Dealing with Demons Part 2 - Breaking Addictions and Strongholds
Caution: This is a spiritual testimony and not a substitute for medical advice.
Dealing With Demons: Part 2 - Breaking Addictions and Strongholds
Before we begin, I have talked about my past struggles with addiction in my testimony here about demons. Yes, I struggled with alcohol, and while that is somewhat embarrassing to admit, I am free from this addiction due to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
God has told me that my truthful testimony would benefit people. Instead of hiding behind a screen of self-righteousness and an attitude of “I am holier than thou”, I am being truthful to the body of Christ. Alcohol was a demon I fought for many years, but I believe I have won and conquered this demon once and for all.
I can now state here in writing, “I will never drink again - not even a sip of alcohol.” Not everyone struggles with alcohol, and this post isn’t just about alcohol, but it is for anyone with ANY addiction right now at any level. Further, I am not here to argue about whether something is a sin or not - you need to go to the Bible and God to seek understanding on whether something you engage in is a sin to God. Remember, I am not a legalist, but I am also not a lukewarm Christian. Sin is real, and so is hell.
In fact, a brother in Christ recently emailed me about his porn addiction, and God gave me a dream that I needed to write this as soon as possible, as there are many people fighting battles with addictions and strongholds. This isn’t just about any one addiction - this is for any addiction you struggle with, whether that be porn, alcohol, pills, food, video games, your phone, food, etc. Name your vice - this post is for that.
Chances are, if you are reading this, you’re probably struggling with something, and the first thing I want to say is that confessing what you are struggling with can be very freeing.
This brother, in his bravery, reached out to us with a request for help with his porn addiction. Of course, I will keep him anonymous, but he is not alone. I commend him for confessing this!
As I mentioned above, so many preachers today stand behind a mask of self-righteousness, especially in the modern, dead church. I rarely hear preachers or church members confess their sins, and this is dangerous for the body of Christ. If we believe no one else is sinning, ever, we may feel alone in our struggles. If we hear nobody else has conquered a specific sin, we may feel we cannot conquer our own. That is why I am sharing my testimony of victory - not shame!
Now, I am not saying we all need to stand on stage and proclaim every sin to the world. We have to decide, at times, who is trustworthy to share with and what God wants. Above all, we must confess our sins to God, and He will guide us in what to do with whether or not confession is necessary in other ways. However, confessing our sins to one another holds us accountable. Though I have already decided to never drink again, this post is like a contract to you all reading to stand true to my promise.
God told me that confessing my past sins to all of you will strengthen the body of Christ and help you feel less alone. Also, it will remind you that we all fall short of the glory of God. Finally, however, it will be a testimony of righteousness in the end. Now that I am sober, I am free. Other sins do not bind me as much, so I can now lead a holier life with little standing in my way. I now understand the verse about peace that surpasses all understanding because I can finally feel that. Sin was standing in the way of my peace.
So, this post is part testimony, as well as part advice for you all. I want all readers to feel the peace that I am feeling, but this doesn’t come easy. All good things are worth working for in the end.
Alcohol, for me, wasn’t just a physical thing. In fact, it was mostly all spiritual, and I didn’t understand this at the time, which I will explain in Step 1.
As I write this, I will be focusing on my testimony, as well as exemplifying other addictions, such as pornography, to help my brother in Christ! I will also mention other strongholds here and there, but the point is, the steps in these posts are for anyone with any addiction they want to break! God, I pray that this writing sets someone else free. Those who are free in Christ, are free indeed!
Step 1: Understanding the Battle
First and foremost, stop looking at your addiction as physical. Even though I physically liked to drink, it wasn’t as physical as I had once thought.
The first time I drank a shot of vodka for relief, I found out my mom was very ill. I was with my ex at the time, and he already had a drinking problem. I remember the moment I believe the spirit of alcoholism entered into my life.
It was after a very stressful evening regarding my mom.
So, he said, “Let’s have a drink - we will feel better.”
Now, I want to explain something. Since he already had a drinking problem, there were likely spirits already near him (or in him) waiting for an opportunity to come into me. Secondly, I did not have a drinking problem at that point, but I remember clearly that moment and always will. That is a moment where I made a spiritual decision. I decided spiritually not to face my sadness with God (I didn’t even really know God at the time), but rather, with a physical liquid.
Now, this is what you need to understand. Anytime you sin, you give legal grounds to demons. Never, ever think a sin is too small for this to happen. Sin opens doors to Satan and his demonic forces.
Of course, we are not perfect, and sin occurs, but the problem is that a pattern of sin that comes along with addiction creates constant opportunity for demons to enter. Envision this: you are a holy person overall, you sin, and you repent immediately. You gave little opportunity for demons to attack because that door was closed as soon as it was opened.
