Ecclesiastes 10:8 ESV says, “He who digs a pit will fall into it, and a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall.”
As we saw in the previous post, walls, windows, and doors protect us from the elements and dangers on the outside. They can keep unwanted weather and people from getting inside to harm us. The above scripture shows that when there is a ‘break’ in the wall, then a serpent can bite us. Satan said the reason why he couldn’t touch Job, was because God kept a ‘hedge’ around him. God’s Word teaches that He does indeed keep a hedge of angels encamped around those who love and obey Him. We also know that there are many other things we can confess over our lives to protect us as well. In light of this knowledge, it behooves us to make sure that there are no openings, or breeches in the walls for the enemy to get at us.
I find in my own life that there has not only been openings in the wall, but there were times when I have gone about my daily routines with the doors wide open. In my postings about the deception and lies of Satan, my eyes have been opened with a fresh awareness of not only the open doors, but that I have allowed all manner of ‘breeches’ in the walls of my soul. My intentions with this series of posts is to make us all aware of some of those areas that can attract the demonic world and cause us problems with bondage in the enemy’s kingdom. As we have seen, our confessed words give authority to either God’s kingdom of light, or to the devil’s kingdom of darkness. So, let’s try to close some doors, and repair some breeches.
Everything in the spiritual world operates on spiritual authority within legal parameters. God has delegated authority to each of His angels over a specific area of the universe. Satan imitates God’s organization in his kingdom of darkness with princes over different geographical areas of the world.
Adam was given dominion over the earth and all that pertains to it. When he and his wife disobeyed God, and obeyed the enticement of Satan, they forfeited that authority, giving it to Satan. Satan is now known as the god of this world, the ruler of darkness, the prince and power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience, slanderer, accuser, among many others. This world is his domain. He proved this by offering the kingdoms of this world to Jesus Christ.
Jesus refused Satan’s offer, and went on to conquer him with His shed blood of redemption on the cross. Jesus now has the keys to death, hell, and the grave in His hands. He gave authority to use these keys to Peter, to the rest of His disciples, and then to all who will believe in Him as God in the flesh to redeem their souls from the devil. It is a delegated spiritual authority. When we serve Christ we are under His authority. When we do not serve Christ, we are automatically under Satan’s authority. There is no neutral ground. We live on Satan’s territory till the appointed time when Israel is restored and the Gentile church is caught up to be with Christ. Until then, it is the devil’s world and he is attacking everything that has to do with God, by removing God from all public places and by seducing people to hate God with him. He knows that he is doomed to the Lake of Fire, so if the world gets annihilated with an atomic bomb or two, killing 50% of the earth’s population, it is no big deal to him.
The battle is between God and Satan for the souls of mankind. God waits patiently for man to invite Him into his heart. Satan harasses man with wrong thinking until he finds what man likes, then he makes sure that man has plenty of opportunities to have what he likes. The more man gives in to his carnal nature, the more Satan takes over his soul.
James showed us that all sin starts in the mind with a thought, then we attach emotion to the thought, then it proceeds to a plan, then it goes on to an action, producing sin, and eventually death to the soul and body. Paul taught us to take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ. Jesus taught us to watch and pray to avoid entering into temptation of the enemy. He taught us to ask for guidance so we would not be led into temptation and to ask for deliverance from the evil one. James also said that the devil goes up and down through the earth seeking whom he may ensnare.
There are sense gates or openings to the soul; sight, smell, touch, sound, and taste. We also have the intuitive sense of our spirits that senses danger and harm to our well-being. Our tongue expresses our desires or dislikes for what enters these sensory gates. All of these can start with one thought. For instance, if you think about the home-made bread coming out of the hot oven, your mouth begins to water and you begin to visualize that hot loaf of bread with its aroma wafting throughout the house, you then desire some of that home-made bread with warm butter slathered all over it. Then you begin to formulate a plan as to how you are going to partake of that which you have thought, imagined, and desired. In other words, you take action, either by baking the bread, using your tongue to ask the wife to bake the bread, or using your feet to go to a bakery that will have fresh-baked bread. Thoughts, like words are powerful. God destroyed the world with water when man’s thoughts influenced his imaginations to become evil continually.
Thoughts become our emotions, emotions become our words, words become our actions, actions become our deeds, deeds become our habits, habits form our character, character becomes our destiny.
Demons cannot touch your soul until you give them legal rights to do so. Just like no one can come into your home unless you invite them. If anyone enters your home without your permission, they are called a trespasser, and they can legally be evicted from your property. Once you invite demonic influence into your soul, you have to renounce their right to be there, before they can be commanded to leave. If you do not declare them trespassers and that you do not wish them to be in your soul, no authority can ask them to leave. This is why people get prayed for but do not receive their healing, or they never get delivered. If the person wants that lifestyle, then no prayer can violate their will or desire. Demons will just laugh at you for trying to cast them out. This is why the Bible says not to lay hands suddenly on a person. (I Timothy 5:22) It can be dangerous to your health, as the sons of Sceva found out. (Acts 19:14)
Your words and desires are the authority to expel any unwanted visitors in your soul. You have to will and express that desire with your spirit and with your words.
Drug addicts have to reach absolute bottom before they ask for help and mean it. They have to desire deliverance more than the high of the drugs. They have to use their wills, and express the desire of their will with their whole heart in words that show they mean what they say.
