The most effective strategies of the enemy are subtle.  They can operate for long periods without being detected. Satan rarely shows up in extreme ways that might alert his target to his presence.  He is most effective when he takes his time and increases his influence incrementally. For instance, a spirit of heaviness does not oppress an individual suddenly…one day he feels great and the next he is so depressed he can’t leave his house.  Typically, a person will experience this spirit as just feeling discouraged or blue one day.   Maybe that feeling comes and goes over a period of weeks.  Then it becomes more frequent. Fatigue sets in.  Negative thoughts begin to dominate. That person now stays home on weekends instead of going to church. He still gets up and goes to work, but it takes effort.  He begins to isolate himself from people. The days seem dull and somewhat dark. Then some days that person feels so defeated he calls in sick.  He goes to a doctor and the doctor prescribes B12 or antidepressants. They help for a while but then the cloud returns. The onset has been so gradual that person thinks it is just life happening or just hormones.  After enough time passes, he can’t remember how he felt before he was depressed and somehow comes to believe this is what his life is going to be from now on.  He is being subjected to demonic oppression. It didn’t happen overnight, but over months.

Even believers who have experience with spiritual warfare may continue to look for solutions in the natural realm…medications, therapy, doctor after doctor before thinking there might be a spiritual root to the problem.  This thing has been so subtle and so gradual their demonic Geiger counter has not registered that they may be under attack.  Perhaps, the enemy himself keeps introducing thoughts that lead away from the possibility that the depression may be spiritually based.  Certainly, not everything is demonic, but much more is than we typically recognize. Paul declared that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual powers of darkness in heavenly realms (Eph. 6:12).  Let me encourage you to consider demonic influence when things you know are not of God continue in your life without victory. Even if you are not certain a spirit is operating, command it to leave in the name of Jesus.  If no spirit is present, you have lost nothing, but sometimes we need to turn the rock over to see if a snake is lurking underneath.

One area we need to systematically cleanse from time to time is our home or offices or even our church buildings.  Demons are assigned to individuals but also to locations in which they influence the atmosphere.  They will tend to influence some people in the environment more than others. These spirits may create an atmosphere of anger, distrust, discouragement, sexual immorality, fear, and so forth.  Everyone who spends much time in that location can be affected. I know numerous people who have gone to their offices early and done “house cleansings,” because there was so much conflict and negativity pervading the office.  They reported immediate improvement in the atmosphere of the office.  I have seen families that have come to the point of physical conflict in their home have peace and cooperation restored immediately after a house cleansing. 

Demons typically gain some authority over a location because something has occurred in that building or on the property that gives them a legal right to operate there.   We have cleansed houses from spirits of adultery because adultery had been committed in the house.  Spirits of fear and violence may be present if there has been child abuse, elder abuse, spouse abuse or a murder in that location. Spirits of anger can be present when there has been persistent conflict in a location. Spirits of death often lurk where witchcraft has been practiced.  Spirits of infirmity can remain when there has been chronic illness in a place or a spirit of heaviness when exceptional grief or loss has persisted in a location. Objects in a house that represent witchcraft or false religions can also give spirits entrance. 

Perhaps, someone lived there or worked there previously who practiced witchcraft or abused a child or a spouse. Sometimes, people visit and bring spirits in with them that stay after the individual has left. Often, current residents of a location can’t identify anything that would give a spirit entrance because these demonic spirits were often present when new owners purchased a house, moved into a new apartment, or began renting office space. Their presence will continue to affect the people and the atmosphere in the location. I would encourage anyone to do regular house cleansings or office cleansings when possible…perhaps, every six months.  Even churches need cleansing because of sin that has occurred in the building or because witches have pronounced curses in the church. I am convinced some churches that once thrived but now struggle to keep their doors open are operating under a curse.  

In general, locations can be cleansed easily. Those who have authority over the location need to openly declare their faith in Jesus and dedicate the location and its contents to his service and Lordship.  They should then renounce any sins they are aware of in their own lives or that have occurred in that location and repent of them.  Otherwise, they can generally renounce any sin or wickedness that has occurred there. Then they can simply move throughout the location commanding any demonic or unclean spirits to leave the building and the property while commanding them never to return.  It is often helpful to anoint doorways and windows with olive oil as a way of marking territory that has been dedicated to Christ and sanctified by the Holy Spirit.  Any objects that represent sin, false gods, witchcraft or occult organizations should also be removed from the location.  It is that simple.

Satan loves to work in subtle ways so that we don’t detect his activity.  Our negative experiences just feel like life where goodness seems to ebb and flow. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you if demonic spirits are involved in any negative circumstances in your life, home, business, or church and then take action.  Ask others to join you in the cleansing.  If you know people who have a gift of spiritual discernment, they can be very helpful as they sense specific spirits that need to be dismissed.  You can then call out the spirit by name and command it to leave.  For whatever reason, these spirits seem to be more active during holidays than at any other time. It is likely that they prey on emotional wounds and family tensions that are more acute during the holidays than at other times.  If people are coming to your house that bring drama with them, you may want to do a “cleansing” before they arrive and even after they depart to clear the atmosphere of unwanted spirits.   I believe you will see a difference.