[This is the second part of an article on cleansing houses from demonic spirits.  In part one, I established the biblical context for demonic spirits being given assignments over territories and locations such as houses. I’ll continue now with part two, beginning with some examples we have dealt with.]

Now let me share a few representative experiences we have had in conservative West Texas as we have prayed over numerous homes and apartments in our area over the past ten years. We typically call these “house cleansings.” I will not use the actual names of people we met in these accounts.

One afternoon, I received a call from Jenny, one of our Freedom Ministry team members. She worked with Marie, a faithful member of a local Baptist church. Her life was falling apart. She had a teenage son and had remarried after a destructive divorce. When Marie had first remarried, her son and her new husband got along well. They had the typical “blended family” stress but nothing out of the ordinary. A few months before we met Marie, she and her family had moved into a comfortable red brick home in the older part of Midland. Soon after the move, her son and husband began to have verbal fights that appeared to be seriously escalating and becoming physical. She and her son also began to fight. Her son would go into such rages that she slept with her bedroom door locked and was actually terrified that her son would break in some night and kill her. She felt especially vulnerable because her husband’s business took him out of town on a regular basis. The “odd thing” was that when they would go on trips as a family, they got along well until returning to the house where all the anger and hostility resurfaced. Marie said you could feel the tension in their car increase as they neared the home and pulled into the driveway.

Jenny suggested to her friend that something spiritual might be at work. Although that was a foreign concept to Marie, she was desperate enough to try anything. So…on a weekday evening, while her son was with friends and her husband was out of town, we met at the home and prayed over it for about forty-five minutes (details later). We specifically commanded spirits of anger, rage, abuse and murder to leave the house. We left and Marie reported that almost immediately all the anger, hostility and rage subsided and the family was at peace again. I don’t think she ever told her son or husband what we had done.

On another occasion, a family called us who were members of our church. They had moved into an older house on the west side of Midland where they had lived for about six months. Bob and LeeAnn had three small children and for the past few months had been regularly experiencing disruptions in the middle of the night. Their television would come on full blast, cabinet doors would open and slam shut, and they would hear footsteps in the hallway outside of their bedroom. When they would look no one was present. However, the children reported seeing “an old man” walking up and down the hallway at night. When we arrived at the house we noticed that their neighbor had a sign on the front of her home advertising that she was a practicing witch…even in West Texas. We prayed over the house and the property as well as praying against the activities next door and all manifestations ceased immediately and did not recur.

About three years ago, my wife Susan and I were visited by a newly married couple. Sophia had been a foreign exchange student from Russia hosted by my wife years ago. She had since married a nice young man from India who was a devout Sikh. We thoroughly enjoyed their visit and hoped to share Jesus with Sophia’s husband once we built a relationship. Each morning we would visit with the Sophia over breakfast while her husband spent time in our guest room reading and praying. After a three-day visit they left with a promise of coming to see us again.

The day after our friends left, my wife Susan and I were sitting in our living room talking about Sophia’s and her husband’s visit. Suddenly a large picture with scripture on it, mounted in our entry way, fell from the wall, shattering the glass and breaking the frame. The wall anchor seemed secure but it was in a location subject to wind when the front door was open and the vibration of a door being opened and closed multiple times each day. It was odd enough that a thought crossed my mind, wondering if Sophia’s husband had left something spiritual in our house, but I didn’t pursue the thought. The next day, Susan and I came home from running some errands and found a shelf that had rested above the guest bathroom window on the floor with the pictures and clock that were on the shelf broken and scattered all over the floor. The anchors, on which the shelf hung, were still solidly in the wall. After some serious praying over the house and anointing windows and doors with oil there have been no more “accidents.”

We have had numerous, similar experiences over the past five years. Noises, smells, voices, feelings of terror, experiences of being pinned down on a bed in the middle of the night, and children seeing “scary old men” and “witchy” looking women in their rooms have all been dealt with. Each time we have prayed in the name of Jesus and these manifestations have ceased.  We don’t try to differentiate between demons and “ghosts” since scripture gives us very little insight into “ghosts.” We simply treat them as spirits that should not be in the house (primarily demonic spirits posing as whatever) and command them to leave.

Anytime you know that trauma, occult activities, or sinful lifestyles have occurred  in a house in which you are living,  a cleansing is in order. Everyone should do it when they first move into a house or apartment or even before spending the night in a hotel room. Even if the home is new construction, it is a good idea. In addition, weird noises or smells in the house that persist, doors opening and slamming by themselves, runaway fear, lust, or anger in the house that subsides when you are away, voices, the appearance of demons, demonic dreams that persist, unexplained shadows, etc. are all indicators that a home or location should be cleansed.

Open Doors:

I believe there are several open doors for demonic spirits that draw spirits to a location or give spirits a legal right to be assigned to homes or property to afflict the residents.   The first open door is persistent sin that has taken place in that home in the past or that is currently taking place. Abuse, adultery, violence, tragedy, untimely death. occult activities, and so forth beckon spirits and give them legal access to the location of those events. They may attach themselves to the parties who are involved or to the residence and remain there to afflict individuals or families who move in next.

