And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23 AKJV)
Apostle Paul identified three parts of every person when writing to the Thessalonians. We are a spirit being in a physical body with a soul (mind, will, and emotions). God is composed of three parts, and so are we as His children. The spirit part of our being is perhaps the most challenging to understand but it is also the part of our being that connects with our Father the most. We can and should connect with our Father, who is a Spirit, in Heaven.
He that dwells in the Secret Place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. (Psalms 91:1 AKJV)
This is a destination in the spiritual realm where you can be hidden and engage in private fellowship with God. The Word also tells us that the Lord is the One who opens the gate (door, portal) and leads us into these encounters:
I AM the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. (John 10:9 AKJV)
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things said He that is holy, He that is true, He that has the key of David, He that opens, and no man shuts; and shuts, and no man opens… (Revelation 3:7 AKJV)
According to the words of our Lord, there is going in and coming out of a place that He alone holds the key to. What key did David have?
For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter; in the Secret Place of His tent will He hide me; He will set me high upon a rock. And now shall my head be lifted up above my enemies round about me… (Psalm 27:5-6 AMPC)
David spoke of the Secret Place three times, more than any other person. In this Psalm, being “high upon a rock” was a place of advantage for a warrior. The Secret Place is where he received this advantage. Through the Book of Psalms King David wrote, we see that he worshiped God on every occasion. This is the key David used to enter the Secret Place.
According to the Book of Revelation a church that will be kept “out of” a time of trouble coming upon the whole world, but they need to remember Jesus holds the Key of David which opens a door that no man can open or shut. No person can guarantee to pray with you so that you can have a “heavenly visit” during prayer, or even that they will. Only our Lord holds that key. To find out more about the Secret Place, see the Living Word series at LynnHardy.com and the free book on this topic.
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me;… (Isaiah 61:1 KJV)
Now the Lord is that Spirit… (Isaiah 61:1 KJV)
We refer to “the” Holy Spirit who is actually the Spirit of the Lord. The Holy Spirit will help us enter into the arms of Jesus. We should begin by asking the Holy Spirit to teach us and join us in worshiping the Lord. Since Jesus holds the key to open the door, accessing the realm of the spirit without Him means other spirits may be involved.
Truly, truly, I say to you, He that enters not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. (John 10:1 AKJV)
Then said Jesus to them again, Truly, truly, I say to you, I Am the door of the sheep. (John 10:7 AKJV)
These two verses are referring to salvation and the right to enter into Heaven. It is clear that Jesus is our access point to the spirit realm, including Heaven. Though many apply this only to the end of our lives, there is no indication that these words only apply to entering Heaven when we die. One absolute fact we can derive from this is that He is our Shepherd and should be present when we enter any part of Heaven.
Since we know that Jesus holds a key to a spiritual door, we can surmise that it isn’t the only spiritual door we may access. If we have opened any other spiritual doors they must be closed, or it may lead us into deception from Satan or open us to attacks of the enemy. There are some terms that refer to these doors:
Gate
Third eye
Opening your chakras
If a spiritual gate is open, then the enemy has easy access to us. Think of it this way, if you lived in a sketchy part of town would you have a door without a lock on it? We don’t want any spiritual gates open either!
For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3 AKJV)
He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you will find refuge… (Psalm 91:4 ESV)
Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah (Psalm 61:4 ESV)
These are just a few of the scriptures that tell us to take shelter or refuge under the wings of our Lord. We cannot physically hide in Jesus. Spiritual speaking, we can move close to Him, where He is, so that He protects us.
We do not want to be “open” to the spirit realm. We want to be hidden in Jesus, under His wings because there are many spirit beings more powerful than we are. We refer to the host of Heaven as angels, and fallen angels as unclean spirits or demons. A few of the more well-known stories about the power of spiritual beings are:
Angel of death slays the firstborn in Egypt (Exodus 12)
Parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14)
Destroying the walls of Jericho (Joshua 5)
Satan has convinced one-third of the hosts of Heaven to rebel against God and is referred to as the “prince of the power of the air.” The spirit realm is often referred to as “the air.”
And you has he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein, in time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience: (Ephesians 2:1-2 AKJV)
What is man, that you are mindful of him? and the son of man, that you visit him? For you have made him a little lower than the angels, and have crowned him with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:4-5 AKJV)
Until we are raised up like our Lord, we are “a little lower” or less powerful than the angels/hosts of Heaven. It is only the power of our risen Lord that is greater spiritually than the enemy. God has placed all things under His feet. We do not want to be anywhere that our Big Brother Jesus is not! Our Lord is our source and we should not seek to enter the spiritual realm without Him by our side!
