 I hope today, I sure hope you're having a great Tuesday. Pastor Jay and I are here, I'm Amanda, and we are so excited, Pastor Jay, to just dive into God's word. I have a scripture that I would love to open with. It says in John 8 verses 31 and 32, then Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, if you abide in my word and you are my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. Pastor Jay, the Lord desires his people, his children to walk in true freedom. Amen, and listen, if you are tuning in, this is not a special edition, but it's a Holy Ghost edition of Hope Today. And I believe, I want you to grab your Bible. I want you to grab a pad and a pen. We're gonna get into the word here because we're gonna talk about the difference between oppression and possession, the importance of discipleship and freedom. Listen, if you know anybody that's battling, you know, everything that we battle with, Amanda, isn't always a devil. There's always a devil loose, but it isn't always a one-step process. Sometimes we have to develop, we have to grow. We have to become the men and women of God that God's called us to be. And so today, we're gonna be discussing some of these things, so let anybody know that's battling. Maybe you're looking to mature. Maybe you're looking to be discipled greater. You're saying, I know there's more in my life, but you haven't been able to find that yet. You've tuned in at the right moment. It's not a mistake or a coincidence that you are tuning in. This is going to be a God-appointed moment just for you. And I believe some of you watching right now, you're even going to get answers for those that are battling with things in their life, whether possession, oppression, maybe there's just a stronghold in your life. Today is your opportunity for freedom. So I agree with your word there. I believe it 100% that if we will abide in the word, we will be free in Jesus' name. You know, just talking about abiding, I can remember it was a few years back, we were in the ministry office and just having a conversation about being set apart. And you know, as like a Nazarite was set apart, there were certain things they were to do or they weren't to do. And what is the importance of being set apart as a child of God? What does that mean for the believer? Oh my goodness. It's so important that we learn the importance of being set apart. Matter of fact, when we give our life to Jesus, ladies and gentlemen, it is important that we understand He called us out of the world. That is the reality. He called us out. And if we don't come out of the world, something's gonna have to come out of us. And so that's the reality. A lot of times people are battling with things in their life because we're not coming out of the world. Listen, Jesus did not save you so you could stay in the world and fall under in the world. He called you out of darkness into this marvelous light. Now let me say this real quickly. It's very important that we understand this. That if you do not come out of the world, the world will stay in you and it can open the doors for oppression. You know, there's a scripture that talks about the importance of not giving any place to Satan. He's not talking to the world. He's talking to the church. And if we do not learn to live, you mentioned about living like a Nazarite type of life, which means being separate, being apart from the things of the world. What will happen? It can open the doors for demonic things to come into our life. We're not just talking about the past or as a nonbeliever possess us. That's so true, Pastor Jay. You know, I'm just thinking about, you know, in my own life, I've had moments of growth and learning, but just, you know, thinking of a very personal testimony that I have. And I know you're gonna talk about in Matthew 28, but I feel my spirit, I'm gonna bring this up now. Like y'all just a real moment. I'm gonna be raw, very transparent, but when I was 19, I was really battling a sexual demonic power. So I had gotten married at 18. I was married for six months, but this particular demonic, I will say demonic force had a grip on my life for a long time. Like something even as early as six years old, I can remember. I don't remember any experience that caused it. I've asked God, you know, where did this come from? Why am I dealing with this? My dad was pastoring for a season and I was mortified and embarrassed to ever say, hey dad, I have this problem. So it was something that I just kept hid for many years, but there was a breaking point because literally when I got married, something happened and I'm not gonna act like I know it all, but this demonic force began to give me nightmares. I could not even enjoy my marriage. It had such a grip on my life. And this is what I know, is that on April 8th of 1996, Amanda Brocker was set free. And what did this look like? This looked like me lying prostrate on the floor of our little apartment in Whitehall, Pennsylvania. And I will say, I was afraid. I did not understand what was happening and why is this happening to me? I loved God, but this moment where God speaks to me and when you have that moment, nothing else mattered. I was like, oh my goodness, and the word of the Lord to me was to read first, second, and third, John. And as I read through that, it was like the light