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“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

Most people live in a low-grade state of panic. It’s not always dramatic. It’s subtle—like a hum just beneath the surface of daily life. A tension in the shoulders. A heaviness behind the eyes. A restlessness that never quite lets go.

James clearly instructs us to “resist the devil“, but how exactly does one do that?

And because we live like this for so long, the brain gets used to it. It builds automated responses to help you survive. This is called neuroplasticity. Your mind, designed by God to help you, begins to automate your reactions by physically “rewiring ” the brain. The problem is—if those repeated reactions are rooted in fear, anxiety, anger, self-pity, or anything else destructive, you’re no longer living by truth. You’re reacting from a script that was written by trauma, repetition, or demonic influence.

We either submit to or resist the devils that try to influence our lives. There is no neutral ground.

SPIRITUAL AUTOMATION MUST BE INTERRUPTED

The way you interrupt this automatic response is by becoming conscious. Intentionally aware. Deliberate. The enemy hopes you never take that pause. He hopes you live your entire life reacting like a dog conditioned by pain. But you are not a beast. You were created in the image of God.

When you’re tempted to spiral—whether it’s anxiety, rage, depression, or hopelessness—pause for 20 seconds. It’s like the salami technique. Put the piece of “cake” on the plate and wait. Activate your frontal lobe, the seat of reasoning. Interrupt that dark script that is trying to run without your permission. If you still want the cake have it, but eat it consciously, or as they say, mindfully. And celebrate; you have already won a victory; you have begun exercising your will, and it will get stronger.

Here is a simple, three-step process to reclaim your authority and rewire your spirit:

STEP 1: IDENTIFY, BIND, REBUKE

• Identify the emotion or spiritual interference.
  Example: “I feel panic.”
• Bind it in Jesus’ name.
  “I bind you spirit of fear in the name of Jesus.”
• Rebuke it.
  “I command you to leave me now. Go from me in Jesus’ name.”

STEP 2: SAY WHAT IS WRITTEN

God’s Word is not just comfort—it’s confrontation. It’s legal power in the spirit realm. After rebuking the darkness, speak light. Speak Scripture.

Example: “It is written, Casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.”

STEP 3: REWIRE THE RESPONSE

After the initial reaction is dealt with, choose a new response. Reflect for 20 seconds on what you actually want to feel—peace, joy, boldness, or clarity. Anchor yourself in the fruit of the Spirit, not the fruit of fear. This is not denial—it’s divine substitution.

This is something you can and often must also do on behalf of someone under your care—like a child who seems overwhelmed or out of control. It’s important to understand that when someone is caught in this state, they’re often just a spectator in their own body. They may not even want to say or do what’s happening, but they’re swept up in a current of emotion—energy-in-motion.

Emotion—e-motion—is energy in motion. And that energy is never neutral. It either moves you toward God, wholeness, clarity, peace… or away from Him, into confusion, fragmentation, and darkness. The energy you feel in a moment of anger or anxiety might feel natural, even justified, but that doesn’t mean it’s benign. That energy has a source—and a direction.

The spiritual realm is always influencing the emotional realm. That is why Scripture constantly exhorts us to “test the spirits”, to be sober, vigilant, and to guard our hearts with all diligence, for out of it flow the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:23)

When you’re suddenly overwhelmed by an emotion—panic, envy, lust, rage—you must pause and ask: What is the source of this energy? Where is it taking me? Is it drawing me deeper into love, patience, truth, self-control? Or is it pushing me into impulsiveness, bitterness, fear, or self-sabotage?

Energy itself is not the enemy. But just like wind can drive a sailboat forward or capsize it in a storm, so too can emotional energy either be used by the Spirit of God—or manipulated by spirits of darkness. The energy you feel is a signal. And it is your responsibility to discern whether that signal is from the Lord or from the enemy.

Discernment is not about being fearful or suspicious—it’s about being spiritually awake. It’s the ability to trace the fruit back to its root.

If you’ve ever experienced this yourself, you’ll know exactly what I mean; you feel as if you are a passenger in your body and someone else is at the steering wheel. The only solution is to interrupt the “current“—the momentum, the spiritual force—that’s dragging them along. Once you confront and cut off the current at its spiritual root, its influence breaks and the behaviour can re-balance.

As Ephesians 6:12 reminds us:

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

This is not just behavioural—it’s spiritual. You stop the behaviour by addressing the force behind it.

YOU CAN’T SEE SPIRITS, BUT YOU SEE THEIR EFFECTS

Just like the wind, you don’t see demons with your natural eyes—but you do see their movement. You feel it. You see it in the “look” on someone’s face, in the sudden shift of atmosphere, in the way someone explodes or withdraws for no clear reason.

Emotions are energy in motion—e-motion. They often reveal the presence of spiritual entities. If what you’re feeling is not good, not holy, not uplifting or edifying—chances are, you’re under the influence of something that isn’t from God. The feeling itself becomes a red flag.

AN INVISIBLE RACE AMONG US

Scripture is unmistakably clear: there exists an unseen realm. A dimension layered beneath the veil of what our senses perceive—a realm teeming with activity. Angels and demons. Principalities and powers. Thrones and dominions. Not poetic metaphors, but spiritual realities. These forces do not float idly in some abstract ether. They move through us. Through minds. Through culture. Through systems. Through wounds. Through appetites.

They are parasitic in nature—dependent on human partnership to express their agendas. And whether we realise it or not, something is always speaking through us. Something is always seeking agreement.

You were never meant to host darkness.

You were crafted to host the Holy Spirit.

Formed from dust, yes—but infused with breath. The breath of God. You are not a neutral vessel. You are a temple. But temples require discernment. Not every presence that whispers belongs on holy ground.

The carnal mind cannot grasp this. These truths seem absurd to the natural thinker. To those bound by the limitations of the five senses, it’s all myth, fantasy, or fanaticism. But you cannot logic your way into the Spirit. You must walk by faith.

And here’s the deeper truth: knowledge alone cannot liberate you. You must be nourished by faith—fed, not merely informed. Because it is faith, not facts, that sets a person free.

There are no passive bystanders in this war. Every thought is a gate. Every agreement, a surrender or a stand. We do not wrestle against flesh and blood—but we do wrestle. Passivity is not safety. It is permission.

What kind of traffic are you allowing through the gate of your mind? Are you giving hostile forces traction to overwhelm you?

We submit to—or we resist—their influence in the same way we submit to or resist God Himself. Every day. Every hour. Every moment.

There is no neutral ground. Only holy ground… or haunted ground.

And you must choose which spirit you host.

PRAYER

Father,

I submit myself to You today—spirit, soul, and body. I reject the influence of every unclean spirit and demonic script that tries to take root in my mind and emotions. In the name of Jesus, I bind and rebuke every spirit of fear, anxiety, heaviness, and chaos. Let Your peace reign in me. Teach me to live consciously, filled with the awareness of Your presence. Rewire my responses, renew my mind, and make me sensitive to Your voice. I welcome the Holy Spirit to fill every space that fear once occupied.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

1. What emotion tends to dominate your inner life—fear, anger, sadness, or peace?
2. Can you remember the last time you acted on autopilot in a negative way? What triggered it?
3. What Scripture can you memorise to help you resist the devil next time?
4. How might you practically interrupt a destructive response in the moment?
5. Have you ever felt the atmosphere shift in a room? What did that teach you about the spiritual realm?

MEMORY VERSE

“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)