Any emotion that has lingered too long can open a door to demonic oppression. The bible gives clear instruction on a period of time for grieving the loss of a loved one. An unending grieving process is an open invitation for a stronghold of heaviness. Spirits of loneliness, depression, and possibly suicide move in and set up camp. Secular counseling for loss can take years. That’s why, as a deliverance minister it’s such a blessing to watch the Holy Spirit deliver a person and do the inner healing in minutes.
I had the opportunity to pray deliverance for a woman who had lost her older sister to cancer. Each time her sister’s name was mentioned she burst into tears. As we bound the strongman of heaviness and proceeded to cast out loss, grief and loneliness, the Holy Spirit stopped me and showed me the picture the enemy kept flashing in her head when she thought of her sister. It was the deathbed picture of cancer.
At that moment the Holy Spirit gave my prayer partner a picture of what her sister looked like now, dancing in heaven with Jesus. Prior to deliverance she could not get past the first picture. A week after her deliverance she came in beaming. and said, “You know the enemy tried that old picture again, but this time without those spirits driving me from the inside I was able to just say no! ” She continued, “I still cry all the time though, except now they are tears of joy.” This woman had been able to complete the grieving process for her sister because that spirit of grief was gone from her life.