bulb went on within me and it says, there is no darkness in light. Come on. I could not. And I guess, hearing you talk about this deliverance, but development. So I'd been a believer all these years, but I didn't realize that by my coddling this pet sin, allowing this darkness to come in, I'm choosing to not live in the light. It was that thing of where he's called us to come out of the world, but I was allowing some of the world in me. And I, you know, we can go back. I don't know how it started, where it started. You know, I don't have that, but I remembered those words that Jesus said, well, it's not about that. It's about giving me glory because the girlfriend set free. Yeah, amen. Because on that day, what I know is when I read the scriptures, I closed my eyes and I was just crying out to God. And I had something leave my body and with my eyes closed, they went out the door. Like I didn't physically see them. And I never understood that, but I've learned that demonic forces do enter doorways, windows, it's, however, this is what I know. The power and authority of God, as I read that in first, second and third John, something in me realized who I was and that did not any longer belong to me. And God set me free. And what was the difference between Amanda of April 7th of 1996 and Amanda of April 8th of 1996? I was so free and I can tell you, it's been how many years from 96 to today, that torment has never, never come back to me, never. So it was a real thing that happened. And I mean, this can lead us into these different, you know, was I oppressed, was I possessed, you know, and those studies. And I think this is something that's so important for our viewing audience to understand because when we struggle, we oftentimes want to keep it to ourselves because of embarrassment or whatever. But I am telling you today is the day that God wants you free. He doesn't want you to live with any darkness. Matter of fact, it's impossible to live the life that God has called you to live when you have darkness inside of you. It's impossible. Amen. You know, that's so good. You know, as I'm thinking about you, I believe you said it started when you were six. And I believe that's because that's when your call began. And so the reality is your whole ministry, when I was six years old, when I got filled with the Holy Spirit. There you go. There you go. Oh my goodness. And think about it. You are called still to this day. You're setting people free. You have a ministry to see the captive go free. You have a testimony of what God did in your son. So you have an anointing. And I believe there's people watching right now that you don't realize the demonic forces you are facing. It's not because something's wrong with you. You do not identify yourself with your battle. The reality is your battle is actually in a negative facet. Your battle actually defines you. It means that whatever you're facing, it's because God has anointed you to set the captive free in Jesus' name. You need to understand. And I believe that's the same for you. And I want to read a scripture because I think this is so important. Matthew 28, if you've got your Bibles there, you got your phone, whatever, just bring it up real quickly here. Matthew 28, verse number 18. This is the Great Commission. And many times we read verse 19 and 20, go ye therefore. But verse 18 is paramount in understanding our authority as a believer because what we're about to read here is why a lot of people think they're possessed when they're actually oppressed. I do not believe, we do not believe that a believer can be possessed because possession means ownership. Ownership means the devil can't have you and God have you at the same time. But a believer can be oppressed which means there's an area of development that needs to take place and until you develop the muscles and the strength, the discipleship, the discipleship, in order to develop and grow, you can keep battling until you overcome. You know, the scripture comes in my mind. And we're gonna get there in Matthew 28, but there's a scripture that comes in my mind. It says, in that day, the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing. So a lot of people think that that means the yoke's gonna be put on your neck and then the anointing is gonna hit the yoke and the yoke will be destroyed. What it means is you will be fed, I feel the Holy Ghost right now, pastorally. You will be discipled until you become so fat in the glory of God. You become so fat in the word of God that the yoke breaks off of your life. So from the time that you were six to the time that you were 19, you were underneath teaching. You were underneath the anointing. You were underneath the word. And then finally the deliverance came and I believe there's people watching right now that deliverance is coming to you. You don't even realize that you have tuned in right now because actually you're fat enough now to see the yoke be destroyed. It is a lost art in the body of Christ, which is this, discipleship. Going to church does not make you discipled. Discipled is the discipline needed to live out the word of God to see it operate in your life and the principles. So look at this here, verse 18, let's go back to that. And Jesus came and spoke to them saying, all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. So