Unfortunately, most born-again Christians do not believe in the presence of evil spirits. They think that they have been released from evil/unclean spirits and their activities at the time of salvation, but that is far from the truth and is a lie from Satan himself to keep us ignorant. Satan does not want us to grasp this truth because he does not want us to be free of him and his unclean spirits. Why not the church?
In Matthew 15, a Canaanite woman approached Jesus and his disciples, pleading with Jesus to deliver her demon-possessed daughter, who was in excruciating pain. However, Jesus did not respond to her at first, citing that He was sent to heal/deliver the lost sheep of Israel and that it was not right or fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs or Gentiles. Jesus was emphasizing that the gospel would be given first to the Jews. The woman understood what Jesus was saying and was content with crumbs. She refused to accept no for an answer, and because of her strong faith, Jesus granted her request. He heard her cries, saw her faith, and delivered her daughter. Here is another good verse that caught my attention. Though I had read it many times, this time I saw it differently.
Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues (church) on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years and was bent over and could in no way raise herself. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. (Luke 13:10-13)
This passage specifically states that this ailment was a “spirit of infirmity.” This woman was completely healed of her physical ailment after this spirit was cast out. Some people today are fighting battles in their lives that are so deep and ferocious that they cannot be explained. Every week, we sit in church next to many crying, tormented people wearing masks. You may have several such tormented members in your congregation. I’ve met a lot of people who battle rejection, mental health conditions like schizoaffective disorder and schizophrenia, masturbation, lust, perversion, pornography, greed, pride, jealousy, covetousness, bitterness, unforgiveness, disagreement, rage, revenge, and retaliation. There are times when we carry a lot of weight. Those who are perplexed and long for freedom will pray to and seek the Lord. We fast and read the Bible but still can’t seem to solve our problems.
Naomi’s Story
Naomi was addicted to masturbation from a very young age. Masturbation causes the release of hormones and neurotransmitters, which are associated with positive emotions, sensations, and physiological responses. As a result, sexual stimulation of one’s genitals is pleasurable even when we don’t understand it. Some in the medical/social sciences profession say it’s perfectly normal, but Naomi said it was the beginning of sorrow. Masturbation became an addiction and a thorn in her side. Her taste was insatiable, and she soon began watching pornography and engaging in ordinate craving for sexual pleasure. She became a slave to what was deemed perfectly normal and acceptable in today’s culture.
Naomi heard the gospel and received Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. She did not immediately break free from her years of masturbation, pornography, and other vices. The addiction simply did not vanish. She desperately tried to beat her flesh into submission, but she was a slave to whom she also yielded herself, as written in Romans 6:16-17.
Instead, she masturbated for the next thirty years, carrying all of her addictions, insecurities, and other emotional baggage with her. She did it grudgingly, sometimes acceptingly, but always with guilt and shame. Naomi went to the Lord, puzzled about how she had become so involved in masturbation. God was faithful, and he revealed to Naomi that everything began when she was a child. She was relieved to learn that she had not sought it out, but that it (the spirit of lust) had sought her out and attached itself to her.
If certain acts/sin gives evil/unclean spirits access, are all Christians demonized? Certain doors that are left open are frequently used by unclean/evil spirits to enter a person’s life. Through the door of victimization, this perversion/lustful spirit entered Naomi’s life. Usually, when we willfully sin, we open doors for unclean spirits to enter. Then there are unclean spirits that are passed down through generations. Involvement in the occult is also a gateway for evil or unclean spirits. Furthermore, when the baby is rejected, evil/unclean spirits can enter the body while we are still helpless inside the womb. These babies are rejected not maliciously, but rather due to a lack of understanding of the consequences. Nevertheless, rejection still leaves a wound.
Unclean/evil spirits are invisible spiritual entities with minds, emotions, and wills of their own, in league with, and under the control of Satan. They are out to carry out the will of Satan which is to torment the people of God. Evil/unclean spirits of course are delighted that the modern American ignores them, helping them remain hidden. For most Christians accepting the reality of evil/unclean spirits is a lot like accepting the reality of divine physical healing. It is difficult to believe until you have experienced it. When Naomi accepted the Truth of God’s word, she experienced the power of healing and deliverance.
Naomi was still bound, tied up, and a slave to pornography and masturbation until a year ago. She was led to a ministry by the Holy Spirit that taught her about the benefits of deliverance. “If you have a besetting sin that you can’t shake, you’re probably being harassed by an evil/unclean spirit,” the minister explained. That statement caught Naomi’s attention and she began to study the Gospels in the New Testament. Additionally, she recalled a dream she had many years prior in which she was informed that she was called to the Ministry of Deliverance, but she was unable to accept that dream because she had no interest in deliverance.
Naomi was not only molested as a child but there were also incestuous sexual encounters and numerous sexual partners both before and after salvation. Sex is a three-dimensional experience that involves the spirit, soul, and body. When you have sex with someone, you form a bond with them, and whatever is in them transfers to you. She began applying the Truth of God’s word, and after repenting and renouncing lustful acts (masturbation and pornography), the battle began. It was intense. In her dreams, the spirits began to harass, torment, and visit her. Spirits began to visit her and attempted to have sexual relations with her. She later discovered that this was common among those who were determined to come out of agreement with the spirit of perversion and lust. Those unclean/evil spirits did not want to leave but in the Name of Jesus, they had to obey. The battle was fierce, but she is now free, free, free. Deliverance is the children’s bread!!
According to Jesus in Matthew 15:26, deliverance is only for God’s children. It is part of our New Testament believers’ birthright and covenant. All believers who agree with this truth will be delivered. It symbolizes our liberation from demonic spirits’ influences and control over our lives. The last thing Jesus tells His apostles at the end of Mark and Matthew’s Gospels is for all of them to save, heal, deliver, and disciple. This final great command given to us by Jesus is known as the Great Commission. Then Jesus appeared to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.” Matthew 28:18–20
Numbers 33:55
But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell.