Deep trouble and deep distress came upon me. It was one of those times when I felt very troubled in my mind, as though something was bearing down on me — an outside force, that is. On top of this, something which seemed to be in me wanted to lash out at my wife. It was my heart, to be sure, but there was also this “thing” that seemed to be in the air. What was it? I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but I felt its presence. Frustrated, I went outside to the car, where I awaited my wife and little one-year-old boy.

At a time like this, I would have normally been with my wife, helping her find our son’s shoes. True, we were about to go to church, but right now I felt that the car was where I should be. This thing was bearing down on me, and I felt unnaturally pressured by it. So, rather than risking an upset with my wife, I decided to go out to the car. It was there that I could deal with whatever it was I needed to deal with, and pray to God. He was my Saviour, and my helper. He would help me now, because he had helped me before, and I knew that he was faithful.

Not the First Time

To be sure, this was not the first time something like this had happened. And what seemed peculiar is that I had heard stories like this from other men, as well, with regards to a pressure moment, when they had felt like lashing out at their wives. Often — I had heard — it was just when they were about to go to church or attend some important spiritual event, when these types of things occurred.

I knew I needed to get away and be alone for a while. Something was having its effect upon me — something which was not natural. For some reason, I decided to begin speaking out into the air, with a type of God-given authority. Yes, I know it was God-given. It couldn’t have been from myself. I don’t speak like that. I was, in a sense, commanding whatever it was to leave me alone. But the way I did it was simply to declare the truth. I never even once “spoke” to the enemy, Satan.

Powerful Declarations

I began to declare the truths found in God’s word, the Bible. There was really a power behind these declarations. Somehow, I knew that this was how I could obtain freedom. Powerful declarations like these affirmed truth. I knew that Jesus had complete authority over whatever it was that was trying to bother me, and cause me to get upset with my wife. So I declared something like this:

“I declare that Jesus has complete authority, and is able to set me free completely. I rely upon that authority right now, to get me free from my present situation. Thank-you, Lord, for setting me free!”

Words like these were powerful.

Of course, I could have quoted verses from the Bible, if I had had the conviction to do so. Yes, conviction was what mattered, and truth. Both were indispensable, if I was to truly be able to get free from my present circumstances.

Many people might know the truth, in fact, without really believing it. What good was it to them? Not much good at all. What they needed was the truth of God to be empowered by God. And that was what I now had. It was an exciting moment — but tense, too. There was great pressure being exerted against me. It wasn’t natural.

At the end of it all, I also found myself declaring an unexpected statement, which I had not thought about saying at all.

“I declare that as a result of our going to church this morning, a thousand people will be blessed!”

I had the conviction to say it.

But would these words come true? Actually, they would. Thousands of people would end up reading my story of victory, even as you are reading it right now.

The Word of God: Powerful & Effective

Satanic warfare had been issued against me. But God had said in his word, the Bible,

“so is my word that goes out of my mouth: it will not return to me void, but it will accomplish that which I please, and it will prosper in the thing I sent it to do.” (Isaiah 55:11)

In other words, the word of God, properly applied, would do its work. It would have a tremendous effect.

There was power and authority in the declared, spoken word of God. The apostle Paul, who knew all about spiritual warfare, had said,

“for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the throwing down of strongholds, throwing down imaginations and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

I knew that day that an evil force was tempting me. But, as a Christian, something more powerful still — that is, God himself — was living right inside of me. The Bible said,

“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

Three Sneezes

As I began speaking out into the air Scriptural truths which affirmed God’s authority over darkness and Satan’s defeat at the cross, I suddenly let forth a series of sneezes (three to be exact). Now this may sound very strange but with each and every one of those sneezes, I could feel demonic power leaving my body. And with the last sneeze, I was totally set free from that which was bothering me that day. My love for my wife returned, and I was completely able to be myself. Really, I was back to normal. And it all happened in a matter of seconds.

What had happened? This part is difficult for many to understand. But what had actually happened was that demons had invaded my space. In fact, they had invaded my body. One of the best ways to describe a demon is that it is a person without a body. Who or what are these beings? These are fallen angels — angels that rebelled against God.

Demons can approach us, and even come into us, if we are not careful. Demons will attempt to take up residence in our bodies, and use our bodies, if we give way to them. We must not do that. Instead, we must cast them out!