watch this, all authority has already been given to us. So he said, I've got all of that, but verse 19 and 20 is how we operate in that authority. Go therefore, hallelujah, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I've commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even until the end of the age. You know, Amanda, as I'm reading this and as we were talking before we came on here, I realized authority and discipleship go hand in hand. So I think what happens to a lot of believers, and I know what happens to a lot of believers, is that because they have not been developed, they've been saved, they're in church, they love Jesus, but they have not been discipled. They're not growing in their everyday walk. The authority needed to exercise whatever demonic entity they are facing is not there. You don't just get it because you get hands laid on you. You don't get it just because it's the development versus the deliverance. So even in deliverance, I think it's important, and maybe we can get to this after the break, I think even in deliverance, that there is also a development that must take place. And that leads me to the scripture. Remember where Jesus talks about how after you cast the devil out, if you cast him out and then the room is all swept and cleaned, the devil will get seven worse demons than before and bring them back. So it's important that we develop along with being delivered. That's right, being filled with the Holy Spirit. I can just say, even through that experience, I'm having such revelation, y'all, even right now as we're talking about this because there were things that I didn't understand. I was okay not to understand it, but I can remember a year after the freedom happened for me, I was okay to talk about it because I literally wasn't sure, is this gonna come back on me? If I talk about it, I didn't wanna open any doors. And no, what ended up happening is I had the opportunity to talk to my family who my mother-in-law had a dream that showed me that God saw the torment I was in. Like there were things that build up to this. My dad was preaching a word every Sunday, and I'm hearing it, but yet I was battling, but too embarrassed to say anything, but I was able to go back to him and say, hey, this happened to me. I'm free now, but what was that? He broke down oppression and possession for me to help me to see because I think a lot of times when we're in the middle of this, we're not understanding. So today, I believe that God is desiring to just give you clarity so that you can literally walk out in the freedom that he has already provided for you. Jesus didn't go and do anything different on April 8th of 1996, but this girl actually received the word of the Lord and was set free, and that's what he wants for you today. Well, stay tuned. We're gonna be right back to continue this very important conversation. Jesus' two greatest commandments are love God and love others. Learning how to love better is a lifelong journey. This month with your best gift to Cornerstone Television, we'd like to send you Love Like That, five relationship secrets from Jesus by Dr. Les Parrot. Discover how to truly love those in your life with this revolutionary guide. Blending the latest research in psychology and sociology with biblical insights, Parrot shares five practices, being mindful, approachable, gracious, vulnerable, and empathetic to help you forge meaningful, fulfilling connections with others. Love Like That will revolutionize every relationship in your life. Ask for your copy of Love Like That, five relationship secrets from Jesus by Dr. Les Parrot when you give this month to support Christian television through Cornerstone Network. Give online at ctvn.org slash donate or call us at 888-665-4483. Hope happens here. Well, if you just tuned in, listen, you've tuned into a Holy Ghost moment, I believe this is a time that you need to get set free and listen, I don't want you to leave this channel. I want you to stay tuned because listen, just a moment, we're gonna be praying for everybody right now that needs a deliverance, that needs a breakthrough. And listen, at any time dial the number, 888-665-4483. We have prayer partners right now that are standing by. I want you to call in. Maybe there's something you're battling with. Maybe there's something that's, there's a sexual addiction that you're battling. Maybe there's something, anything. It could be food, it could be drugs, it could be alcohol, whatever you're battling with. Maybe it's unforgiveness and you need freedom. Today is your day to be set free. We are talking about oppression versus possession. You know, I think something that's really missing the body of Christ. I do believe this and I think it's important that people that are oppressed need deliverance as well. But the reality is that devil can continue to loom until they develop the strength needed, the discipleship needed. Sometimes it's even practical things. You know, Amanda, what do you think about that? Answer this question. All right, I wanna be set free. Maybe I'm battling with some type of sexual addiction or food. Is there practical things I need to do in order to be free? Is it just always a one stop shop where God just lays hands on you and you're free? Or are there things that I need to do as