DEMONIC INFLUENCES
The first goal of demons is to prevent us from receiving salvation. If that fails, they work at preventing Christian maturity. They try to shut us down and make us ineffective. Their chief strategy is to try to get people to turn away from God. They do this through many forms of temptation, harassment, and also from challenging God and His Word. Demons lie to us and work hard to have us lie to ourselves.
Another form of harassment is accusation and criticism. Demons will interject condemning thoughts into the minds of believers. They particularly like to stir up the past with thoughts of, “You really should have...” or “If only you had done...differently”. Demons are on a “seek and destroy” mission. They work together and strategize. They take advantage of our weaknesses and they love times when people are either physically and/or emotionally weak or vulnerable. They attempt to affect all areas of a person’s body, soul, and spirit. They don’t play fair.
There are several ways by which demons oppresses people. Afflict: To inflict something hard to endure. Harass: To annoy or disturb persistently, to wear out by frequent attacks. Influence: To exercise indirect power over in order to sway or affect. Oppress: To lower in spirit or mood. Torment: To cause severe suffering of body or mind. Torture: To punish or coerce by inflicting excruciating pain. Worry: To disturb one or destroy one’s peace of mind by repeated or persistent torment. Wrong: To inflict injury on another without justification.
We know that we are made up of body, soul and spirit. Again the soul in itself is made up of mind, will and emotions. Becoming a believer means we must have surrendered our will to the Lordship of Jesus Christ our savior. But the mind and emotions, we might not have fully surrendered to our Lord. In these circumstances either knowingly or unknowingly we are allowing the devil to have a legal hold on our mind or emotions. Psychic Power, Psychic Prayer, Mind Control, Mind Control Occult, Witchcraft and Soul Ties are some of them.
WITCHCRAFT:
I Samuel 15:23. "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the Word of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee from being king." When we turn away from God we are in witchcraft or in devil's territory. This is a most general statement in that we have given place to the devil and will live by the devil's rules and we have to understand the devil's mode of operation which is best described as witchcraft. That means we have surrendered our body, soul and spirit to the control, influence, or manipulation of the unseen forces of evil spirits.
The operation of the devil is only through the manipulation of evil spirits. If Satan wants one of his people in a higher position in a company, then he has to have an evil spirit in a person of authority to advance the preferred one. If the devil wants to bring a preacher down he might use an evil spirit of lust in a gorgeous young well perfumed sweet thing to bring about a fall. This operation doesn't just have to be in a preacher because it works in all groups.
Witchcraft is the most effective weapon in the devil's arsenal to destroy and or prevent any human being coming into the full power of God. Occult means unseen. Witchcraft and Occult go hand in hand. All these practices are hidden snares to involve humans in the devil's world and to make them think that they have it all. Here is a partial list of snares the devil uses.
OCCULT PRACTICES: Fortune Telling, Ouija Board, Cards, Good Luck Charms, Seances, Edgar Cayce, Jeanne Dixon, Mind Control, Witchcraft, Four-leaf Clover, Rabbit Foot, Wishbone, ESP, Transcendental Meditation, Yoga, Hypnosis, Drugs - Tranquilizers and Pain Relievers, Incense, Dungeons and Dragons, Pendulum, Palm Reading, Automatic Handwriting, Pierced Ears, Horoscopes, Signs of the Zodiac, Voodoo, Magic, Levitation, Water witching, Tea Leaf Reading, Secret Organizations and Lodges, Eight Ball, Smoking, Chewing Tobacco, Dipping Snuff, Drinking Alcoholic Beverages, Kabala, Handwriting Analysis, Strychnine, Arsenic, Spirits of Gene and Chromosome Damage, Crystal Ball, Tarot Cards, Psychic Readings, Spiritualism, Sorcery - Drugs - Pharmakia, LSD, Rubik's Cube, Clairvoyance, Telepathy, Para-psychology, Enchantments, Potions, Ankh, Peace Sign, Star of David and Five Pointed Stars, Artifacts, Tattoos, Owls and Frogs, Snakes Self Realization, Deja-vu, Martial Arts, Buddism-zen, Hinduism, Taoism, Yin and Yang, Confucianism, Acupuncture, Hare Krishna, Bingo Gambling and Playing Cards Gambling, Astral Projection, Eckankar, Reincarnation, Arthur Ford, Ruth Montgomery, Divining for Metal or Minerals or Anything Else, Psychosybernetics, Mind over Matter, Pyramid Power, UFO, Trances, Dolls (Originated in Voodoo), Psychometry, Psychic Predictions, Clairaudience, Second Sight, Auras, Metaphysics, Mental Science, Vision, Superstition, Fetishes, Runes, Amulets, Talismans, Satanism, Indian Witchcraft, Sun or Moon Worship, Spiritual Healing, Italian Horn, Indian Religions, Warpaint, Maize Fertility, Christian Science Healing, Omens, Karma, Rock and Roll, Mediums, Hex Signs, "Jesus" Rock and Roll, Itial, Irish, Gypsy, German, Etc., - Witchcraft, Rappings, Poltergeists, Haunted Houses, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Tolkien, Conjuration, Incantation, Idolatry, TV Shows like "Merlin", Walt Disney, Rose Mary's Baby, Reading Hari, Biofeedback.
