Wrong attitude and thinking, unforgiveness, unteachableness, etc.
Lust of the flesh (carnality), lust of the eyes and the pride of life (1 John 2:16)
Unconfessed sin: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. IF WE CONFESS OUR SINS, HE IS FAITHFUL AND JUST TO FORGIVE US OUR SINS, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:8-10)
There are literally dozens of scriptures where God asks us to hate evil and not to take any part in it, not even in the appearance of it. Part of the reason is because it is dangerous as it can open demonic doorways or portals.
“Abstain from all appearance of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:22)
“This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5)
“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, says the Lord, AND TOUCH NOT THE UNCLEAN THING AND I WILL RECEIVE YOU.” (2 Corinthians 6:17)
“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.” (Romans 12:9)
“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil.” (Psalm 97:10)
“And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?” (Isaiah 8:19)
“And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.” (Leviticus 20:6)
“Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 19:31)
What can we do to protect ourselves, our friends and family, and others?
The Bible speaks of ‘the weapons of our warfare’ and these primarily include learning spiritual warfare. We read about this in Ephesians 6:
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of god, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.”
Demons can cause problems that manifest in any number of ways in any and all areas of life, but the solution is always deliverance. One problem may seem more horrific or ‘evil’ or shameful or guilt-inducing than another, but that is one of their aims and we should not allow it. It is better not to spend any time worrying about it and just get on with the remedy.
Prayer, along with some concrete changes, such as removing cursed objects and practices from one’s life, along with a change of lifestyle, putting aside ungodly practices and living a more godly life which includes prayer and studying the Bible.
Playing an audio Bible on low volume can help, even when we are not in the room or in the house. These days there are many recordings of audio Bibles available for free online and the King James version is far superior to other versions for this purpose.
Playing worship and praise music can be extremely helpful for this purpose. With one proviso, great care should be taken in the choice of music as much of modern worship music today has strong occult associations. Some so-called Christian music is not godly and the battle here can be for our very mind and soul.
“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him MUST worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24)
The use of occult symbolism by the occult arts which is so prevalent today also provides demonic doorways or portals which act as a conduit to channel invisible powers. This is part of programming people’s minds, providing access for the demonic which could be likened to tuning into a certain radio channel or frequency. This is a mind control method like predictive programming, where something is shown to happen in a TV series or movie before it happens in reality.
For example, we sometimes see in a horror film a pentagram is drawn or chalked on the floor to summon a demon, or even the devil himself. Another example is a Ouija board which is is sold as a game to provide a means whereby people can speak to the dead, although God has expressly forbidden contact with the dead. In fact, it is not possible to use a Ouija board to communicate with the dead, but only with demons. Ouija boards are dangerous because they can open doorways or portals for demons to gain access and get control. It is not recommended that anyone should watch this but there is a video on Youtube about possessions caused by use or possession of a Ouija board and many other similar accounts can be seen on the internet.
Just going to a seance once, having our tarot cards read or consulting a fortune-teller once, reading astrological horoscopes in a newspaper or magazine, or watching a horror film has the potential to open doorways for the demonic. This can result in demonic oppression and harassment of all descriptions.
Although Christians cannot be possessed as they are sealed by the Holy Spirit, they can be subjected to other forms of oppression and harassment, even demonization, and believers can certainly have a demon or demons even though they have the Holy Spirit. Many articles have been written on the subject of “Can a Christian have a demon” explaining how and why, and these can be found via Google.
There are stories such as someone taken on a ghost train as a small child went on to suffer nightmares and demonic oppression for many years into adulthood. That is because the experience opened doorways so that demons could get access. Once demons get their claws in they can prove to be hard to get rid of even if they don’t have the ‘legal rights’ to stay. Not every child who goes on a ghost train or went through some form of trauma would experience similar results, but things like this can and do happen and one can read the testimonies of people who have experienced the reality of it.
It is especially dangerous to tamper with things we do not understand such as hallucinogenic drugs, and the same is true of occultism in all its forms, particularly because such practices can open demonic doorways for worse things to happen.
The idol entices its proposed victim by provoking curiosity or fascination like the Greek legend of the head of the Medusa that turned anyone who even looked on it into stone.
Sometimes we need to find out what is likely to have caused doorways to open and shut them. It may be a combination of things that we have done or not done, or what we are doing or not doing. Once we know and understand what the Bible says, it usually is not that difficult to find out, although for some this can take a little time, particularly if there are compounding problems that need to be dealt with. For a few, it can be quite a journey. Although God is able to heal us and restore us even when difficulties and trials have gone on for some time. Although it is best not to allow the situation to continue too long in order to prevent too much effect on one’s body and soul as there could be some lasting residual damage. The better we know and understand what the Bible says ourselves, and the more we turn to God in prayer for help and guidance, the easier it will be to overcome any problems.