Unforgiveness is one of the most common doorways open to the enemy. Jesus clearly says that our forgiveness toward those who have sinned against us is a condition for the Father’s forgiveness to be released in our lives. A verbal declaration of forgiveness is always in order where that has been hurt or betrayal in the past. I’ll give an example later in the “suggested declarations” section. Remember that we forgive those who have wronged us not because we deserve it, but because Jesus deserves it. We are not required to let hurtful people back into our lives and forgiving them does not take them “off the hook” with God. Forgiveness simply releases the judgment of those individuals to the one who judges perfectly and takes us “off the hook” with God.

Forgiveness in scripture is most often pictured as a debt that has been forgiven so that payment of the debt is no longer required. When we forgive, we simply determine to no longer act in ways that make someone who has wronged us pay for what he or she did. We should also ask the Lord to bless them as he sees fit because we are commanded to bless even those who curse us. Forgiveness is for your benefit much more than for the benefit of those who wronged you. In fact, it may not benefit him or her at all but it will keep bitterness and resentment from crowding out love, trust, and thankfulness in your own heart. It will keep your resentment and bitterness from opening a door to the enemy.

Ephesians 4:27 may give us some insight into the dynamic of unrepented sin giving demonic spirits access to us our homes. Paul says, “In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” The idea of this next is to deal with offense quickly so that anger, bitterness, or unforgiveness does not invited Satan in our lives or our families. The word translated “foothold” is “topos.” It means a designated place and can refer to pagan shrines and high places where demons were worshipped. When we come into agreement with Satan through unrepented sins and lifestyles, we create a place for him…a sanctuary where he is honored in our lives because we are choosing his will and ways over Jesus. Homes, rooms, or properties that have hosted the works of Satan may create a kind of sanctuary that Satan claims to establish his presence.

A second source of demonic presence in a home may be objects in the home that have demonic spirits attached to them or that honor pagan gods which scripture says are demons. It is amazing how many Christians go overseas and bring back carved idols and other religious artifacts as souvenirs with no thought about their purpose or history. Idols open the door for demons to harass and afflict those who possess the idol and give them a place in a home. Speaking of Israel’s idolatry, scripture tells us, “They made Him jealous with strange gods; With abominations they provoked Him to anger. They sacrificed to demons who were not God” (Dt. 32:16-17). The psalmist declares, “They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons” (Ps.106:36-37).

Devil dogs from China, figurines of Buddha, dragon carvings, fertility gods from Africa, American Indian artifacts, dream catchers, tribal masks from the South Pacific, totems from the Pacific Northwest, Samurai swords – all of these could have been carved or decorated in honor of a pagan god (demonic spirit) and dedicated to that god. When something or someone is dedicated to Satan, a demonic spirit is often attached to that person or place. Having it in your home is a welcome mat to that spirit or his cousin.

Other occult items and experiences can also open the door – books about the occult, jewelry that represents occult organizations, Ouija Boards kept as a curiosity, Tarot cards, or books promoting false religions along with books on astrology or witchcraft can all give access to unclean spirits because in some way they summon or honor the spirits behind them. Some artwork, music, and movies about the occult or the supernatural can also open the doors. Seances, horoscopes, or psychic readings can also open the door for demonic involvement as those activities are seeking connection with the demonic…even if the participants are just doing so for fun. Objects that represent and promote sin, such as pornography, can also open the door. I don’t want you to burn down your house but to be aware that certain objects have the potential to give the enemy access to your home as well as past or present sinful or tragic events in the home.

Again, our cultural worldview rejects such notions. However, the book of Acts confirms that spiritual properties can be attached to objects. “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them” (Acts 19:11-12). A woman simply touched the hem of the robe Jesus was wearing and was healed. The spiritual realm has substance and sometimes that substance is attached to objects. That is not only true for the Holy Spirit but for demonic spirits as well.

More Open Doors in Part 3,

When participating in spiritual warfare, the Word of God is essential. It is essential not just for discerning what is “scriptural”, although that is extremely important, but it is a powerful weapon to use against the enemy. When confronting the enemy who is harassing, tempting, or afflicting you or someone else, the word of God is essential.

As the Olympics have been broadcast day after day in the past week or so, I have caught several fencing matches. Those who won gold were confident, aggressive, always moving forward, not hesitating to use their weapon. They were also practiced in the use of their sword so that most moves were familiar and automatic. We should wield the word of God against the enemy in the same way.

Paul tells us, when speaking about the armor of God, that the word of God is the sword of the Spirit (Eph.6:17). The writer of Hebrews also tells us that the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword (Heb.4:12). In the book of Revelation, John describes a vision of Jesus and says, “In his right hand he held seven stars and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword” (Rev.1:16). That picture of Jesus establishes him as one with great power and authority. His words leave his lips as a sword, saturated with power, as he judges his enemies.