CULTS: Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Science, Rosicrucians, Theosophy, Unity, Mormonism, Unitarians, Bahai, Spiritualism, Scientology, Swedenborganism, Christodelphiamism, Inner Peace Movement, Spiritualism, Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship, Association for Research and Development, Religious Research Foundations of America, Eckankar, Urantia, Moonies, Subud, Latihan, Islam, The Way, and other religions using the Bible but denying or omitting the Divinity of Christ, and/or the Atonement of His precious Blood, any group denying existence of heaven or hell, Catholic Church.
The practice of witchcraft in the Catholic Church is in all their ceremonies. The mind is purchased or we might say controlled by the water baptism being poured across the forehead. A Catholic helps curse himself or herself every time he or she makes an upside down cross in crossing himself. Catholics participate in a lie in transubstantiation in communion (Cannibalism). Cursing of themselves occurs through the "sick call sets", consisting of a crucifix, two candles, and holy water. Worshipping saints (praying to the dead) is scripturally forbidden (Deuteronomy 18:11). Calling a man Father (Master) is also forbidden in Matthew 23:9. The Catholic Church is really an endless string of damnable practices all done in the name of Jesus Christ. (II Corinthians 11:13-15).
Cub scouts, scouting organizations, demolays and Masonic organization's ritualism and symbolism all go back to Nimrod. It all leads to the satanic: It is a well known fact that many teachers are practicing witches. One boy from a southern state (he was a high school English teacher) said the head of the teacher training program in that state was the head witch in that state.
Teachers, who are witches, usually go for training to learn how to interweave witchcraft into the teaching program without being suspected by the community. Witchcraft is taught in school by the promotion of folklore, study of demons and demonology. The students are always told that witchcraft, the way he's using it, or she's using it is for good. This is a lie of Satan because all witchcraft, black magic, white magic, or white or black witchcraft is all bad.
In one school the teacher had put a curse on his pupils of "death and hell". Another example is that of a student that put spells and love potions on a girl to make her desire him sexually. Don’t be under the impression that it won't work. This all has become a commonplace in schools where witchcraft is practiced. Where Dungeons and Dragons are played it isn't unusual for students to put spells on other students for a power move or vengeance and sometimes for the fun of it. They get a kick out of trying their new power.
It is all very real, and it results in an evil spirit being put into the participants by the curse, hex, or charm, and the student’s mentality and entire attitude usually becomes erratic and unpredictable. In schools where karate or judo is taught this causes further demon possession. In gym classes, YMCA and YWCA, people are often taught to sit in the Lotus position. This also opens them to demons.
The great conspiracy of Satan to control our mind reaches into the entertainment field through television and movies. Most of the actors and actresses on television today are either practicing witches or mixed up in witchcraft or seeking witchcraft or seeking the power of witchcraft. Most are in some way implicated in it.
SOAP OPERAS: Soap operas have a powerful grip on the mind. Mind control, soul removal and entrance of evil spirits all occur in the person watching them. Emotionalism, violence, passion, anger, lust, free love, hate, you name it, the opportunity for many to enter the person is there. For example, Dallas brings about spirits that would seek to corrupt every form of business and home life.