a person in order to grow and to develop? Well, I can say, according to the word of God, growth and development is God's recipe. It's what he designed personally through my experience. I feel that as we dive into God's word, and this is where I feel like the devil works over time to keep us as believers distracted because he knows that if we get full of the word of God, he's gonna have less and less and less and less of us. So, and for my life at that point, you know, I was going to ICM school business. I was busy with education and Gary working full-time, being newly married, I was busy. And I will say, you know, Gary and I, we read our Bible together all the time dating. And then when we got married, we were like, oh man, like we'd be so busy, we'd find ourselves not even sitting and reading our Bible together daily, which we did as we dated. So it was just how the enemy can creep in there through busyness. And you're not trying to be a bad person. You still are wanting to follow God, but you're just negating. You're not prioritizing the time with the Lord. And I think what I learned in my life is that I can't do that. And it's a part of how we said about being set apart. When you're set apart, you're not okay to go a day without being with your Savior. You're not okay to go a day being apart from Him, like estranged in a relationship. When you think about, you know, if my husband would not show affection and love to me, I wouldn't know his love. I would not, there would be a distance, but he does. And therefore I know that he loves me. And it's like our relationship with God is very intimate like that. That if I'm not showing God affection, if I'm not giving him my attention, it wears on me. God's not gonna be changed, but I will be. So it's that desperation, so to speak, that we need to have that I can't go a day without being with him. So practically, I believe that's what I learned out of that is that I must be with him. I have to have that ongoing relationship and intimacy. And it's so important also that we also have relationship with one another. And there may be some of you watching wonder why there's a lot of oppressive things happening in your life. Some of you may be dealing with nightmares, fear, different things. You know, the Bible says that I will hear in Jeremiah that God would heal us of our backsliding because he would give us shepherds after his own heart. You can't bypass having a pastor in your life. You need that, you need to be under the word whenever you get an opportunity and you need to have somebody that's walking with you. If nobody's walking with you in that area that you feel oppressed, you need to find a mentor. And remember, your mentor will first be your tormentor. They will torment you first. They always do because they're gonna ask you to do things and use muscles that you never had before. There may be certain things you have to put in place. Think about it, when you go to a workout facility, you get a personal trainer. They don't meet you at the smoothie bar. They don't meet you at Burger King. They're asking you, you're like, all right, I did two sets. They're like, no, give me three. And then when you finish three, then they want four. And you're like, why is this guy trying to kill me? But then you look in the mirror a month or two later and what happens? You've got muscles you didn't have before. You've lost weight. You've taken inches off your weight size. Why? Because you're developing yourself. It's the same way in the things of God. This is why a lot of believers battle with oppression. Hey, listen, the devil does not have a hold of you in a way that God can't get to you. But this is the reality. You have to grow as a believer. And you talked about it. The importance of light. And when you were talking earlier, I thought it was so unique about how if we have darkness within us, the light is not there. But if the light is there, the darkness can't be there as well. And the more that we come out of the world, not only is it set us free, but it's also an opportunity for us to shine with the light of the gospel. Do you understand? That's the reason why the devil is fighting you so hard. It's because of the purpose, the call, and the destiny on your life. I look at you, Amanda. I take a look at the testimonies. When I first came to Cornerstone, I remember you talked to me about your son and different things. And I didn't know about your testimony back in 96, but I see now, because of your freedom, your son is like, I mean, he's on fire. He is on fire. I see him on Facebook. This is the same Sunday. I remember you come with tears running down your eyes saying, God, when? God, when? And now, I mean, he is just blowing it up and doing great things for God. That's because of what God has done to you. But you guys never stopped developing and growing. And now, the yoke has been destroyed off his life. And I believe God wants to do the same for others in their homes today. That's right. It's so true. And just with his specific situation, it was more with drug addiction. And I tried praying in the Holy Ghost. I tried casting everything out of him, you know? But it wasn't the, you know, God never healed people the same. Yeah, that's right. That's right. This isn't a formula. And like, even what worked for me isn't the same for