Just as demons will not leave without you willingly refusing their occupancy in your soul, demons cannot enter your soul against your will. Demons watch you for an invitation to come near you. You give them an invitation by showing interest in the works of the flesh or anything to do with the kingdom of darkness, and this interest in the devil’s kingdom is what gives demons legal rights to try to attach themselves to your soul. Your words and actions invite them to come near to you. The secret then to living free from their influence is guarding your thoughts, imaginations, desires, words and actions.
God’s Kingdom operates on Authority. Satan’s kingdom operates on Rebellion. Jesus gives authority to those who confess Him as their Lord and savior. Satan takes that authority from you in the same degree as you accept his lies by rebelling against God and His Word. Your rebellion gives Satan his invitation and legal means to ‘attach’ himself to your soul. Notice I used the word, ‘attach’. This is how the process starts, with attachment, meaning that they have not gained entry to the soul yet, but they are very comfortable hanging out with you. After all, you both like the same things. (Familiar spirits)
Ephesians 4:27 teaches us not to give any place to the devil. The moment Samson walked through the gate of Gaza, the devil moved in. Samson by his actions, was telling Satan that he wanted what he had to offer. Samson was on enemy territory. Samson was defeated by his desires for a woman. He came to his senses after having lost his eyes and grinding at the mill like an ox. He asked God for one more opportunity to avenge himself on the Philistines by pulling the pillars down around him and them. This is how he died on enemy territory, under a pile of stone, a broken man.
The Bible says that rebellion is as the sin of Witchcraft. Anything to do with rebellion is the same as dealing with Witchcraft. Witchcraft is of the Occult, and anything to do with the occult invites dark demons. New Age teachings are from the Occult and is just another form of rebellion against the true Word of God.
Legal ground is gained into your soul via many doors, gates, or portals. I will list some of them for now:
1-disobedience or rebellion, 2-vows, 3-Curses, 4-emotional Trauma, 5-lack of forgiveness, 6-fear or worry, 7-soul ties, 8-rejection, 9-abandonment, 10-spoken self-curses, 11-cursed objects, 12-Occult ties, 13-unnatural sex, 14-alcohol or drug abuse, 15-hatred or bitterness, 16-gossip or slander, 17-pride or greed, 18-lying or deception, 19-sexual sin, 20-incest, 21-false teachings, 22-yoga, 23-martial arts, 24-negative words, 25-depression, 26-loneliness, 27-sexual, emotional or physical abuse, 28-theft, 29-New Age teachings, 30-Eastern teachings
Any disobedience or sin can lead to a ‘stronghold’ in attitude, in emotion, or in action. A stronghold is a power base, a place of fortification set up by demonic forces either in the soul or the body. The goal is to take total control of the body, soul and spirit. A stronghold has you, you don’t have it.
There is a progression: thought, entertaining the thought, imagination or fantasy, emotions attached to the thought and more imagination, obsession with these thoughts and imaginations, seeking ways to bring these thoughts into actions (many times with deceitful means), these actions turning into habits, these habits turning into a way of life, and this way of life turning into a oppression or possession. At any point where you are allowing another to control your thinking, you have a stronghold.
Demons at first attach themselves to your words or emotional weakness. Then they harass you with a barrage of thoughts in alignment with those weak words or weak actions. When you show them you like these thoughts or behavior by continuing to entertain these thoughts or actions, then they attach themselves to your soul and begin to oppress you. As you go deeper into your negative lifestyle, they ‘enter’ your soul. The end goal is the destruction of a life and many times premature death. (Think of the dark areas of town and think Rock and Roll, and think Movie Stars. How many have sold their soul to the devil and have died a violent death?)
The deeper the involvement, the deeper the stronghold. Here are some scriptures speaking of strongholds.
II Corinthians 10:4 – “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”
Psalm 89:40 – “You have broken through all his walls; you have laid his strongholds in ruins.”
Proverbs 21:22 – “One wise person went up against a city of warriors and brought down the stronghold in which they trusted.”
Jeremiah 48:18, 41 – “For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you; he has destroyed your strongholds. The towns shall be taken and the strongholds seized.”
Ezekiel 19:7 – “And he ravaged their strongholds, and laid waste their towns.”
Deuteronomy 2:36 – “From Aroer which is on the edge o the Armon Valley and from the city that is in the valley, as far as Gilead, there was no city too high and strong for us; the Lord our God delivered all to us. NO STRONGHOLD IS TOO GREAT FOR GOD’S MIGHTY WEAPONS TO TAKE DOWN!”
Hosea 8:14 – “Israel has forgotten his Maker, and built palaces; and Judah has multiplied fortified cities; but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour his strongholds.”
Amos 3:11 – “An adversary shall surround the land, and strip you of your defense; and your strongholds shall be plundered.”
The good news is that Jesus paid Satan’s ransom for our souls, and gave us back dominion over the darkness of this world. We just have to understand it, and apply it by the right thoughts, emotions, words, and actions. We confess agreement with God’s Word by understanding our justification, sanctification, and glorification in Him. Then we are able to exercise the authority of Christ in our lives, over the devil’s kingdom of darkness. Think about the following scripture from the prophet Isaiah.
Isaiah 45:1-3 – “I have appointed you to subdue nations before him and to strip the kings of their robes, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut. I will go before you and make the rough places smooth, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel who call you by your name.”
Click here for The Portals To The Soul Of Man-Part Three