The authors, writers and script writers are absolutely polluted with it. As a result they produced Star Wars, Jaws, Empire Strikes Back and many more. Many movies are the most horrible, grotesque, powerful, satanic, indescribable, treacherous, revolting, productions. Words cannot describe the effects that witchcraft has had in our entertainment field. Filling the observer with fear and opening him up for demons to enter is the goal of each horror movie.
There is hardly a page of movie ads that are fit to read. We can remember that witchcraft includes the use of sex. The people who are delving and dealing in witchcraft have no ability to develop any love such as the Scripture defined love. The only love they have is the sexual activity. To them that is love. Sexual activities and stimulation is not only used as a subverting factor, but as a counterfeit of true love and the sending forth of more powerful curses.
In witchcraft books they suggest that we go out in public with no clothes on except a raincoat and then take the coat off in an elevator to build up their energy or power. The braless and bikini looks have their roots in witchcraft. A look at a nude or indecently exposed body or pornographic material can be just as potent as the taking of a drug, in admitting or activating an evil spirit.
A believer must be aware that from every aspect of his life and activity, he is threatened constantly with the prospect of witchcraft being beamed at him by the enemy. These attacks come from unknown or unsuspecting sources. The snares of Satan are cleverly laid to trap the believer into a situation where Satan can have more control over his or her mind.
SATAN IS AFTER THE CONTROL OF OUR MIND:
Mind control is the chief weapon of Satan to snare the believer. The Scriptures admonish us to "bring every thought into captivity", II Corinthians 10:5. The Scriptures say that the spirit of a sound mind means a disciplined mind. It is absolutely essential for a person to keep a sound mind or a disciplined mind, to become aware of the thoughts that are coming from the devil and the thoughts that are coming from the Lord. Many times a person will enter a world of fantasy and imagination, lusting after something, or covetousness, or of something they consider normal. Many times they will dwell on what to do in case of an accident. This is a great counterfeit when the devil will have you go over and over what to do in case of an accident. By accepting this and hearing this in our mind we are giving place to the devil for it to happen.
This is a counterfeit for what we are supposed to do when these thoughts enter our minds. We should reject them and reassure ourselves that it cannot happen to us because the protection is available that the Lord has promised in His scriptures. Psalm 91 and other great scriptures should enter our mind and we should control the thoughts and possess total victory over those situations. We should dispose or cast out these thoughts of the devil and not entertain them.
It's important to "capture our thoughts". By apprehending our thoughts, understanding our thoughts, and being able to look upon our own thoughts, we can bring every thought into captivity. Many times a split personality could stop the personality from changing by simply taking charge of his own thoughts. It is important to realize that things like Dungeons and Dragons, and other games of witchcraft, put the mind in gear for Satan. Then witchcraft activity becomes common place. The casting of spells, the inducing of charms, and the practicing of witchcraft takes over the entire mind and thus gives way to the mind control spirit whereby the mind can be controlled by the devil himself. This is also the reason for the psychedelic colors in the Rubik's cube, and the mind boggling disco lights and the lights that are sold as rhythm, colors. All these colors affect the mentality and aid in the taking over and controlling of the mind.
Mind Control is the prime root cause for failure to use the spiritual gifts for God's Glory. Beelzebub interferes with the correct operation of the gifts. We should ask the Lord to loose spirits of Joshua and Caleb and to help us to take full control, power and authority over Mind Control. Mind Occult will provide a powerful pulling force to readmit a demon who was cast out. Seal off this power with the Blood of Jesus.
THERAPEUTIC: The word medicine is used twice in the Old Testament (Prov. 17:22; Jer. 30:13). Medicine also occurs two other times (Ezk. 47:12; Jer. 46:11). The root words are Gehah (a cure); Gahah (to remove or heal); Teruwthah (a remedy) and Rephuah (heal). In each case the words mean to effect a complete cure or restoration to the one treated - to heal or restore completely.
The word physician is used five times in the Bible. In the Old Testament the Hebrew root word is Rapha or Raphan meaning to stitch, restore, make whole and heal thoroughly. The Greek root word in the New Testament means to cure or make whole.
