Do you feel like you’re walking through the valley of the shadow of death? I know that valley well. I’ve walked through it in different seasons of life, and I’ve learned that it’s something we’re supposed to do just that in—walk. We’re supposed to walk until we’re out of it!
I learned this the hard way in a season right after Kathy and I got married. I made the mistake of camping out in the valley for three years, not because I wanted to but because I had been taught that Christians could not be demonized. This teaching set me up to
war against my flesh instead of the spirits that were attacking me every day. The truth is that the spiritual realm is real and angels and demons are very active on the earth whether we see them or not.
MY STORY OF HELL ON EARTH
While Kathy was fighting her way through her pregnancy, I was carrying tons of responsibility at the shop. I worked twelve hours a day, six days a week and rarely stopped to eat lunch. Consequently, my diet consisted mostly of candy bars, Coke and potato chips. This ecosystem of stress and an unhealthy lifestyle sent me into a two-year battle of fighting panic attacks with what felt like no relief. Then, just when I thought it could not get any worse, I began to experience demonic visitations. Demons literally would come into our room at night and torment me. Lights went on and off, and pictures spontaneously fell off the wall! The phone rang every few minutes with people saying crazy things on the other end of the line. I am aware that many people do not believe in spirits, demons and angels, so this paragraph may be a little hard to swallow. But if you are reading this blog and have had or are having these experiences, I hope you believe in them now.
By the third year of this terrible storm, Kathy had had our second beautiful daughter, Shannon, but my life was becoming unbearable. Then, early one cold winter morning, something startling happened. I got up about 3:00 a.m., turned the stereo on low and lay down next to the speaker so I would not wake my family. We did not get very good radio reception in the mountains, but I thought I would try to find a late-night talk show to help get my mind off my condition. Finally, I tuned in to some preacher. The static was so bad that I could only make out about every third or fourth word of his message. Yet, in the midst of the noise, I heard him say something that would forever change my life. He quoted Paul’s exhortation to Timothy: “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). Then he went on to explain, “Fear is a spirit! Some of you are thinking you are going insane, but you are just listening to the spirit of insanity! Not all your thoughts are your own. Evil spirits talk to you by giving you their thoughts.”
I was stunned! I had been taught that Christians could be mentally ill but could not be demonized. What I did not realize until that night was that I had been educated right out of my solution.
I turned off the radio and asked Jesus what I should do. Immediately I heard a Voice inside my spirit say, “You have been listening to the spirit of insanity and the spirit of fear. Tell them to leave you right now!” Lying on my back on the living room floor, I said in a quiet but confident voice, “You, spirit of fear, and you, spirit of insanity, get off me right now in Jesus’ name!”
I could not see anything, but suddenly I felt something get up off my body. It physically felt like a lead blanket, the kind dentists use during X-rays, and it was being lifted off me. My shaking completely stopped, peace filled my soul and my mind was clear again. Joy overwhelmed my heart, and I laughed out loud for the first time in more than three years. A miracle had happened in my life, and I was eager to tell Kathy and the world about it.
LEARNING TO STAY FREE
I knew I had experienced something incredible that night, yet I did not fully understand that I had received a real deliverance. What I experienced that night was not some kind of spiritual hype or psychosomatic occurrence. I was set free! I enjoyed complete freedom for more than a week. After three years of hell, it was amazing to be filled with peace. My joy returned, my appetite came back and all my physical symptoms disappeared. The demonic visitations left, and for the first time in years, I slept through the night.
But soon I encountered the harsh reality that getting free and staying free were two very different things. One dark, cold night, I was driving home from work in my Jeep, winding through the forest on a narrow, unlit road that followed a wide creek. I was so excited about my newfound freedom that I shouted out loud; “I’m going to tell everyone about this—I’m going to help thousands of people get free!”
Just then a voice in my mind shouted back, “If you tell anyone about this, I will kill you!” Suddenly, all my symptoms returned. I had such a bad panic attack that I could not even drive. I pulled over into the ditch alongside the road. My heart was racing, and I was hyperventilating.
