Author: Joyce Holzman Hanscom

I am a certified Mental Health Coach through Light University. An author. A Bible teacher for Good News Clubs and incarcerated women in the county jail. I teach about how to discover a new reality through memory transformation. Discovering a new reality is achieved when you heal emotions from painful memories and transform negative heart issues. When false beliefs are transformed by truth, then you can love from a pure heart and make wise decisions. There is hope for complete healing.

How to Cultivate Hope

We all hope for something most of the time. God gives lasting hope, but the devil destroys your hope. All of us have experienced the influence of the devil and demons in our lives, and many have given evil spirits power to control their destiny. Unfortunately, most people don’t realize how much power they give to demons. I explained how to overcome the power of evil spirits on the Spiritual Warfare Posts page. Have you experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in your life?

I will teach how to be controlled by the Holy Spirit’s power. Being controlled by the Holy Spirit requires submission to God. James 4:7 states, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” I am amazed by how many Christians do not know how to submit to God and resist the devil. This verse is key to living victoriously as a Christian. Obedience to the Word of God is how you submit to God and resist the devil (John 14:21; Rom. 8:7).

How to Submit to God.

Submission is a mindset that gives God authority to direct your steps. The following Scriptures describe where our thoughts are to be set.

Psalm 81:11 states, “But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me.”

Do you desire to listen to God through praying, reading the Bible, and keeping His commands? When you don’t set your mind on the truths and commands of God, then your mind will be set on your fleshly desires and pleasing yourself, not God.

Romans 8:6-8 states, “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

7) For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.

8) Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9) You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.”

The flesh is our sinful nature and worldly pleasures (Titus 2:12). God wants us to set our minds on the Holy Spirit, which is the power of God. When you have peace and joy, then you know your mind is set on the Spirit, which is God’s presence.

Romans 10:3 states, “For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”

You get God’s righteousness when you believe in and receive Jesus Christ as the ruler of your life (2Cor. 5:21). Doing works to obtain righteousness does not achieve God’s righteousness; instead, we are to submit our bodies as instruments of righteousness (Rom. 6:13). If you do not believe in Jesus as your savior from the consequences of sin, then you are spiritually discerned, that is, unable to know or discern the truth. 1Corinthians 2:14 states, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” If you do not understand the things of God, then believe that He sent His Son into the world to be the savior of the world, and ask for understanding (1John 4:14-15). When you believe, then you will receive the power of the Holy Spirit and have hope.

Hope is Waiting with Patience for God’s Will.

The Bible is filled with hope. We all need hope. Hebrews 11:1 explains, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” The Apostle Paul said in Romans 8:24-27, “For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25) But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. 26) Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27) And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

We hope for what we do not see.
In this passage, they hoped for salvation and redemption. We don’t see it, but we hope for it with patience.
You may be weak in faith, but the Holy Spirit helps you.
The Holy Spirit helps us pray when we don’t know what to pray.
The Holy Spirit intercedes for us according to the will of God.

So when your faith is failing, pray for the Holy Spirit to help your faith and to intercede for you. You may not be praying according to God’s will, so your prayers may not be answered as you want. The Holy Spirit wants God’s best for you. I wrote about why prayers go unanswered on my page called Posts about Prayer.

Hope Gives Joy and Peace.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” I love this verse. We learn the following.

God is hope.
He fills you with all joy and peace when you trust in Him.
You will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

How encouraging. Not only does the Holy Spirit intercede for you, but he will give you overflowing hope. And when you trust God to do His will in your life, you will have joy and peace. So, when you lose your joy and peace, it shows that you have stopped praying and trusting God.

Conclusion

The power of the Holy Spirit gives you hope. Satan and the demons steal your hope, joy, and peace, and lie to make you believe there is no hope. They want you to be depressed and suicidal. God wants you to have hope, peace, and joy. BUT you must submit to God by obeying Him and resist the devil. Where do you set your mind? Isaiah 26:3-4 states, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.” Do you trust God and put your hope in Him?

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All verses are from the English Standard Version. If you find my posts and website helpful, please share this link with your friends and family: hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright-protected. Please do not reproduce any part of the posts or my book without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom and this website.

My latest book, Unlocking God’s Promises, explains 18 categories of relevant promises to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts.

Additionally, consider my book Fighting Unseen Battles, which describes the many unhealthy beliefs that control our lives and what the truths are. To learn more about this book, read the post How to Fight Unseen Battles. my post called Breaking Mental Strongholds Book. Also, check out Fighting Unseen Battles on Amazon. To learn more about this book, read: How to Fight Unseen Battles.

Contact me at hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com, and ask for a PDF of Eight Life-changing Prayers from the Bible. The prayers are for the Spirit of wisdom, renewal, spiritual strength, knowledge of His will, virtues of God, non-believers, 23rd Psalm, and victory. I will also send you the Lord’s Prayer Model to pray effectively. Please leave your name, so I know you are a real person making the request.