In the wilderness temptation recorded in Matthew 4, Satan came to Jesus to tempt him. The devil always shows up when our strength (spiritual, emotional, or physical) is somehow depleted. We should anticipate that when we have endured a spiritually, emotionally, or physically exhausting season. We should stay focused on Jesus in those seasons and ask others to cover us with prayer. Satan approached Jesus after forty days of solitude and fasting. His energy levels were low and he had been without the encouragement of friends or family for over a month. Satan, believing Jesus to be extremely vulnerable, came to tempt him as he did the First Adam. Jesus fought back with the sword of the Spirit, the word of God.

Jesus quoted scripture in response to every temptation of the enemy. The declared word of God accomplishes several things. First of all, the declaration reminds us of what and who is true. It reminds us of our standing in heaven and the power and faithfulness of God. It reminds us of what Jesus has accomplished on our behalf and who we are in him. In addition, the declared word of God establishes authority. It is like waving a warrant in the face of a felon that establishes our position as the authorized representatives of God who have come to make an arrest.

The declared word of God gives us the moral high ground over the enemy. In essence, the word of God establishes God’s law over the enemy and makes it clear that we are present to enforce that law. As believers, our words carry authority and power when they are aligned with the Word of God. Quoting scripture ensures that alignment. In the spiritual realm, our words have substance and weight. But if our words have substance, how much more do the very words of God spoken from our lips. Again, we are told that the word of God is the sword of the Spirit. I believe when we declare that word with faith and conviction it cuts and bruises the enemy. When we are confronting the enemy, declaring appropriate scripture has a powerful affect that afflicts and torments demons.

Declaring the authority of Christ over the enemy is a powerful use of the Word. Scripture is filled with such verses declaring that Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth, that Jesus has a name above every name, that Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, etc. In the wilderness temptation Jesus did not give chapter and verse, but simply said, “It is written… We can do the same when confronting unclean spirits. Satan obviously knows scripture and twists the meaning of God’s word as he tempts us. That means that we must know what God’s word truly says so that we will not succumb to Satan’s deception. Jesus resisted the devil with the Word and the devil left his presence knowing that his ploy was futile. We should resist in the same way.

Declaring scripture strengthens our own faith in the moment while it weakens the enemy and torments him. Demons do not always depart with the first command. If a stronghold exists, you may have to “assault the walls of the enemy’s fortress” more than once with numerous commands. Declaring the word of God over that person or a situation takes big chunks out of the walls of enemy strongholds.

Every believer should have a catalogue of scriptures on hand to wield against the enemy: scriptures that declare who Christ is, who we are in Christ, the defeat of Satan, the victory of the church, God’s willingness to heal and set captives free, the Lord’s immense love for us, and scriptures that defeat fear and temptation of every kind.

As believers and those to whom Jesus has delegated authority, our own words carry authority, but the very words of God from our lips, carry even more power and authority with which to defeat and torment the enemy. Make a list of scriptures, memorize them, and keep them handy. It won’t be long before you will find yourself dodging the thrusts of the enemy. That is when you will want to respond aggressively, skillfully, and confidently with the sword of the Spirit.   In the panoply of the armor God, that word is your offensive weapon. Use it often and well.

“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Heb.11:6). This is a statement from Hebrews 11 where all the great men and women of faith are listed for our consideration. The phrase “by faith” comes up over and over again in that list and throughout the scriptures. Jesus also declared faith to be a central component in many of the miracles he performed. He often said something like, “Your faith has healed you” or “May it be done to you according to your faith.” He declared that if we had faith the size of a mustard seed we could command a mountain to be thrown into the sea and it would be done. At times he was amazed by the faith of a few and, at other times, amazed at the lack of faith of others. Paul assures us that we are saved by grace through faith.

For anyone who has studied the New Testament, faith is clearly seen as a central issue in the life of every person who follows Jesus. Faith is a central issue in our lives if we are going to see God move powerfully in response to our prayers or work through us as we minister to others. Most discussions about faith orbit around our perception of God and his ability to do great things that intervene in the natural order of the universe. However, in my experience, believing that God can heal the sick and raise the dead or that he can move mountains and give great victories in the face of overwhelming odds is often the easy part of faith.

What I have discovered through the years is that my challenge is not to believe that God will move in those ways for his children, but to believe that God will move in those ways for me. Perhaps, you struggle with the same doubts at times.

I find that for many of us, believing that God truly loves us personally and is eager to answer our prayers is the stumbling block for our faith. For many, it is much easier to believe God’s promises for others than for ourselves. We know ourselves too well. We live with a daily awareness of our secret sins, out fears, our defectiveness, and our weaknesses. We know our dark thoughts and shame-filled memories. We reject ourselves so we expect God to reject us as well.

It’s part of our fallen nature to expect punishment from God rather than grace and love. One of Satan’s great strategies is to persuade us that God is a perfectionistic father who requires the same perfection from his children if he is going to love and bless them. We expect him to be angry when we don’t deliver that perfection.

