Breaking the Chains of Iniquity and the Reality of Christian Deliverance

 Sin at Your Door

I was out mowing the lawn the other day, the summer sun beating down on my neck while the smell of fresh-cut grass filled the air. I had my Bluetooth headset on, listening to the Word of God as I made my rounds. My mind started to wander, just a little bit, drifting away from the scripture and into the mundane. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a wicked thought popped into my head. It was one of those dark, intrusive things that makes you stop in your tracks. I was literally listening to the Bible, yet there it was—a flash of darkness in the middle of a holy moment.

I was surprised, to say the least. "Man, I'm listening to the Bible and here comes this wicked thought?" I realized right then that I wasn't truly meditating; I was just hearing. My mind was wandering, and that's exactly where the enemy looks for an opening. I had to immediately cast down that vain imagination. I started quoting the 23rd Psalm, not like some magic incantation, but really thinking about the words, letting them sink into my spirit. And you know what? It left. Just like that.

This is the reality of the spiritual walk. Many of us are walking around with "blindered" eyes, much like a kid I saw in a video recently. He had a phone strapped right in front of his eyes, totally immersed in a virtual world. He was waving his hands around in thin air, convinced that what he saw on that screen was the only reality, completely oblivious to the fact that he was just standing in a living room. That is a picture of the occluded mind. The God of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, but sometimes, even as Christians, we let those scales grow back over our eyes.

We struggle with things we can't explain—addictions that won't quit, thoughts that haunt us, and a heavy sense of oppression that follows us from room to room. We go to church, we sing the songs, but the "chains" still feel very real. The problem is that we’ve been taught to either ignore the supernatural or to blame a demon for every stubbed toe. We are missing the "nuts and bolts" of how spiritual bondage actually works, especially the distinction between the demons we fight and the iniquity we’ve invited to stay. If we don't understand the difference, we can't walk in the full freedom Jesus paid for.

In this post, I want to pull back the curtain on what we discussed in our recent Voxer breakout room. We're going to dig into the difference between iniquity and possession, the power of the "Sword of the Spirit," and how you can actually start recovering yourself from the snare of the devil. It’s time to stop looking for alternative solutions and start using the tools God actually gave us.

When we talk about "Christians and demons," people tend to get uncomfortable. Some want to say a Christian can't have a demon, while others see a devil behind every bush. We need to look at this through the lens of the Word. First off, we have to understand the difference between iniquity and demon possession. Iniquity is like a sin that you invite. It’s a willful transgression that, over time, becomes a part of your character.

Think about it this way: the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin. Maybe you start smoking or engaging in a certain behavior. The first time, there's conviction. But after the second or third time, if you keep going, you are willfully sinning after you've known the truth. The Bible says, For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins (Hebrews 10:26). Iniquity is that obsession where you have to have it. You're in worship, but you're thinking about that next cigarette or that next drink.

Now, can demons be involved? Absolutely. They carry out the curse. But you don't necessarily have to have a demon inside of you to have iniquity inside of you. I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. Demons are old, and they are masters of deception. They are "familiar spirits" that often hang around families for generations, watching for that iniquity you’ve authorized. When you refuse to listen to the Spirit of God, you're basically giving those spirits a legal right to torment you, whisper in your ear, and play with the iniquity you’ve allowed to take root.

I remember when I first left the traditional church system. I was experiencing demonic activity like crazy. If you’ve read my book, OPEN YOUR EYES, you know I had out-of-body experiences where I saw different dimensions and entities. I learned the hard way that there are different realms existing in the same physical location right now. Around you, there are angels and demons in dimensions you can't see with your physical eyes, but they are as real as the chair you're sitting on.

One of the biggest issues I see today is that everyone wants to be a "prophet to the nations," but nobody wants to memorize scripture. We want the "deeper things" and the prophetic words, but we won't pick up the Sword. The Word of God is the only thing that pierces the thoughts and intents of the heart. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).

If you don't have the Word in you, you have nothing to fight with when those "vain imaginations" come. We are told to cast them down, but you can't cast down a lie if you don't know the Truth. God says in Hosea 4:6, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). You are letting yourself get beat up by the devil because you’re looking for a "Dr. Phil" solution instead of a Biblical one. Jesus didn't defeat Satan in the wilderness by quoting a commentary or a popular pastor; He said, "It is written."

We have to realize that we start out with a wicked heart. Genesis 6 tells us that the imagination of man's heart is only evil continually. Jeremiah echoes this, saying the heart is deceitful above all things. So how do we get a "pure heart" so we can ascend the mount of the Lord? We hide the Word in our hearts. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee (Psalm 119:11). This isn't just about reading; it's about eating the scroll. It's about letting the words of Jesus abide in you so that when the enemy speaks, the Word speaks louder.

Personal Reflections

I’ve had to learn these lessons through some pretty rough trials. My own journey with sanctification hasn't been a straight line. I’m not perfect; I’m a vessel being made "meet for the master's use" just like anyone else. I’ve noticed that every time I get delivered from one thing, the Lord shows me something else. It’s a "little by little" process. As it says in the Torah, God didn't drive out all the nations at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon the people. He drives them out as we are able to occupy the land.

