 It is time to expose and eliminate completely demonic influence in your life. I want you to be filled with righteous indignation. If you are tired of the assaults of the enemy coming against you and your family, then I want you to publicly declare right now, enough is enough. Write that in the comment section whether you are watching live or on the replay. It's three simple words, but it's a public declaration, enough is enough. Where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty, whom the sun sets free is free indeed. The life of the believer is a life of victory. The life of the believer is a lifestyle of overcoming. It is time to expose the strategies of the enemy using the word of God. We are going to shine light on Satan's sneaky strategies and we are going to go through the word and discover how to expose and eliminate these demonic attacks. You do not have to put up with it. It does not have to be a regular part of your life. You can walk in freedom. God did not create you to live in depression. God did not create you to live in fear. God did not create you to live with addiction. God did not create you to live in confusion. God created you to love him and to be loved by him. God created you to be his partner in the earth. God created you to be an overcomer, to have victory. You are spirit filled. You have the power of the Holy Ghost, the presence of God on your life, the favor of God for you. You can walk in victory. So seven signs that you are under demonic attack, let's expose the enemy. Number one, the first sign that you are under demonic attack, you are overcome with shame. Now let me balance this point before I delve too deeply into it. Second Corinthians chapter 7 verse 10 says this, for the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There's no regret for that kind of sorrow but worldly sorrow which lacks repentance results in spiritual death. So there is something to be said about having this sense of conviction over our wrongdoing. We ought to fill this conviction when we do wrong. We ought to fill that pricking of the conscience when we violate God's standard. That is good and it actually keeps us in line. So godly sorrow does work repentance. What I'm talking about here is the attack of shame that comes from sins that are already forgiven, that comes from sins that you've already repented for. The Bible in Revelation chapter 12 verse 10 calls the enemy the accuser, watch this then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens. It has come at last salvation and power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ. Therefore the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth the one who accuses them before our God day and night. That's the role of the enemy. The enemy is the one who reminds you of your past mistakes. The enemy is the one who brings to remembrance those things that bring you great shame. Once you've repented of a sin, once you've received God's forgiveness for your wrongdoing, it's the work of the enemy that brings to remembrance those things that you wish would just go away. In fact, the Bible refers to Christ as the advocate, first John chapter 2 verse 1, my dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. So there is the accuser and the advocate, Satan is the accuser, Christ is the advocate. Satan is the one who reminds you of your past, Christ is the one who empowers you in the moment and gives you a great hope for the future. Satan is the one who wants to bury you in shame. Christ is the one who calls you to greater places of holiness. You see, guilt from the enemy makes you turn away from God in shame. But the conviction of the Holy Spirit turns you toward God in repentance. Guilt says, I am a mistake. Conviction says, I made a mistake. Guilt is torture. Conviction is unto a purpose. Conviction is that you might get things right. Conviction is that you might turn toward God. Now I'm not much of a car person so anytime anything happens to my car, I have to take it into the mechanic because I open the hood and I don't even know what I'm looking at. So I take my car in one time to get it worked on because the check engine light on the dashboard went off. I take it in, they fix it, they send it back, I get back in the car and as I'm driving away from the auto shop I look at the dashboard and there it is shining right in my face, the check engine light. Now I'm thinking wait a minute, I just paid these guys to fix this, I wonder if they even did anything or if they're just charging me and saying that they fixed it and then I'll come back and be a repeat customer because I don't know anything about cars. Well I turned around, I went back and said hey, you worked on the car, I paid you all this money, why is the check engine light still on? They said oh, we fixed the problem, we just forgot to reset the check engine light. And this is what it's like sometimes in the life of the believer. The Holy Spirit's conviction is that check engine light. And when that check engine light goes on, it's a sign to you that something is wrong. Conscience is to the mind is what pain is to the body. So God gave you a conscience that you might know when you violated His standard. Here's the thing though, some of us believers we go in, we say Lord I'm turning from this sin, we get it right, we repent, but then we forget to reset the check engine light and we go on living our lives with this check engine light shining in our face. And because we're so focused on the check engine light, we can't look at the road that's ahead of us. This is how it is spiritually. We can't look at what's ahead of us, we can't look at future ministry, we can't look at future glory, we can't look at the hope that Christ has given us why because we're so focused on that check engine light, the spiritual one that indicates that there was a problem in the past. We forget to reset the light and this is where the enemy comes in because sometimes you'll be going about your day, there's joy, there's peace, you're enjoying yourself and then suddenly flashing before your mind is some memory of something that you would rather forget and the enemy just harasses you and makes you believe that this will forever be something that must hang over your head. The enemy harasses you and makes you believe that you don't deserve to walk in the goodness of God. Here's the reality, none of us deserve the goodness of God, but that's why Christ died on the cross to give you that peace of mind. So some of us wear the guilt from the past as if it's our badge. It's our way of punishing ourselves is really what it is. It's religious. It's like we're giving ourselves our lashes and saying, OK, this is what I deserve. I sinned in the past, so this is my punishment from now on forever for the rest of my life from this day forward. I'm going to live under the pain of the shame of that sin that I committed or those things that I did wrong or that lifestyle allowed myself to be a part of and it just weighs on the mind. And we think this is pleasing to God because I still feel bad for what I did. When God doesn't want you to live in that, yes, God wants you to live holy. And if you're living a lifestyle of sin, you should feel convicted. You should have that heaviness. The psalmist, right? He said, your hand weighed heavily upon me. He turned from his sin. He confessed his guilt. And then he said, let me rejoice again in my salvation. But repentance comes before joy. Now some of you have repented and you've got the sin corrected. You've turned from it. It's in your past. You're walking in holiness. But the enemy still wants it hanging over your head because you feel that the more miserable that you are, the more pleased God is with you. You feel that it's your way of making up for your wrong doing or you're afraid that something from your past will come up. You can't live in peace. You can't walk in joy. You can't continue as God wants you to continue because you're constantly looking over your shoulder thinking that somehow this thing is going to come back to haunt you. This is the word of the Lord to you. That is an assault of the enemy. God does not remember your past. Your past is God. It didn't happen. It's no more. It's over with. I imagine sometimes the conversation goes like this. We approach the throne of the Lord. And we say, Lord, forgive me. He says, I forgive you. And then he forgets about the sin, but we don't. And we come back to him with the same sin that's already been repented of. And we say, Lord, forgive me. And he says, forgive you of what? The sin. What's sin? I've forgiven you. We say, thank you, Lord. We go back. And then we come. We say, Lord, forgive me. We say, forgive you for what? And it repeats like this. Now, again, let me emphasize. I'm not talking about a lifestyle of sin. I'm talking about the believer who's walking in holiness. They've repented of their wrongdoing, but they still sense this overbearing shame. This is an assault of the enemy. This is accusation. This is a sign that you're under spiritual attack. You can't rejoice in your salvation. You feel guilty for enjoying the benefits and the blessings of God. You know, every morning I wake up, and I'm not just saying this to sound spiritual. I kid you not. When I wake up, I can't believe how blessed I am. I said, Lord, I told the Lord this morning. And you know, I've been traveling, as I said. Thankfully, my family was able to travel with me this last week. But you know, I wake up this morning, I'm looking around my home. I see my wife, my daughter, my parents who live with me. And I was looking at all of these blessings that God has given me, the peace in our home, peace in my mind, the joy in our home, the joy in our hearts. And I said this to the Lord. And again, I'm not trying to sound spiritual because there are some days where I can lose focus. But this morning, I said, Lord, you're just too good to me. Like I can't believe how good you are to me. That's what the Lord wants from you. Now, every morning I wake up, I do try to remind myself of the blessings. But today, especially, I just sense this overwhelming gratitude in my heart. And the Lord wants that for you. The Lord gives his blessing, the scripture tells us, and he