Satan, as the god of this world, has introduced into the realm of medicine a group of chemicals and drugs spelled relief, relievers, tranquilizers, uppers, downers, etc. These are both prescribed and are on the shelf with the assumption they are safe to use or they would not be available. Such drugs and chemicals in the Bible are associated with sorcery (Greek: Pharmakia) - medication: Pharmacy: means magic, witchcraft, a drug, spell-giving potion, a druggist, pharmacist, magician, sorcerer, poisoner. In other words, the use of chemicals by sorcerers in the Bible was to make it easy for the user to be invaded by evil spirits. Scriptures on sorcery: Acts 8:9; Rev. 9:21; 18:23; 21:8; 22:15.
In the light of these facts the question arises, what chemicals or drugs can a Christian take without affecting his spiritual sensitivity and desire to serve the Lord? Scripture declares that real medicines heal or cure. Our problem arose when Satan caused worldly scientists, researchers and the medical profession to endorse reliever drugs which have no curative value but only serve to deepen the plight of the victim. So often a righteous believer may condemn alcohol as a reliever yet in her purse she carries Valium or Librium as a reliever for herself.
Behind the scenes Satan's agents manipulate and interfere to bring about aches, pains, agony, diseases, etc. which afflict the minds, wills and emotions of their victims. Reliever drugs only mask the symptoms but do not cure them. Many of the modern pain relievers are so powerful they are capable of veiling the mind or setting up barriers between the Holy Spirit and the person's will or desire to seek the Father. This produces tension, worry and anxiety, necessitating an even stronger mind separator, i.e., tranquilizers. These can separate a person's mind from reality and (when prescribed by a reputable doctor, psychologist, or specialist) can further alienate the uninformed believer from God (Isaiah 5:13-14).
Viewed this way, many strong pain killers, tranquilizers and mind altering drugs constitute instant witchcraft, regardless of who prescribes or advises taking them. In a sense a believer taking some of these drugs while crying out to God for healing would be like a man begging the fireman to extinguish a fire while he continues to pour gasoline on it!
A mind-boggling drug produces two complications for a believer. First it may well constitute sorcery or witchcraft - seeking help from man, the flesh and the demonic. In that instance he would come under a curse from God because of involvement with the occult. It could also paralyze built-in defenses against the demonic, opening the way for entrance of evil spirits just as in hypnosis, transcendental meditation and yoga.
All medicine are not bad, curative and healing arts which do not alter the mind or attitude toward God are what the Scripture calls medicine. But mind altering drugs are definitely in the caution area for believers. Believers have an obligation to ask their physician or other knowledgeable person just what the function and action is for any so-called medication which is prescribed. They then have a choice and can pray to determine whether or not they should use any substance. The Bible definition of physician is one who restores or makes whole.
Many alternative practices are heavily steeped in false spirituality, Eastern mysticism and New Age thought. From acupuncture and aromatherapy to shamanism, yoga and Zen macrobiotics, alternative medical practices span the alphabet. They run the gamut from clever blending of fact and fancy to complete foolishness. Failure to diagnose and treat, physical threats, toxic effects, emotional harm, wasted money, diverted resources and loss of reality can hurt or kill due to mystical interpretation of reality and pursuit of occult practices.
The fact that doctors are combining occultic spiritual practices with modern healing produces medical quackery and false spirituality. Just because something works doesn't make it right for anybody.
(Natural Therapies - Ayurveda, Colonics, Herbalism, Naturopathy, Macrobiotics and Osteopathy. Manual Therapies - Massage, Rolfing, Trager Work and Chiropractic. Mind Therapies - Hypnosis, Biofeedback, Christian Science, Dreamwork, Transcendental Meditation and Yoga (power of mind over sickness, pseudo-sceientific, dynamic relaxation, altered consciousness, guided imagery, visualization, shamanic trance, New Age religions, Science of Mind religions, body/mind integration techniques.
