This study comes from the book Blood On The Doorposts; An Advanced Course In Spiritual Warfare by William Schnoebelen. I highly recommend that you read this book AND get some prayer warriors with you before you attempt any of this. These steps are not to be taken lightly or haphazardly! You must be prepared both spiritually and mentally before beginning.
Following up on our prayer devotional, sometimes we must go to battle in prayer. The battle could be for us, for our children, for our family or our church. There are sometimes things in our past that need to be specifically renounced and put under the blood. There can be doors that were opened that allow demons to invade our homes and our lives.
Whenever you find yourself being oppressed by the devil, you need to aggressively go to God in prayer. Please note that it's not the exact wording that is important. It's the fact that you are boldly coming before the throne of God to find grace to help.
The first thing to note is that for you to be able to get rid of devils in your life, you must be a born-again Christian. This means that you believe the Jesus Christ is the Almighty Son of God who was born in the flesh and that you know you are going to heaven because you have asked the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins by His sacrifice of dying on the cross of Calvary, being buried, and rising again the third day according to the Scriptures and that His blood has been applied to redeem their souls from sin.
This is very important because there are other false Jesuses, gospels, and spirits!
II Corinthians 11:4- For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
I John 4:1-3- Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
As a Christian, you may find yourself under spiritual oppression by the devil. If you are uncertain, I will give you a brief portion of the list that is given in Schnoebelen's book on page 233:
1) Fiery Darts: Thoughts and feelings fired at us by Satan. All Christians experience these. They are to be rebuked and resisted as soon as possible in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
2) Mild Oppression: More serious or chronic problems with the thought or emotional life: depression, anger, bitterness, impure thoughts, etc. Usually, at this stage, they cannot remain long without the person's consent.
3) Oppression: This is similar to the above, but more frequent, almost constant attacks on one's physical, emotional, or moral well-being. Here, the "squatters" begin to stay longer.
4) Mild Demonization: Involves more or less permanent occupation by demons, but usually only in a few key areas where the person has either consistently sinner or been sinned against.
5) Severe Demonization: This involves an increase in either the depth of oppression or the number of spirits indwelling the person. Usually, radical and almost permanent changes in character occur here.
6) Possession: Impossible for true born-again Christians, but common enough among unbelievers all over the world, especially those involved in habitual and serious sin, occultism, or generational bondage.
7) Perfect Possession: This is rare, where there is almost literally "no-one home" except demonic strongmen.
Please note that if you are not a born-again Christian the only thing you can do is get saved. Those who try to tell demons what to do will find out real quickly that they lack the only thing powerful enough to deal with them. That thing is the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ!
You may want to purchase and read the book mentioned at the end of this blogpost BEFORE trying any of this.
Acts 19:15- And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
If you are experiencing oppression in your home or other location, you should check your home and make certain that it is free from occult or cultic objects. Sometimes the presence of such objects can be a reason why devils are oppressing you. Anything you wear, a decorative item that adorns your home, pagan art, or even something somebody brought into your home that was used in or cursed during a Satanic or other religious ritual. Relatively innocent objects can be loaded with demonic energy and create an object-link or access point into your home.
If you find anything you need to burn it. Then pray and declare that everything in your home is now consecrated to the Lord Jesus Christ and ask Him to remove any defilement from the room. You should probably go room by room and do this for each room.
You could also prayerfully walk your property line. Plead the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ over your property and ask the Lord to forgive any sin that occurred by anyone at any time on your property.
This process is not an exorcism. We don't use rituals or tactics which mock Satan or his demons. They are dangerous, and without the power of the Lord Jesus Christ and His protection, you will end up in bad shape!
If there is serious oppression, you want a few prayerful Christians with you when you do this. Perhaps plan it so that they and you have time to fast and pray before you begin. You should also be at a place that is used for worshipping the Lord Jesus Christ so that you aren't contending with devils who have laid claim to a specific location.
Speak audibly, even if it is just a whisper. And speak in your native tongue. You should not be speaking in charismatic "tongues" or "spirit languages" when doing this.