adds no sorrow with it. If you feel guilty for enjoying the blessings of God, that's a sign that you're under heavy shame. If you feel guilty for enjoying your salvation, if you feel guilty for enjoying the favor of God, that's not only a sign of a religious mindset. It's a sign that you're under demonic assault. They're accusing you. You don't deserve that. You didn't earn that. There are people, if anyone ever really knew who you really were, they wouldn't give you that. And that is the accusation of the enemy. It's an attack. Now, I will be showing you how to overcome these attacks in general. I may touch on maybe some specific individual strategies for some specific attacks as I go along, but I'm gonna give you a comprehensive strategy for getting free and staying free at the end of the broadcast. Number two, you are bound by a sinful habit. Now, let me stress this. You can't blame the devil for everything. You can cast out demons, but you can't cast out the flesh. You can't cast you out of you. You're stuck with you until glorification, until the day that we are with the Lord in glory. But until then, we're battling the flesh. There's this part of us that's fighting the spirit. So I'm not talking about blaming the devil for everything. Some of you are asking God for deliverance and what you need is discipline. You need to discipline that flesh. But this still isn't to say that the enemy doesn't tempt us. The enemy does tempt us. The enemy does play a role in your sinful habit. And if you are bound by a sinful habit, part of it, yes, is because you are deciding on your own, of your own free will to participate in that sin. And honestly, frankly, I'm really tired of seeing believers try to blame their sin on some demon when it's their own choice. Why? Because then they abuse the grace of God. And we ought not to live that way. This is why Paul the apostle rebuked those who not only said such things, but embraced these types of thought processes. So yes, demons attack, but we are responsible for our own decisions. But one of the signs that you are under demonic attack is this really overbearing temptation. Why? Because if sin were a product, demons would be salesmen. Demons can sell sin. They tempt you, they lure you, they present it. Now, you decide to sin. That's on you. You make the choice to sin. That's of your own free will. But there is a component of demonic attack when it comes to temptation. Temptation is a form of demonic attack. Here's how it works. First John 2.16 says this, for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the father, but is of the world. Now notice here that the scripture is describing three primary components of sin. That is the lust of the flesh, those are cravings, the lust of the eyes, the things that you look at that make you desire in your mind, and the pride of life. These are states of being, pride and arrogance and stubbornness. So those are the three primary components of sin. Now here's how the enemy does it. The enemy presents each one of these components. Watch this, Genesis chapter three verse six, the first temptation we see recorded in the Bible, the woman was convinced. Genesis three, six, the woman was convinced. Watch this now, see if you can see all three of these components at play. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious. And she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband who was with her and he ate it too. She saw that the tree was beautiful, that's the lust of the eyes. Its fruit looked delicious, that was the craving, that was the lust of the flesh. And she wanted the wisdom it would give her. That's the pride of life. So we see here that the enemy presents sin. Now again, let me emphasize this point because I don't want anyone to misunderstand me. When we sin, it's because we choose to sin, period. But this doesn't mean that there isn't an element of demonic influence, demons do tempt. They do present, they lie to you telling you that the sin will be worth it. You know, I heard someone remark one time, something to the effect of if the consequences for sin were paid immediately, we would never sin. Think about that. If the consequences for sin were paid immediately, we would never sin. So think about how Jesus was tempted in the wilderness when he was told to make these stones bread. Well, that was the lust of the flesh. How did he overcome that? The worship. Now of course each time he quoted the scripture or he came against it with the word. He said, man shall not live by bread alone by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. So Psalm 11911 says, I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. How do you come against the flesh cravings? The word. I will hide your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. The word will keep you from sin and sin will keep you from the word. Anytime I've ever sat across the room from someone who is describing to me some habitual sin that has taken root in their life. Anytime, in fact, every time. When I ask how their devotion to the word of God is inevitably they will tell me that the devotion to the word of God is sporadic and inconsistent. So I'll say, what is your daily devotion to the word of God look like? They'll say, well, I pray, but I don't really read the word as often as I should. Well, how often do you read the word? Well, I probably once or twice a week a couple of verses here and there. And I say, well, there's your problem. That's the issue right there. You're not consuming the word of God by the spirit and therefore you're not strengthening your spirit. So Psalm 119, 11 tells us very clearly that the word will keep us from sin. So that was the first component that the enemy attacked the Lord with. Make these stones into bread. And he combatted the enemy with the word. How did he fight those cravings with the word? How did he overcome the fleshest cravings for sin with the word? These are things like addictions to food and addictions to alcohol, addictions to drugs. These are things like sexual desire. The cravings of the physical body, the flesh, how do you overcome those? The word. You say, well, I read the word, but it didn't happen for me. Nothing broke. Well, you're not reading enough of the word. The word, the word, the word will break the cravings of the flesh, but you have to consume it by the spirit. Not just reading it, but taking it in spiritually, asking the Holy Spirit to speak to you that it might become a part of your spirit. Then we see that the enemy takes the Lord. And this is all in Matthew 4. He takes him and he shows him the world. He says, I'll give the kingdoms of the world to you. Well, how did he come? He says, but you have to bow down. Well, how did he come to defeat the enemy here? It was through worship. Now, John 4.24 says, for God is spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. Worship will help you overcome the lust of the eyes. Those things that you look at. Now, this is slightly different, but very similar to the flesh cravings, because whereas the flesh craves naturally, when you look at things with your eyes, you actually intensify the desires of the flesh. Those things we look at in the world and we just desire them, that can be overcome through worship. Worshiping the Lord takes away the focus from the thing that we want that's sinful. Why? Because when you're focused on Jesus, everything else fades into the background. Worship puts your eyes on him. And when he becomes your source, when he consumes your desire, you don't wanna look at anything else. When you see the glory of God, you don't wanna look at anything else. When you see the beauty of the master, you don't wanna look at anything else. You see Jesus, the Son of God. Everything else loses its appeal, I promise you. So the issue is not that we don't have enough willpower, we're not focused enough on the Lord. A love for Jesus will help you to overcome the lust of the eyes. Why? Because that desire for him overpowers the desire for sin. When I'm full of his presence, I have no room to desire sin. When I'm full of his presence, I have no hunger for the world. Then we see, of course, that the enemy tempts the Lord to throw himself off the building that the angels might catch him and people would look and say, look, he's the Son of God. That's the pride of life. How did the Lord overcome this? Well, he submitted himself to God's will. James 4.6 says, and he gives grace generously as the scriptures say, God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. How do you overcome the pride of life? You recognize your place. You recognize that it's all God. You recognize that you're like a vapor. You're like a wildflower that's here today and gone tomorrow. We are loved by God, yes. We're valuable, yes, because he loves us. We matter, people matter, souls matter. I understand all of that. But you do realize that God doesn't require us. I mean, I think sometimes we become so full of pride, especially if we're not spending time in the presence of God. We lose perspective. And we think of ourselves more as more important than we ought to think of ourselves. Every single one of us are replaceable. Look, we all have a unique call to fulfill, yes, but the Lord can more than accommodate with his sovereignty. You know, we're so replaceable. The Lord can raise another me like that. Now some would say, well, no, no, no, you're gifted, everyone's uniquely gifted. I get that, I understand that aspect, but in an even greater sense, you can't tell me that God can't get it done without me. He chooses to use me, he chooses to partner with me, but we must understand our place. When all of history has passed us by, when time is no more, the only name that's gonna be remembered is the name of Jesus. You know, some would say, well, you know, Brother David, I think you're gonna be remembered for a long time. Who cares? I mean, think of even God's generals. We remember them, well, what about Christians a hundred years from now? Probably not. You know, we often pursue legacy. We pursue building the name and building a brand, and it's here today gone tomorrow. We must combat this pride of life, thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to, by submitting ourselves