Like Adam and Eve, our first response to our failures is typically to duck into the brush, attempt to cover up our shame, and when God shows up to blame everyone in the surrounding territory for our shortcomings. Why did Adam and Eve hide and blame rather than running to their loving Father and confessing their sin immediately? Perhaps, it was because Satan had subtly convinced them that God wasn’t such a loving father after all. We know what he was whispering to them before they took fruit from the tree and ate, but we don’t know what he whispered the moment after they took that fateful bite.

I’m confident it was a litany of fear-filled claims that God was going to fly into an uncontrollable rage and become a terrifying abuser – that he was going to kill them that day because “ in the day you eat of that tree you will die!” I’m sure he whispered that God now hated and despised them and would never forgive them for what they had done. He probably laughed at them and shamed them in every conceivable way so that they would hate themselves and expect God to feel the same.

Satan whispers to us in our failures as well. He whispers that God only loves the “super-Christians;” he only responds to the prayers of those in the 95^th percentile; or the last sin was the last straw and God is through with us until we can work hard enough to earn his love and mercy again – but we are such losers that we’ll never be able to do that anyway.

Satan persuades us that God is a father whose intimate involvement in our lives, whose love, whose laughter, whose delight, whose abundant forgiveness, and whose approval will never be there for us. And so we pray and believe with reservation – not about his goodness or his ability – but about our “worthiness” for his love and attention.

Faith accepts that our worthiness was secured on the cross apart from our performance. It believes God’s promises for us in spite of our abundant weaknesses and failures. Jesus became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor.5:21). By God’s grace there is no condemnation for us because we are no longer under law (Rom.8:1). You have been adopted into the royal family by a father whose love is unconditional. He knew all your faults before he ever called you to be his son or daughter.

Most of us believe in our minds that God loves us. The problem is to believe in our hearts that he loves us and has written our name on every promise. So how do I finally come to believe that every promise is for me and not just for those around me?

First of all, we may ask the Holy Spirit to give us a revelation of that truth in our heart. He is the teacher who leads us into all truth. God speaks of writing his laws or his truth on our hearts. Revelation comes to our hearts, not to our minds, so a consistent prayer for that revelation would be an essential place to start.

Secondly, we need to begin to say what God says about his love and promises for us and refuse to add any disclaimers that disqualify us for those promises. Stop the “buts.” As soon as we say, “ I know what the Bible says, but…” we have introduced unbelief into our hearts and have diluted our faith. If the Bible says it, stand on that without qualifying the scripture or stating a disclaimer about your “worthiness” to receive the promise. Jesus has made you worthy…period. Find a set of declarations about your identity in Christ and read them out loud every day ending them with a thank you to God that he has made you all of those things.

Thirdly, we need to find a promise that becomes our promise – one that resonates with our spirit and one that we will not let go of. Ask God to show you a promise that will anchor all his other promises for you. Memorize it, confess it, and use it against the enemy. When the devil shows up with his truckload of accusations and condemnation, be quick to call him a liar and command him to leave and take his lies with him. Declare your promise over the accusations. That is how you resist Satan and send him fleeing.

Getting the truth that every promise of God is for you and not just everyone else in your church is critical to living a blessed and victorious life. It is a process more than an event and you have a part in it. So get started today and ask the Lord to show you his heart toward you. When we truly understand his heart for each of us, we will be transformed.

When participating in spiritual warfare, the word of God is essential. It is essential not just for discerning what is “scriptural” or not, although that is important, but scripture is a weapon to use directly against the enemy. When confronting the enemy who is harassing, tempting, or afflicting you or another, the word of God is powerful.

Paul tells us, when speaking about the armor of God, that the word of God is the sword of the Spirit (Eph.6:17). We are also told by the writer of Hebrews that the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword (Heb.4:12). In the book of Revelation, John describes a vision of Jesus and says, “In his right hand he held seven stars and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword” (Rev.1:16). That picture of Jesus establishes him as one with great power and authority. His words leave his lips as a sword with power to judge.

In the wilderness temptation recorded in Matthew 4, Satan came to Jesus to tempt him. The devil always shows up when our strength (spiritual, emotional, or physical) is somehow depleted. Satan approached Jesus after forty days of solitude and fasting. His energy levels were low and he had been without the encouragement of friends or family for over a month. Satan, believing Jesus to be extremely vulnerable, came to tempt him as he did the First Adam. Jesus fought back with the sword of the Spirit, the word of God.

Jesus quoted scripture in response to every temptation of the enemy. The words of believers carry authority and power. How else could the commands of God’s people bring healing and deliverance or even raise the dead. In the spiritual realm, our words have substance and weight. But if our words have substance, how much more do the very words of God spoken from our lips.

Again, we are told that the word of God is the sword of the Spirit. I believe when we declare that word with faith and conviction it cuts and bruises the enemy. When we are confronting the enemy, declaring appropriate scripture has a powerful affect that afflicts and torments the enemy.

Declaring the authority of Christ over the enemy is a powerful use of the word.  Scripture is filled with such verses declaring that Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth; that Jesus has a name that is above every name; that Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. etc. In the wilderness temptation Jesus did not give chapter and verse, but simply said, “It is written… We can do the same when confronting unclean spirits.

