For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.
2 Corinthians 10:3–4
When we engage in sins that involve cults, demonic media, occult practices, pornography, or have sex with others who’ve been involved in such things—including prostitutes—a demonic foothold in our lives may be established.
Then when we try to break free from these areas, the forces we’ve allowed access into our lives start throwing a fit. This can be evident by nagging, persistent dark thoughts of the same nature that never go away, recurring nightmares, or obstacles that consistently get thrown at us when we try to read God’s Word, pray, or go to church.
I once tried to pray with a man, and every time we’d start, his mind would be flooded with dark thoughts. After asking some questions, it came out that he’d been involved in the New Age movement years prior, which is a door opener for demonic influence.
In addition to pornography, occult games such as the Ouija board, dark video games, role–playing games, overly violent movies, cult–based religious symbols, and books, toys, or music with a Satanic bent are also doorways for enemy entrance.
To cleanse your home, I suggest that you and your spouse start by asking God to reveal anything in your house that needs to be dealt with. Remove or burn every item He shows you. All porn must be deleted from every computer; if you need to, format the hard drive.
Then say a prayer together confessing your involvement with those items as sin, renouncing your involvement, and claim your home for Christ. Ask the Lord to cleanse your home of any demonic influence, and take up your authority in Christ (Ephesians 2:6) to command any demons claiming ground due to these sins to leave.
To break strongholds from the past, start by asking someone to pray for you. Then ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any sin you need to confess and renounce. Write each one down on paper, confess it at sin, and renounce all involvement with it. At the end of this prayer time, ask God to cleanse you from all demonic influence by the blood of Christ, break every stronghold, and deliver you from all evil influence.
I suggest that you do the praying and renouncing with a fellow believer in Christ so they can pray you through any obstacles the enemy might try to throw at you during the repentance process.
All of the above should only be done by a believer in Jesus Christ. Without the salvation and son–ship that comes only by the blood of the cross, there is no authority over demonic forces. If you don’t know Jesus as your personal Savior, get a Bible, read the book of John, and then pray to God. Confess that Jesus is the Son of God who died for your sins on the cross, ask Him to cleanse you by the blood of Christ, be your Lord, and make you His son or daughter. See John 3, Acts 16, and Ephesians 1 for more on salvation.
Note: For further reading on breaking strongholds and spiritual warfare issues, Neil Anderson’s Steps to Freedom and Victory over the Darkness are recommended resources.