to God and recognizing you are great, not me. You are holy, and you're the source of my holiness, my righteousness. I submit myself to you. We resist the devil, and he flees. We submit ourselves to God. Yes, that is how we humble ourselves. We submit ourselves. We say, Lord, you are God. You are great. I am but a part of your plan, but you ultimately are sovereign. You ultimately are the all in all. You are everything. And so, keeping this right perspective, we humble ourselves and we defeat the pride of life. Don't forget your place. So, number one, you're overcome with shame. That's the first sign that, or a sign I should say, these don't necessarily go in order. They're just different things you can use to evaluate. You're overcome with shame. Number two, you're bound by a sinful habit. Again, let me stress, I'm not saying that you don't choose to sin. What I'm saying is that there is a component of temptation that is demonic. Number three, you can't focus. Now, again, here I wanna balance this. I'm not saying that every time you yawn that the devil is attacking. I've had people really, literally, they write to me that I'm not mocking that, but at the same time, we should laugh off these kind of mindsets because otherwise, if we take them too seriously, we can become hyper paranoid and ultimately tormented. So, I've had people say, well, I yawned while I was praying. Is that the devil? No, that is not the devil. It's not a spirit. There's no such thing as the spirit of yawning, okay? It's just you're tired, but the enemy does use distraction. So, let me balance that there. Not every time you're tired or any time, you know, the wind blows and the house creaks that it distracted you, oh, that was the devil. No, sometimes it is just the wind. Sometimes you are just tired. Sometimes your mind is just fatigued. Having said that, this doesn't mean that the enemy doesn't assault you with distraction. You have trouble focusing. The scripture says, Ephesians 6, 12, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Now, the enemy will do what he can to keep us from being focused on the true battle. How does he distract you? Well, he distracts you with gossip. He distracts you with entertainment. He distracts you with worries and cares of this world. He distracts you when you try to pray. He distracts you when you go to read the word. He distracts you when you try to worship. He distracts you when you try to serve. He distracts you when you try to evangelize, have a godly conversation, do anything that's productive for the kingdom, and the enemy will try to distract you. And he doesn't just distract you through practical means in the moment. He distracts you with long-term focuses that don't mean anything. The enemy will get you hyper-focused on a hobby. The enemy will get you hyper-focused on an argument. The enemy will get you hyper-focused on things that don't matter. People write me all the time with questions about things that don't matter. And really, we don't realize their distractions of the enemy. I had this woman one time, she's asking me, she said, "'Brother David, sometimes when I pray, I see a snake.'" I said, okay. I said, and what does the snake do? She said, nothing, I just see it. I said, does it prevent you from praying? She says, no. Does it keep you from reading the word? No. I said, does it keep you bound to habit? No. Does it torment your mind? No. Then it's just a distraction. And then she didn't want to hear that. She goes, no, no, no, no. But what does it mean? I said, it's a distraction. I know, but what does it mean? How do I overcome it? You pray against it and you move on. Sometimes, and hear me because this is important, sometimes the idea that the enemy is attacking us is more vexing to us than the attack itself. Because then we become super hyper-focused and paranoid. Why is the enemy attacking me? What did I do? How did he do that? Why is he doing that? And then we start to focus our mind on the attack itself. And just the idea that we've been attacked becomes this point of concern. You know how you deal with the enemy? You just, that's what you do. You like a little, like a bug. Now I'm not saying he doesn't have power. I'm not saying to scoff at these supernatural beings. But when you are walking in the spirit that's exactly how you can deal with them. Why? Because it's the Holy Spirit's power. And we become so focused on these things that don't matter. And then once that very specific issue is resolved it's gonna be another thing. And then another thing. And then another thing. So then Christians are filled with a thousand questions. What do I do if the enemy gives me a nightmare about drowning? Well, you strengthen your spirit, you pray, you read the word. Okay. What do I do if I heard a demon laughing in my room? You strengthen your spirit, you pray, you read the word. Okay. Well, what do I do if I felt the enemy come in like a wind and it was an evil presence in my room? The enemy came in through my grandmother's lineage. Or the enemy came in through music. Or the enemy came in through a movie. Or what do I do if the enemy gained influence in my life because of a nightmare I had? Or because of a book that was laying on it. And they wanna get all specific with all the, and they want answers for every specific instance. Why? Because they're falling for the attack of distraction. And then we obsess. Oh, obsess over every technique. There's a technique for every type of attack these days. When it all comes down to are you walking in the spirit? Let me ask you this. If a believer is walking in the spirit as they should, can the enemy affect them? Brother David, what about open doors? Yes, I understand open doors. I'll talk about that possibly later in the live stream if there's time. Well, brother David, what if they sin? Well, if they sin, of course, they're gonna be tormented in the mind because of the guilt, the shame, and that heaviness that comes on them. Yes, I understand that. But let me ask you, if a believer is walking in the spirit as they should, can the enemy have any influence in their life? And the answer is no. So then, rather than being hyper focused on all these little distractions that the enemy throws our way, shouldn't we just be focused on walking in the spirit? Instead of wanting to get answers to, well, what about dream attacks? And what about if they attacked through a trinket that my grandmother gave me? What if they attacked through a book that was on the shelf that I didn't realize was demonic? What if I was walking through a hotel lobby and there was a demonic image on the TV? What if I accidentally loaded a website from a link that somebody sent me had a demonic symbol on it and they want to be hyper focused on all these little attacks and they want super ultra specific answers because they're super ultra paranoid. I know because I've been there. But what if instead of falling for that and then becoming demon obsessed, occult obsessed, darkness obsessed, sin obsessed, what if instead we focused on what actually mattered? Because if the enemy can't attack and gain influence in the life of the believer who's walking in the spirit, then wouldn't just simply teaching them to walk in the spirit fix all the problems? This is why the enemy distracts. He keeps us focused again on gossip, on entertainment, on hobbies, on while we're trying to pray and read the word and worship and serve in the church. And then he keeps us distracted with attacks. Sometimes his attack was literally just to distract you. There have been times where I've been praying and the enemy manifests some demonic image. I'm telling you, you can call me crazy, but I've literally seen demons. I'm not talking about seeing demons manifest. I've seen demonic beings with my physical eyes. I've seen them. I'm not gonna obsess and talk about it to glorify them. But do you know what I do when that happens? I rebuke it and I move on. I don't spend days and weeks and months going, oh, what was happening there? Because I know the word and I know that if I'm walking in the spirit, he can show his ugly face if he wants to, but he's not getting access. No weapon formed against me shall prosper. The weapon will be formed, but it's not going to prosper. And so people become hyper focused on all the minutia, all the details, all the while, all they need to do is walk in the spirit and the enemy keeps you distracted from that. And you don't realize that that hyper focus on his attacks, that obsession with his attacks themselves, that in itself is an attack. It's the attack of distraction. Why? Because you can't focus. That's another sign that you're under demonic attack. Number four, another sign that you're under demonic attack is you carry a heaviness upon. You've ever gone through those seasons where there's just seems to be like this weight on you, Romans 14, 17 says, for the kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Now, some confuse this heaviness for what some would describe as oppression or possession, but this heaviness actually comes through a stronghold. Let me tell you how this works. I've mentioned this several times before, but I think it's important. It's worth repeating. The enemy will lie to you. That lie does not become deception until you believe that lie. Once that deception takes hold of you, you begin to think according to the lie. And once you begin to think according to the lie, you begin to feel according to the lie. And once you begin to feel according to the lie, you begin to act according to the lie. And those actions become habits, those habits are what we would say is oppression. I wouldn't use that word oppression because oppression, again, implies ownership, but I would say it's influence and I would say it's an attack, but the solution sometimes evades us because we don't recognize the source of the attack. So what do people do? They go after the symptoms, how they feel, how they're acting, and all the while they're ignoring the root of the attack which is the lie. And because they never deal with the lie, they can receive prayers, some counseling, maybe go to a nice worship service, they come out feeling great, but because they never address the root of the problem, it just