For example, we might say, “The word of God declares that Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth and I now declare his authority over you.” Or we might say, “ I command you in the name of Jesus, who is declared by the written word of God to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and you will obey his commands as I declare them to you.” Or… “It is written that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that he is Lord and now you will bow the knee to his commands as I declare them.”

Declaring scripture strengthens our own faith in the moment while it weakens the enemy and torments him. Demons do not always depart with the first command. If a stronghold exists, you may have to “assault the walls of the enemy’s fortress” more than once with numerous commands. Declaring the word of God over that person or a situation takes big chunks out of the stronghold walls.

Every believer should have a catalogue of scriptures on hand to wield against the enemy: scriptures that declare who Christ is, who we are in Christ, the defeat of Satan, the victory of the church, God’s willingness to heal and set captives free, and scriptures that defeat fear and temptation of every kind. As believers, our words carry authority but the very words of God from our lips, carry even more power and authority with which to defeat and torment the enemy. Make a list, memorize them, and keep them handy.   We live in a dangerous world. Don’t leave home without your sword.

We have just spent my last four blogs looking at Ezekiel in the Valley of Dry Bones. I want to connect that text with prayer. The apostle Paul tells us, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Rom.15:4, ESV).   In other words, when we study Old Testament scriptures, they have been included so that we might learn something significant for ourselves and our spiritual life. What we learned from Ezekiel 37 is that the Word of God has power to produce life even when it is declared by human tongues.

Too often we have defined prayer as simply asking God to do things we cannot do but there is more. Prayer is also a time for praise and worship, a time for sharing the thoughts of our hearts, a time for asking God what is on his heart, and a time for joining the Father in accomplishing his will by making declarations of faith and authority over people and situations that need his touch.

What is dead or dying in your personal universe? I want to encourage you as part of your prayer life to begin to declare the Word of God over that situation using the very words of Ezekiel crafted to fit your prayer. For instance, let’s say you have a son and daughter-in-law whose marriage is on the verge of failure. You might begin to pray and declare, “Dry bones of Ben and Marie’s marriage… hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to this marriage: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will restore love and life to your marriage and make it live again. I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come from the four winds, O Spirit , and breathe into this dying marriage, that it may live.”

Ezekiel tells us that after his declaration of God’s word over the desolation of the valley the following was the result. “So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.” Praying and declaring the very word of God over a person or a situation is very powerful. Sometimes results come in a moment but in most instances persistence will be needed.

I want to quote from Dutch Sheets book, Intercessory Prayer, to make this point. “ John Killinger tells about an interesting method used in the past to break a wild steed by harnessing it to a burro. The powerful steed would take off across the range, twisting and bucking, causing the burro to be tossed about wildly. What a sight. The steed would run away, pulling the burro alongside, and they would drop out of sight – sometimes for days. Then they would return, with the proud little burro in charge. The steed had worn himself our, fighting the presence of the burro. When he became too tired to fight anymore, the burro assumed the position of leader. And that’s the way it is many times with prayer. Victory goes to the persistent, not to the angry; to the dedicated, not to those who can provide great demonstrations of emotion and energy. We need committed, determined, systematic prayer, not once on a while fireworks.” It’s not that righteous anger and fireworks aren’t appropriate at times, but consistent, faith-filled, dedicated, on-target prayer wins the battle more often.

I sense that there are a few who read this blog that have given up on a situation of “dry bones” close to them. I want to encourage you to begin again. You know what God’s will is for the situation, so begin to pray and declare God’s word over that situation believing that when God’s word goes forth it fulfills its purpose. Believe. Declare. Persist. We are often thrilled at the exploits of men of faith in the Old Testament as they waded into battle and won great victories against overwhelming odds – David and Goliath, Gideon, Jonathan and his armor bearer, and so forth. These were furious fights that lasted for a few hours or a day. But many other battles (probably most) were won by laying siege to a city, cutting off supply lines, and attacking one section of wall day after day in strategic intervals until it crumbled. Persistent, systematic prayer cuts off the supply lines of the enemy and brings down walls that a furious fight for a few hours can’t topple. Begin again and be blessed in Him.

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” … Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them…Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ ” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army. (Ezek. 37:1-10)

I want to take a few more lessons from Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones before moving on. This is about God giving life to those things that are dead by all natural measures. In the beginning of Ezekiel’s account, God took him out and led him back and forth through the scene of desolation and then asked him if those bones could live again. Ezekiel had viewed the impossibility from every angle and undoubtedly the natural man would have given these bones no chance to live again. Even acknowledging the sovereignty of God, the natural man would have concluded that if God had wanted these bones to dance again, he would not have let them die in the first place. Death seemed to herald God’s final verdict because, after all, it is given to man once to die and then the judgment. No resurrection. No reincarnation. When a thing dies, it’s time to bury it and move on. It would have been easy for Ezekiel’s reason to come into agreement with that view and if it had, his answer to the Lord’s question would have been, “No way, Jose.”