Identifying Spiritual Doors
We must examine our lives to look for signs of open doors in the spiritual realm. Sometimes an open door may enable us to see, hear or even smell things from the spiritual realm. There is also a gift of the Spirit that the Holy Spirit brings that allows this to happen. How do we tell if a spiritual door is open and we are hearing from a demon or if it is a gift from God and it is the Holy Spirit? We must look at the information and the results:
1. Does it line up with the Word of God?
“For I am the LORD, I change not...” (Malachi 3:6 AKJV)
What is said must ALWAYS line up with the Word of God. He would not tell you to do something that is a sin.
2. Does it line up with the character of God?
He that loves not knows not God; for God is love. (1 John 4:8 AKJV)
Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth... (Ephesians 4:29 AMPC)
God is love, He does not speak with coarse language or curse words.
God does not use terror. If you are terrorized, then it is not from God.
3. Does it cause chaos and confusion?
For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. (1 Corinthians 14:33 AKJV)
God will not cause confusion and chaos. What He brings, gifts, information, or even His presence will usher in order, wisdom and understanding.
4. Does what you hear and see create a mess or have disastrous results?
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 KJV)
If God is directing you, then there will be a good conclusion.
The only exception is a calling as a prophet because they are commonly sent to bring a rebuke or correction that may not be accepted and may herald a coming disaster.
5. Did the “gift” begin before the age of accountability, when you are able to discern between good and evil?
And He said to them, “How is it that you sought Me? knew you not that I must be about My Father's business?” (Luke 2:49 AKJV)
Even the Lord did not begin working for God before He was 12 years old.
God will not show a child, who is unable to defend themselves, a demon. That would provoke fear, not love.
If any one of these is the result of what you are seeing, then there may be an open door to deal with. If you had a harmful or negative spiritual experience in dreams or visions before the age of 12, there may be a generational issue that has opened a portal that needs to be closed. Before we discuss generational issues, let’s find out how you may have opened a spiritual door.
Creating Open Gates
Activity that seeks to hear from the spiritual realm without the Holy Spirit may open a gate to the spiritual realm. It would be nearly impossible to list all activities that connect to the spiritual world, but a few common ones are:
Prayers, dedications, sacrifices, and covenants to other “gods”
Spiritual practices without God such as yoga, Reiki, or Therapeutic Touch
Card reading of any kind, including “angel cards,” tarot cards, or automatic handwriting
Casting lots, runes, sticks or reading tea leaves, water witching, divining rods, or using an ouija board
Fortune telling, aura reading, séances
Mind-altering drug use
There is a difference between leading these activities and participating in them. With the exception of drug use, if you have only participated in these, it could create a demonic attachment, but does not always create an open portal. If you have led these activities, it may cause a gate to be opened.
Anytime you are leading activities where you are seeking guidance from the spirit realm, a door is opened in the spirit realm. Frequent use may lead to an open gate attached to you. When you are not looking to Jesus, God, or the Holy Spirit for the answer, other spirits may come in. Because of the sacrifice of our Lord, the Holy Spirit now resides in us. This is where we should seek answers and information, not by reading cards or casting runes.
If you have consulted a witch doctor, medium, fortuneteller, or any other source, you may have a demon issue that needs to be dealt with.
If you have led these activities, there may be a door that needs to be shut.
Before we look at closing spiritual gates, let’s look at the quickest ways to open spiritual gates.
Drug Use
There are many Christians who believe they can hear from God better with some help from mind-altering substances. Using drugs such as cannabis (marijuana, weed, pot) or any other drug that affects your mind can remove our protective barriers to the spiritual realm. This is nothing new. From Biblical times, there have been many religions that use some form of drugs or incense to connect to a god or see into the spirit realm. Paul gives a long list of sins that will keep a person out of Heaven:
Now the doings (practices) of the flesh are clear (obvious): they are immorality, impurity, indecency, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper), selfishness, divisions (dissensions), party spirit (factions, sects with peculiar opinions, heresies), envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21 AKJV)
The word “witchcraft” in the King James Bible, is translated as “sorcery” here. In Greek, it is pharmakeia which means using or administering drugs for the purpose of sorcery or magical arts, often found in connection with idolatry and fostered by it. Sorcery and magic were done by people who would make contact with the spirit realm without God. The mind-altering substances open a door in the spirit that ungodly spirits may enter.
If you have used drugs at any time, you should confess (see the action the way God does) and repent (turn from the sin) then the Blood of Jesus can blot out that sin before attempting to close any open spiritual gates.