comes back and so they go from deliverance to deliverance instead of from glory to glory. Now, how do you address that? Well, the truth is what sets you free. So specifically, I'm talking about this attack of heaviness. Where does that heaviness come from? Well, ultimately that heaviness comes because somewhere down the line you're believing a lie. Now, watch this. This heaviness can come from lies of the enemy. For example, the enemy can tell you you're not forgiven which is like the first one I mentioned that, that shame. The enemy can tell you God is distant from you. The enemy can tell you you're alone. The enemy can tell you nobody loves you. The enemy can tell you you're gonna be abandoned. The enemy can tell you you'll never succeed, right? So we get all these lies from the enemy and those ultimately become strongholds in our lives and then we get heaviness because we believe the lie. So lies of the enemy can produce this heaviness. Now watch this. I'm gonna expose something right now and most people miss what I'm about to share with you. Most people miss what I'm about to share with you. Do you realize that when people slander you, they're practicing witchcraft. We're gonna expose the enemy right now. Let me be very careful about how I explain this because I don't wanna cause any confusion. Remember, I think anyone who watches these live streams and pretty much any student of the word is gonna know, okay, Christians can't be possessed, we know that. But, but, but, but, what do we do with these symptoms that we have? Like what I'm talking about now, which is sign number four, this heaviness that comes on you. How do you interpret that through scripture? What exactly is that? Well, as I said, that heaviness is rooted in a lie that you believed and therefore became deception, which became a feeling, which became an action, which became a habit, which became a lifestyle. So then, when somebody, in a similar way, when somebody begins to slander you, let's say they're spreading lies about you, they're taking your words and twisting them or they're trying to guess at your motives. They think they know what your motives are and they're telling everyone, this is what their real motives are. And they're playing the psychologist, trying to analyze you and then trying to make people dislike you or come against you. This happens in churches all the time. This is why some people leave their churches because people slander them. And so maybe that's happened to you. Do you ever notice that when you're being slandered, when people are gossiping about you, when people are attacking you verbally, that there's this heaviness that comes on you? Now, where does that heaviness come from? It's not a literal demon attaching itself to you physically. Yes, the demon, the literal demon, can be speaking against you, causing you to believe deception. But that demon is not taking residence in your body. It's not literally attaching its claws into your being as some people imagine. No, what's happening is that that being is accusing you or slandering you through that individual. They're doing Satan's work for them. And why are they accusing you? Why are they gossiping about you? Why are they slandering you? They're slandering you because they're trying to get you to bend in the way they want you to bend. They're trying to get you to say what they want you to say. They're trying to get you to do what they want you to do. This is real, this is real deep stuff here, guys. And in doing that, they are actually practicing witchcraft. I've seen it these days. Preachers doing witchcraft on each other as they attack each other. Now, you know me, I stay out of all that nonsense. But you ever noticed that sometimes preachers and ministers, they attack each other and then they come under like this. Like you can see it as they're preaching to you. There's like this heaviness on them. Why? Again, that's not a literal demon attaching them. It is a literal demon accusing them but not a literal demon attaching itself to them. What that is, that's the results of slander and accusation. They can't clear their mind from it. They can't get it out of their head. And so they embrace that deception. What's the deception when someone's slandering you that you're gonna fail? The deception says, this is going to harm me in a significant way. The deception says, well, it's all over me because somebody's slandering me. And that heaviness comes on you because of the slander. And that person is operating in witchcraft. Maybe that's happened to you. That's an attack of the enemy. But the scripture says that we have righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. So that really is the antidote to that heaviness that comes on you. But if you want to get rid of that heaviness, you have to identify where the heaviness is coming from. And it's always, always, always, always going to be rooted in one lie or another. Whether that's coming from the enemy himself, whispering lies to you or that's coming from an individual who's attacking you. Maybe also you're not getting rest. You're not eating well. Do you realize that if you're not resting and you're not eating well, that you're violating one of the principles of scripture, God wants you to rest. God wants you to take care of your physical body. Why? Because it's his gift to you. It's his temple. And if we're not resting, if we're not taking care of ourselves, we're vulnerable to that heaviness. So this heaviness comes through lies of the enemy that's direct attacks from demonic beings who tell you lies. That comes from slander from other people when they operate in witchcraft to try to control you. That comes from not getting rest or not eating well. And this produces that heaviness. So maybe you're walking around with it and here's the problem. Here's the problem. Here's the problem. When that heaviness comes on you, you try to address the heaviness itself and therefore the problem is never solved. So maybe someone prays for you. Maybe someone encourages you. Maybe as I said earlier, you go to a nice worship conference. You go to a nice revival meeting. You feel good. It does you good. You leave. You feel good for a few days and then that heaviness comes back. Why did it come back? Because you never addressed the root of the lie itself that ultimately produced it in there. Now, if you guys wanna see people go free, if you're hearing this and you're saying, you know what? My eyes are being opened. I'm starting to see things in the spirit more clearly because of the word. If you think more believers need to hear this truth, I want you to do me a favor. Whether you're watching live or on the replay, I want you to leave a like on the video. Just click that thumbs up. Now you may say, does that actually do anything? It actually does. And if everyone who watches this right now, I mean everyone. I know there's passive viewers and then there's engaged viewers. If everyone who's watching this right now just leaves a like, you would be amazed at how far we could spread this teaching. Number five, and this is a big one right here. Number five, you feel constant fear, insecurity and paranoia. This is the attack of intimidation. Now, first Peter five, six and seven says this. Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God. That he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Really, this is just another form of deception. You know, if you're constantly second guessing, if you deal with things like social anxiety, maybe you have a conversation and then you leave the conversation and you're just playing all these things in your head. Oh, I shouldn't have said this. Maybe they thought I meant that. Oh, I think they misunderstood me there. I think they misinterpreted my tone here. That is actually one of the attacks of the enemy. Now this isn't, I'm not saying you're possessed. I'm not saying you're oppressed. I'm not saying that, you know, this is some hyper, hyper strong attachment that the enemy has on you. This is simple as believing a lie. And this insecurity, this fear, this paranoia begins to really weigh on you. It begins to really cause you to see yourself not in the way the scripture describes you, not in the way the Lord wants you to see yourself. But to live in this constant fear, this constant insecurity, this constant paranoia, that is an attack of the enemy. Maybe you battle with so much fear that you can't even leave your house. You can't drive a car because you think you're gonna get in an accident. You don't wanna go to the doctor because you think that they're gonna tell you that you're dying. You don't wanna go out with friends because you think that they're all gonna dislike you or not wanna be around you or that you're gonna make a fool of yourself. You don't wanna pursue ministry because you think that you're going to fail. You don't wanna do anything in life because you're constantly weighing all of the negative possibilities that could possibly result. That's an attack of the enemy. Jesus said, I come that you might have life and life more abundantly. Is that abundant life? Living like that? You were not created to live like that. That's not God's will for you. You may have embraced that as an aspect of your personality and say, well, this is just the way I am. This is just how God wants me. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. That is an attack of the enemy. God did not design you to live like that. Plain and simple. The enemy is attacking you. Number six, this is a big one. Your mind is tormented. Torment of the mind. This angst, this assault on your thoughts. Intrusive thoughts, perverse thoughts, cuss words and dark thoughts and demented thoughts and twisted thoughts. Nightmares, horrible things happening. Maybe thoughts of violence, maybe thoughts of harm coming to you or to your lovelins. This is one of the assaults of the enemy that the enemy has tried on me before. There were nights when as I was falling asleep and I won't describe what I saw because it's too graphic, but the enemy would show me violent things happening to my loved ones. I'll be vague, car accidents, murders, freak accidents, strange deaths and they would be so vivid, so real and this was as I was falling. So I wouldn't even categorize these as nightmares but as I'm falling asleep I would hear my loved ones screaming and I would see it with such vivid detail. I would snap out of falling asleep and I would go, oh my goodness, what was that? It took me about two or three days to realize, wait a minute, this wasn't just a fluke. This is an attack of the enemy. This is the torment of the mind. Now Paul the apostle writes this, 2 Corinthians chapter 12 verses five through 10. That experience is worth boasting about but I'm not going to do it. I will boast only about my weakness but if I wanted to boast I would be no fool in doing so because I would be telling the truth but I won't do it because I don't want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message. Verse seven, watch this, even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God so to keep me from becoming proud I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Now be very careful when you see that word flesh this is where a lot of confusion is caused. When you see that word flesh sometimes it means physical body and sometimes it means sin nature. So people misinterpret this when they say flesh sometimes they think that a demon is actually in their flesh. No, no, this is talking about the sin nature. This is not an actual place this is more describing influence of the enemy in our lives. Now, Paul writes this thorn in his flesh a messenger of Satan he says it. He says it straight up here it was a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Now three times I begged the Lord to take it away each time he said my grace is all you need my power works best in weakness so now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ can work through me. That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses and in the insults, hardships, persecutions and troubles that I suffer for Christ for when I am weak then I am strong. Now, here we see that grace not deliverance was the solution to these tormenting thoughts. Demons don't need to possess you to torment you because they don't need to own you to lie to you. Let me say that again. Demons don't need to possess you to torment you because they don't need to own you to lie to you. I promise you, Paul the apostle was not demonized. Paul the apostle was not possessed. Paul the apostle was not oppressed. You know there's only one Greek word for possession the Greek word for demonization and it is always in reference to ownership and nowhere do we see that word that only Greek word being used on a New Testament believer. That's important because Paul needed grace not deliverance because he was being attacked not possessed. So now if we're talking about unbelievers, okay, they're a whole different story. Unbelievers, they can be possessed, owned, the enemy can just have his way with them, do whatever he wants with them. But the believer has to realize that this torment is rooted in deception. This torment is rooted in verbal attacks to the enemy. This torment is rooted in the mind where the enemy sends thoughts your way to influence the way you think. Now, maybe you're dealing with these nightmares. Maybe you're dealing with this darkness. Maybe you're dealing with these types of intrusive thoughts. The key here is the same key for Paul, grace. The grace of God will help you to overcome this. The grace of God will work wonders in your life. The grace of God will give you that ability to walk in the spirit. As you walk in the spirit, you will see these attacks begin to minimize. In fact, as you walk with the Holy Spirit, you find that you recover more quickly from demonic attack. You see new believers, when they get attacked, not only does the attack do damage, but the idea that they were attacked also does damage. So they become hyper-focused on the fact that I was attacked, oh my goodness, my world is falling apart. But mature believers, when they get attacked by the enemy, yes, it can affect us sometimes, but a mature believer can recover quickly from it and recognize, okay, I recognize that as an attack. I've exposed it, now I'm going to eliminate it, do A, the word of God, B, prayer, and C, walking in the presence of the Holy Spirit. And we recover more quickly from these things. Paul, I promise you, was not ultra-tormented by this. Yes, he talks about the thing tormenting his mind, but this, I promise you, was not a point in his life where it was a long-term issue. He just recognized, okay, that's something that's gonna keep me humble. Yes, the enemy's attacking me, but I can do this because of the grace of God. He only asked three times. And then he said, okay, Lord, if that's how the enemy's gonna continue to attack me, he can attack me all he wants because I'm in your grace. And now that I'm in your grace, that attack doesn't do what it was supposed to do. And you and I today have that same power, that grace working in our lives. Now I'm gonna give you number seven, which I think is so rarely talked about, and it's a really important sign, but let's recap before I get into number seven. Number one, you're overcome with shame. Number two, you are bound in a sinful habit. Number three, you can't focus. Number four, you carry a heaviness upon you. Number five, you feel constant fear, insecurity, and paranoia. Number six, your mind is tormented. Number seven, watch this, the word of God confuses you. Whoa, this is an interesting one. First Timothy four, one. Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times, some will turn away from the true faith. They will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. Watch this now. This is one of the sneakiest, is that a word, one of the sneakiest attacks of the enemy? I remember as a new believer, I would read the book of Romans, and there was a season in my life where reading the book of Romans would terrify me because Paul the apostle wrote of vessels of wrath and how God and his sovereignty chose some as vessels of wrath. And you know, he used Pharaoh as an example. Now this bothered me because I thought, wait a minute, am I a vessel of wrath? Was I created just to experience God's wrath? What I didn't realize at the time was that Pharaoh by his own will resisted God and allowed himself to turn against God in stubbornness. And in response to his stubbornness, God hardened his heart, but there was still an element to free will. And God could have used another leader in his place to be that example of someone he came against. Pharaoh was a position, not a person. And so this individual chose to be that person who would take the position as the oppressor of God's people. His choices in life led him there. Also, I didn't realize that in the book of Romans, Paul the apostle is talking about the nation of Israel and how God positioned the nation of Israel using their disobedience to bring salvation to the Gentiles. What a wonderful thing God did. It wasn't saying that I was created to experience God's wrath, but why did I think that? Well, because of the assault of the enemy, the twisting of the scriptures that the enemy will do. When we talk about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, oh man, the enemy will torment you with that one. When the scripture talks about how there being no forgiveness or shedding of the blood again, for forgiveness or sins, the enemy will torment you with that one because there's little understanding. You see, the source of all confusion is deception. If you're confused about something, it's because you're believing a lie. You'll hear all sorts of different opinions on different doctrines and different portions of scripture. And that can cause confusion sometimes and the enemy will use that confusion. The reality is that if you're confused, there's something you're believing that's not true. It's like trying to get two 1,000 piece puzzles, shaking them all in a box together and then trying to do the puzzle. That's gonna cause you a lot of trouble. Or if I got 10 puzzles that had 1,000 pieces each and then mixed them all together and then said, go try to do the puzzle. That would be an incredibly difficult task. Why? Because you're mixing different puzzles together in the same way. Sometimes we'll learn a truth in scripture and then maybe from a book, from a preacher, from a video, from a church service. Well, here's something else that just wasn't really well studied or wasn't well put together. And it sounds good because scripture was used but the scripture was misapplied. And now we're holding on to one belief that wasn't really founded upon scripture was the twisting of scripture. They used scripture but scripture wasn't properly used. They tried to use scripture to say what they wanted to say instead of letting the scripture speak for itself. And then they got something else that was true and then they tried to mix these two together and all this confusion results. Well, that's an attack of the enemy. And this is one of the signs that you are being attacked. The word of God confuses you. The enemy has twisted scripture somewhere. The enemy has you believing some lies. How do you overcome this? You have to study to show yourself approved. You have to get into the word. You have to let the Holy Spirit cause the scripture to speak for itself. Don't try to force your opinions in your belief. This is where confusion really starts to set in is when people stubbornly tried to force what they want to believe so desperately. They try to cram that in the scripture. That's popular in culture these days. People of the world do it all the time. And they try to cram their belief systems in the scripture and there's no room for our opinions in God's truth. But people try to do it anyway. And enforcing it, they become like pretzels twisting themselves over themselves. And we all do it. Here's the truth. We all do it myself included because sometimes there's just things we don't want to let go of. And that's an assault of the enemy. And that's a sign that you're being attacked. So let's recap and I'm gonna show you how to get free and stay free. Number one, you overcome with shame. Two, you're bound by a sinful habit. Three, you can't focus. Four, you carry a heaviness upon you. Five, you feel constant fear and security and