But how can they possibly get in? They can get in in a moment of doubt, or in a moment of weakness. Perhaps fear is there. Perhaps an unnatural judgment (for example, bitterness) is there. These things can, and do, “open the door” for demons to come and invade our space. However, there is a problem. This problem is actually in the church. Some churches deny that Christians can have demons living inside of them. So if you have this problem — if you have a demon living inside of you — these churches won’t help you. Instead, they may tell you to go see a doctor. But most doctors cannot treat demons. They do not deal with the spiritual. However, Jesus did deal with the spiritual by casting demons out of people.

The Woman with the Spirit

One person Jesus cast a demon out of was this woman whom he called a “daughter of Abraham” (see Luke 13:16). By this, he was indicating that she was a woman who had faith. Yes, people of faith can have demons. This woman was bound by Satan (that is, a demonic spirit which was part of Satan’s kingdom) for 18 years. The result was that she was hunched over. Yes, demons can, and do, cause this type of problem.

Demons, however, cannot affect your spirit, if you have surrendered your life to the one who died for you on the cross, namely, Jesus Christ. That is because when a person trusts in Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit (who himself is God) comes to live inside of them. Where does the Holy Spirit dwell? Inside a believer’s spirit. This is a very special place inside of each believer.

But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if it is so that the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if any man does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his. (Romans 8:9)

Thus, a demon cannot affect the spirit of a true believer, because the spirit of a believer is regenerated (supernaturally infused with the power of God). And that is why your spirit is protected against demonization. But the same cannot be said of your flesh. Your flesh is composed of your body and your soul. Yes, there is a difference between your soul and your spirit! The Bible says of the flesh,

For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, that you may not do the things that you desire. (Galatians 5:17)

This passage tells us that your flesh is at war with God! It is certainly no friend! This passage is written to Christians, not non-Christians. In another passage, the apostle Paul writes,

For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. (See Romans 7:18)

Those are very strong words! They were not written by a man who was unkind or uncaring, but by the apostle Paul. Therefore, your flesh is no friend of the Holy Spirit. This is why the apostle Paul said that every day, he had to say “no” to his fleshly desires. It was not just once in a while, but every day!

I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. (1 Corinthians 15:31)

And thus, in this world, we really are fighting in a spiritual battle. Where is the greatest spiritual battle? Inside of us! It is the battle between our flesh and the Holy Spirit.

There was a battle that day, and that day, I spoke commands which were heard in the spiritual realm. Curiously, I did not even speak to the demons. I merely affirmed the truth and made some declarations. Sometimes, that is all you need — stand on the truth of who you are as a believer in Christ and declare that truth in an authoritative manner.

My actions caused the demons that were inside of me to be expelled. How so? I was facilitating the Holy Spirit who was already living inside of me, in my spirit. Really, the work was a work of God; I was merely cooperating. And thus you, as a fellow believer, are what is known as an heir with Christ (see Romans 8:17), a fellow worker in God’s kingdom (see 1 Corinthians 3:9). In other words, as you take steps to do what is right, and affirm the truth of who you already are as a believer in Christ (namely, victorious on account of your faith), you will be facilitating the Holy Spirit, who lives inside of you. This can (and often does) mean healing at various levels. In some cases, it may lead to emotional healing. In other cases, it may lead to physical healing.

And thus, this is a very serious battle we are in. We do not want to be indwelt by any entity except the Holy Spirit. We are commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit (see Ephesians 5:18), and to put away the deeds of the flesh (see Romans 8:13). Let us therefore be mindful that we must do both — humbly come to the Lord each morning, to be sanctified (set apart, and renewed in our mind, and spiritually cleansed), and also fight in this warfare that we are in, using godly words of our mouth. To do one or the other is good, but to exclude one or the other is not good, and will leave you deficient in your faith. That is something you do not want. Therefore, learn to submit to God in all things (including your morning devotions and quiet time before the Lord). And learn to fight the good fight, by taking every thought captive, and by making godly declarations and affirmations.

Did not Jesus himself, being in complete submission to God (see Hebrews 5:7), make godly declarations and affirmations, based on the word of God, and, as well, command Satan to flee? He did.

Then Jesus said to him, “Get behind me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.’” (Matthew 4:10)

Therefore, you, too, must do the same, if and when Satan begins to encroach upon you. I am not saying this is all you will need to do, to obtain complete victory in your life. However, it is one essential element to being able to live a victorious Christian life. For we have an enemy, and this enemy is relentless.

Be subject therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)