Spiritual Practices
For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus…(1 Timothy 2:5 AKJV)
But now has He obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also He is the Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. (Hebrews 8:6 AKJV)
A mediator is a go-between when two parties are in conflict. Sin puts us in conflict with God. Our Father provided a way to reach Him in prayer, that is the difference between Christianity and any other religion. Our Father allowed His perfect Son to be sacrificed so that we could have a relationship with Him. Praying any other way, to any other person or thing is an open door for other spirits to move in. This includes:
Saints
Other gods
Mary, the mother of Jesus
Angels
Because angels are so powerful, mankind has always been tempted to worship them. When John fell down at the feet of an angel and began worshiping him, the angel rebuked him:
but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”(Revelation 22:9 ESV)
Worship means to show reverence, adoration, and honor to someone or something with an act. Praying to someone is worshiping them. We do not pray to anyone but to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Yoga
The yogis from the Hindu religion developed a set of poses to align their bodies with their gods and invite those gods to come inside. This practice is Yoga. Because this was developed specifically to worship other gods, practicing Yoga will invite those spirits into your life.
Our prayer team brought a 90-year-old woman in for prayer to address a heart issue she had suffered with for many years. I saw two demons, one that resembled the Tasmanian Devil surrounded by lightning flashing around him. Another team member heard two names; Shambala and Mandala. We had to Google the names to find out that they were Hindu gods. The woman then remembered that she had done Yoga in her 30s. The heart issue was healed when she confessed, repented, and pled the Blood over these sins. After this, she was healed!
Reiki
Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep yourself pure. (1 Timothy 5:22 AKJV)
Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.
And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?”.... “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” (Luke 8:43-48 AKJV)
It is clear that something may be transferred from one person to the next by touching them. The woman with the issue of blood received healing by placing her hand on Jesus’ garment. Timothy was warned about laying hands on people too quickly. For this reason, we should be cautious of letting others touch us, especially to affect our spirit or soul.
The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words - Rei which means “the higher power" and Ki which is “life force energy.” The practice began as part of a set of teachings intended to provide a method for students to achieve a connection with the “universal life force” energy. It is administered by “laying on of hands” to impart life force to another person. Because of this, we can classify Reiki as another “religion” and should not engage in that because it will open our spirit to other influences. If we are administering Reiki, or have received it as a medical practice, then there is a possibility a gateway has been established.
Likewise, the person performing “therapeutic” or “healing touch” may have a gateway open to the spiritual realm and be receiving help from those who are not associated with God. You should exercise caution in receiving this type of help, for an unclean spirit may come through the laying on of hands. Remember, any help we receive from the spirit realm should:
Never be charged for, if it is from God. (Matthew 10:8)
Always be done in the name of Jesus.
All the glory should be directed to God, not man.
If these three principles are not followed when you receive spiritually, then there is an opportunity for the enemy to enter. If you are performing these services, consider whether or not you have opened a spiritual gate.
Generational Gates
We will remind you that a curse can be passed down through the generations:
You shall not make you any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in Heaven above, or that is in the Earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the Earth: You shall not bow down yourself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me… (Deuteronomy 5:8-9 AKJV)
If an ancestor bowed down and worshiped a god, especially to gain favor in some way, then we may be afflicted by that demon or spiritual gate. If any negative spiritual experiences occurred before the age of 13, you may have a generational door open. Where a generational line has been dedicated to a god, or even every eldest child in the family is next in line called as a priest to a god, these must be renounced to close the doors associated with the dedication.
When there is an open gateway to the spirit realm from our birth or early childhood, we often mistake the voice of the enemy for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, especially if we don’t test the spirit. The guidelines above for testing where something comes from should be used when we are “conversing” with a spirit. If we are able to, we should always test a spirit according to Apostle Paul’s instructions:
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know you the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof you have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world... (1 John 4:1-3 AKJV)
Simply test any conversation you have by asking, “Do you confess that Jesus the Christ has come in the flesh.” If the thought or spirit flees, then you know it isn’t the Holy Spirit. When guidance from an imitation of the Holy Spirit happens at a young age, we will often feel very close to them. We need to test them with the guidelines stated earlier to make sure it is God whom we are following. Many may think that this does not affect us because we have been “civilized” for so long. However, four generations are a lot of people and usually goes back more than 100 years.