Energy Manipulating Therapies - Acupuncture, Applied Kinesiology (muscle testing), Crystals, Flower Remedies, Iridology (iris of eye), Reflexology, Reiki, Therapeutic Touch and Universal Energy (New Age, self-transformation, metaphysical, electromagnetic, polarity, quasi-religious, oriental wisdom, cosmic radiant energy, chakras, ancient sacred knowledge, Eastern mysticism and religious concepts, Chinese and Indian philosophy, Buddhist spiritual principles, Taoism, Confucianism, Monism, Legalism, esoteric occultism, prana, face reading, hydrotherapy, manipulative, bio-force, chi, jin shin do, physiotherapy, prophetic healing, trigger point therapy, sorcery, white magic, wizardry, Acupressure.
Supernatural Therapies - Channeling, Psychic Surgery, Shamanism, Spirit Guide and Visualization (occult, spiritual and faith healing, spiritual awareness, demonic influence, clairvoyance, psychokinesis, crystal ball, fortune telling, witchcraft, tarot cards, phrenology, worship of nature, spiritual attunements, yin and yang, astro-projection, alchemy, out-of-body experience, communication with dead, spiritists, spirit guide, seance, create own reality, magical healing, seeking forbidden knowledge, psychoanalysis, hypnotherapy, rituals, somatic therapy, magic, metaphysical, past life incarnation / regression, UFO contact, sacred science, palm reading, aura, pendulum, witch doctor, medicine man, past-life regression).
We have to stay away from Acupuncture, Acupressure, Spiritualism and Christian Science for healing. According to recent medical reports, it has been found that treatment by acupuncture brought relief to only one-third of the people who have used this procedure to cure chronic pain.
Acupuncture comes from two Latin words acus meaning needle and pungere to prick. Five thousand years ago, the Chinese used this method to relieve pain. It is the Yin/Yang theory and many investigators attribute its effects to hypnosis. This information alone should warn a Christian not to allow these methods to be used on them. The ancient Chinese were expert in the use of Acupuncture and Acupressure. Acupressure which uses pressure points and massage instead of needles is still based on the occult. Also the oldest recorded medical information comes from the occult priests in the Hindu religion practicing these methods.
Often when a person receives a healing through some occult practice, they will soon find themselves with a greater illness. Someone used an occult practice of tying knots in a string and burying it in the drip of the house to cure warts. Later he had spinal meningitis which almost killed him. This could have been the swap of demon of warts for demon of spinal meningitis. We swap a lesser demon for a greater demon.
One out of eight people probably have some degree of Schizophrenia. Since Schizophrenia starts with the families of Rejection then Bitterness and then Rebellion, probably everybody has some degree of Schizophrenia. This personality problem begins when a person withdraws from friends, has morbid introspections, reduced initiative, strange behavior, delusions, hallucinations, and thought disturbances. In this group, Catatonic will have one or more of the following problems; catatonic stupor, mutism, negativism, rigidity, excitement, and violence. Paranoid will have delusions of grandeur, persecution, jealousy, or hallucination of these. Undifferentiated will have delusions, incoherence, and grossly disorganized behavior. We have seen all these types of schizophrenics freed by the casting out of demons. Most of the time the thoughts these people have, are the thoughts of demons and are always meant to incapacitate the individual. In James 1:8, the Bible calls this double mindedness.
COPROLALIA: This disease has the compulsion to scream obscenities. The afflicted person may have a lack of muscle coordination, involuntary purposeless movements, facial and muscle ticks, incoherent grunts and barks may accompany the obscenities. They may appear to be very vulgar, drunk or psychotic. There is little or no help in medicine. This ailment usually begins in childhood with uncontrollable twitching, especially of the facial muscles. This is usually helped by repentance and deliverance from spirits of swearing, hate, obscenities, etc.
MUTILATION: It is strange that some people seem to be needing operations on a fairly routine basis. There have been a number of times we have found Mutilation to be the ruler. He often has a partner named Accident Prone; they seem to work together to bring a person accidents and operations.
Traumatic Shock opens the way for many demons to enter. Some of the natural ones are Paranoid Fear, Depression, Despair, Discouragement, Suicide, Paralysis, Affliction, Death, Fear of Death, etc.
It is not strange that in the realm of healings there are relatively few among the paraplegics and quadriplegics? Although demons do not know everything about the future, they certainly know a great deal more than we do. Spirits called Accident and Accident Prone work with others named Bone Breaker and Back Breaker to open the way for a character called Traumatic Shock.