him. And I needed to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. And guess what, y'all? The Holy Spirit told me to be quiet and to pray for him in the Holy Ghost on my own. Like, it was more for the Holy Spirit to be at work and not me trying to be the Holy Spirit. So when it's different when it's yourself going through something, but when it's someone else. And I think sometimes, especially when it's your child, you want it more for them than you wanted for yourself, but we can almost push ourselves beyond a healthy boundary. And you said something to me in the middle of that. Amanda, do not rob your son from going through the process. Because if he would get free right away, he might go back and do what he was doing before. And I'd never thought like that. You know, I just wanted him free. I wanted him free with all of my being. But what I watched God do is when I submitted to him and my husband the same, and we just loved our son. We loved him right where he was at. We began to see God place a hunger within him for God's Word. And I mean, for years now, I have woke up to hearing my son speak the Word over himself. And he said to me, it was probably two years ago, Mom, I really think that the Word of God is healing my brain. And I will tell you, the Word of God has healed his brain. We have watched him. He's flourishing academically. Listen, he just won a scholarship to go to Oral Roberts University. He's gonna be starting this fall. This is nothing but a miracle of God and God doors and God desires. I don't sit here to toot my own horn to say, look at the Brocker family. No, this is because I know God wants you free. God wants you to fulfill the divine call that is on your life. And it's just not to be mediocre. It's just not to have pets in. It's just not to exist. There is so much purpose behind the name that God has given you. And he is calling you today. He is calling you today. Give us a call, please give us your name. We're gonna continue to intercede on your behalf, but we want to see God do his best in your life. You know what I think about as you're talking, that's so powerful. God is restoring the years to you guys now. And I believe the same thing has happened for you guys. God is restoring the years. And I wanna take him in it right now and pray. For though we're gonna take him in it and pray for all of you that are battling. Now listen, we're gonna pray for you that God sets you free. But don't forget, you also have to develop. You have to grow. There's some things God will do for you. There's some things God's gonna do through you. Never rob yourself of the process. The process is where you learn the lessons of freedom and you learn the love of God's freedom in your life. So even though you're in the process, don't quit, don't throw in the towel, because God has you right where he wants you to be. But I mean, there's many of you watching right now that God is getting ready to set you free. You have developed and the yoke is about to be destroyed. Come on, so just lift up your hands right now and let's receive Father in the name of Jesus. We thank you for your supernatural freedom that is going across the airwaves right now. Father, we speak the word out, Father, for every person that's battling fear, sexual addiction and strongholds, demonic oppression, Father God. There may be some watching right now that are demonically possessed. We command Satan to come out of them in the name of Jesus and we declare that by your stripes, God, they are free from every infirmity. We command unforgiveness and bitterness to go in the name of Jesus. And Father, we thank you for total complete deliverance from oppression and possession in the name of Jesus. And Lord, that we would become the men and women of God that you have called us to be in Jesus' name. In Jesus' name, hallelujah, Pastor Jay, I know. The Holy Spirit was just cheering during this entire program. His heartbeat is for all of us to walk in that freedom. And I know those of you who raised your hands with us that God was doing a finished work that no man can undo, so walk in it. Harness the word and we're gonna end with Matthew 419. It says, then he said to them, follow me and I will make you fishers of men. Jesus has invited each one of us to follow him. What does that mean? That means we should be following him so closely, closely that we are covered in the dust of the rabbi that we follow. We should be in the word of God following him and then he's gonna make us fishers of men. You know, when you sit with Jesus for a moment, he's gonna give you the bait that you need to go out and be a fisher of men. So don't neglect that time with the Lord of following him because he desires to do such a supernatural work in and through you. And as Pastor Jay said earlier, that you would be the light to Jesus in this world. It's what he's called for you to do. Are you tired of just getting bills in your mailbox? Find inspiration instead by subscribing to the Cornerstone Television's Hope Today newsletter. Each month we'll deliver good news about what God is doing in our region and world through CTVN's ministry. We'll keep you in the know about our latest special programming and our full program guide will keep you connected to all your favorites. 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