How To Be Controlled by Love

You have heard that you cannot control what others say or do; you can only control yourself. Do you give Satan control over your life by not resisting his temptations and lies? The Bible says we should be controlled by God’s love through the Holy Spirit. Loving as God loves is sacrificial and very hard to do in our human flesh, which is why we need the Holy Spirit’s power. Satan and his demons do not want you to love others or experience God’s love, so he will cause you to be offended or tempt you to offend others instead of loving them.

In the first half of 2026, I wrote about what to do about demons/evil spirits. In this post, I want to explain how the Holy Spirit (part of the Trinity of God) gives you power to love sacrificially. God the Father (also part of the Trinity) loved us so much that He gave His Son, Jesus Christ (also part of the Trinity), as a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins (John 3:16 & Eph. 1:7).

Are You Controlled by Christ’s Love?

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church the following in 2Corinthians 5:14a: “For the love of Christ controls us.” Are you controlled by the love of Christ? For many years of my life, I was controlled by my emotions and the actions of others; read last week’s post to learn more. My mind was focused on the things of this world that made me angry or worried, rather than on God and His truth. I could not love others well. Since then, I have been healed of most of my trauma memories, and I am more focused on the truths of God. I sometimes react when I feel wronged by someone. But love shows mercy to those who wrong us. Mercy is hard to do when you want to punish those who hurt you. But God said we are to show mercy because He showed mercy to us (Luke 6:36 & Eph. 2:4-7). When you are mentally and spiritually healthy, you can be controlled by the love of Christ.

Do You Love Sacrificially?

Jesus said in John 13:34-35 the following: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35) By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Loving others is hard when you never felt loved or feel worthy of love and don’t trust that people love you. But God will heal the broken areas of your life when you submit them to Him and forgive.

I knew God loved me and I wanted to love others, but I couldn’t because I felt as if His love went through holes in my heart. The holes in my heart were healed when I sacrificially forgave those who hurt and betrayed me. Forgiving is a sacrificial act of love toward those who don’t deserve it, just like we did not deserve God’s forgiveness. Romans 5:5 states, “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” When your heart is healed, you can retain His love and give it to others.

Are You Rooted and Grounded in God’s Love?

The Apostle Paul explained in Ephesians 3:16-19 some amazing truths: “that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Let’s face it, sometimes it is hard to love the unlovable, mean people in our lives. We are promised the following in this passage. I could write extensively about each of these points. Take time to really comprehend what Paul is writing here.

a. You will have strength with power through His Spirit in your inner being.

b. Christ would dwell in your heart through faith.

c. You will be rooted and grounded in love.

d. Comprehend the breadth, length, height, and depth and to know the love of Christ.

e. Be filled with all the fullness of God.

These promises are yours when you do what is written in Romans 10:9-10, “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10) For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” When you believe in your heart, then you will receive the promised Spirit through faith (Gal. 3:14). Then the love of God will be poured into our hearts (Rom. 5:5), and we will be filled with ALL the fullness of God. WOW! Have you ever considered that God indwells you? Do you think that if we truly comprehended this, our lives would be different?

Do You Love from a Pure Heart?

Lastly, we are to love from a pure heart. 1Peter 1:22 states, “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart.” When we obey the truth and forgive those who offend us, we will have a pure heart and be able to love others sincerely. Also, when we obey the truth to lay aside selfish ambition and humbly honor others above ourselves as Christ did, we will love from a pure heart (Phil. 2:3-8). Do you earnestly love others from a pure heart? Ask God to show you where you are not loving well, then ask Him why. When He shows you, then forgive those who wounded your soul and ask God to heal that memory and purify your heart of that resentment. Read my online book to learn more about healing your soul.

2John 1:3 states, “Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love.”

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All verses are from the English Standard Version. If you find my posts and website helpful, please share this link with your friends and family: hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright protected. Please do not reproduce any part of the posts or my book without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom and this website.

My latest book, Unlocking God’s Promises, explains 18 categories of relevant promises to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts.

Who or What Controls You?

Are you emotionally affected by what people say or do? How do you feel when someone is unkind to you or is upset with you? Some people couldn’t care less about what others say or do, yet others like me are very sensitive to the slightest criticism or rejection. A co-worker told me that I don’t have to give people power over me. I think of that statement often. So today, I am going to write about how to overcome controlling thoughts.

Last week I wrote about “How to Increase Emotional Intelligence.” If you haven’t read that post yet, please do so. In this post, I want to expand on the concepts in last week’s post. Without a healthy spiritual life, you will be tossed about by every wind of doctrine or someone’s feelings or convictions that may not be based on truth (Eph. 4:14).

Controlled by Our Thoughts.