Once the base is established and the headquarters in the nervous system is secured, Paralysis calls in spirits of Crippling, Deformity, Atrophy, Depression, Discouragement, Hopelessness, Despair, Suicide, Death and many others, and begins the systematic destruction of the victim.
SOUL TIES: Soul tie is formed when we give importance or get attached to, or adore anything or any person more than God. This opens up a legal ground for the devil to enter in and starts controlling and manipulating that person. When a person adores or worships an image made out of stone, wood, metal, he also develops a soul tie with that idol.
Deu 5:8-9, Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me. Deu 27:15, Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place.
When an Idol is made and erected in any place the first thing they do is the ceremony called pranapratishta along with some incantations for the purpose for the purpose inviting that spirit to occupy that idol. From then on the idol becomes the residence of the spirit to which the invitation was made. When a person in rebellion to God’s Word adores and worships this image, they end up forming an evil soul tie with the evil spirit.
Rom 1:21-25, Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Rom 1:26-32 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. When they go on worshipping the image, they take on the characteristics of the image itself because of the evil soul tie and the rebellion against the Lord.
OPEN DOORS: Demons sometimes target people for special attacks; where there has been occult involvement and/or dedications in the past generations, or where the person himself has been involved in occult. There are some very specific “open doors” by which demons frequently gain entrance into a person’s life. Common open doors include, Inherited Curses, Sins of the Flesh, Illness, Emotional Trauma, Passive/Trance State of Mind, Occult Involvement, The sins of the flesh are the door that we most frequently open. This is particularly true if the sin is repeated and becomes a pattern or lifestyle of indulging the flesh.
GENERATIONAL SINS AND CURSES: Many times other people bring curses into our lives. Generational sin is an example of how others can bring curses into our lives. We open our lives up to curses by giving place to them through our own sin, choices, and beliefs. Word curses are also a way that others can affect us. Examples of word curses are statements such as, “You’ll never amount to anything”, and “You are a failure.” The Bible tells us that there is the power of life and death in our tongue and our words. If a person receives these word curses as truth, then the curses become real in his life.
Generational sins, curses and patterns are attitudes, actions, beliefs, behaviors, and/or habits that we have inherited from our family or relatives. We then “enter into” the same sin pattern and make it our own. It is usually repeated throughout our life as well as by individuals in successive generations. Deu 5:9b-10 states, “I do not leave unpunished the sins of those who hate me, but I punish the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generations. But I lavish love on those who love me and obey my commands, even for a thousand generations”. Even sadder than having our parents or others curse us is cursing ourselves through our own words.
God isn’t out to “get us” or to curse us. Those are not His plans for us. However, God gave each one of us free will and He plainly gives us the choice to receiving blessings or curses. Curses are a natural consequence from breaking God’s laws. Judgment is brought forth as His laws are broken or violated. Here is a list of Generational Sins, Curses and Patterns with which many people struggle.
Abandonment; Abuse: emotional, physical, mental, sexual; Addictions Anger, rage, violence; Control, possessiveness, manipulation; Emotional dependency Fears (all kinds); Idolatry; Money extremes (greed, lack); Not caring for children Parents and children exchange roles; Physical infirmities; Pride, Rebellion, Rejection, Insecurity, Religious bondage, Cults Sexual sin and perversion; Unbelief Unworthiness, Low self-esteem, Inferiority Satanism, Witchcraft, Occult etc.
Generational curses do not make us sin, but they can cause us to be drawn to particular types of sins. The enemy seems to know our weaknesses and those areas where we have not yet received God’s healing and freedom in our lives. He also knows when we sin. Satan willingly takes advantages of any openings we give him to come against us.
“I confess the sin of my ancestors, my parents, and my own sins. I choose to forgive and release them; for the sin of idolatry, the curses and the consequences in my life. I ask you to forgive me, Lord, for this sin; for yielding to it, and to the resulting curses. I receive your forgiveness. I renounce the sin and curses of fornication. I break this power from my life, and from the lives of my descendants, through the redemptive work of Christ on the Cross. I receive God’s freedom from this sin and from the resulting curses”.
