Spiritual Oppression: The Dangers of Open Doors to the Enemy-Part 3

Not only does the Lord expect us to forgive others, but He commands us to. In the Lord’s model prayer He shows us that He is faithful to forgive us of our trespasses but there is a stipulation: we must forgive those that trespass against us, Matthew 6:12. You can find yourself opening up doors to the enemy inviting all kinds of spiritual oppression and strongholds by your inability to let go of things that others have done to you. Especially if you feel like they don’t deserve to be forgiven. It will be one of the hardest things that you will ever have to do. Trust me I know I have been there, but it is necessary to avoid being put in the prison of unforgiveness and the spiritual bondages that it brings.

This Biblical principle which is found in so many places throughout the entirety of the Word of God is what the devil and his demonic spirits will use against you if you fail to forgive those that have wronged you. He will ensure that you develop a root of bitterness so deep that it will be impossible to reach low enough to pull it out!

One of the things that we know is that God looks at our heart, 1 Samuel 16:7. With that being said, we have to make sure that when we forgive the people that offended us we have to truly let it go. It is one thing to say that you forgave because it sounds good, but actually doing it is a whole other story. You have to be willing to keep it 100 % with yourself regarding whether or not you have genuinely forgiven.

Below are some ways that you can tell whether or not you have actually pardoned the person or people that have offended you:

• You don’t immediately feel angry when someone mentions their name
• You don’t try to avoid them if they are in the same room as you (including eye contact)
• You can help them in their time of need and not think twice about it
• You no longer allow what they did to you bring up negative emotions

These are just some examples of how you will know in your heart that you have let go of that offense that another person did towards you. You definitely do not want to be that bitter person that allows the enemy through open doors to infiltrate your heart with negative emotions like hate, animosity, and resentment. That is the last thing that you need because what that can do is invite physical ailments like: high blood pressure, insomnia, high stress levels, and many other adverse conditions due to the chains of unforgiveness.

It can also have an effect on your mental health. Since you are carrying around that heavy burden due to your lack of forgiveness; you can develop anxiety, depression, apprehension, uneasiness, and many other negative feelings. How does this happen and how does unforgiveness open the door to the enemy? We have to remember that the Satan and his kingdom form their mischief by law, Psalm 94:20. Since you are breaking one of the Lord’s Biblical principles of forgiveness the Word of God tells us that our repercussion for this kind of disobedience is that we are now being handed over to the tormentors, Matthew 18:34-35.

The enemy knows this and will use his foot soldiers (demons) to plant thoughts in your mind that make you dwell on past events and remember painful experiences which will bring up old wounds in the hopes that you will develop unforgiveness. Once they do that, they now have legal access into your life to create other strongholds that are harder to dismantle. You have to be willing to make the conscious decision to truly forgive and mean it from the heart.

So, what can someone do if they are struggling to forgive? The first step is to repent for your inability to forgive your brothers and sisters as God has forgiven you and commanded you to do. Then call on the Name of Jesus to give you the strength through the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome your unforgiveness. Get into the Word of God and allow that constant renewal of your mind to take place, Romans 12:2.

There are so many benefits of forgiveness and that is where you will begin to find your inner healing, peace that surpasses understanding, release of emotional pain, and so many other positive outcomes. God’s grace is beyond measure and He will help you overcome those strongholds of unforgiveness that the enemy loves to use against you. Below I am listing some scriptures that show what the Lord feels about forgiveness and how He expects us to handle it.

Also if you haven’t read my previous blogs on this topic: Spiritual Oppression-The Dangers of Open Doors to the Enemy: Part 1, and Part 2. They will give you an insight on different ways that the enemy will try to keep you bound.