Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers,~3 John 2:2. 

Hello beautiful friends. I hope this series draws us both closer to God and many find tremendous healing. Last post was far longer, so this one may be split so it’s not quite as long. 😊

Today I will be talking to you about open doors. I’ll start with a story from my childhood that may help with understanding. 

When I was around 13 I had this neighborhood friend, let’s call her Lucy. Lucy was adventurous, free, and didn’t truly understand the purpose of rules. 

I’m an artist. I love to paint. I was working on a lighthouse mural on canvas in our basement. It was larger than life and my friend Lucy was eager to see it! She was overflowing with excitement. I became sick with the chicken pox right before the big reveal. Lucy stopped by and she was stopped by my mum at the door. 

“Erin is sick, you will have to come back another time,” my mum said. 

“I really want to see the painting, can’t I just come in for a minute?” Lucy exclaimed. 

“No, I would like for you to come back another time,” my mum politely responded. 

I could see over the stairs their dialogue back and forth. As Lucy became more insistent, the level of irritation in my mum increased. Eventually Lucy saw the door was open enough for her to squeeze in. She bolted into the house and down the steps to see the painting. In a whirlwind she had gained entry. Through that open door we had an intruder. She seemed nice at first, yet she came with a mission, to gain entrance into our house. 

My mum in a sense of outrage chased her down the steps, then escorting her out the door. The next thing I knew Lucy was getting a lesson on boundaries, respecting adults, and well that friend never came back to play. 

Why did I tell you this story? Good question. There are many things in this story that relate to our souls (mind, will, emotions) and spiritual house. The house is you or me. The inhabitants if you’re saved (in Christ) are you and Jesus. The intruder (Lucy in the story) represents the lies, footholds, strongholds, demonic spirits that can enter into our lives through open doors. We (you and I) or our ancestors opened the door to oppression, sickness, death, etc…through sin. It started with Adam. We can also open doors by believing lies, gross sin etc…

My story isn’t perfect in the sense Jesus never opens the door to sin or the demonic in our lives. You and I do that or our ancestors did that. He does cast them out. Yet wanted to give you a visual of opening doors. 

So, you can be walking along, Spirit filled, and still have a room in your soul marked fear, lust, prejudice, insecurity, anger, pride, or addiction… In these rooms are thoughts, ideas, images, memories, behavior patterns. All rooms God wants to clean out…lust becoming a room of love and purity, anger becoming patience and long suffering, pride becoming humility, insecurity becoming security in Christ, sexuality refined by God’s original design. Some rooms as stated in last post are swept clean at conversion. Some are not. Why? 

Everything in the Kingdom of God works by faith and before salvation we are completely under the influence of lies. 

Believing lies open doors to give the devil a foothold. What is a foothold. It’s a crack in the door. Think of Lucy. She knocked on the door and my mum thought she was checking on me. She wasn’t. My mum believed something that wasn’t true. A crack in the door can lead to further problems.  

Continuing to believe lies leads to strongholds. These are fortresses of lies. Lucy persisted in trying to bargain with my mum. She wanted entrance inside. Lucy only wanted to see my painting. The evil one wants to take up residence; to kill, steal, and destroy. So once the lie is believed he seeks to link other lies to it. The goal is to ensnare you and I into sin; gross sin leads to demonic oppression. 

Follow this trail. Stories from ministry. 

Jane (name changed for privacy) starts to feel neglected by her husband. The lie sown, “Your husband is boring and there’s far more excitement out there.” Jane believes this lie and starts flirting back with her coworker who is also married yet not a Christian. The lies keep building. “Your coworker is excited to see you. He appreciates you. You’ll have a far better life with him.” Well Jane stayed on this journey until she ended up sleeping with the guy at work. He left his wife. She did not leave her husband. The aftermath was two families hurt, damaged, and wounded. Jane’s reputation ran through the mud. Tons of inner healing for Jane and her husband. The guy had to process the hurt of not getting what he wanted and mend things with his ex wife. It was a mess that started with a lie. 

There’s Max (name changed) who was lured into pornography. Lies: “It’s exciting. This will spice up your love life. This is far better than being with your wife. You’re a guy, boys will be boys-you need release right? There’s no harm done. It’s just fantasy.” Max becomes addicted to pornography, loses his spot on the worship team and in ministry. He struggles to get free and get images out of his head. His wife is devastated. She thinks, “Why wasn’t I good enough for him? Why did he lie to me?” They both go through tremendous hurt, shame, pain, inner healing, and deliverance. Pornography is an evil spirit. There’s an evil spirit behind it. 

There’s Julie who experienced turmoil and father issues. She hears the lie: “You were born the wrong sex. You should’ve been a boy.” These lies go against Psalm 139. God formed us and chose our gender. Julie begins to believe these lies and act on them. This leads to her living many years as a man. Julie eventually has an encounter with Jesus. This lifestyle brought great pain and anguish into her life. She developed cervical cancer and God healed her. She has a radical testimony of being spiritually, emotionally, and physically healed. She’s now living as a woman and has given up sexual relationships with women. She had to walk through deliverance from evil spirits because gross sin leads to demonic oppression. She still, though saved and set free, battles at times shame. 

The devil never tells people the consequences of listening to him. He just says, “Do what feels good.” That’s what he did to Eve. We see how that story ended. Yet there’s hope in Jesus. There’s power in His name to break every single chain.

There are people who say your soul is not influenced by evil once saved. This is not true. You still can choose to partner with lies or engage in sinful activity that opens up your soul to torment. That’s why scripture says…

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled,~2 Corinthians 10:3-6.

You may have lies that don’t seem as big as those that lead to adultery or sexual sin. Those lies may be…

You’re worthless; I’m worthless 

No one loves me

God will not protect me 

This is hopeless

I have no reason to live 

God hates me 

God doesn’t love me

God loves others more than me 

I need to earn God’s love or approval 

I need man’s approval 

I’m a failure 

Everyone’s against me 

I can’t do what God called me to do 

I’m never going to be free 

I’m not important to God

God is blessing everyone but me

Other people are beneath me (leads to prejudice, sexism, racism)…

It’s okay to engage in this sin

I was born this way so I must stay this way

God is not all powerful 

I ask Holy Spirit to reveal any lies I am believing and renounce them. I want those doors shut so the enemy can not build fortresses (strongholds of lies). It’s a process and journey of renouncing lies and getting truth into our minds. Renewing the mind. It’s the daily battle. For it is not the truth that ultimately sets us free. It’s believing the truth that sets us free. 

If you struggle with lies and thoughts, I highly recommend Beth Moore’s Book Praying God’s Word (Purchase Praying God’s Word), Decree by Patricia King (Purchase Decree) Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer (Purchase Battlefield of the Mind). Also recommend Beth Moore’s DVD/CD teaching Breaking Free (Purchase Breaking Free). 

Next post we will talk more about open doors. There’s…

• Unforgiveness 
• Trauma/Abuse
• Neglect/Abandonment
• Gross Sin/Sexual Sin
• Unbelief
• Choices of Entertainment
• Occult involvement 
• Generational Sin (Your Ancestors Opened the Door) 

I love you friends. ❤️ Praying for you! May you and I be completely free in Christ. I’m on this journey with you! Jesus is mighty to save, heal, and deliver! 

Love, 

Erin