GENERATIONAL WITCHCRAFT: When past family members have been involved in the occult, that is a very serious matter for the members still living. They may be fighting demonic affliction even if they are saved; if they are not saved, they may be possessed. If Born Again, we must specifically renounce the individual in our family past who was participating in the occult, specifically asking the Holy Spirit to cut those Generational ties.
CHILD ABUSE: This horrible practice of abusing children is not only driven by the demonic host, but the permission for demons causing this disaster within families is actually passed from generation to generation. This spiritual fact is the reason psychiatrists have noted that most abused children become abusers themselves when they grow up!
Satanists routinely abuse their children with hideous rituals and tortures so as to divide their minds into Multiple Personalities, so we should not be surprised to see ever-increasing levels of child abuse in a society sliding deeper and deeper into satanic values and attitudes.
PIERCING BODY PARTS AND TATTOOING: Former Satanists have stated that one of the major societal signs of a society slipping into Satanism is a surge in the number of body piercings and tattoos. God forbade tattooing of the body in Deu 14:1 and Lev 19:28 because it went hand in hand with the Satan worship among the foreign populations of the people living in Israel at the time. God forbade body piercing in Leviticus 21:5, also because it was part of the satanic practice of that time, and God wanted Israel to have nothing to do with either the practice or the outward physical manifestations of it.
Many of the people who pierce the body are practicing Satanists, and will take a month's supply of body piercing jewelry to their monthly coven meeting to be cursed. Specific curses will be placed upon each piece of body piercing jewelry so that a person having their body pierced will automatically invite demons into their body. Many of the people performing tattoos will likewise have their work cursed.
OBSESSION WITH PORNOGRAPHY: God's prohibition against illicit sex also extends to voyeurism inherent in pornography. Jesus made it quite clear that the sin of adultery extends to the mind. Matt 5:28, whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. The very fact that pornography has extended so deep and high and wide within this society and is being promoted on every type of mass media is further proof we have slipped into a satanic society. Bacchus [addiction] and Larz [sex] are clearly ruling the lives of many people in our society today.
OBSESSION WITH CANNIBALISM: During several types of satanic rituals, where a human sacrifice is offered, the members of the coven will eat the cooked flesh of the victim. They believe this act will impart to them the strengths of the victim. Thus, cannibalism is a major part of Satanism. The very fact that novels based upon cannibalism are so popular, and movies with cannibalism are the absolute rage today is further proof America is slipping down that slippery slope of Satanism.
NEW AGE RELIGION: Whenever a person is taught to go into occult meditation, and to deliberately clear their mind, they have opened a very large spiritual doorway into which any manner of demons can enter. Most people will meet demons masquerading as other people, including Jesus Christ. Most people will go a long time before they even encounter a guiding spirit or spirit guide that is offensive to them, or that scares them. Satan and his demons can masquerade as "angels of light" in order to deceive [2 Corinthians 11:14], and they have spiritually deceived tens of millions of Americans and other Westerners.
When Antichrist arises, the Bible states that entire populations will run after him in amazement and worship. It is no wonder that the entire populations could be deceived. Demonic possession of hundreds of millions of people is occurring today, and perhaps the demon in many people will never make himself known until Antichrist is on the scene. At that moment, the demon in these people will suddenly begin influencing the thinking of these human hosts, making them love Antichrist and want to follow him wherever he may lead. This danger is very, very real and very dangerous.
STRONGHOLDS:
A stronghold is anything we hold onto that ends up holding us. Strongholds are toxic thoughts that can have an adverse affect on our thinking process. Strongholds of fear, worry, bitterness, anger, shame, control, etc. need to be replaced by Christ’s thoughts. Ungodly beliefs are open doors, inviting Satan to come into our minds. If we don’t reject Satan’s lies, then we accept them as truth which is amounting to believing and trusting what Satan says about us more than what God says about us?
Ungodly beliefs are trying to put themselves above God. So those thoughts are not God’s thoughts. Thoughts come from three sources: Ourselves, Satan or the demonic realm and God through the Holy Spirit. If we ever had an intrusive thought and we knew it was not ours and had a vain imagination attached to it, then it is from the devil. Usually it is the opposite of God's Word. They are spontaneous which are Negative and Destructive (i.e. line up with the names of Satan: Accuser, Father of Lies, Thief and Adversary).