paranoia. Six, your mind is tormented. Seven, the word of God confuses you. Now, I'm about to tell you how to get free and stay free. And this is gonna be liberating because it comes from the word. But before I do, if you haven't subscribed to Encounter TV yet, now is the time to do it. Just click that subscribe button and that notification bell so that you can be notified when we release new content. I do sermons and teachings on the Holy Spirit, prayers, spiritual warfare and similar topics. We also live stream like this and we live stream our events from around the world and you can see the power of the Holy Spirit in action at these services. Now, Steve, before I get into point number eight, let's just real briefly check in with the chat. Well, chat is doing amazing. Throughout the stream, they've been talking to me and I've seen your comments, your questions, your thoughts. So far, everyone is loving the topic. People are getting touched by the topic. I believe people are actually getting healed right now while you are teaching this message. Like I said, there's so many people responding to this message. So continue guys to comment, continue to share this stream. Again, you never know who this stream can touch. So continue guys, you're doing amazing. Let's keep it going. All right, getting free and staying free. When demons attack Christians, it's always through means of deception. Now, there are a couple of biblical exceptions. Sickness can be a demonic assault and the enemy can also physically harm the believer through a demon-influenced individual. Someone whose demon possessed can harm, physically harm a believer. But in those cases, the enemy is using something already existing in the material world against the believer. Every other attack, or at least 99.9% of them, come through means of deception. Now watch this. The Bible says in Ephesians chapter six verses 10 through 18, a final word be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world. Against mighty powers in this dark world and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Verse 13, therefore put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will be standing firm. Stand your ground putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the good news so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these things, in addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil, put on salvation as your helmet and take the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. Verse 18, pray in the spirit at all times and on every occasion, stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. Now, watch this, verse 11. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. You guys, right here in Ephesians chapter six, does the Bible say that this will help you to stand against some of the strategies of the enemy? No. Does it say that it will help you to stand against half of the strategies of the enemy? No. So, if we apply what the scripture is giving us here, is there anything left out that the enemy can attack us with? No. So this will help to give you peace of mind when it comes to wanting those ultra-specific descriptions on how to overcome the enemy, which are just distractions in themselves. Here we see a very powerful truth that if you put on God's armor, there's no strategy that the enemy can bring against you that will work. This armor works for all the strategies, nothing left out. We see, the word strategies here means methods or in the Greek, deceit, cunning arts, trickery. Wait a minute. So the deception of the enemy is his strategy. All of the strategies of the enemy, that's simply deception. The deception of the enemy is the totality of what he has against the believer, obviously with the exception of physical harm that can come through, as I said, sickness, and a demon-influenced person physically harming the believer. But think about the fact that the belt of truth, we believe that truth in the mind. Body armor of righteousness, where do you fight temptation? In the mind. Shoes of peace, peace of mind. Shield of faith, you believe in your heart and mind. The helmet, the mindset of salvation. Notice that each piece of armor is speaking against deception. And the sword of the spirit is how you destroy the lies of the enemy. What's the sword? It's the word of God. So all the strategy of the enemy can come by knowing the truth. Let's look at the attacks here. When he accuses you, your overcome with shame. Know the truth concerning the forgiveness of God. When you're bound by a sinful habit, which is one of the signs, that's the attack of temptation. You know the truth of what God's grace, his word, his presence, and you overcome that attack. When you can't focus your mind, and you're distracted by all the attacks of the enemy, the things that don't matter in this world, what's the lie there? The lie is, these things matter. Stop believing the lie that those things even matter, and your mind comes right back to focus. So you overcome the attack through truth. Let's say you carry that heaviness on you, but it's been weighing on you. Where does that heaviness come from? Again, you're believing a lie of the enemy, someone slandering you, or you're not resting. What's the lie here? The lies of the enemy can be anything. God's abandoned you, God doesn't forgive you. You're nobody, you'll never amount to anything. Those are lies, and the scripture contradicts those lies. The slander of people. The Bible says if God is for me, who can be against me? So when someone slanders you, the lie you believe that discourages you is that the slander's gonna do anything at all. It's not, it does nothing. Why? Because God is for you. So there, that is overcome. When you're not resting, you're not eating. What's the lie you're believing? The lie you're believing is, I can keep this up. Stop believing that lie. You come right back to truth, and that attack is overcome. You feel constant fear and security, paranoia. Well, that's the attack of intimidation. How do you overcome that? For God has not given me a spirit of fear, a power and love and a sound mind. You think on those things that are true. Maybe you fear death. What's the greater truth? Yes, we all will die. What's the greater truth? The greater truth is that when I die, I live again. When you die, you live again. And that this is not the end. The fear of being alone. You have his presence, you know that truth. You overcome this fear and security and paranoia. What about the torment of the mind, this affliction? Well, the lie is that you have to put up with it. The lie is that there's any merit to what the enemy is saying he's going to do. The lie is to believe in those threats that he's making. But again, it comes back to the word, truth. The word of God confuses you. Well, that's an easy one. Study to show thyself, approve. Let the truth do away with confusion. But let it actually work. Don't try to hang on to an old belief system. Don't try to hang on to an old mindset. Let the truth set you free and then you stay free. How do you stay free? You continue to know, believe and walk in the truth. Now there are a few things I wanna share with you first before I pray with you. Because I think it's important that we know. There's some questions that will arise. I wanna talk to you about demonic limitations, how demons are limited. And then I wanna talk to you about open doors. I mentioned earlier in the broadcast that I would talk about this. There's some time, I'm gonna talk about it. Open doors, what are open doors and how do they make us more vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy? But for now, those are the seven signs that you're under spiritual attack and that's how to get free and stay free. Now I wanna talk to you about demonic limitations. First of all, let me establish that we are fighting very powerful enemies. Jude chapter one, verse nine says, yet Michael the archangel when contending with the devil in a dispute about the body of Moses did not dare to pronounce upon him a railing judgment but he said, the Lord rebuke you. So not even the archangel would come against Satan in his own power. So we understand that Satan and demonic beings are very powerful beings. Now we in our own power could not resist them. We in our own power could do nothing to stand against them. They would destroy us if we tried to get into battle on our own. It's only by the power of the Holy Spirit that demonic beings become weakened around us. Now having established that demons are very powerful, let's look at some of those limitations that they have. Number one, demons cannot read minds. I know this is a common misconception. People truly believe that demonic powers can read minds but this is what the Bible teaches. First Kings 839, then here in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to everyone according to all his ways whose hearts you know. For only you know the hearts of the sons of men. So only God can see into the heart. Only God can see into the mind. Only God can know the thoughts that you're thinking. Now it doesn't always seem like this, does it? Maybe you've encountered someone who was demon possessed or demonically influenced. Maybe you've been harassed by demonic beings that seem to know how to hit you at the right time. This can give the impression that demons can read minds. Let me tell you what's actually happening here. Demonic beings have been around for thousands of years. They understand human nature. They understand what tempts us, what saddens us. They understand every aspect of human nature. They even understand physiological effects of their attacks. They understand that if they attack us with fear our hearts might start racing. You may start to perspire. You may start to dart your eyes back and forth. You may start to breathe faster. The enemies can read these physiological signs as well. And so demonic beings are spiritual assassins, highly trained. Demonic beings are spiritual assassins, highly trained. They can look and see. They can note if the attacks are working. They can see when you're being tempted. They can see when you're struggling. They can see when there's heaviness on you. And they know what lies to speak according to how you are