One of the most powerful moments of deliverance in my life involved my struggle with alcohol. Before I truly came back to the Lord, I was a party animal. Even after I was baptized, I fell away for a time, diving deep into drinking and drugs. When I finally came full circle with God, I knew I had to stop, but the desire was like a physical weight. I went to AA meetings, I tried to "grit my teeth" through it, but I was still in bondage. I was opposing myself.

I started listening to a tape series called "Demonology 101" by a pastor named Tony Krishak. Tony was a guy who used to drink a fifth of whiskey every day, so he had "gotten the beam out of his own eye." I used to play these tapes at night while I slept—a practice I don't do as much now, as I prefer to be consciously meditating, but God used it then.

One night, I woke up violently ill. I wasn't sick in my stomach; I was throwing up bile from my liver. It was an intense, physical event. As I was hunched over, barely conscious, I heard the voice on the tape say, "Come out of him, you demon! Come out!" I didn't think much of it in the moment; I just thought I had a weird stomach bug and went back to sleep.

But a few days later, it hit me. I realized I hadn't even thought about a drink. The "occluded mind" had been cleared. The desire, the obsession, the "iniquity" that had been fueled by a spiritual entity, was just... gone. That is what Deliverance looks like. It’s not always a theatrical display in a church service; sometimes it’s the Spirit of Truth dealing with you in the quiet of your own home because you finally decided to seek the Kingdom first.

I realized that I had been a "servant of sin." Paul writes about this in his second letter to Timothy: In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will (2 Timothy 2:25-26). I was opposing myself, but when God granted that "acknowledging of the truth," I was able to recover myself from the snare.

Biblical References

The foundation for everything we are talking about is found in the Word. We see the blueprint for spiritual warfare in the life of Jesus Himself. In Matthew 4, when He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted, He didn't use His own divine authority to argue. He used the written Word. Every time the devil brought a temptation, Jesus responded with "It is written" (Matthew 4:4).

This is why Joshua 1:8 is so critical for us today. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success (Joshua 1:8). If you want "success" over demonic oppression, the Word has to be in your mouth and in your mind constantly.

We also have to look at the reality of the heart. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9). If our hearts are naturally wicked, we need something external to cleanse them. That is the "washing of water by the word" (Ephesians 5:26). We are transformed by the renewing of our minds.

When we talk about the "occluded mind," we are referencing 2 Corinthians 4:4: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them (2 Corinthians 4:4). Deliverance is often the simple—yet profound—act of having those scales removed so we can finally see things as they truly are.

Finally, we must remember the warning in Hosea. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee (Hosea 4:6). When we reject the "knowledge" of God—His ways, His Word, His Spirit—we are essentially choosing to remain in our chains. But when we seek Him, when we "buy the field" to get the treasure, the Truth sets us free.

Key Takeaways

• Iniquity vs. Demons: Iniquity is a "sin you invite" that becomes part of you through willful repetition. Demons are external entities that play with that iniquity and enforce the curse.
• The Occluded Mind: Spiritual bondage often manifests as a "blindness" to reality. You don't even realize you're in a "virtual" world created by the enemy until the Light of the Word breaks through.
• The Sword is Mandatory: You cannot win a spiritual battle without the Word of God hidden in your heart. Memorizing scripture is not optional; it is your primary weapon.
• Little by Little: Sanctification and deliverance are often a progressive journey. As you take spiritual ground, God reveals the next area that needs cleaning.
• Recovering Yourself: Repentance leads to the "acknowledging of the truth," which allows you to recover yourself from the snare of the devil.

Conclusion and Call to Action

The spiritual realm is not something to be feared, but it is something to be understood. If you’ve been struggling with the same old "iniquities" for years, if you feel like your mind is clouded and you can’t see the path forward, it’s time to pick up your Sword. Stop looking for the "deeper things of Satan" or getting lost in end-times conspiracies that do nothing but feed your fear. Seek the Kingdom. Get the Word in you until it’s the only thing that comes out when you’re squeezed.

If you want to dive deeper into my personal experiences with the supernatural and how the Lord opened my eyes to these dimensions, I highly recommend picking up my book, OPEN YOUR EYES. If you're struggling with spiritual attacks at night, Overcoming Night Terror is another resource that has helped many find their footing in Christ.

Don't let another day go by being "blindered" by the God of this world. The Truth is right in front of you. Dig deeper, go higher.

Action Items

1. Audit Your "Eye Gate": Spend the next week being extremely intentional about what you watch. If Jesus says looking at something can lead to sin in the heart, then we must "cut off" the sources of worldliness (TV, social media, etc.) that are programming our minds.
2. Start a Scripture Memory Habit: Choose one verse this week (start with Joshua 1:8 or Psalm 119:11) and repeat it until it is truly hidden in your heart. Don't just read it—meditate on it.
3. Identify Iniquity: Ask the Holy Spirit to show you if there is an "iniquity" you have authorized in your life—a sin you’ve stopped fighting and started inviting. Confess it and ask for the "acknowledging of the truth."
4. Practice Immediate Casting: The next time a "wicked thought" or a vain imagination enters your mind, don't entertain it. Immediately quote the Word out loud and focus your mind on the character of God.