So, the first step is to acknowledge that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Lord of your life. If you are saved, but have trouble with this step, then you need to ask the other prayer warriors present to pray for you. They should be "seasoned" prayer warriors themselves. They can pray that God bind Satan from interfering with God's process of freedom for the person. They should also persist in rebuking Satan in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and reminding him that he is defeated by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and has no right to even be on the property, much less bothering the person.
I declare that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. I declare that every aspect of my life is under the protection of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
There may come some serious resistance. It can come from nature, demons, or even from within the person themselves. At any time during the process, if this occurs, along with praying you should sing loudly songs from an old-fashioned hymnal about the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and read Scripture aloud from the King James Bible. Psalm 91 is a good chapter to read.
You must speak aloud, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and through the power of His blood, that the devil and demons surrender the ground they have gained in your life, body, mind, or soul and command the devil to immediately go where the Lord Jesus Christ tells them to go.
Please note that during this process, there can be physical complaints or thoughts that aren't necessarily your own. These can include acute headaches, panic attacks, thinking that you are unworthy to command this, difficulty hearing or speaking, inability to concentrate or confusion, or even extreme lethargy and a difficulty remaining awake. These are all stumbling blocks that the devils will use to get you to stop. These can be prayed against. Pray against whatever the afflicting spirit is and bind it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and through the power of His blood.
Satan can also attack on an emotional level making you feel like you are being a bother or a burden to those that you have asked to pray for you while you do this. Again, this is a tactic used by the devil to get you to stop.
The Lord rebuke thee, Satan. You are bound and you have no place here by the power of the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Next, you are going to ask the Lord to forgive you for opening any doorways that allowed the demons entrance and for Him to shut any doorways of demonic access which have opened in the area of their life and ask that they be sealed with the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Doorways are things in our lives that devils use to gain entrance. They can be generational bondage from ancestral involvement in idolatry or occultism. They could have been opened by dabbling in the occult, trance channeling, oriental meditation, fortune telling or astrology, magic, or even besetting sins like anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, rebellion against parents, gossiping or tale-bearing, gambling, greed, drunkenness, drug abuse, abortion, adultery, fornication, masturbation, or homosexuality.
This list is not exhaustive. These are just a few of the most common doorways that people willingly open that allow access by evil spirits.
In some cases, they are doors that were opened by someone else and not willingly by you. These things could be abuse in all its forms (physical, emotional, mental, or sexual), loss of faith in God, or the use of hypnosis.
You can have those with you pray for discernment and the Holy Spirit's guidance in which doorways need to be specifically called out and renounced. The prayer warriors should also pray that any lying or deceitful spirits be bound from speaking or manifesting in any fashion.
It is important to note that if any demonic manifestation happens that you don't interact with it. Do not ask it questions or converse in any way. King Saul lost his life by going to a witch to commune with the dead. It is a sin to not only communicate with demons but also to let those demons speak through a human to you! Pray that they be bound from speaking or manifesting in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and through the power of His blood.
Two essential principles need to be remembered when dealing with bondage to drugs: drugs, especially hallucinogenic ones, are powerful initiation tools in the occult, and drug abuse is a form of idolatry. You will need to renounce the demon over the particular drug which is holding you in bondage.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I now repent of my involvement in the use of illegal and soul-destroying drugs and ask you, Father, to forgive me for using them. I repent of the sin of using (alcohol, marihuana, cocaine, etc.). I only want to use my mind to serve and honor you, Lord.
I speak now in the authority of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to all the strongmen and principalities over the drugs I took and declare that you have no power over me anymore for I am bought and paid for by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, which He shed on Calvary. I especially come against the Spirit of Divination and any other demonic spirits which came into me through my use of drugs. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I bind you all present together and I command you to go where the Lord Jesus Christ tells you to go by the voice of His Holy Spirit.
In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord, I ask you, Father, to shut any doorways of demonic access which may have been opened by my abuse of drugs. I ask you to seal those doorways by the Blood of the Lamb, shed on the cross of Calvary, and I invite with thanksgiving the full and manifest presence of the Holy Spirit of God to come in and dwell with me, filling the void places left with the healing balm of His love and power.