suffering. They know what temptations to present according to how you respond. And they make what we call educated guesses because they're so good at understanding human nature. And in their understanding of human nature they often say things through their servants, through the people that they possess that give the impression that they're reading minds. Also keep in mind that demonic beings communicate with one another. When an unclean spirit comes out of a man it goes to the desert seeking rest but finding none. And then it says, I will return. And what does it do? It calls seven other demonic powers more wicked than itself. Meaning they're able to communicate. It calls other demonic beings so they talk to one another. So if there's a demonic being that's watching you and that demonic being speaks to someone who's demon possessed that demonic being is gonna be able to tell you, tell that demonic being, the demonic being that follows you is gonna be able to tell the demonic being and the demon possessed person what you struggle with. What you do in the secret place. What you do when no one is looking. And so they may be able to say things and you go, oh my goodness that demon's reading my mind when really they're just sharing intel on you. And so there's things like this that demonic beings do that give the impression that they read minds but demonic beings can't read minds. Number two, demonic beings cannot see the future. Isaiah chapter 46 verses nine through 10 makes that clear. Remember the former things of old for I am God and there is none else. I am God and there is none like me declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times the things that are not yet done saying my counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure. So here the scripture makes it clear there's no one like God who can tell beginning to end. There's no one like God who can capture a glimpse of the entire timeline at one time. Only God knows all things concerning the future. Now we may be asking here at this point, well, how do psychics make predictions or how do demons sometimes predict the future through their servants? Well, it's in the same way that they're able to make predictions or educated guesses about you. They make educated guesses about the future. Economists can make predictions about our economy. Meteorologists can make predictions about our weather. Politicians can make predictions about certain social issues. So as they become educated, they make better predictions. Well, demonic beings know humanity. They've studied history. So they know the cycles that civilizations repeat and they use this information to make educated guesses regarding the future through their servants. Demonic beings number three, cannot be omnipresent. Job chapter one verses six through seven says, now that was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and the adversary who came along and the adversary also came among them. And the Lord said to the adversary from where have you come? And the adversary answered the Lord saying from roaming on the earth and from walking up and down on it. Now, by definition, if you can move from place to place, you're not omnipresent. Why? Because if you're omnipresent, by definition, you can't move from place to place. It's a contradiction to say that God went from my house to my church. It's a contradiction to say that God went from my church to my car. Why? Because he was always present in all of these places. So the very fact that demonic beings move through the earth, the very fact that they can present themselves, the very fact that they can wander is proof that they're not omnipresent. Now, how again do they sometimes display what seems to be omnipresence? Well, there's a network of demonic beings that all work with one another and now you have your answer to that as well. So to recap on demonic limitations, demons cannot read minds, demons cannot see the future, and demons cannot be omnipresent. Now, what makes you more vulnerable to demonic attacks? Let's talk real briefly about open doors. Number one, your thoughts. Philippians 4-8 says, finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report. If there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things. The scripture tells us to focus our minds on those things which are godly. Why do we do that? We do that because the way we think is the way we feel and the way we feel is the way we behave. So if you're not monitoring your thoughts, if you're not filtering information through the truth of the word of God and you're allowing just anything to be established in your mind and become a mindset, you're opening a door to demonic influence. Now, at this point, I wanna clearly define what I mean by open door. Again, we understand Christians can't be possessed, they can't be owned by a demon, they can't be demonized, but this does not mean that they can't be influenced. And in terms of open doors, an open door is simply anything that makes you more susceptible to demonic attacks and influence. So if you're not monitoring your thought patterns, this makes you more susceptible to lies. Things like self pity, jealousy, pride, these cause you to become more susceptible to the attacks of the enemy. So monitor your thoughts lest they become open doors. Number two, connections. First Corinthians 1533 says, don't be fooled by those who say such things for bad company corrupts good character. The people you hang around can become an open door. Why? Because the demonic beings that influence them can influence you. How? Well, not through literal attachment. It's not like the demon is jumping from their physical being to you if you're a spirit-filled believer. Unbelievers, they're open game. Demons can jump around from person to person all day long. But as a believer, you know that you're owned by God, that you are his prized possession. The scripture describes you as his possession. So how does a demon influence you through another individual? Well, let's go back to thoughts. If you're hanging around someone who's under demonic control and they're thinking and feeling and behaving and speaking according to that demonic influence, that's gonna become your thought pattern. That heaviness, that weight on them, it can rub off on you. This is why I'm a big believer in divine connections, yes, but I'm also a big believer in divine disconnections. Sometimes God will disconnect you at key points. Next we see eyes. Eyes can be an open door. Psalm 101.3 says, I will set in a wicked thing before my eyes. I hate the work of them that turn aside. It shall not cleave to me. What we set before our eyes will ultimately influence our minds. This is why you have to be very careful about what you're looking at. Don't look at things that remind the Holy Spirit of what breaks His heart. Don't look at things that you don't want others to know you're looking at. Don't look at things that are dark in nature, sinful in nature, worldly in nature, distracting in nature, because then your eyes can become an open door. Ears, music can be spiritual. 1 Samuel 16.23 says, and whenever the tormenting spirit from God troubled Saul, David would play the harp, then Saul would feel better and the tormenting spirit would go away. Well, not only can music affect you, but the words you hear can affect you. Proverbs 18.21 says, the tongue can bring death or life. Those who love the talk will reap the consequences. Now let's not get superstitious here. The scripture is not talking about name it, claim it, blab it, grab it. Some people are of the impression that if they say, oh, I feel like I'm getting a cold, that that's gonna make them get a cold. That's not exactly how it works. For the sake of brevity, I won't get into too much detail on that. There is power in your words, but I'll say it succinctly. We have been given the power to speak things into order. Only God has the power to speak things into existence. I'll leave that tangent there for the moment, but let's go back here to how our ears can become open doors to demonic influence. When people speak words that are deceptive, when people speak words that are not according to the word of God, that becomes something that we hear. And what we hear again can affect our thought patterns. So, so far we see that open doors can be thoughts, our connections, our eyes, our ears. Watch this now. This is one that's rarely talked about. States of being, anger. And don't sin by letting anger control you. Don't let the sun go down where you are still angry. For anger gives a foothold to the devil. Now, the scripture here is describing again, that place of influence, not a physical place in the believer. You study out especially in the original text. It's not talking about possession. You won't see that word here. What you will see is this foothold of influence. What you will see is this susceptibility to the deception of the enemy. And so, when you're in the state of anger, you're more susceptible to attacks of the enemy. In fact, when you are angry, you're more likely to do the enemy's work for him. You bring up the past of your loved ones. You accuse people of their mistakes. You tear people down. You tell them mean things. You're doing the work of the enemy for him when you surrender to that anger. Also, another state of being, this one's important, tiredness. Think about in 1 Kings chapter 19 verses four through eight, where we see the prophet so weighed down that he asked the Lord to take his life. He was suicidal. He didn't want to live. Now, did he have to name a demon and go through a session to cast it out? No, why? Because he's a spirit filled individual. What we see here is he needed a nap and a snack. Sometimes rest is the most spiritual thing you can do. But that state of being tired can make you very susceptible to attacks of the enemy. This is why fasting is so powerful. Because fasting gives you practice in that state of tiredness and weariness. You learn how to say no to the flesh and the enemy even when your body is physically drained. So we see so far, thoughts, connections, eyes, ears, states of being, and finally, your mouth. For example, gluttony opens you to sickness. Drugs open you to torment. 