Our counseling clients and seminar attendees often wonder why they have certain “issues” working in their lives that they cannot get the victory over. Counseling has had limited effectiveness and many have little understanding of the demonic realm which is working to kill, steal and destroy.
Over the course of fourteen years in counseling and deliverance ministry, we have developed a process that helps people identify specific sources of torment (open doors or entry points) and then show them how to close them prior to receiving ministry.
So, with a tip of the hat to David Letterman, here is our “Top Ten” list:
- Generational sins and curses
- Word curses
- Unforgiveness
- Judgments Against People
- Occult Sin
- Sexual Sin
- Ungodly Soul Ties
- Pride
- Broken covenants and vows
- Severe Abuse/Trauma
Which are the most important responsible for torment? It is our view that generational curses and unforgiveness are most significant.
There is a great deal of misinformation in the Body of Christ, and sometimes wrong teaching, about how these particular open doors work. Some are of the mistaken belief that “getting saved” or receiving Jesus as their Savior automatically takes care of all these prior open doors and that “Satan” (more properly, demonic spirits) have to flee and leave.
People spend years in self-help programs or counseling (secular and Christian) trying to get relief from what is often a demonic stronghold. Can we blame demons for everything wrong in our life? Of course not! Flip Wilson’s famous line of “The devil made me do it” has garnered lots of laughs over the years but there are elements of truth in it because of the influence they can have.
The fact is that the demonic kingdom is more active in our lives than people understand and are able take people out. God said in Hosea 4:6 that His people perish for lack of knowledge and ignorance is not bliss when it comes to spiritual warfare and understanding the demonic realm.
Our understanding of the demonic realm continues to grow as we study and minister deliverance. Our counselors have conducted thousands of personal deliverance sessions and ministered to many thousands more in group deliverance sessions and we gain new insights regularly.
What do you think of this list? Are there other items that should make the top ten?
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