Praying for the release of generational bondage is the easiest. You never know what your ancestors before your grandparents did during their lifetime. Most of us will have someone in our ancestry going who knows how far back that was in the occult or brought a blood curse on their family. The exact wording is not as important as the meaning. We aren't spouting magical phrases, they just need to be biblically correct.
Exodus 20:5- Thou shalt not bow down thyself to 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;
Next, pray for the renunciation of religious sins. Idolatry is especially evil! It's curse of demonic access can be carried on until specifically prayed against. You should confess each form of idolatry to the Lord and ask for His forgiveness in that sin. If you worshipped specific idols or spirits, or if you channeled any spirits, then you should specifically name and renounce them. Ask Christ to forgive you and remove any holds they have placed on your mind, soul, or life.
You should also renounce the Spirit of Divination and cast it out. Especially if you used psychic powers or astral projection or if you used psychedelic drugs or channeled spirits. You need to ask the Lord the cut/ break the link of which the Spirit of Divination created between your soul and the evil spirit.
If you were in Satanism, Voodoo, Espiritu, Spiritualism, or anything like that, you need to renounce the familiars, fetches, or demon helpers by name. And declare that you no longer with to send or receive messages from the spiritual world except from the Holy Spirit of God.
Those who were in cult type organizations or who were made to swear oaths or covenants (witches, Mormons, Catholics, Masons, etc.) need to renounce those oaths/ covenants, and ask God to forgive them for that sin and break their power over them.
Joshua 24:20- If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.
Any self-destructive spirits should be renounced and cast out. Suicidal spirits or those who cause people to cut or burn themselves can be renounced and cast out through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you have made it this far, you should be feeling some relief. At any point, there could come resistance and if you encounter it then bind it from speaking or manifesting in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, sing hymns about the blood, and read Scriptures out loud until the resistance fades.
Next, you should repent and renounce any specialized sins. This could be abortion, drug abuse, drunkenness, homosexuality, adultery, pornography, etc. Also, any deep, sinful emotions such as hatred, bitterness, lust, unforgiveness.
Abortion is actually a two-fold evil. First, it can create emotional trauma. But also, the killing of an innocent child can open a doorway to two very mean and powerful evil spirits; Schnoebelen calls them "strongmen".
You must ask forgiveness for the sin, renounce it, and cast it out. This should be done by a woman who has had an abortion and by a man who has pressured a woman into having an abortion.
Renounce drunkenness or drug abuse by name. These have specific demons associated with it, and you need to ask forgiveness for and renounce each one. Ask the Lord to remove any strong men that were associated with them and through the power of His blood command them to go out and never come back.
A most powerful and pernicious doorway to demonic infestation is unforgiveness and pent-up anger. This one is tricky because it's not something that's easily seen. You can pray through the power of the love of the Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive this person for this grievance. Not only does it set you free from demonic oppression, but it also helps to heal us emotionally.
2 Corinthians 2:10-11- To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
You are asking God to cleanse your body, soul, heart, and mind, to forgive you for each sin, and to close any doorways of demonic access opened by any sins, at any time, in any way. And, then ask the Lord to seal those doorways shut forever with the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Next, prayer for breaking of ungodly soul ties. These are ties made between us and other people. They are basically spiritual STD's. Anything that has defiles the other person or that will defile them in the future can travel through these ties back to you.
They can be ties that were made through abuse or promiscuity. It could have been created by a willing act or a forced attack. The good news is that they can be severed.
By the authority of Jesus name, I ask you to cut any and all ungodly soul ties between myself and any person or spirit with whom I have been intimate, known or unknown, remembered or forgotten. I ask you to use the Sword of the Spirit to cut any ungodly soul ties which may exist between us, right now! In Jesus name, I ask you to cleanse those ties by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ of any possible access through which Satan can trouble me or my children.
If it was a voluntary behavior or act, then you need to confess it as a sin and ask Christ to forgive you for committing it. Place those acts under the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I John 1:7,9- But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If there was ritualistic abuse, you do not need to probe deeply and painfully into long-buried memories of childhood trauma. God knows what you went through. In most cases it is only necessary to make a broad statement. Put it under the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and leave it there. This prayer is a good example:
By the authority of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I break the power of any and all covenants, contracts, dedications, or commissions made over me or my children, known or unknown. I also ask the Holy Spirit of God to dismantle all triggers, post-hypnotic suggestions, implants, or mind control and to destroy their power over me and my children forever.
I declare to Satan that he is a defeated in my life and in the lives of my family, and that by the power of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I shut any doorways of demonic access into my life and command him to get out of my life altogether. I ask you, Father God, to seal those doorways forever by the blood of the Lamb of God shed on the cross of Calvary.
If you forgot to mention something during the initial prayer session, and remember it later, just confess it to Him and say that you are sorry and ask Him to shut any doorways that are opened by the sin. The Lord Jesus Christ may bring something to your mind that you forgot and need to get taken care of.
Lastly, pray that the Holy Spirit fills and heals the areas that the devils invaded or destroyed. And that He gives you the wisdom and discernment and courage to carry on in your walk with Christ.
Philippians 3:13-14- Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Satan loves trying to convince Christians that they aren't saved, or that they somehow lost their salvation. In the age of grace, once you have asked the Lord Jesus Christ to apply His blood to your sin debt, you are saved. Only in the Tribulation can people lose their salvation.
Also note that demonic infestation is not responsible for every sin you have ever committed. We are still sinful flesh in a sinful world. We may have strongholds in place that are fleshly habit patterns which demons used that we now need to tear down.
Repeated abuse, sinful acts, and willful recurring sins can create a strong hold, and if you aren't saved a Strongman (demon) will enter in. The above prayer by a born-again Christian will remove the strongman, but the stronghold will take time to break down. You may need to fight an addiction for a while.
Character building and discipline are needed. Much Bible reading, prayer, Scripture memorization, and waling closely with the Lord is needed to build up good habit patterns to replace the sin strongholds which were crippled. Jesus Christ will be with you through it all and He will help you.
It goes like this: You get sinful thoughts caused by our flesh, the world, or the devil. You need to renounce them immediately and plead the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you don't resist, it leads to a choice to willfully sin in either thought, word, or deed. You should repent and ask for forgiveness and renounce the sin. If you don't it will become a sinful habit. This is where the stronghold is constructed. It becomes a behavior which gets harder to resist and eventually leads to a loss of control. That is the point where demon elements begin to take hold again. Soon you will find yourself back in bondage to the sin and the demons behind it.
Satan will certainly try to exploit any of these habits and try to use them to convince you to sin and reopen doorways. You need to rebuke him sharply and keep up your prayer life! Also renew your mind with Scripture. An idle mind is the devil's workshop; a passive mind is also dangerous.
For more information, get the book Blood On The Doorposts; An Advanced Course In Spiritual Warfare by William Schnoebelen.
Following your initial prayer session, you will want to begin every morning with Bible reading and prayer. The Bible is such a vital tool in spiritual warfare- the most important part of the armor. Using the King James Bible is also important. Many other Bibles offer a nearly perfect counterfeit of Jesus, His salvation, His church, and His gospel, but they remove or attack the name and diety and the blood of Jesus Christ and because of this they have lost their spiritual authority.
Begin by seriously seeking God's face and affirm your desire for Him to be your Lord and personal source of power and safety. Ask Him to make known to you what He would have you do today. Ask Him for forgiveness of any sins that you have committed, knowingly (by name) or unknowingly; this keeps you free of Satan's power to accuse you. Then thank Him and praise Him for all that He has done for you. Claim any Scriptural promises that you feel the need to claim. If you are going to encounter any specific events then now is the time to begin praying for His guidance and discernment. Ask God to help you see any situations as He sees them and ask that the Holy Spirit take full control of each situation you will be facing that day; tell Him that you surrender your will to His will. If you invite Him to help you and work on you (and in you), He will!
You want to face every day as an open, honest, sincere prayer warrior who is girded about with the whole armor of God and is a dependable Christian servant that has confidence in God's truth. You are not fighting in your strength; you are fighting clothed with the supernatural power of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's time for Christians to take up the sword of the Spirit and battle aggressively!