1 Timothy 5, 23 tells us don't drink only water. You ought to drink a little wine for the sake of your stomachs. You ought to drink a little wine for the sake of your stomach because you are so often sick. Now there the scripture is telling us that for medicinal purposes, we can use certain substances to help aid us against sickness. But to use drugs in a recreational way, this is unbiblical. Galatians 5, 19 to 21 says, when you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear. Sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures. Watch this now. Idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the kingdom of God. This word here for sorcery is the word pharmacia. This is drug use for recreational purposes. That's sorcery. And you're opening yourself to demonic influence when you participate in such things. The things you say, the things you eat, the substances you allow in your body. You're opening yourself to attacks at the enemy. I'll emphasize again, gluttony. Most people don't realize that they're gluttonous because they don't know how many calories they ought to be taking in, and they don't realize how many calories they're taking in per meal. Now, I'm not speaking this to condemn anyone, but I'm talking about this susceptibility to sickness. I can't tell you how many times I prayed for someone to be healed. They get healed, and then because of their lifestyle, they just find themselves in another sickness again. God does not want us to live this way. He wants us to live free, and this is why you also have to guard your mouth that you don't allow the enemy to gain influence. So to recap, open doors are things that make you more susceptible to demonic influence. This is not demonic attachment or possession that doesn't apply to the believer, but we still should be alert to demonic attacks nonetheless. Thoughts, connections, eyes, ears, states of being, and the mouth. Now, Father, I pray that as we've heard your word, we would also apply it. Holy Spirit, as the enemy tries to assault us, here's what I'm gonna pray for you. I'm gonna pray this for you, and I want you to ask the Holy Spirit to remind you. Write that in the comment section. Just write two simple words, remind me. That's your prayer. That's the alter call response, if you will. Even if you're watching on the replay, put those two some words, remind me, because I'm gonna ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of these truths when you're attacked, that the enemy might be exposed. Father, in the name of Jesus. I thank you that your Holy Spirit will remind us of these truths when we find ourselves being assaulted by the enemy. And Lord, I pray that we would walk according to your spirit. Thank you that you've given us victory. Thank you that you've exposed and eliminated demonic influence in our lives. Holy Spirit, we surrender to you. Teach us to walk according to your ways that we might live in the victory, the freedom, the power and authority for which we were destined in the mighty name of Jesus. We pray, I want you to say it because you believe it. Say amen. Now it's usually at this point that people turn the video off. They get to this point, they hear the word, and they're like, okay, I'm out. Even on the live stream viewership, after we pray, we always notice this dip, and it is dramatic, a dip. I wanna challenge you to stick with me for a few minutes here, because I know you received, but I wanna challenge you now to give as every believer should. As I said, it's at this point that people usually drop off my challenge to you, just hear what I'm about to say and see if the Holy Spirit doesn't speak to you. We have people watching this live stream weekly in the tens of thousands. Sometimes it gets into the hundreds of thousands. And you know, if every believer were to participate and were to give, we would see every vision that God has given us fulfilled. There would be nothing that we, I'm serious, there would be nothing that we couldn't do. If everyone who watched this video, if everyone who saw this live, everyone who's on live and watching the replay, if every single one of you were to do $5, $10, $25, if everyone did something, we would have all the resources to do everything that we needed to do. And that would be true indefinitely for the future. Why? Because as we put more resources into the ministry, the audience grows. And so it will always be true that if everyone participated, that there would be more than enough. And then we could even continue to help other ministries in more ways. But you know, I wanna challenge you as an individual. Don't say this is for someone else. Don't say this is for some other time. Don't say, well, I'm just kinda watching or I just kinda clicked on it. No, no, no. God has called every believer to support the work. Matthew 633, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness above all else. And then all these things shall be added unto you. You take care of God's house. He'll take care of yours. There is no excuse. I understand sometimes we're fearful because of the things we hear in the news. This is gonna collapse. This is going downhill. Inflation, shortages, blah, blah, blah. The enemy is a liar. I rebuke it in the name of Jesus. We're victorious in Christ and God's people always prosper in times of famine. God will take care of us. And because he'll take care of us, we're free to give. So I wanna challenge you, not only to not click off the video right now, I wanna challenge you to participate in giving. Again, if every believer were to give $5, $10, $25, every single one of you watching, we'd have plenty of resources every single week to do everything we need to do. And we would even be able to put the surplus into Project ETV. Now I wanna show you something. My challenge to you is, Tim, how long's this video? Give me a quick answer. Four minutes. It's a four minute video. Stick around for four minutes. Look at the vision of what we're doing and see if you wanna get involved. I'm gonna come right back. Don't go anywhere. I'm gonna come right back. Watch this four minute clip and then I wanna challenge you to get involved. Watch this. Countries around the world have now reported more than one million coronavirus cases. More than three billion people have been asked to stay at home. Protests started at about noon today in Seattle but turned destructive right now. The Bible says for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believe it in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me. Jesus is the only way to God. We are witnessing the greatest miracle of all, the salvation of the soul. Creation cries out for a move of the Holy Spirit. It's time to take the gospel of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit to the nations of the world. The harvest is ready. God has given David Diga Hernandez a plan to reach the masses as this ministry continues to experience rapid growth in favor. We now turn our sights to the next phase of the vision. We are building a new media center in Austin, Texas. We have the keys to the building and we've already begun to build. This media center is more than just a building. It's a heavenly stronghold, a victory for kingdom expansion and advancement of dominion. Not only will this be a place that produces spirit-filled media that touches the nations, but this will also be a place of gathering, prayer, in the home of our own data center, which will help us to back up our own video platform so that we aren't subject to the whims of worldly big tech companies. This will be the Holy Spirit's video platform. Dare to believe big with us. Put a little faith in a big God and watch what he will do. You can be a part of something that changes everything. Even in these chaotic times, God's church is victorious. Get involved by going to davidhernandezministries.com slash expand. We've secured our building and now we need to get to work. Help us build this next level soul-winning work. I need your help. Get informed about and involved with this project by going right now to davidhernandezministries.com slash expand. With over 1.2 million followers and supporters from across our various platforms, we can make this God-given vision a reality. If everyone, including you, does their part. There's a remnant that's going after the soul of this generation. Together and with our God, we can do this for nothing is impossible with God. So I'm asking for your help. I'm asking for you to help us spread the gospel and win souls. You may not understand all the tech behind what we're doing or how all of the details work. But what does matter is that every time this ministry has expanded, our capabilities to win more souls, to build more believers has also expanded. So help us today. Whether you wanna give directly to that project by going specifically to the project link or you wanna give a general gift to the ministry, I'm asking everyone to give something. Become a monthly partner. Give a one-time gift. Maybe there's someone watching. You can give something significant, something extravagant. Do these two things. Give to the gospel one-time monthly, large or small. And number two, pray that God would touch the hearts of people to give extravagantly. I know by the spirit that there are a few key donors who are supposed to help with this project and they're supposed to do something significant. Maybe you've been back and forth with the Holy Spirit. Maybe you're waiting for confirmation. This is the Holy Spirit confirming it. Now is the time. Now is the time. It's time to win souls. Our time is short. We must put the ministry first. We must spread the gospel. I'm asking everyone to do something today. Again, you can give specifically to the project using the project link or you can just give a general donation to this ministry. You can give one-time monthly, large or small. Either way, do something. Do something right now because souls hang in the balance. Help us. I'm reaching out to you, my spirit family. Let's do this. Now, if you enjoyed this teaching that I believe you'll also enjoy my teaching, how to know you're in God's will. Three important signs in that teaching. I walk you through the scripture to reveal how to know you're right where God wants you to be.