However, with addiction, that door is open a lot more, and it becomes bigger and bigger each time you sin.
Jesus explained that every time we fall, unfortunately, we have cleaned out our temples for even more to enter! When I took long breaks from drinking and did really well, when I fell, those forces that came back were so much more powerful than before.
Please don’t feel hopeless, as I fell hard, and many times, and yes, each time I fell, it got harder to quit. Still, I am writing this testimony now, aren’t I? Again, I won with Jesus Christ leading the way.
However, that is likely why you’re struggling so much. Chances are, there are demons that are hanging around your addiction of choice, and they are always so excited when you choose to do it! The demons make it feel good and fun and take more power over you every time you do it.
For example, when it comes to pornography specifically, there are demons that you are watching in people having sex. Start viewing it that way. When I drank, I was opening a bottle of demons to put into my body (spirits). I was inviting them in! When you walk into a casino, demons abound! Whenever you sin, the demons come around because it gives them legality. The more you sin, the more legality they have in your life. Are you all getting the picture here?
Let me explain further, just in case. There is legality in the spiritual realm, just like we have laws in the physical realm. For example, demons legally have to bow down to Jesus Christ. That is why when we use His name - it is the most powerful name in the universe.
However, if we are weak and full of sin, using the name of Jesus is not as powerful as we don’t have as much access to Him. It doesn’t mean He cannot help us; however, there is a spiritual war going on, and angels and demons are literally battling over you. When you give into sin, you are giving the demons power over the angels. At a certain point, the angels may not be able to help at all if you completely are taken over by your sin. When you lead a holy life, Jesus will command His angels over you.
The more we sin, the less we have access to Jesus and his angels - it’s that simple.
That is why when you commit that sin, you feel so terrible afterwards. Remember, our bodies are our temples, and Jesus dwells in this temple. When we sin, we pollute it, and He may temporarily leave us.
Luckily, we have grace, we can confess our sins, and we can repent! Unfortunately, with addiction, we get into a cyclical trap, and the demons are aware of this, and they become more powerful. They watch us and they wait, and they even get to the point where they tell us the situation is desperate - Jesus isn’t going to forgive us anymore.
He will – yes – but we cannot take grace for granted. So if you are reading this now, NOW is the time to truly repent and not fall back into it. You have to make that decision that you are ready to love Jesus more than your sin.
To put this bluntly, when we choose our sin, that is our idol, and therefore, we are loving our sin more than God. That is idolatry. So it doesn’t matter if weed, porn, or your sin of choice are mentioned in the Bible or not - when we choose something over God, it becomes our idol, which is a sin. I make this argument for all the weed addicts out there who like to say, “But it’s not in the Bible!” Again, I’m not a legalist. Go to God and ask Him what you need to change.
Anyway, going back to the original point of this section: Recognize that this is a spiritual war and it cannot be fought without God. Unfortunately, when I first started drinking, I didn’t know about God, really. Then, when I started fighting my addiction, I didn’t understand it was a spiritual war. I kept relying on advice from “experts”, and honestly, they were all wrong (for me). Now, I’m not saying you can’t go to an expert for help, but for me, all the experts did was shame me and make me feel even worse and hide my addiction! None of what they said to me helped. I had to go to God to free me.
Well, I’m sure many of you have done just that, but you still aren’t free. So, what’s going on?
Now you need to understand that you may be under a spiritual contract.
Step 2: Breaking Contracts
Whether you realize it or not, somehow, someway, you may have formed a contract with a demon. Think of it this way - when you click on that website to watch porn and “accept” - what exactly are you “accepting”? You are literally saying, “I am over 18 and I know this is a sin.” You are accepting responsibility and a contract. No, you don’t need to be fully possessed by a demon to be influenced by them - you could be demonized though.
When I went to buy alcohol, I got out my ID, and I accepted and acknowledged what I was doing. Whatever your sin, you may somehow, someway, be accepting a contract with a force or being. This can happen while you are doing the sin itself. It is important to consider that “they” often do spells and witchcraft on objects before they sell them, and they can even put subliminal messages into things you watch.
Moreover, when you do drugs or get blackout drunk, you may not even remember what you did or said. Who knows what you are talking to and what you are accepting…
I remember, one time, my ex was drinking, and when he was really blackout drunk, he started talking in a completely different, deep, dark voice. As I was laying in bed with him, he commanded that I call him the “angel of darkness.” I did because I didn’t want to get killed!
It may not always be that blatant, but we can even accept things in the dream world when we sleep. I know this seems “unfair”, but I may have to write another post about dreams and nightmares later. The point is, somewhere, someway, you probably accepted a contract with a demon, or you do every single time you do it. You may remember the first time you did, like me, or you may not even know when it all started. It doesn’t matter. Just assume you accepted some contract somewhere along the way.
In a spiritual sense, sin is a contract with death. When we knowingly choose to sin, we are saying, “I accept the penalties if I die during this sin.”
I know the churches aren’t going to teach you this, but I will.
We play a dangerous game when we sin. If I would have died in my sin of alcoholism, I believe I would have gone to hell.
People don’t like when I say that, but I knew what I was doing when I was sinning, yet I still did it. I firmly believe that had I kept drinking and died, I would have gone to hell because I was knowingly continuing in my sin without repentance. However, I have since repented and my sins are forgiven - the freedom of belief in Jesus Christ!
You might be thinking, “But, I probably won’t die when I do my sin.” Maybe. Maybe not. Still, what if you get hit by a car and it was your last action before death? Anything can happen anytime. We are not guaranteed tomorrow.
Yes, God is merciful, and maybe I would have made it to heaven still, but why would I take that chance? Besides, this verse is extremely important:
1 Peter 4:18-19 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)
And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom, and yes, I have a healthy fear of God, as he is my loving father. I am scared of going to hell, and that is partly a factor in me not drinking (but not the only factor).
The man who baptized me told me that a sermon about the fire of hell helped him come to Jesus. Sometimes we need that fear to get right with God, and I want to give you that fear. You can go to hell for unrepentant sin! Do not mess with God on this!
That is why you feel guilty after you sin. You know you did something wrong, and God knows your heart. He is reminding you to not take any chances with hell.
It doesn’t matter how seemingly small the sin is or the world telling you it is okay. Your guilt convicts you.
So, getting back to the point, you need to recognize that you may have a contract with this sin, and the demons are using this against you.
Unfortunately, just saying a prayer one time or two isn’t usually enough to break these bonds. There are some pretty powerful demons, and Satan wants your soul. It honestly could take days, weeks, or even months to break these contracts, but it can be done, as it was for me.
One problem I ran into when I first started my journey with prayer is I often struggled with what to pray. I heard about people praying for hours, and I couldn’t understand how that was possible. So, I got some help for free.
If you have an Amazon account, these books are free and easy to find. I found some like these, and I used the prayers in them to help me focus and teach me how to pray. I love how the authors took the time to write all these prayers out for free, and there are many like these on Amazon. Once you download one, similar ones will show up on your recommendations. God bless the authors of these books!
If for some reason you don’t have Amazon, another option is find a website like this:
https://demonbuster.com/daily.html
The reason I liked the books, though, is they were on my phone and I could open them at any time, and they kept my place.
It is up to you, but the point is, find a bulk set of prayers to use, and use them! You can even use the Bible itself, as the Book of Psalms is a great way to focus on prayer. Just do what you feel will help you!
The point is - you need to be consistent. Whatever you choose, stick with it, and pray those prayers as often as possible. I will go over my schedule and how I did this in the next section.
I still pray these prayers because I recognize it is a battle that never ends. Now that I have conquered alcohol, I pray something like “Keep all alcohol cravings and demons away from me at all times, in Jesus’s name.” The more time goes on, the less I have to do this, but I never forget what I went through.
So, here is your initial prayer for breaking the contract and asking God for help:
Dear Father in Heaven,
Today, Father, I ask for your help in breaking this addiction of ________. God, my spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak. Today, I ask for your divine help in breaking this addiction. I confess my sin of _____________, and I am ready to repent. Jesus, command your angels to fight the demons in this battle. On this day of _________, I break ALL physical, mental, and spiritual contracts and strongholds with any Satanic or demonic entity. It is FINISHED. These contracts are void at this point, and I ask the holy spirit to dwell in my temple from this point on!
In Jesus’s name!
You can obviously edit that prayer however you want, but I am hoping this gives you the foundation to start.
Now, here is the simple truth. You have to want to do this. This is where you have to use that 1% of your free will that wants to quit to conquer this. God can take care of the rest.
You have to love God more than your sin. For a long time, I was choosing alcohol over God, as hard as that is to admit.
If you have many addictions, start with the hardest, foundational one. Likely, that one leads to the other problems. For example, alcohol often contributed to me sinning in other ways. When you get high, maybe you eat too much. When you watch porn, maybe you are angry the next day. You see, breaking that one foundational sin can help you with your other sins.
When you make this initial prayer, you cannot STOP there. You now need to pray every day using a variety of prayers, and likely, fasting.
It takes commitment. You have to recognize that this addiction didn’t develop overnight, and it isn’t going to quit overnight. Just saying one prayer isn’t likely going to do it, and just fasting one time isn’t likely going to do it. You need to be fully committed, as there is no “partial commitment” in commitment. I am not partially committed to Witness 1. I am fully committed to him. In the same way, I am not partially committed to God. I am fully committed to Him.
So, let’s now talkabout fasting, prayer, and supplication.
Step 3: Dedication to Fasting, Prayer, and Supplication
I can’t tell you exactly how to schedule your time, but I will tell you what I did with mine. You can model your efforts after mine, but seek God in all you do!
So, there are some demons that will only come out with prayer and fasting combined. Chances are, if you are really struggling, you will need to pray and fast.
Since I struggled with fasting, I started by intermittent fasting. If you are new to fasting, start with just skipping one meal a day. While you do this fasting time, read the prayers.
So, what I did was I didn’t eat breakfast at first, and I would read the prayers throughout the day from one of the books mentioned above. I did this for several weeks.
As I got better at fasting, I started skipping breakfast and lunch and continuing with the prayers. I then did this for several months.
Now, you might be thinking, “Will I really have to do it that long?”
I don’t know how long. Just start and see! For some, it might be a few days. For some it might be a few weeks. For some, like me, it took me months to TRULY feel free.
Every day you do it, you will get stronger and the battle will get harder for the demons. The first day is the hardest, and like any addiction, days 1 - 3 are intense. Then, you start to see changes in yourself.
I don’t know how long you will need to do this. God will guide you. You can also pray other prayers, and as you move through the prayers, you will feel Him guiding you. You will learn things about yourself.
Start simple. If you aren’t good at fasting, don’t commit to a 3 day fast immediately. I would say, start by skipping one meal and praying during that fasting time. Increase this as you get stronger and more disciplined.
Now, there was one thing God kept telling me in prayer the other day: Supplication. According to Google, it means, “The action of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly.”
When you are in this state of fasting and praying, you are begging God to release you, to battle for you, to help you. You may cry. You may fall down on your knees. You are putting yourself in a state of supplication.
And before I hear the excuse, “But I work…or I’m a mom…or I’m tired.” NO EXCUSES. If you want this, you’ll find a way. If you love God, you’ll find a way.
During my battles, I was busy, but I found time to privately pray and fast. No one knows or had to know. This was between me and God. You can do the same. Whatever your circumstances, find time for God.
Eventually, you’ll get into a routine and schedule, if you just stick to it. As you continue this routine, you will break the strongholds, and demons will begin to flee. In fact, you might start to notice the cravings are less and less, and it gets easier.
But it takes time and discipline, and anyone trying to escape working for God will have difficulty succeeding. If you struggle with discipline, find an accountability partner. Find someone to tell you that you are starting this journey, and you need their support. You can even email us, if you don't know who to turn to with support.
Step 4: Relapse Isn’t Necessarily Defeat
You might be thinking, “But what if I fall?” There were times when I was doing really well, and then, I’d think, “Just one sip!” I fell down that trap many times. I’m sure you have, too. Just this one time won’t hurt - as the demons are standing in line waiting.
Look, if you do happen to fall, you have to repent immediately, and get back on track. Unfortunately, this is a very slippery road, and you need to be VERY careful.
Our addictive brains can play tricks on us, and that’s where you might want to seek the “experts” for understanding relapse. I’m not here to tell you what millions of websites can already tell you about addiction. Chances are, you know and can do a search on how our brains get rewired during addiction, especially for relapse.
No matter how good you are doing, you still might give in. You may fall.
See, this goes back to the beginning of this process. When I first started my journey, I always thought, “Well, maybe I can drink one day and manage it.” NO. That mindset is dangerous and I was already opening myself up to future failings.
When you are starting this - be DONE. Don’t open yourself to the possibility of going back. Just pray that you are done and God will release you. Continue in your spiritual warfare prayers daily until you truly feel free.
If you do fall, get back up IMMEDIATELY. Satan will tell you, “You see, you messed up. Might as well just give in!” So, instead of just that one shot, I was drowning a bottle of Vodka…not smart.
Any progress is progress, and chances are, there will be stumbling blocks. If you fall, get back up, and return to the path of Jesus Christ.
Just know, and be warned, that for many, falling can be life or death. For me, if I fall from alcohol, it could mean I could die. So, take this really seriously, and don’t treat relapse as something to just go back and forth from.
Still, if you mess up, forgive yourself, confess to God, repent, and get back on track!