It has been said that the devil does not usually come into one’s life uninvited. He follows protocol. Someone has to have something belonging to Him. For example, in horror films we see a vampire has to be invited in, he can’t just walk in and certain things will prevent him. It may be something we brought have brought into the house, something or things we have done, or something or things we have not done that we should have.
Sometimes demons come in just because they can. It could also be due to ancestral iniquity – sins and the results of sin on the family line. Or it may even be the place itself, one’s home, as there are places that are inherently cursed or the curse is due to the previous occupants and things they did there. Sometimes though it is not possible to cleanse a place, and it is better to just get away and go somewhere else.
Generally speaking, whatever the cause, the remedy is the same – deliverance from evil, as per the Lord’s Prayer, aka spiritual warfare.
The devil and his demons are expert legalists and deceivers and are always looking to get a toehold, a foothold, a stronghold and then a stranglehold in people’s lives. Getting cursed objects and symbols into people’s homes or gardens and lives while blinding them to it, is one of their main methods of achieving that, through a person’s disobedience to God.
In particular, the presence of one or more cursed objects in the home can help to open demonic doorways, or portals as mentioned earlier in this article. In some cases, just removing the item/s and throwing them in the trash can resolve the problem/s. In other cases, it is more complex and there is more to uncover, such as perhaps unconfessed sin, or unforgiveness, etc. but removing cursed objects from one’s home is a good start.
“Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, LEST THOU BE A CURSED THING LIKE IT: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.” (Deuteronomy 7:26)
The presence of a cursed object in our home or garden can affect any and every area of our life. It can affect our health, our physical and mental wellbeing, our finances, relationships, our employment, our home and anything else. It may be just be an indefinable subtle influence on the mind and soul of those near it or it may be more profound and prominent. The purpose of this influence is to take as much (witchcraft) control of their victim as possible and lead them in a wrong direction where more control can be exerted.
The possession of cursed objects and symbols in one’s home, garden, transport or office, along with engaging in other sinful practices and other forms of disobedience to God can effectively open demonic doorways – also called portals or gateways. These doorways provide licence grounds or legal rights, to demons to harass, torment and destroy, in all the ways that they do. Sometimes, in order to get deliverance, we need to find what or where those open doorways are, and shut them down.
These terms ‘demonic doorway’ or ‘portals’ do not appear in the Bible but a TV, radio or mobile phone are types of portals. Examples of what is meant or implied by those terms can be seen in scriptures like this:
“Neither give place to the devil.” (Ephesians 4:27) [Not give some place, or a little place, but give NO place.]
“I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.” (Psalm 101:3)
Other Bible versions say: “It shall not fasten its grip on me”, “It shall not grasp hold of me”.
“And do not give the devil a foothold.” (Ephesians 4:27 NIV)
“Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” (Ephesians 5:11)
“Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: For we are not ignorant of his devices.” (2 Corinthians 2:11)
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” (1 Peter 5:8)
Other Bible versions say: “Be vigilant”, “Be alert”, “Be on your guard”, “Be clear-minded”, “Be watchful”.
God Himself has cursed anything which is or has been used in idolatry, no matter how valuable or desirable it may seem to be, due to perhaps age or rarity. This would include any materials derived from it, such as wood, stone, gold or silver, even its ashes.
According to the Bible, it is only ‘living souls’, that is people and animals – ‘nephesh’ meaning any creature that breathes – who are not subject to that rule.
“The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the Lord thy God.” (Deuteronomy 7:25)
Some attempt to recycle or upcycle things – or for example a holiday like Halloween – to attempt to purify or sanctify it. They believe that if something is blessed or sprinkled with holy water or somehow repurposed or rededicated to God, that will remove the curse on it and of it, and in it. This is a deception.
“Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.” (Job 14:4)
“But they set their abominations in the house, which is called by my name, to defile it.” (Jeremiah 32:34)
“By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;” (Hebrews 10:10-12)
“But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.” ((1 Corinthians 10:20)
Objects or symbols can be cursed to various degrees according to the item itself, its origins and history and connections to certain people or places. Also according to its perceived value to the owner and the level of idolatry involved. Things can be particularly cursed if they are directly idolatrous, or directly connected with or used in idolatry. Or if somehow profane or unholy, or directly or indirectly connected with evil, the devil and Satanism, witchcraft, etc.
Even if someone did not know that objects – or symbols – were cursed or did not know they had them in their home or garden, or in their workplace, or even garage or transport, they can still be used by the demonic just the same. Although there would likely be a difference in the degree to which they are able to be used, which can be, for example, according to how much an object was valued or revered, or not. We can test ourselves whether we have the strength to let something go.
The degree to which something is cursed would also depend on what sort of belief system or value system is attached to them and the degree to which it is in conflict with what the Bible says.
All forms of witchcraft (manipulative control), are regarded by God as idolatry and therefore cursed. This includes any form of paganism such as Druidism, nature worship, New Age practices, white witchcraft, all forms of freemasonry, Christian and other cults, etc.
Adultery, sodomy, polygamy, sex outside of a marriage as God ordained, and all forms of sexual perversion and other sexual sins, and pornography, are liable to be cursed.
“Fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:” (Colossians 3:5)
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” (Proverbs 18:21)
“With his mouth, the godless man destroys his neighbour but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.” (Proverbs 11:9)
“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.” (1 Samuel 15:23)
All forms of unrepentant unforgiveness and revenge, wishing harm to someone, inordinate anger or rage, hatred and any such negative emotions can potentially bring a curse and open doorways or portals.
“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14-15)
“To me belongs vengeance and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time.” (Deuteronomy 32:35)
Violence and all things associated, such as weaponry and martial arts, including movies and video games and online gaming esp. any that don’t glorify God.
“The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence, he hates with a passion.” (Psalms 11.5)
Anything to do with death cults, such as hell’s angels, skull and skeleton figures, zombies, especially animal sacrifice and blood, or murder, including imagery and paraphernalia, tattoos, costumes or clothing, anything to do with Halloween or horror movies.
Things can be cursed by people too, and some witches of various types and religions and peoples have a propensity for cursing things. For example, many of the Red Indian tribes practised witchcraft and cursed their sacred lands, especially burial grounds. These curses are real and can be deadly.
Places, mountain regions, or lakes, etc. with names including words like ‘hell’, ‘devil’ or ‘death’ have often been found to be dangerous.
Anything to do with idolatry or pagan worship, especially the idols themselves, their places of worship, temples, gardens, etc. and images of the same are cursed by God Himself and are abominable to Him.
“Cursed be the man that makes any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and puts it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.” (Deuteronomy 27:15)
“You have praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand your breath is, and whose are all your ways, have you not glorified.” (Daniel 5:23)
“Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. they have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: Neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like them; so is every one that trusts in them.” (Psalms 115:4-8)
“Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the Lord; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean.” (Haggai 2:14)
“Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness.” (Ezra 9:11)
“Therefore say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord God; repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.” (Ezekiel 14.6)
“And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. “(Revelation 9:20-21)
People can also put witchcraft curses on things, and people, and places. Objects can be cursed due to their history, and associations, a connection to personal unholy soul ties, or due to their connection with the practice of sin in all its various forms.
The removal of Christian values including prayer and worship from institutions such as schools, various occasions, holidays and celebrations etc., is also a form of idolatry, the substitution of idols for the word of God brings a curse.
Bless and curse in the various forms of the words, along with numerous references to cursed objects, are found in the Bible many hundreds of times, in both the Old Testament and the New. This list contains many of those Bible references and there are more besides.
Some Christians today believe that the New Testament has replaced the Old and we should not pay too much heed to what the Old Testament says. Yet the New Testament contains approximately 250 express Old Testament quotations, and more than 1000 indirect or partial quotations.
The Old Testament is quoted in the New Testament at least 295 times, occupying some 352 verses of the New Testament, or more than 4.4 per cent. Therefore, one verse in 22.5 of the New Testament is a quotation from the Old Testament.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
[The Occult and Cursed Object List itself begins about one-third of the way down this article.]
Demons are involved in carrying out Satan’s evil plans (2 Cor.11:15). What Satan is said to be doing (see above) is their work directly.
1. Demons promote idolatry (Lev.17:7; Deut.32:17; Ps.106:36-38). This activity is blatant in primitive cultures.
2. Demons are active in hindering the spiritual progress of believers every way they can (see Satan’s activities). They are deliberate and organized in these attempts (Eph.6:10-12).
3. Demons promote false teaching (1 Tim.4:1).
4. Demons can possess and afflict people (see article on Deliverance).
(a) They cause physical ailments (dumbness – Matt.9:32,33; blindness – Matt.12:22; convulsions – Matt.17:15-18; Mark 9:20; self-injury – Mark 5:5; 9:22).
(b) They cause mental disorders (withdrawal, nudity, filth, irrational behavior – Luke 8:27-29; suicidal mania – Mark 9:22).
(c) They inflict problems upon believers as well, if allowed by God (Job’s troubles – Job 2:7-9; Paul’s “thorn in the flesh: – 2 Cor.17:7).
5. Demons promote selfishness and division in the church (James 3:13-16): “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.”
This article is written by: Sid Litke, Th.M., a 1984 graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, currently pastoring the Open Door Bible Church in Port Washington, Wisconsin: http://www.odbcport.org/index.htm
Persecution Live 