But Ezekiel did not let the natural man rule the day. In essence his response was, “God, if you want these bones to live again they will because nothing is impossible for you and my faith comes into agreement with that truth rather than what is possible or impossible in the natural.” That is the always the mindset of faith and the mindset that brings victory over the impossible.

Secondly, Ezekiel was told to prophecy over the bones and they would come to life. As he began to prophesy he saw something amazing – bones twitched, moved, and reattached while muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Nothing happened until he began to declare God’s word over the situation and, as he declared it, God’s power was release. Amazing stuff started to happen. I’m certain that Ezekiel’s heart raced and his faith soared. But then it stopped. Everything looked good but when Ezekiel had finished prophesying there was still no life in the bodies. How often have we prayed, gotten excited about something that looked like progress, only to watch it stall out so we decided that our prayer was not going to be answered after all.

However, God told Ezekiel to continue to prophesy but with a different twist. He was no longer commanding bones but the Spirit himself to come and breathe life into these corpses. Sometimes the answer to prayer is a process rather than an event and as the process unfolds we may need to pray or declare with a different emphasis. If we have prayed for God to make an unbelieving husband into a great man of God, our first prayers and declaration must be for the Spirit to birth faith in the man or for the man to have an undeniable encounter with Jesus. After he has come to faith, our prayers or declarations need to change. Salvation is no longer the issue but growth, discipleship, and sanctification.

We need to be sensitive to the process and to ask God what we should be praying for or declaring in the present. Hearing from God in those moments is critical because we may be unaware of the new believer’s greatest need for growth while we pray for something that we perceive as the greatest need. When Ezekiel didn’t see the bones jumping to their feet, he didn’t give up nor did he start declaring what he thought was needed, but waited on the Lord to tell him what was next.

As he declared Part 2 of the prophecy, those bodies began to breathe and stood up as mighty army. God then gave his reasons for raising the dead. “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord” (Ezek.37:12-14).

Just because something or someone seems dead and beyond all hope, it doesn’t mean that God is through with the person, the marriage, or the situation. It is in those moments that God shows himself to be the true and living God. Do not come into agreement with unbelief. Do not stop praying and declaring life over someone or something. Keep going, even when progress seems to stall out or ground seems to be lost, and ask God how you need to be praying or what you need to be declaring in at moment of the process. After all, dead bones can live again – just ask Lazarus and, by the way… Jesus.

“Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’ ” So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them…Ezek. 37

When asking God to breathe life into a situation, a relationship, or a disease riddled body we must always remember that our faith and action will play a part. God had already decided to raise this army of dry bones from the valley floor but would wait on Ezekiel to declare his word before the power flowed. Notice that Ezekiel was not declaring his own word or his own will but the will and the word of God.

Our first step in changing an impossible situation is to make sure that what we are asking is aligned with the will of God. Are we praying something or declaring something that has his stamp of approval on it? You would think that principle is a given but I have known Christians who were praying for things far removed from the will of God. For instance, I met with a woman once who was frustrated with God because he hadn’t answered a long time prayer for her “boyfriend” to leave his wife and children to marry her. I’ve met with a Christian whose greatest desire was for a former spouse to die and burn in hell. I’m not sure that follower of Jesus prayed for that particular outcome but I know she hoped for that outcome because she told me so in no uncertain terms. I believe she had prayed for it.

Our first assessment should be whether the thing we are praying for or declaring lines up with the will of God as revealed in scripture. We can always pray, declare and command for the sake of someone’s salvation because we know that God desires that all men should be saved. We can always pray, declare, or command on behalf of a failing marriage, a person in bondage to an addiction, a nation that needs to turn back to God, or for a woman not to choose abortion because we know God’s constant heart on those matters. We already have his unchanging word on the matter. Other issues may be a little trickier so we simply need a “rhema” or direct word from God on the issue. Ezekiel didn’t get his command to prophesy over dry bones from the Torah but from a direct word from the Lord.

The key is in praying, prophesying, or declaring the word of God over the issue. God said, “So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it” (Isa.55:11). When God’s word goes forth it fulfills its purpose. In the case of Ezekiel, God’s word was placed on Ezekiel’s lips and he sent it forth by declaring God’s word over an entire valley of dry bones. Jeremiah experienced the same dynamic. “Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant” (Jer.1:9-10). Jeremiah would build and tear down nations by declaring God’s word over them. As I said before, God loaded the gun but his prophets pointed the gun at the target and pulled the trigger which released the power of the Holy Spirit into the very situation God was willing to effect on the earth.

Those patterns of how God works in the earth were given for our learning. Just as Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and a host of others in scripture declared God’s word over a matter, we are to do the same. When God’s word goes forth from our lips, it also fulfills its purpose. That is how we speak life over dead things that God wants to make live again. That is how we tear down strongholds and set people free. The desired result is not always immediate. It takes years to build some things as each prayer and declaration adds a brick and months or years to tear down other things. At times we are laying siege to the enemy and every prayer, declaration, or command releases more of the power of God into the situation we are dealing with. When enough spiritual artillery has pounded the walls of a demonic stronghold, the wall will fall like the walls of Jericho. God wants to build up and tear down and he wants to use us to do both. He uses us by placing his words on our lips so that we might send forth the words of God that in due time will fulfill their purpose.