Step 5: Overcoming Boredom
Whatever you use your addiction for, it is likely a form of entertainment for you in some way. For porn, it may be something that makes you feel less lonely.
Many people wonder what to do with all that time when they are tempted, and what to do now with all that free time.
The man who baptized me told me he went to church as much as possible to keep busy from the devil’s snares. He joined anything and everything the church provided to keep himself busy.
When you are without your addiction, you have two choices: wallow in emptiness or fill that emptiness with God.
For many, addiction is a distraction from God. It helps you avoid the true work He wants you to do for Him.
Besides prayer and fasting, there are many things that can be done for God. For one, you might have a gift that you have been avoiding. Remember when you used to do that art, or write those stories, or did those creative activities? You may think, “But I’ll never find the motivation for those things, again!” Trust me, you will.
I used to write drunk, and I thought that drinking was the inspiration. That is not true! I am now enabled to write through the Holy Spirit, and sometimes the Holy Spirit makes me feel drunk in a good way!
The only way to get to this point is true love for God and discipline. You can’t learn to love God if you don’t spend time with him.
When you are feeling tired or lazy, pray or read the Bible - that is likely when the demons are attacking you and you need to pray and be with God the most.
Fill your time with God. Fill the emptiness with God.
Now that I am not spending my time in sin, I realize I have so much time for God. I even had time to write this out, despite being tired from a busy day. This was because the Holy Spirit can dwell in me and give me energy through His strength.
When you aren’t constantly in sin or regretting sin, there’s lots of time for holiness. You start to realize that God has a lot of work for you to keep you busy, too. Since I changed my life, I haven’t had a dull moment because God has been leading me every step of the way.
Remember, too, it takes time for your brain and body to rewire. Be patient with yourself. Besides, a little boredom never killed anyone. You may have to retrain your mind to be a little bored! When you are bored, that is when you become creative.
I believe that is why there is so little originality these days - no one is ever bored anymore!
The Final Word
If you want to be free, you have to engage in a true spiritual battle. If you were reading through this hoping for an easy answer - I’m sorry - things for God are rarely easy, but they are worth it.
I don’t have an easy fix for what you are struggling with, but I can offer you support and encouragement if you email me.
Nothing can substitute your time with God, prayer, fasting, and supplication. God really wanted me to offer the word supplication in this post.
In some ways, you have to be humble and desperate for God in order to truly be victorious. David’s Psalms are great examples of prayers for mercy and supplication toward God.
The bottom line is that Jesus isn’t a genie, and what you want isn’t a magic trick. It will take time, patience, dedication, prayer, fasting, and filling your time with God. It won’t happen overnight, but one night, you will be set free.
Sure, there are stories of people being freed from their addictions in life or death situations, but that is not what you want. No matter where you are in your addiction, even if you feel functioning, it will lead to death if you do not stop. It will lead to spiritual death.
That is why Satan keeps you comfortable in your addiction. When I was drinking a lot, I was fine, and Satan kept it that way. When I wanted to quit, that is when the battle really began.
When you are in your sin, you likely feel good, and you don’t feel the presence of hell because Satan hides it from you.
So, if nothing else can motivate you, start with hell itself. I listened to this video at the beginning of my journey, and it really helped me.
But at a certain point, none of my words will work for you until you are ready. In fact, God cannot work for you until you are ready. He can’t do anything for anyone who isn’t ready.
You have to choose God today, over sin.
Now, to end with what you’re getting…
Now that I don’t have that sin in my way, I feel the real presence of the Holy Spirit. I have only told very few people about this, but when I am in the full presence of the Holy Spirit, I feel actual water dripping on me! It is revitalizing and rejuvenating me as I write this. That may not be your exact experience, but I’m telling you, when you fully allow the Holy Spirit to motivate you by ridding yourself of sin, you’d be shocked by the things that start to change in your life in a spiritual way.
As I mentioned earlier, sometimes I even feel drunk in the Holy Spirit, as mentioned in the Bible. I don’t get a hangover from this, but it is an amazing feeling!
The old me could have never known the peace and tranquility I feel now. It doesn’t mean I don’t have any problems in life - of course, I do - but now my body is a vessel for Jesus Christ - not Satan.
I can operate through Him, and it is all finally starting to make sense. The reason why the church is so fallen is because so many are full of hidden sin. They aren’t operating in Christ, and their churches are dying.
This world is so inundated with sin that even Christians are ignorant that their sins are killing them and others around them.
I plead with you all - make the decision today to conquer your addiction. It will not only save your life, but possibly, the lives of those around you.
In Jesus’s name I pray this helps someone,
- Witness 2