God’s thoughts are also spontaneous which are Positive and Up building (i.e. line up with the names of the Holy Spirit: Comforter, Counselor, the Spirit of Truth, the Convincer and the Exhorter/Teacher). On the other hand our thoughts are Analytical (i.e. connected, we construct them ourselves; they are not spontaneous).God and His thoughts only, are to be exalted in our life, not ungodly beliefs. The battleground is in the mind. We need to apply God’s weapons against everything that would try to keep our thought patterns and habits in the old way.
Also when we were lost, we were under enemy control; our lives were subject to strongholds. These strongholds were constructed, for a purpose. They were designed to keep us lost; Satan in his war is in the business of constructing strongholds, which feed our fallen nature. His desire is to keep us blind from the Gospel of Christ, so we perish in a lost condition.
But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them 2nd Corinthians 4:3-4.
When we come to Christ, the army of the Lord invades our life; the battle for territory has begun. Satan is not willing to give ground to his enemy, the Lord of Hosts; he does not want us to live a successful spiritual life. Therefore, his goal is to keep as many strongholds standing in our life as he can, allowing him to wage war on our souls. Remember, Satan’s goal is to prevent the power of God, from being established in the believer’s life. He does this through strongholds, if Satan can establish areas of operation in our life; he then will have the ability to attack at will. He can then keep us from being on the offensive, against his kingdom.
For this reason, it’s imperative for us to have these satanic strongholds pulled down. If we don’t remove strongholds, we invite failure and defeat in our spiritual walk. Because we are giving Satan a base from which to wage war.
We live in the physical word, in the world of flesh and blood is where we see the work of the spiritual realms played out. We cannot divorce ourselves from the flesh, but this is not where our battle takes place. The evil we see in this world, is the result of this spiritual war.
We have individual strongholds such as alcoholism, racism, and pride that we face on a personal level. There are also worldwide strongholds, exerting power over large groups of people such as Islam, atheism, materialism and pornography.
The term stronghold means an area where an entrenched power exerts control over an individual, group, generation, territory in opposition to the knowledge of God. We, the army of the Lord on earth, use our weapons, to pull down or destroy these strongholds. The Greek word for stronghold means a castle, stronghold, fortress, fastness. We are to destroy these structures using our spiritual weapons.
The powers of strongholds are not just on a personal scale, they also affect generations, and large segments of populations. For example Alcoholism, the addiction to Alcohol, can have a stronghold on entire generations of families. Religions are also strongholds, which claim billions of souls, entrapped in deceit.
Strongholds are defined as arguments and high things, which are placed above the knowledge of God. By comparing the knowledge of God to our actions and thoughts, we can expose not only our strongholds, but the strongholds of those around us. For example, someone might know pornography is wrong and against God’s word, they watch anyway despite the knowledge of sin. Why, because the power of the stronghold has overcome the person’s inner objections, where does this control come from?
Many of our “isms” are essentially spiritual strongholds of false reasoning. Take your pick, Communism, Hinduism, Alcoholism, Atheism, Racism and more are all forms of logic, which make sense to the people entrapped.
In ancient Israel, one of the besetting sins of the people was their setting up of images on hilltops and in groves. The pagans of Canaan (Palestine) were removed from the land for their sins; the people of Israel were to be a holy and upright people. They were to be different than the people of the land before their occupation. However, Israel soon began to adopt the customs of the people around.
They disobeyed God, by setting up competing places of worship. They set up idols and images in high-places, in defiance of God. Also the children of Israel secretly did against the Lord their God things that were not right, and they built for themselves high places in all their cities, from watchtower to fortified city. They set up for themselves sacred pillars and wooden images on every high hill and under every green tree. There they burned incense on all the high places, like the nations whom the Lord had carried away before them; and they did wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger, for they served idols, of which the Lord had said to them, "You shall not do this thing (2Kings 17:9-12).
Paul uses this imagery to illustrate the picture of a stronghold, a stronghold does not only have to be a way of thinking, it can be an idol, set up to worship. For example, our business, clothes, cars and homes can become a high-thing. Because, we choose to exalt the material thing above the knowledge of God.