Astral Projection
A cousin researched my genealogy and discovered that one of my ancestors had an American First People's name which means “flight master” when translated to English. Visiting the Courts of Heaven, charges were revealed against my ancestors: worshiping other gods, blood sacrifice, covenant, witchcraft, and dedication. Because my ancestors had misused spiritual gifts and made a covenant with Satan’s kingdom, the enemy had access to me and my spiritual gifts. This manifested in two ways:
The gifts were hindered until I confessed and covered the sins of my ancestral line.
I was harmed in the spirit as a child.
Here is how this generational curse manifested in my life. When I was under the age of 12, I often dreamed of the city where I lived. It was always night and it was physically the same as reality. There were specific abilities I possessed in these dreams:
I could jump really high and float for a distance in the air.
I could hold onto cars, being pulled along behind them.
A few days after one dream, we drove past a very distinctive alley and it was exactly as I had dreamed. As a pre-teen, the dreams became darker. There were shadowy figures I would run from on many occasions. One night, these figures caught me. My eyes were damaged. I could only pry them open briefly to look around, then I would run through the dark, trying to escape the monsters chasing me.
I now realize that these were not dreams, but trips into the spirit realm. Demons and evil spirits live there. They are much more powerful than we are, which is why we should always have the escort of the Holy Spirit when moving in His realm. Traveling in the spirit realm is not a sin, unless it is connected to a generational dedication or agreement with the enemy from our ancestors.
Religions that practice astral projection will often warn you about moving too far from your body, that there are “other inhabitants” who may attack you. If you have been wounded, Jesus is our Healer. He can heal any damage done to our spirit bodies, but first we must take care of the agreement with the enemy.
For this is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. (Matthew 26:28 AKJV)
If you were committing adultery before you knew it was wrong, you’d ask forgiveness for that, right? Coming into a dedication or agreement with our ancestors is no different. After taking care of the sin, then you can close the gate.
There are meditation techniques taught by many religions that encourage “astral projection” which is merely another name for traveling in the spirit realm. This includes “ascension groups.” If you ascend into Heaven without Jesus greeting you, then you have come in a wrong way and may have been assisted by an enemy spirit. Many spiritual attacks may be due to accidental or intentional spiritual traveling which, as a result, has left a spiritual gate cracked open.
Praise God that He has the answer! Many open gates can affect the spiritual realm for generations to come and travel down a family line:
Sacrifices and offerings to other gods
Blood sacrifices to other gods
Dedications for the family line usually in the form of prayers
Agreements with other spirits
Oaths or entering into covenants with other gods
Should these be present in your family line, you will need to confess the any activity in the spirit realm with the Lord as well as the actions of your ancestors to be healed and seal the door shut.
Closing Spiritual Doors
Recently, it came to my attention that there was still an open portal in my generational line. When I would try to sleep at night, I would hear… something. It was like there was a TV on or music playing in the next room. I couldn’t make out the words, but there would be conversations or activities going on. It only happened when I would lay on my left side. As soon as there was no noise in that ear, I would hear….stuff.
I knew about “Flight master” and had already prayed about moving in the spirit without God, but this still remained. I asked the Lord what allowed the gate to remain open. I received “dedication” and saw someone sacrificing an animal. I confessed for the dedication of my family line with a blood sacrifice.
Again I asked the Lord, “Is anything else allowing this gate to remain open?” I received several more items, one at a time as I asked the question again after each word or vision the Holy Spirit showed me.
Next I had to confess that I had used that gateway by:
Trying to figure out what was being said
Asking my husband to see where the noise was coming from
Telling my daughter I could hear music in my head
The final step in closing the gateway was to fully repent. Laying there in bed, I had to ask the Lord to shut the gate and seal it with His blood while I focused on the sound of the fan. This shifted the focus of my spirit to this world and removed it from wherever the gate was connected to. The noise got quieter and quieter until all I heard was the fan! This is an example of how to close a gate.
A prayer to close a open gate should always include the following:
I confess my ancestors were guilty of (name any sins that apply to your family line).
I am guilty of… (operating in the spiritual realm without God, listening to other spirits… or whatever applies.) Keep asking until you get an “all clear” from the Lord. If you are not able to receive words of wisdom or visions from the Holy Spirit, schedule a Let’s Chat!
Ask for the Blood of Jesus to blot out the sins of you and your ancestors.
Ask for the Blood of Jesus to seal any spiritual gates.
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any other sins you need to confess and turn from.
The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. (Psalm 18:2 KJV)
The Lord is our Deliverer. He will never fail us if we cry out to Him. Make sure and trust that He is able to deliver you! If you will listen to what the Holy Spirit brings and act upon it, you will be free. If you need help, please schedule a “Let's Chat” to talk to us about it!
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