Then a quiet, yet powerful Voice asked me a question: Does the devil hate you? (I knew instinctively it was the Holy Spirit speaking to me.)
“Yes!” I responded in my mind.
“Then why didn’t he kill you when you got saved?” the Voice pressed.
“I don’t know,” I replied, still trying to gain my composure.
“Because he can’t! He has no power over you unless you give it to him,” the Voice insisted.
Peace began to seep back into my soul, and the anxiety slowly lifted over the next few minutes.
I began to shout again, “I’m free! I’m free!”
That scene repeated itself many times over the next several years as I learned little by little how to stay free and keep my peace.
WHO’S THE ENEMY?
It’s so important that we understand we are not warring against our old man, but against principalities. The war is finally won when you recognize that these thoughts are not your own and you resist them. Ephesians 6:10-13 says “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places . Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” When we understand that our old man is dead, we don’t try to fight with him anymore.
Because these thoughts are manifestations of evil spirits and not just bad ideas, when you decide to resist them it becomes a struggle—an intense battle for land in the spirit realm. Most people retreat or digress to try and find peace or solace instead of pressing in and defeat the enemy.
SPIRITUAL CONFLICT
Spiritual conflicts most often occur when we advance into new territory that is inhabited by evil spirits. Much like Joshua’s promised land experience or Nehemiah’s rebuilding of the walls, the enemy defends his territory when we are pushing forward into the new land. Most Christians are completely unaware that these are real spirit wars, so they retreat at the first sign of conflict, failing to recognize the true source of the battle.
It is important to understand that evil spirits attack by giving you thoughts that are compelling. In other words, they make you feel like you want to do them, even though they are the opposite of your history and nature. Then those same spirits accuse you of having these thoughts and feelings. If you believe these accusations, you lose confidence in yourself and God’s ability to keep you. This starts a spiral down into depression, anxiety, and self-hatred.
PRACTICAL WARFARE
The truth is that evil spirits have no power over you (even though it feels like they do)! Rather, you have power over them. Secondly, these battles come in waves and they will not last forever. Remember: if it’s not good, it’s not the end! And lastly, you probably did nothing wrong to cause this battle. As a matter of fact, you are most likely experiencing this battle because you are doing something right. Here are a few more things to hold onto while you WALK through the valley:
1. Don’t be afraid, but instead remember the Lord. Nehemiah 4:14 “When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people: “Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses.”
2. Remember the testimonies in your life. They are weapons of warfare. Fill yourself with faith by holding onto testimonies from other people’s lives too. Revelation 19:10 says the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Meaning if God’s done it before, He can and will do it again!
3. Remember the work you are doing is noble. Nehemiah 6:3 (emphasis added) says, “so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?”
4. Remember who you are! The enemy will try and convince you that you are defeated but the truth is that you are a victor! He’ll try and convince you that you’re the worst person in the world but the truth is that you’re the apple of God’s eye, destined to change the world! Speak the truth about who you are over yourself with every assault that comes your way.
5. Trust Jesus to keep you! Jude 24 says, “To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—”
6. Release the peace within you through singing and proclaiming Jesus. Remember the freedom within you will become the freedom around you. Acts 16:25 says, “But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened.”
7. No matter what, nothing can separate you from God’s love… not even the valley! “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)
8. Remember that God never leaves you and He’s walking through the valley with you! “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)
KEEP WALKING TODAY
This too shall pass! Even though we may feel crazy in the valley, we have been given a sound mind! Here again, we have to remind ourselves that how we feel isn’t always how we are. I want to encourage you with this verse: 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Hold onto this as you walk through the valley and remember the goal is to keep walking. Don’t set up camp and don’t give up!
I am praying today that you would have peace in this season, that God would protect you at night and that His voice would be the loudest one over you. I pray that irrational thoughts would be dissolved in Jesus name and that Holy Spirit would make clear the illusion and lie of the enemy. I pray that angels would surround you and that the right people would come around you in this season.
I have so much compassion for everyone who may be working through this and I have so much hope that you can and will be free! What are some things you do to make it through the valley? Let me know in the comments!
