Before Jesus, you're under Satan's rule whether you know it or not, because selfish desires are rooted in sin. True freedom comes only through dying to self and being born again in Christ, which extracts you from the kingdom of darkness and places you in God's kingdom instead.
Before you knew Jesus, the devil was your master. You didn't have a choice in the matter. Either you're serving Satan or you're serving Jesus. You may say, well, I'm serving myself. Well, those selfish desires are rooted in sin, and sin subjects you to the rule of Satan. It's only when we die to self and live to Christ that we come into the kingdom of God. But nonetheless, there is a conflict raging in the realm of the supernatural beyond what you can see and feel in the natural world. When you are born again, you are extracted from the kingdom of darkness. You are pulled away from the power of Satan, and you come under subjection to the kingdom of God. And so when you were born again, the darkness dissipated, the light began to shine. God pulled you from destruction and set your feet on solid ground. He saved your soul, changed your nature, redeemed you. He transformed your mind and your heart, and he restored your soul. And now you stand in heavenly places. So you've been delivered from the power of darkness.