We all want to be accepted, respected, and loved, so when someone is rude or critical toward us, we feel offended. The offense may not be intentional, but we interpret their words or actions as offensive. So, we are really being controlled by our thoughts and how we interpret the other person’s words or actions. For example, I was working on transforming a cargo van into a camper van. My mother-in-law criticized my work. I became offended and upset. What should I have done instead?

I should have taken captive her critical words and said, “That is your opinion (or something like that). Remember, we all want approval, so I took her comment as disapproval, which made me mad. Then she got offended when I became offended.

I have a choice: either let other people’s words or actions into my mind or put them out as I do the trash.

I could have thanked her for her observation and let her words drop to the ground. I have the choice to take offense or let it go, unless a personal boundary is crossed.

We become offended and controlled by our thoughts when we are disappointed. So, recognize that you are disappointed by an unmet expectation, voice your disappointment, but do not give in to the temptation to say something mean or demeaning. Do your best not to phrase your disappointment as a criticism, but say, “I felt… when you said (or did)….”

Not returning a mean or sarcastic comment when you feel offended is hard; that is where emotional intelligence and Spiritual maturity come in. I must admit, I am not as quick as I need to be at taking offensive thoughts captive. But I am getting quicker at recognizing and correcting them and not letting them control my feelings or ruin my relationships with people.

How To Stop Being Controlled by Other People’s Feelings.

Because we instinctively want approval, most people want to please others to win their approval. How do you feel when someone is unkind to you or is upset with you? I feel hurt or rejected. How about you? How do you feel? Again, we are allowing others’ feelings to create thoughts of insecurity, anger, or sadness. So, what should we do when someone’s feelings control our thoughts and emotions?

Recognize what you are feeling and the thoughts you have about the situation that is controlling your feelings. For example, my husband was trying to be helpful, but he felt I was not appreciative enough (his expectation was not met), so he was mad. This controlled how I felt, and my pride showed up to back up that I was appreciative, and I didn’t need to kiss his butt.

I took my hurt feelings captive and humbled myself to talk to him about not meeting his expectations and how my expectations were not met, which hurt my feelings. He then justified his hurt feelings and said mean things, so I left. I humbled myself again and said that we should not go to bed angry, so I put off my hurt feelings and focused on what I could be thankful for.

Remember, Satan does not want us to live in peace. He is always sowing strife to create chaos and division. Recognizing this will help you put off your pride, humble yourself to apologize for not meeting the other person’s expectations, and ask for their forgiveness.

Forgiveness is the key to peace and joy. If the other person still wants to be hurt and angry, then you may need to set boundaries, but let them work through their hurt. Sometimes they will stay offended no matter what you do. Recognize that you cannot control how someone feels or what they do; you can only control how you feel and what you do.

Conclusion

People will have a bad day or feel like being mean; you don’t have to let their feelings or words control you. Be mindful to give grace because you may need grace from others when you are having a bad, frustrating day. For example, I have a neighbor who is ornery and yells at everyone. He came over, yelled at me, and threatened to call the EPA because I was putting leaves in the stream that flowed by my house. I live in the woods, and tree leaves blow into the stream all the time. I did not allow his unkind words or threats to affect my mood or thoughts. To learn how to do this, read my last post on how to increase your emotional intelligence.

RELATED POSTS

Posts on Thoughts

Healthy Boundaries for Toxic Emotions and People

How to Respond to Criticism

The Link Between Disappointment, Resentment, and Self-control

How to Develop Emotional Resilience

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All verses are from the English Standard Version. If you find my posts and website helpful, please share this link with your friends and family: hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright protected. Please do not reproduce any part of the posts or my book without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom and this website.

My latest book, Unlocking God’s Promises, explains 18 categories of relevant promises to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts.

How to Increase Emotional Intelligence

So, what does emotional intelligence and complete healing look like? I discovered that complete healing encompasses three key areas of your life: mental, physical, and spiritual. These three areas affect your level of emotional intelligence. (I had to take a break from blogging because I broke my hand and couldn’t type.)

Emotional intelligence is your ability to make a thoughtful, healthy choice about how you respond to a stressful situation rather than reacting. I am a reactor because that is how I was conditioned in my formative, dysfunctional home life. I am learning to respond by taking my reactive thoughts captive, setting them aside, and choosing to respond according to the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 22-23). Are you a reactor or a responder? Do you respond with thankfulness or complaining? Do you respond with grace or anger? Do you respond with love or hate, malice, or scoffing? Do you respond with humility or pridefulness?

My blog focuses on achieving complete healing in the three key areas of your life so you can respond with love and a sound mind to stressful situations. Stress can range from stubbing your toe to facing a cancer diagnosis. I determined that spiritual health is the key to physical and mental health. Spirituality is the third dimension of each human being. In the last 13 posts, I explained how to recognize your spiritual adversary (i.e., the devil and demons). The unseen spirit world attacks you spiritually, physically, and mentally, so being spiritually healthy mitigates these attacks. Your spiritual health also determines how you respond to stressful situations.

A Healthy Spiritual Life.

1. A healed spiritual life begins with believing in Jesus Christ as your Savior, who saves you from the wrath of God for sin and the devil’s control. (Rom. 10:9-10; Rom. 5:9-11; Col. 2:8-10).

2. Repent of your sins (Luke 13:3&5; Acts 3:19, 26:20; Rom. 6).

3. Accept the help of the Holy Spirit to forgive and love others well, which is proof of a healthy soul (Eph. 3:16-19; Col. 3:12-16; and 1Pet. 1:22).

4. Trust God as your healer, provider, and protector (Ex. 15:26; Ps. 68:5; Phil. 4:19).

5. Put off your old way of thinking, which leads to sinful behavior (Eph. 4:22-27).

6. Focus on God’s truth, love, joy, peace, forgiveness, faithfulness, humility, and so on; then those traits will also become yours (1Tim. 6:11 and 2Tim. 2:22).

7. Show mercy and grace by forgiving those who hurt and offend you (Matt. 6:14-15).

8. You cannot be spiritually, mentally, or physically healthy if you are bitter, prideful, and unthankful (Heb. 12:15; 1John 2:16; and 2Tim. 3:1-5).

9. Read your Bible, go to church, pray, and work through the painful issues of your life so you can love from a pure heart (Josh. 1:8; Ps. 1; Heb. 10:24-25; 2Cor. 7:1; 1Pet. 1:22).

10. Spiritual health is evident in humility, complete surrender to God, drawing near to Him, and repenting of sin (James 4:6-8). Submission to Him means obeying Him and resisting the devil, who wants to keep you in bondage to bitterness, pridefulness, and complaining.

A spiritually healthy prayer life supports sound mental health. Especially when you submit your painful memories to God for healing and forgive those who sinned against you. Without God, your memories won’t be healed. Painful memories negatively affect your mental and physical health, which lowers your emotional intelligence because you react from your pain. You can learn to manage your emotions from the pain of your past, but they will still cause you to react negatively instead of responding positively to stressful or painful situations. Also, Satan cannot read your mind, but he knows what you say and will use the negative experiences you complain about to keep you in bondage to offense, which lowers your emotional intelligence.

For example, I have a family member who has a lot of mental and physical health problems. She hasn’t purified her heart from the trauma of her past, and she is still bitter and prideful. Her trauma memories prevent her from being spiritually healthy, which is evident in the quality of the fruit of the Spirit in her life and reactions (Gal. 5:22-25).

How Does a Healthy Person Respond?

A completely healthy person values themselves and others, and their emotional intelligence will reflect that. They’re going to care for themselves physically by eating well and exercising. Next, they receive God’s forgiveness and love, so they can love themselves, love and forgive others well. If you don’t love yourself and take care of yourself, you can’t love others. But if you have a lot of traumas in your past where people did not love you well, it will affect how you respond. So, you need to deal with the trauma of your past through God’s healing power and love. For you to respond with love, you must receive His forgiveness of your sins and His mercy and grace; then you can give His love, His mercy, and His grace to others. Who has offended you or hurt you? Understand that they may be acting out of their own trauma and pain in their life. Or they may be reacting from their sinful flesh. Spiritually healthy people forgive and show mercy.

In 2025, I discussed various mental health issues and ways to improve them. You will find those posts on my mental health page. I later discovered that physical health and mental health are related to your gut health (see Dr. Mark Hyman podcast). My physical and mental health improved greatly when I gave up sugar, corn, most wheat products, and began eating God’s way in Genesis 1:29, “And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.” These are recognizable foods in their whole form and not highly processed. Exercising regularly and fasting are also good for improving both physical and mental health. You can learn more in my post, Healing Depression: The Role of Gut Health and Diet.

Conclusion

The devil is constantly waiting to distract you and to cause you to be offended at God or others. Satan wants you to give up your faith and walk away from him or be offended at the church and people who go to church. And that’s why I just wrote a series on how the devil and demons interact with humans. You can read all these posts on my Spiritual Warfare Posts page. Spiritually healthy people understand the spirit world and how it affects their mental and physical health. Emotional intelligence depends on strong spiritual health. Praying through a stressful situation helps you respond with the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23) instead of reacting from your sinful flesh or painful memories. Are you spiritually healthy?

Does this make sense? If not, please comment below on what does not make sense, so I can clarify it.

RELATED POSTS

Are you Spiritually Healthy?

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My latest book, Unlocking God’s Promises, explains 18 categories of relevant promises to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts.

TRAINING YOUR THOUGHTS IN FOUR STEPS

Where do your thoughts take you? What do you think about most? I asked the inmates in my Bible study these questions. Training your thoughts takes practice, but you first have to be aware of them. What am I supposed to think about, and how do I change my thinking? One of the girls hated her neighbor, so we used her situation as an example. Your thoughts direct your feelings, and your feelings control your behavior, which is why you need to learn to train your thoughts, so you bring glory to God in your responses.

In my last post, I shared a prayer of protection to help you overcome fear and the attacks from the evil one, Satan. Prayer is the key to training your thoughts to think as God would have you think. Reading your Bible is the next best way to train your thoughts. Attending a Bible-believing church and Bible study are other ways to train your thoughts.

What God wants us to think about.

Philippians 4:8 states,“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” These thoughts can be formed by reading the Bible. Meditate on Galatians 5:22-24 — “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24) And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. What do you think “crucify the flesh (passions and desires)” means, and why should we? Crucifying your fleshly desires and passions is to consider them dead and not to let them control you anymore. Put on Jesus Christ and make no provision for your flesh (Rom. 13:14).

When you think about the different fruit of the Spirit, then they will come out in your behavior. For example, if I am aware that I am not patient with people, then I will make an effort to change how I think so I can be more patient. I will pause, pray, and think about how to respond with patience and not react negatively, and not want my way.

The Bible tells us how to transform your thoughts from flesh/self-pleasing to God-pleasing?

Ephesians 4:22-27 “Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

25) Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

26) Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.

Victorious Thinking to Live a Successful Life

POSTS on Thoughts

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My latest book, Unlocking God’s Promises, explains 18 categories of promises relevant to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts.

Additionally, consider my book Fighting Unseen Battles, which describes the many unhealthy beliefs that control our lives and the truths behind them. To learn more about this book, read the post How to Fight Unseen Battles.

Contact me at hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com and ask for a PDF of Eight Life-Changing Prayers from the Bible. The prayers are for the Spirit of wisdom, renewal, spiritual strength, knowledge of His will, virtues of God, non-believers, the 23rd Psalm, and victory. I will also send you the Lord’s Prayer Model to pray effectively. Please leave your name, so I know you are a real person making the request.

Psalm 91: PRAYER OF PROTECTION

I am writing a series on how we are affected by demonic forces in this world and how to overcome them. In light of the Easter season, let’s reflect on Galatians 1:4, which states, “Who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.” We are living in an evil age; praise the Lord, Jesus delivered us through the forgiveness of our sins. 1John 3:8b states, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” Praise the Lord, Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil in your life and the lives of your loved ones. We also need to cooperate with Jesus by standing strong in Him against the schemes of the devil, which I wrote about in Five Ways to Fight the Devil Successfully.”

In this post, you will learn the most effective prayer of protection from evil. God promised to protect us from evil and the evil one. 2Thessalonians 3:3 states, “But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” We can still be deceived and tempted. 1John 5:18 tells us, “We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.” The Greek word for “touch” in this verse means to harm or injure. One point to keep in mind is that your unrepentant sins open the door for Satan to bring disaster into your life.

Also, Jesus said to the church of Smyrna in Revelation 2:10, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” So, the devil may cause tribulations in your life to test you, but keep your eyes on God and don’t stop trusting Him.

Psalm 91 is a great Psalm to turn into a prayer of protection.

1) When I dwell in the shelter of the Most High through prayer, I will abide in the shadow of the Almighty and be close to Him.

2) I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

3) For You will deliver me from the snare of the fowler, the devil, and from the deadly pestilence and his lies.

4) You cover me with Your pinions, and under Your wings I will find refuge; Your faithfulness is a shield and buckler for me, and I am safe.

5) I will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

7) Thank You that though a thousand may fall at my side, ten thousand at my right hand, disaster from the devil will not come near me. 8) I will only look with my eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.

9) Because I have made the LORD my dwelling place— the Most High, my refuge—no evil shall be allowed to befall me, no plague or disaster will come near my home.

11) For You will command Your angels concerning me to guard me in all my ways. 12) On their hands they will bear me up, lest I strike my foot against a stone.

13) I will tread on the lion and the adder (Satan); the young lion and the serpent (demons) I will trample underfoot.

14) “Because I hold fast to You in love and obey You, You will deliver me; You will protect me, because I know Your name.

15) When I call to You, You promise to answer me; You are with me in trouble; You will rescue me and honor me. 16) With long life, You will satisfy me and show me Your salvation.”

Amen.

When I pray this prayer, a deep peace comes over me.

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My latest book, Unlocking God’s Promises, explains 18 categories of promises relevant to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts.

HOW TO IDENTIFY DEMON TEACHING

Can you spot counterfeit money? For example, a bank teller can spot counterfeit money because they handle real money all day. Have you heard a speaker and known in your spirit that they were not speaking the truth? The only way you can know for certain between the teachings of God and the teachings of demons is to know God’s Word inside and out. To know if you are being deceived by demons, you must read a good translation of the Bible (i.e., English Standard, New King James, New American Standard are good translations.) 1Timothy 4:1-2 states, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared.”

First—Know the Truth.

Remember, Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2Cor. 11:14), and he is the father of lies (John 8:44). 2Corinthians 11:15 states, “So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.” A great many preachers, teachers, and writers do not speak the truth but lies to appeal to those who do not believe the truth of God. John 8:47 states, “Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” You need to know God and the truth of God to know the teachings of demons. The Apostle Paul wrote in Acts 13:10, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?

Many preachers, teachers, and prophets are captured by the deceit of Satan and are held captive to do his will. The Apostle Paul wrote the following instructions to Timothy. 2Timothy 2:23-26, “Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. 24) And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.”

Second—Test the Spirits.

The following Scripture from 1 John 1 explains how you can know the Spirit of truth from the spirit of error. Colossians 2:8 states, “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”

1John 4:1-6 explains, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2) By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.

4) Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5) They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6) We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” Also, be careful of the books you read because many are written by false teachers. They take a verse and create a false doctrine out of it without considering the whole truth. This is how Satan deceived Eve.

Colossians 2:20-22 explains, “If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings?”

Third—Check the Fruit.

2Peter 2:1-3 explains, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2) And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3a) And in their greed, they will exploit you with false words.”

Many false teachers have infiltrated the church, deceiving many into believing lies or half-truths. They teach just enough truth to sound credible, and they live sinful lives. 3J0hn 1:11 states, “Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.” The Apostle Peter said to look at how the religious leaders live. Do they follow their sensuality and fleshly pleasures? Are they greedy and use the money they receive for their own use, like buying private jets and maintaining several mansions, etc.? Jesus said in Matthew 7:15-16, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16) You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?”

Do they speak in their own authority? John 7:18 states, “The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.”

Conclusion

Jesus warned His followers that many false teachers and prophets are in the world, but to be aware of them. I list three ways to tell a false prophet/teacher who teaches the message of demons.

Know the truth of God by reading His Word every day. Make sure you read an accurate translation and not a paraphrase, which is man’s interpretation and is full of error.

Test the Spirits to see if they confess Jesus as the Son of God. Many books are written that do not teach the truth.

Check the fruit they produce. Compromise shows the Christian leader is a false teacher and cannot be trusted.

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My latest book, Unlocking God’s Promises, explains 18 categories of promises relevant to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts.

Demon Oppression and Healing, Part Two.

Do you remember the week-long evangelistic healing services? Many people were healed of diseases and demon oppression. Most of the healers were treated skeptically and ridiculed by the religious leaders, and were falsely accused just like Jesus and the Apostles were. It is rare to hear about healing and deliverance services today, but we still need them. When people heard that Jesus was in the area, they flocked to Him for healing and deliverance (Luke 6:17-19). Luke 7:21 states, “In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight.”

Demons oppress us in many ways: sickness, poverty, addiction, mental illnesses, and so on. In my last post, I explained what oppression is, what to look for, and how demons cause illnesses. I pointed out how oppressive spirits have names, and Jesus called the spirit by name. The Bible talks about demon oppression a lot, so I felt I needed to make a second post to do this topic justice.

The more you are aware of how demons oppress you, the sooner you will recognize them and send them away. Remember, oppression is a physically, mentally, and emotionally taxing condition that seems impossible to resolve. For example, people suffer for years with depression and anxiety, which could be an affliction from oppressive spirits.

Jesus is Ridiculed and Falsely Accused by the Religious Leaders.

Matthew 9:32-34 states, “As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. 33) And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, ‘Never was anything like this seen in Israel.’ 34) But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”

Jesus responds to that accusation in Matthew 12:22-28. “Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23) And all the people were amazed, and said, ‘Can this be the Son of David?’ 24) But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, ‘It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.’ 25) Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26) And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27) And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore, they will be your judges. 28) But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.’” (Also read Mark 3:22-30; and Luke 11:15-23). Luke 11:20 states, “But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

Observation:

When people were delivered from demon oppression, they were healed.

The religious leaders accuse Him of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub, who is Satan.

Jesus knows their thoughts and explains that Satan can’t be divided against himself.

Jesus says that the power of God is how He casts out demons.

Jesus is the kingdom of God.

Interpretation-Application:

Ministers who are anointed by the Holy Spirit to heal and deliver people of unclean spirits will be ridiculed and misunderstood by religious people.

Stand strong in the Lord and obey God in the anointing He gives you. Know that there will be religious people who will be critical of you.

Apostles Continued Healing and Deliverance.

Acts 5:12-16 tells us, “Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. 13) None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. 14) And more than ever, believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16) The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.”

Philip’s Ministry in Samaria.

Acts 8:4-7 tells us, “Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. 5) Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. 6) And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. 7) For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.”

Observation:

Signs and wonders were regularly done among the people, and many were saved.

People listened to Philip when they saw the signs.

The sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits (demons) were healed.

Interpretation-Application:

Not only did Jesus give the Apostles the power and authority to go out and heal the sick and those afflicted by unclean spirits, but when they were anointed by the Holy Spirit, they had the power.

We, too, can be anointed by the Holy Spirit and have the power to heal the sick and demon oppressed.

Believers must also want to serve God through healing and deliverance to be effective as God’s ministers.

Conclusion

People are healed or set free from addictions when the oppressive spirit is cast out. Don’t be afraid to take a stand against afflicting demons and command them to be gone and never come back in Jesus’ name. If you had a spirit of affliction, then it would go. Acts 10:38 states, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” If God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power, He would anoint you as well if you ask. Luke 11:13 states, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

The Apostle Paul knew He needed the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish what God had called Him to do. 1Corinthians 2:3-5 states, “And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” When people experience the power of God, that is when their faith grows.

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My latest book, Unlocking God’s Promises, explains 18 categories of promises relevant to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts.

What is Demon Oppression?

Do you sometimes feel burdened by life’s hardships or feel heavy in your spirit? Is there anyone you know who is constantly struggling? I know many people who struggle their whole life with one setback after another. What is going on? This is a good time to remind you that we are spirit beings in physical bodies, living in a spirit world within the physical world. Our spirits are influenced by the spirit world, which affects our physical and mental health. Even Christians are afflicted by oppressive spirits when their minds are focused on the physical world and not the heavenly realm.

Oppression is feeling overwhelmed as if carrying a heavy burden. It can be a mental, physical, or spiritual burden. Last year, I addressed mental oppression, such as depression, anxiety, resentment, fear, stress, sadness, loneliness, and so on. You can read those posts here. This post will show how demons cause physical oppression related to illness and physical impairments. The following scriptures show how oppressive spirits, which are also demons, cause illnesses.

Matthew 8:16 states, “That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.” Also, Acts 5:16 states, “The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.”

Can Demons Cause Illnesses?

Many Scriptures combine casting out spirits and healing. Here is a good example. Mark 9:20-26 tells us, “And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21) And Jesus asked his father, ‘How long has this been happening to him?’ And he said, ‘From childhood. 22) And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.’ 23) And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” 24) Immediately, the father of the child cried out and said, ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’ 25) And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, ‘You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.’ 26) And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, ‘He is dead.’”

Observation: There is so much to unpack in this passage.

The boy had an oppressive spirit since childhood.

When the spirit saw Jesus, it threw the boy down and convulsed him.

The spirit tries to kill the child.

The father begged Jesus to have compassion and help the child.

All things are possible for those who believe.

The father asked Jesus to help his unbelief.

Jesus calls the spirits by name and commanded the deaf and mute spirit to leave and never return

The spirit cried out but obeyed, and left the boy unconscious, but he wasn’t dead.

Interpretation:

How did the boy get the oppressive spirit?

When we believe, it releases the power of God to heal.

Remember, nothing is impossible for God.

If we lack belief, we can ask God to help us with our unbelief and to have compassion.

We serve a compassionate God.

When a spirit leaves a person, it usually cries out and throws the person to the ground.

Application:

I have known children who have epilepsy with the same symptoms as the boy in this Scripture passage. Modern medicine cannot help them. But in Jesus’ day, they were healed by rebuking the spirit causing the seizures.

Every illness is not the result of a demon, but many are. If you have a condition that the doctors cannot help, it may be because of a curse or an oppressive demon.

I get painful leg cramps at times. When I rebuke the oppressive demon causing the leg cramps, they go away. I know many people who suffer from leg cramps.

There are times I get a migraine, and I realize it is from a demonic attack. When I rebuke the spirit, it leaves, and so does the migraine.

Before going to the doctor, try rebuking the spirit causing the condition and ask God to have compassion on you and heal you. You will be amazed by what happens.

Disabling Spirit Affliction.

Luke 13:11-13 tells us, “And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. 12) When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, ‘Woman, you are freed from your disability.’ 13) And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God.” 13:16 also explains, “And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?”

Observation:

A woman suffered for 18 years with a disabling spirit.

Jesus said that she was bound by Satan.

Jesus had compassion on her and called her over.

He spoke and set her free from the spirit of disability and laid His hands on her.

She was healed.

Interpretation:

Jesus sees you and the spirits afflicting you.

He wants to heal you. You can be free from the disabling spirit and from being bound by Satan.

The woman had to obey Jesus and go to Him when He called.

Application:

Since Jesus is in heaven, He has given those who believe the authority and power over all evil and disabling spirits.

We need to obey His calling to us and draw near to Him so He can heal us when we believe.

