY OF BOOK
The Bondage Breaker: Overcoming Negative Thoughts, Irrational Feelings,
Habitual Sins is comprised of fourteen chapters organized into three parts. He concluded
the book with an appendix. Part one is entitled Take Courage and consists of six chapters.
Chapter one detailed several common misconceptions about bondage that included the
following: 1) demons were active when Christ was on earth but have since ceased, 2)
what the early church thought of as demonic activity was actually mental illness, 3) some
problems are spiritual while others are psychological, 4) demons cannot affect Christians,
5) demonic power is only found in extreme or violent behavior and gruesome sin, and 6)
freedom from spiritual captivity is the consequence of a power encounter with demonic
forces.4
In chapter two,Finding Your Way in the World, Anderson discussed what he
designated as a two-tier worldview. Discounted in this popular worldview is the middle-
tier that would allow spiritual forces to impact the empirical world.5
Many Christians are
accepting this cultural phenomenon and are excluding the supernatural from their lives.
The Western world is experiencing a massive paradigm shift in its worldview.6
This is
a result of the popularity of the New Age movement, the acceptance of parapsychology,
growing fascination with the supernatural, and the increasing prominence of Satanism in
our culture.7
Anderson also discussed how people are trying to meet their spiritual needs
apart from God by listening to Satan promoting self-interest as the chief end of man.8
Chapter three transitions to a discussion on finding ones freedom in Christ. Anderson
4Ibid., 19-26.5Ibid., 31.6Ibid.. 29.7Ibid.8Ibid., 37.
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provides a list of verses to demonstrate a believers standing in Christ. In Christ the
believer is accepted, secure, and significant. Anderson emphasized that knowing and
believing these truths are foundational to ones freedom from Satans bondage.9
Chapter
four detailed how a believer needs to understand that Satans battle for ones mind is real.
The battle for ones mind is often diagnosed as mental illness. Using Proverbs 23:7 as a
proof text, Anderson stated, Trying to change behavior, without changing what we
believe and therefore think, will never produce any lasting results.10
In order to change
ones beliefs, Christians need to take every thought captive and dwell on the truths of
Gods Word.11
A strategic plan of how to confront the rebel prince was detailed in chapter
five. Anderson listed four qualifications necessary for believers to live in the authority
and power of Christ: 1) belief - Ephesians 1:19; 2) humility Philippians 3:3; 3) boldness
Joshua 1:6, 7, 9, 18; and 4) dependence Ephesians 5:21.12
The final chapter of this
section discussed the covering of Jesus that is available to each believer. Anderson
detailed the armor that each Christian has in Christ.13
Part two is called Stand Firm and contained six chapters. These chapters covered
various temptations that believers face in this world. Chapter seven dealt with
manipulating spirits. Anderson determined the following information about evil spirits
based on Luke 11:24-26. These included the following: 1) demons exist inside or outside
of humans, 2) they are able to travel at will, 3) they communicate, 4) each has a separate
identity, 5) they are able to remember and make plans, 5) they evaluate and make
9Ibid., 46.10Ibid., 69.11Ibid., 72.12Ibid., 85-88.13Ibid., 96-102.
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decisions, 7) they combine forces, and 8) they vary in degrees of evil.14
Chapter eight
discussed the lure of knowledge and power. Anderson outlined several occult activities in
which many people have been involved. Chapter nine was called Tempted to Do It Your
Way. He described how too much of a good thing can become sin. A few of those
included were: 1) rest becomes laziness, 2) enjoyment of life becomes intemperance, 3)
eating becomes gluttony, 4) self-care becomes selfishness, 5) communication becomes
gossip, 6) judgment becomes criticism, 7) sexual freedom becomes immorality, and 8)
carefulness becomes fear.15
Anderson pointed out that one could never satisfy the desires
of the flesh; consequently, the only means of escape from the flesh is to submit, confess,
resist, and change.16 Chapter ten was entitledAccused by the Father of Lies. Satan is
called the accuser of the brethren.17
In this chapter, Anderson specified the difference
between accusation and conviction. Satans desire is to make the Christian feel unworthy
and insignificant. Chapter eleven was about the danger of deception. Anderson examined
three ways in which Satan deceives: 1) self-deception, 2) false prophets and teachers, and
3) deceiving spirits.18 In order to effectively combat deception, one must have spiritual
discernment, which is the first line of defense. Anderson asserted, Discernment has only
one function: to distinguish right from wrong so the right can be acknowledged and the
wrong can be disregarded.19The Danger of Losing Controlis the last chapter of part two.
In this chapter Anderson stated that Christians could be demon-possessed. This will be
elaborated on in the critique section of this paper.
The final part of this book was called Walk Free! Chapter thirteen detailed what
14Ibid., 116-118.15Ibid., 137-138.16Ibid., 145, 149.17Ibid., 152.18Ibid., 167-178.19Ibid., 179.
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Anderson termed as the seven steps to freedom. Included in these are: 1) counterfeit vs.
real, 2) deception vs. truth, 3) bitterness vs. forgiveness, 4) rebellion vs. submission, 5)
pride vs. humility, 6) bondage vs. freedom, and 7) curses vs. blessings.20
Anderson
described in detail the meanings of each of these comparisons. He often provided a
checklist for the Christian to complete to determine areas in which he needed deliverance.
He also has created prayers for each area. This is the longest chapter of the book. The last
chapter is entitledHelping Others Find Freedom in Christ. Anderson described four
principles of spiritual conflict resolution and followed this discussion with four
guidelines for helping others find freedom. These guidelines included: 1) gathering of
background information, 2) determining ones false beliefs, 3) dealing with the individual,
not the demons, and 4) leading them through the seven steps to freedom.21
Finally,
included in the appendix was a confidential personal inventory.
EVALUATION AND CRITIQUE
Neil T. Andersons book had both strengths and weaknesses. As stated in the
introduction, he wrote it with both the clergy and the laity in mind. However, I would not
recommend that a novice in the faith read this book as it could pose some potential
questions.
Anderson asserted, As a born-again child of God you are no longer in the flesh;
you are now in Christ. You were a sinner, but you are now a saint according to the
Bible.22
He used Second Peter 1:4 and Second Corinthians 5:17 as proof texts. I agree
that we are new creatures. However, Anderson persisted along this line of thought
carrying it a step further. You no longer have to sin Christ has already died to sin, and
20Ibid., 201-252.21Ibid., 260-269.22Ibid., 48.
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because you are in Him, you also have died to sin.23
However, this supposition does not
seem to keep the same view as that of the Apostle Paul:
19For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to dothis I
keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it,
but it is sin living in me that does it.21
So I find this law at work: Although I want
to do good, evil is right there with me.22
For in my inner being I delight in Godslaw; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of mymind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a
wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject todeath?
25Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So
then, I myself in my mind am a slave to Gods law, but in my sinful nature a slaveto the law of sin (Romans 7:19-25, NIV).
Paul recognized that he still had a sin nature; yet, in his mind he was a slave to Gods law
and Gods righteous. Anderson maintained that a sin nature was still present in a
Christian but that he could actually choose not to sin. However, it would seem that the
Apostle Paul would disagree with him on this point. If Paul had to battle his sin nature
and at times do evil, I would suggest that Christians today must face the same challenges.
Believers sins were imputed to Christ. God sees the Church through Christs sacrifice.
Another point where I question Andersons analysis concerns his assertions
dealing with Christians vulnerability to demonic influence. I do believe that Satan and
his demons will accuse the believers; however, I do not believe that a Christian can be
demon-possessed. Anderson used several scriptures to support this view. Luke 13:10-17
is the story about a woman who had been inflicted with a demon for eighteen years. He
surmised since this woman was a daughter of Abraham the she was a God-fearing woman
of faith. However, this did not protect her from demonic control.24
At this point Anderson
leaves out an important truth. The Holy Spirit was not residing in this woman. She was
not a Christian.
23Ibid., 48, 50-51.24Ibid., 188.
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Anderson used Luke 22: 31-34 to support this same assumption. These verses are
about Peters denial of Christ. The author concluded that Peter sinned because his pride
had given Satan a foothold in his life.25
However, Anderson again ignored that Jesus had
not yet ascended and sent the Comforter to inhabit believers. I do not see anywhere in
scriptures that prove that a demon can possess a believer who has the infilling of the Holy
Spirit.
I do believe that Christians battle with their flesh and that Satan does accuse and
tempt believers. Andersons explanation on the difference between accusations and
convictions was excellent. He used Judas and Peters failing to demonstrate the difference
between the two. Conviction leads to repentance; however, accusation leads to defeat and
self-loathing.26
Scrutinizing ones feelings in this way is an excellent strategy to test a
situation. If one is feeling worthless, perhaps he should consider the possibility of
demonic attack. If this is the case, Anderson supplied many scriptures and prayers to help
a believer recover from demonic attacks and accusations.
PERSONAL APPLICATION
The Bondage Breaker: Overcoming Negative Thoughts, Irrational Feelings,
Habitual Sins hashelped to equip me witha couple oflifeapplications. I fullyagree
that the believer needs to focus on Christin hisdailylife. Anderson stated,Dont be
demon-centered, be Christ-centered. Dont be concerned about the enemy and your
authority over him: Be concerned about who you are, and dont let the devil set the
agenda.27 I intend to remind myself of who I am in Christ Jesus especially when dealing
with demon oppression in the lives of other Christians and in my own life. Even though
25Ibid.26Ibid., 157.27Ibid., 77.
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this type of confrontation makes me uncomfortable, I try to be faithful in doing it when
needed. I believe that if I have confidence in Jesus and His victory over Satan my
apprehensions will be minimal.
I was impressed with Andersons assertion that the truth of Gods word sets
people free. He expanded this idea by saying that a Christian has all the power he needs
in Christ.28
I believe that this is a valid statement. When a believer understands the truth
of the Scripture and that he is secure in Christ, this empowers him to defeat the Enemy
and his minions. I believe teaching this truth to others will help them live a victorious
Christian life. I want to practice what Anderson stated, I only work with the person by
helping him or her assume responsibility to submit to God and resist the devil.29
Another application that I will use is Andersons personal inventory found in the
appendix. I have used something very similar to this questionnaire in the past. I think it is
vital to have an understanding of the person you are counseling. While the Holy Spirit
leads us, I still think it is a good idea to get the counselee to open up about his past.
Asking open-ended questions and allowing the person to talk, without feeling judged, is
an excellent way to build a relationship and address areas in his life where bondage might
have occurred.
CONCLUSION
Andersons book was easy to read; however, it contained some information that I
felt was theologically incorrect. Nonetheless, it does contain some excellent advice and
strategies that will help Christians who do not understand the freedom they have in Christ.
I believe this book could be a resource for a mature Christian who is grounded in the
Word and in his faith. However, I would not put it on my top reading list especially in
28Ibid., 258.29Ibid.
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regard to the laity at large because of the fallacies it contained. This book will challenge a
believer to study the scriptures in several areas not only limited to the few I mentioned in
my critique section but also in the area of generational curses.
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BIBLIOGRAHY
Anderson, Neil T. The Bondage Breaker: Overcoming *Negative Thoughts *IrrationalFeelings *Habitual Sins. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2006.
Neil Anderson Biography. Freedom in Christ Ministries.http://www.ficm.ca/neil_anderson_bio.htm(accessed February 19, 2012).