Next Blog: More lessons from dry bones.

“Son of man, can these bones live?” That was the question God asked the prophet in the 37^th chapter of Ezekiel. As I said in my last blog, Israel had been defeated three times within two decades by Babylon- the reigning heaving weight champion of the Middle East in that era. In the final round, Babylon had destroyed Jerusalem, burned the temple and stripped it of all its treasures, and deported the last of Israel’s best and brightest professionals. On top of that, the Ark of the Covenant disappeared and with it the presence of God. No historian, politician, or military expert would have given them a chance to ever rise from the ashes as a nation. A valley of dead, bleached bones of a long defeated army was the scene symbolizing Israel’s condition and the question was, “Can these bones live?”

Ezekiel responded with wisdom. “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” The right answer is always, “God, it’s up to you.” Our first step toward breathing life into something dead or dying is to know and acknowledge that the issue is beyond our ability. How often do we keep trying to fix an issue – a marriage on the brink of collapse, a child on drugs who is slipping away from us, a bad situation at work with a miserable boss, etc. – only to keep making it worse?  The right answer is always God.

In the book of Zechariah, the Lord prophesies the return of the scattered Israelites to the promised-land and great standing for them in the world community. The promise would have been impossible for man but not for the God of all the Earth. “ Then he said to me, ‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of host’” (Zec.4:6). His point was the same as Ezekiel’s: There are many things in this world that will never happen by the best efforts of men, but can become realities by the Spirit of God.

Other than health or natural disaster, most of our problems in the world revolve around relationships whether between individuals or nations. Relationship problems exist because of emotional brokenness – hate, fear, insecurities, bigotry, loneliness, depression, rejection, etc. manifest in rage, bitterness, addictions, war, violence and so forth. The best efforts of man aim at alleviating symptoms through drugs or therapies that teach us to cope or manage our issues. But the real issues lie deep within the heart which is touched by a spiritual dimension and is God’s special arena. Jesus came to heal broken hearts (Isa.61:1-4) and God promised over and over that by his Spirit he would heal and give men a new heart (see Ps.147:3; Ezek.11:19; Ezek.36:26; Heb.8:10). Dry bones only come to life by the work of the Spirit of God – but we have an essential role in that work.

Once Ezekiel affirmed that only God can give life to the dead, God commanded him to prophesy over the bones. “Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life” (Ezek.37:4). So why didn’t God just wave his hand over the field of dry bones and have them jump to their feet? The answer is simple – it’s not how God has chosen to work in the earth. God has chosen to work through his people. Most of the time, God chooses not to do something for us but rather with us. Doing something with us builds the relationship between God and us. When my girls were young, I discovered that I could do projects for them (often more quickly and easily), but when we did them together they learned some new skills and we built our relationship by the doing. We were able to celebrate what we had accomplished together. God chooses to work in the same way with his children.

God had already determined to release the power of his Spirit into those bones but would not release the power until Ezekiel prophesied. In a sense, God had already loaded the gun but he left it to Ezekiel to point and pull the trigger. Only then would the power of God’s word be released.

How many of us keep asking God to do something, when we already know it is his will, rather than declaring his will over the issue? We already know that God desires all men to be saved, all marriages to be reconciled, all hearts to be healed, his church to be glorious, etc. It is not wrong to ask God to heal, empower, release etc. but then we need to begin to speak or declare life, healing, restoration, and power over the things we are praying about. Remember, the tongue has the power of life and death (Prov.18:21). As Ezekiel began to declare God’s word over the dry bones, they began to rattle. More in my next blog.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.             Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Eph.6:13-18)

Paul finishes his description of the panoply of God by commanding us to take up the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. We cannot overstate the power of the word of the Lord. God himself declares through the prophet Isaiah, “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isa.55:10-11). The writer of Hebrews declares that “the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Heb.4:12). John also speaks of this power in his vision of Jesus recorded in the book of Revelation. He says, “The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations” (Rev.19:14-15). Remember that the spoken word of God created the universe and that Jesus himself is called the Word (John 1:1). The Word (Jesus) has all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, this sword of the Spirit is very powerful.

A sword is both defensive and offensive in nature. The word of God is said to be alive, powerful, penetrating, and capable of taking down nations. It is the sword of the Spirit, a weapon infused with power by the Spirit of God. Defensively the sword is used to block and deflect attacks by the enemy. As we have seen all through Paul’s discussion of spiritual weapons, the word of God and the truth of God disarm the enemy whose primary weapons are lies, accusations, and distortions of God’s word and character. To declare God’s truth in the face of Satanic deception blocks his attempts to draw us out of the ranks and extinguishes the doubt and condemnation he has fired at us. Jesus himself, as a man, used the word of God against the very presence of Satan in the Wilderness Temptation. Satan would tempt and Jesus would declare the word over the strategy. Satan attempted three volleys and after Jesus answered his volleys three times with God’s truth, the enemy gave up and departed – at least for a season.