Conclusion

When you or someone you know is afflicted with an illness that medicine can’t help, consider a disabling or oppressive spirit. You have the authority and power through the spirit of God in you to command it to leave and never return in Jesus’ name. See my post titled, Can anyone cast out a demon? Acts 10:38 explains that “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” When you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and receive forgiveness for your sins and receive Him into your heart, you receive divine power through the Holy Spirit.

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My latest book, Unlocking God’s Promises, explains 18 categories of promises relevant to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts.

SIGNS OF DEMON INFLUENCE AND SIX STEPS TO PREVENT IT

Can a Christian be influenced by demons? The signs of demon influence are all around us. Do you know what sign to look for? I will also explain how to remove demon influences. To understand if you are being influenced by the devil, you need to know that he is the source of evil.

We are all born with a sinful nature that influences us to go our own way and not God’s way. Our sinful nature is easily lured to please our fleshly desires for sex, drugs, alcohol, gaining wealth, power, and so on. When we sin, that is evil against God; evil is also harming someone sexually, physically, or emotionally. Evil is the opposite of goodness and love. Doing good things is loving and benefiting another person and helping them. All sin and evil deeds are punished by God. Sometimes, He allows Satan to have his way in you to hopefully bring you to repentance (1Cor. 5:1-5).

Submit to God and resist the devil.

Both my parents were Christians who professed Jesus as their Savior. They were even baptized by the Holy Spirit, yet they were both influenced by the devil to do evil. They were not submitted to God and did not resist the devil’s influence (Jam 4:7). My mother was a bitter, angry person and spoke destructive words, so I never felt loved or safe. My father was a thief and addicted to pornography, which led him down the pedophile path. How can this be? Remember, evil is harming people and not loving others as God commands. Evil actions begin as a thought that is within your control, which begins by submitting your mind to God and resisting the devil’s influence.

Six Steps to Prevent Demonic Influence.

Once you have acknowledged you are a sinner in need of forgiveness and asked God to come into your heart, you also need to follow these six steps to stay on the path of life that leads to heaven. James 4:6-8 explains, “But he gives more grace. Therefore, it says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ 7) Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8) Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

You must put off pride and put on humility (James 3:13-18).

You must desire to please God and fear Him by submitting to His authority in your life (Matt. 10:28).

Resist the devil by putting off sinful thoughts and putting on Jesus and making no provision for the flesh (Rom. 13:14).

Draw near to God. Hebrews 10:22 states, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

Repent of all sin.

Renew your mind.

It is one thing to pray the sinner’s prayer; it is another to open your heart and let Jesus in to change your mind and heart. The Bible is clear that we are to put off our old life and put on a new life, in the likeness of God, Holy and righteous (Eph 4:22-24 and Col. 3:5-10). Colossians 3:5 states, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

Jesus explains to the religious leaders in Mark 7:20-23, “And he said, ‘What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21) For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23) All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.’” The good news is that when you open your heart to Jesus and submit to Him, you have divine power to live a godly life (2Peter 1:3-11).

What fruit do you produce?

Jesus tells the religious leaders that a tree is known by its fruit in Luke 6:43-45 and Matthew 12:33-37. Mathew 12:35, Jesus says, “The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.” To know if you are being influenced by the devil to do evil, listen to what you say (Matt. 12:34). Also, ask God to search your heart and mind and show you what your treasure is (Jer. 17:10 and Ps. 139:23-24). The writer of Hebrews wrote in 3:12, “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.” This verse is about believers who have not submitted to God’s work in their lives to transform their thinking and actions. God wants to abide in us, and we in Him, to produce good fruit (John 15:4-6).

I met my first husband in church. He professed to be a Christian and got his license to be a pastor, yet he was very abusive and wicked. After our divorce, he went from one woman after another and no longer walks with God. Inviting Jesus into your heart does not mean you let him sit in the foyer, where you spend time with him occasionally. Jesus wants to dwell in the entire house and remove all that is not holy. 2Corinthians7:1 states, “Since we have these promises (2Cor. 6:14-18), beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.” The fear of God is putting away all our evil thoughts and doing good. This is why many pastors and Christians succumb to the schemes of the devil and fall away from their faith in God.

Conclusion

Saying the sinner’s prayer and acknowledging you are a sinner in need of forgiveness is the narrow gate we all must pass through to walk the path of life (Matt. 7:13-14). But if you stop there, you can easily go back to the path of destruction. Walking the path of life requires putting off your old self and its evil desires and putting on your new self, which is the image of Jesus. Removing, putting off sinful, fleshly desires removes the devil’s influence in your life. Does your life reflect Jesus, who loves, forgives, and serves? Or does your life look like the devil, who hates, is bitter, kills, and destroys relationships with hurtful words and harmful, evil deeds?

RELATED

How Does The Devil Scheme Against You?

THE ONLY WAY TO STOP DEMON INFLUENCES

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My latest book, Unlocking God’s Promises, explains 18 categories of promises relevant to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts.