Anxiety is a big problem in our world today; many people suffer from it. But God never meant for us to live overwhelmed with anxiety, worry or fear. He wants us to live free and full of joy!

In Matthew 15:11, Jesus teaches something radical. People thought that the foods and drinks they put into their mouths made them unclean or defiled, but Jesus taught, “Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.” Jesus was explaining how the words that we speak bring life or death, healing or hurt. The words we speak about ourselves and others matter.

Jesus said in John 6:63, “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” When we speak the words of Jesus, His life is produced in us. When we speak the scriptures over our lives, we partner with what God says about us, and good fruit is produced.

But what do you do if you’re speaking the right things, doing all the right things and pursuing the Kingdom of God, yet you still feel in bondage or stuck? If this is the case, then you are probably dealing with demonic activity and attack. The truth is, demons have more influence than we may want to acknowledge.

But as Christians, we don’t need to fear the enemy because we have power to take authority over demonic forces coming against us and harassing us and our family. Instead of putting our heads in the sand, we need to stand firmly against the enemy.

Demonic spirits are always trying to deceive us – they want to trick us into believing that they don’t even exist. If we are in denial about demonic forces, then the enemy is free to insert thoughts into our minds and feelings into our hearts. But if we will recognize that sometimes the things we’re dealing with are actually caused by forces of darkness, then we can stand in the authority of Jesus against those things.

Evil spirits are all around us; they hate us because we love God, and they are constantly looking for an opportunity to influence or torment us. It’s important that we have the right response to these attacks. We cannot shrink back or give in to them. As believers in Christ, we have power over these forces of evil. We must stand against them, take authority over them in Jesus’s name, and not allow them access to our minds, homes or family.

The enemy is fighting against the advancement of God’s Kingdom and the God’s purposes for our lives. Ephesians 6:12 teaches “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

God’s plan for us is to live in freedom, abundance and victory – but the enemy has other plans for us. Evil spirits attempt to speak lies to us, tempt us to doubt God, and even manipulate circumstances to cause us harm.

No matter what’s happened to you in the past, you can have freedom in Christ and have a blessed future. Don’t let the enemy torture or torment you anymore because of past hurts. Deliverance is possible, but the enemy of your soul doesn’t want you to know that. Meditate on God’s Word and renew your mind with scripture, and Jesus will meet you right where you are.

Remember that as believers in Jesus Christ, we have authority and power over the demonic. In John 14:12 Jesus declared, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” If Jesus conquered demons and forces of evil, then we can too!

Revelation 12:11 says, “And they [believers] overcame him [devil] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” Because of the power of the blood of Jesus, and the words that we speak – our testimony –we can overcome the enemy. We can put the devil in his place when we are in our proper place of authority in Christ Jesus.

We can change our cultural mindset by aligning our minds and words with the Word of God and the Kingdom of God. When we change our world view to line up with God’s Kingdom, we find freedom from anxiety and fear. Jesus enjoyed life on this earth and lived in Kingdom victory because He rejected negative mindsets and spoke words of life into every situation. We too can enjoy a life free from worry, fear and anxiety if we will think and speak according to the Word of God.

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