Offensively, the word of God broadcasts truth and when it has settled in hearts it sets people free. At another level, the word of God declared over situations releases the power of God into that situation. In his sovereignty, God has determined to do his work on the earth through his people. Often, God does nothing until his people ask or until his people declare his promises over a person or a situation. In the first chapter of Jeremiah, God tells the prophet, “Now, I have put my words in your mouth. See today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant” (Jer.1:9-10).

As you read the rest of Jeremiah you see that Jeremiah did those things by declaring God’s word over nations and kings. As he said in Isaiah 55, when God’s word goes forth it fulfills its purpose whether from his lips or from ours. When we declare the word of God over a situation, we release God to direct the power of heaven into that situation to make his word come to pass.

Typically, that does not happen overnight, although on occasion it does. It often comes to pass immediately when God’s word of healing is declared over a person. It seems to take longer when declaring faith over a person for salvation or revival over a nation but the word of God can launch angels on missions and take great patches of territory from the enemy.

Again we discover that to declare the word or use it as a weapon we must know the word. To declare it skillfully we must know the ways and the heart of God that lies behind the word.  But as we learn those things we learn how to wield the sword of the Spirit with great power. So be quick to take up the word of God and use it to defend and to take ground, to push back the enemy and to expose his schemes, to uproot his lies and sow God’s transforming words in hearts. It is a divine weapon that is essential and powerful when facing the enemy.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.             Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Eph.6:13-18)

As Paul works through the panoply of weapons and armor the Christian is to strap on each day, he calls us to put on the helmet of salvation. In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul told them to put on the hope of salvation as a helmet (1 Thess.5:8). Figuratively, the function of a helmet is to guard our minds. Again, this language reveals that the greatest part of spiritual warfare lies in our thought life. In 2 Corinthians 10, where Paul discuss “divine weapons,” he explains that the key to tearing down strongholds is to bring every thought we have captive to Jesus Christ (2 Cor.10:5). In other words, when we align our thinking with the truths of Jesus, strongholds begin to crumble.

The reality is, however, that we can believe one thing in our minds and something else in our hearts. We have all had the experience of saying,” Part of me thinks this, but another part of me thinks that.” James talks about this experience as a “double-minded” man who follows the Lord only half-heartedly. I ran across a concept at a conference in Chicago that speaks to this (I can’t remember who the speaker was). The speaker spoke about “aspirational values” versus “actual values.” Aspirational values are values or beliefs we aspire to hold because we know we should. Actual values, on the other hand, are the ones we live by. We often say one thing and do another. Our actual values can be determined by seeing what we do rather than by what we say.

For instance, a man can say that his family is the most important thing in his life yet never spend any time with them because of the immense number of hours he puts in at work or pursuing another interest. If you ask him, he will always says that his family comes first (aspirational value) but if you watch him you will know that his job, golf, hunting, etc. come first because that is what gets his quality time and effort year after year. Because of that we need to examine our own lives often to see if our actual values and beliefs are lining up with Christ. Anything less gives the enemy a foothold in our mind and then in our life.

Salvation or the hope of salvation guards our minds with the truth of who we are and what we have in Christ and motivates us to stay true to the values and actions Christ calls us to hold in our minds and hearts. The enemy nearly always attacks our thought processes first with doubt, accusation, or condemnation and we need to actively push back against these false beliefs. Too many times, the whispers of the enemy go unnoticed or unchallenged or we believe that those thoughts come from us so we don’t know what to do with them. I always encourage believers to pay attention to their thoughts and if any are contrary to God’s word then we should first assume that a spirit is tempting us, renounce those thoughts, declare what is true, and command any unclean spirit to leave us immediately and never return.

In many cases, the thought ceases immediately and does not return. If the thought actually originated with us and not a spirit, then we have lost nothing and have still spoken truth over the lie even if it came from us and have reinforced God’s word in our hearts and mind.

Salvation, biblically, is not just the forgiveness of sin and eventual life in heaven but it is the promise that God meets our every need in this world as well as the world to come – every need, not every want. Satan’s biggest lie is that we have desires which are “needs” that God won’t provide so we need to search outside of God and his will to have our “needs” met. That was the lie in the Garden and is still his favorite. Our understanding of salvation and God’s promises guards our minds against those lies. Paul said that he had learned to be content with seasons of plenty and seasons of little because he believed in each season God would still meet his essential needs. Salvation gives us that assurance and is a great safeguard for our minds. It is indeed our helmet.

Ask yourself where your thinking is about God’s care and promises for you. You may need to realign some thoughts yourself as I often do and remember to differentiate between your actual values and beliefs and those you aspire to as a believer. Where there is a contradiction renounce it and declare God’s truth over the lie. Be blessed.