Isaiah 61:1 (NASB)

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners;

Bible Commentary

Isaiah 61:1 is a famous Bible verse that appears in the Old Testament as a prophecy, and then appears later in the New Testament as a fulfillment through Jesus Christ.

God is Spirit, and He moves wherever He will. The Bible says He seeks those who worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23). If you desire the Spirit of the Lord God upon you, worship Him in spirit and in truth. He will find you.

The word “Spirit” in Hebrew has these meanings: wind, breath, air, cool, courage, mind.

Isn’t it interesting that “courage” and “mind” are listed among these meanings of Spirit? When His Spirit is upon us, we are endowed with courage in our minds. We are empowered to do things we would never have done without it.

Unlocking the Truth – Mind of Jesus Christ

The devil attacks us by sending thoughts into our minds. It is so subtle that many times we don’t even recognize the lie. We have the power to either accept these thoughts or reject them.

If we’re not rooted in the Bible, God’s Word, we won’t recognize the thoughts as lies and therefore we don’t have the power to reject them. What happens then is that those thoughts are accepted and internalized–mentally, emotionally and physically.

Satan’s lies produce fear, anxiety, insecurity, anger, pride and sickness, all of which create a dividing line between us and God, and between us and others.

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you have access to the power of the Spirit of the Lord inside you. His courage and His mind live inside you, so pray for help to recognize and reject the lies.

The first part of Isaiah 61:1 says,

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted;

“Afflicted” in Hebrew means: depressed in mind or circumstances, humble, lowly, meek, poor.

It is no coincidence that Spirit means “mind” and “courage,” and He is carrying good news to the afflicted, which means depressed in “mind”. But He does more than just bring the good news.

Unlocking the Truth – Man of Lawlessness Revealed

The last part of Isaiah 61:1 says,

“He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners;

Jesus Christ is more than just words. He is action through the Spirit of the Lord. He does more than just proclaim the good news. He binds up the brokenhearted.

“Binds up” in Hebrew means: wrap firmly, to stop, govern, healer, saddle.

In order to be healed from the wounds in your mind, you must first stop the attacker of the mind and spirit—Satan. That’s just what Jesus is doing. Before a wound can be healed, you have to stop the bleeding.

1 John 3:8 says, “The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.” Jesus Christ destroyed the works of the devil when He died upon the cross and rose from the grave.

Those who are more mature in Christ have practiced living in a continual state of victory by walking in the Spirit—through the mind of Christ.

For those who are babes in Christ, they must stand firm in the truth and keep it close every day. They need to be “wrapped firmly” in the Word of God. We can wrap our loved ones in prayer this way.

When you have a healthy mind, you can operate in the power of the Spirit. Without a healthy mind, there is little or no power to overcome and live in victory.

This is how Satan has been able to carry us away into captivity. We believed a lie, then another one and then another one. We pass these lies down from one generation to another, like an epidemic.

Jesus Christ is the antidote, the Truth and our Healer. He paved the way through all of Satan’s authority, over every demonic dimension of the earth, with the power of Truth, and is seated at the right-hand of God (Hebrews 12:2).

Free from Prison

“Opening of the prison” from Isaiah 61:1 in Hebrew means: opening (of a dungeon), jail delivery. The root meanings are: to open (the senses, especially the eyes).

2 Thessalonians 2:3 says, “Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction…”

That’s what Jesus is doing through the Spirit—opening our eyes and our senses to the man of lawlessness. When our eyes are opened to the devil’s tactics, then we can pinpoint the problem and root it out—reject the lies.

The way to Heaven on earth, the Kingdom of Heaven, is through the mind of Christ, following the Truth. That’s where the opening of the prison is—in our minds.

Jesus Christ already made the way through—we now must follow Him to where He is (John 14:2). He didn’t say it would be easy. As a matter of fact, He said “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).

It is possible to overcome the world. Because He did it, so can we. We have the mind of Christ and the power of the Spirit to discover our freedom in the Kingdom, here on earth.

Study the Bible verse of Isaiah 61:1 to believe your way to the health and freedom of the Kingdom.