Unchained & Under Cover - Lesson 04
by Dr. Steve Wittmann
Doors
Click Play in the video player window and follow along on the class notes below.
What are Doors?
In their simplest form, doors are conditions created by choices.
At the heart of every door is a choice.
Manipulating Choices
Satan targets his attacks at the triune nature of the soul, as we saw in lesson three, teasing our emotions, will, and intellect in an effort to manipulate our choices to his will.
The Power Branch of Witchcraft
There are four power spirits under the Power leg or branch of witchcraft. They are: Power, Manipulation, Intimidation, and Control.
All four power spirits rebel against your free-will or choice.
Choice is the Moment of Sin
Mat 5:27 "You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY';
Mat 5:28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
In Mat 5:27-28, Jesus teaches on the moment of sin. Notice how closely it resembles faith and works in that it also consists of two parts – first a choice and second the act. Sin doesn’t begin with the act – it begins with the choice. The act is only the product of the choice. Doors are also products of choices.
The Heart - A Geyser for Temptation
Like a spring or geyser erupting, temptations spring from the heart.
Mat 15:19 "For out of the heart come evil thoughts…Mat 15:20 “These are the things which defile the man…"
Mar 7:21 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts…
Mar 7:23 "All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man."
Temptations Target the Soul
Temptations are "soulish" in nature. In other words, they target the three elements of the soul.
- Lusts are desires of the heart (emotions)
- Unclean or evil thoughts invade the mind (will and intellect)
- God’s protection for this is found in Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Choosing and Freewill
Without free will, you cannot choose to receive God’s gift of salvation, so it should be no surprise that Satan, full of wisdom, should devise a way to corrupt free will. His corruption arrives as a form of witchcraft and rebellion. These two parts work hand-in-hand as if they were joined at the hip. Anywhere one finds witchcraft, one will also find rebellion.
The "power" branch of witchcraft is where we find the four main spirits that rebel against free will. They are power, intimidation, manipulation, and control.
The four power spirits are like generals.
Their task is to rebel against Christ’s completed work on the cross – and what work did Christ complete? He protected the integrity of man’s free will.
Free will is so important to God’s plan of salvation for man that Jesus went to the cross to protect it from being corrupted.
Corrupting Man’s Choices
Satan and his dark kingdom cannot un-do Christ’s perfect work on the cross, so instead, they stand in rebellion against it. The dark kingdom will try and corrupt man’s ability to choose by using the pressure of power, intimidation, manipulation, and control to change man’s choice to one that rebels and rejects God’s word – so that just like Saul, the choice opens a door of opportunity for unclean spirits to oppress and torment.
The Role of Free Will and Choice
Deu 30:19 "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants,
Jos 24:15 "If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
God cannot pre-destine man to love Him – for that would be a false love. If God had made us to serve Him without choice — He would have made a race of slaves. Love is a choice. For God to experience a reciprocating and loving relationship with man, we must be free to choose Him and that choice depends on free will.
Lucifer’s Precious Stones
Eze 28:13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
The precious stones are part of the Breastplate of Judgment worn by high priests. This verse tells us that at the moment of Lucifer’s creation, God made Lucifer a high priest of heaven.
The Breastplate of Judgment
In Exodus 28:17-21, God instructs the Leviticus priests in the making of the Breastplate of Judgment. Notice that unlike Lucifer’s breastplate, here God says to use twelve precious stones.
Exo 28:17 And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row.
Exo 28:18 And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.
Exo 28:19 And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst.
Exo 28:20 And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings.
Exo 28:21 And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes.
The Twelve Tribes of Israel
Each of the twelve stones represents one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Notice that Lucifer’s breastplate had only nine stones. The third row containing the ligure, the agate, and the amethyst is missing. Since each stone represents one tribe, Lucifer’s breastplate only represents nine of the twelve tribes of Israel.
- Sardius = Rubin
- Topaz = Simeon
- Carbuncle = Levi
- Emerald = Judah
- Sapphire = Dan
- Diamond = Naphtali
- Ligure = Gad (Missing)
- Agate = Asher (Missing)
- Amethyst = Issachar (Missing)
- Beryl = Zebulun
- Onyx = Joseph
- Jasper = Benjamin
The Three Missing Stones
Of Gad, Jacob says…
Gen 49:19 Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.
Of Asher, Jacob says…
Gen 49:20 Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.
And of Issachar, Jacob says…
Gen 49:14 Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:
Gen 49:15 And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.
Jesus was overcome but overcame at the last. Jesus is the bread of life and through Him we are of the royal priesthood. Jesus bowed his shoulder to bear and became a servant unto tribute.
God withheld those three stones from Lucifer because they belonged to Jesus. Lucifer was a high priest of heaven but not THE high priest of heaven. That title belongs to Jesus alone, but at the time Lucifer was created, there was no rebellion. There was no fall. There was no creation. There was no earth. There was no man. There was no sin. There was no need of redemption. There was no reason for Jesus to die!
By withholding the three stones from Lucifer’s breastplate, God demonstrated that He knew, even before creating Lucifer that Lucifer would rebel. Before the fall, God knew Lucifer would fall. Before creation, God knew sin would enter the earth. Before man was created, God knew man would fall to sin. Before the first sin, God knew Jesus would have to die to redeem man.
If there was no sin, mankind would not have fallen. Jesus would never have had to carry the burden of mankind’s sin. Man would not need redemption. All God had to do was stop sin before it happened.
So, what was so important to God that He would allow sin to enter creation, knowing in the moment that He created Lucifer with only nine precious stones, that it would cost Him the life of His Son Jesus to redeem man?
Jesus Protected the Integrity of Freewill
Freewill! If God had stepped in and stopped sin from entering creation, He would have denied free will.
Without free will, man cannot choose to enter into a loving relationship with God and so, God had to allow us free will to choose, even if that choice rejected Him and followed sin. God had to allow Jesus to go to the cross rather than corrupt the integrity of freewill and choice.
This is why denying a person’s free will to choose is denying Christ’s completed work on the cross.
Unclean spirits readily deny the freewill that Jesus gave His life to protect.
Through power, manipulation, intimidation, and control, unclean spirits deny your freewill try to force you into choices that open doors that they may use to enter your life.
Intercession and Counseling
If you’re called as an intercessory warrior or counselor, be careful not to fight against God’s word. Instead, put it to work for you.
If you fight a spirit that has permission under God’s law to be where it is, it will fight you to stay where it is. If however, you exercise God’s law to break or remove the permission or legal ground, the spirit you fight will be compelled under God’s law to leave.
Permissions that Open Doors
There are many conditions that give permission to open doors. Several common permissions that allow unclean spirits to work in a person’s life are:
- A condition, as defined by God’s law, that permits an unclean spirit to harass or torment a man (ie: Saul’s evil spirit of the Lord)
- A choice to continue or reject God’s word or law. When we reject God, He rejects us. If we stand with God, He stands with us.
- Willful disobedience of God’s word
- An attitude of agreement with unclean or evil spirits
- Works that are in agreement with the nature of unclean spirits
- Lack of Knowledge of God’s word (ignorance)
- Lack of concern for God’s word (apathy)
Footholds
Eph 4:27 and do not give the devil a foothold.
God warns us not to "give" the devil a foothold. Why? Because He knows we can give it. God would not tell us not to do something we were unable to do.
A foothold gives access to unclean spirits that have not yet rooted themselves with a stronghold.
A foothold builds upon a choice and holds a “door” open for unclean spirits to reside in a man.
Strongholds
Strongholds are often incorrect thinking that roots a condition and permits an unclean spirit to reside in a man.
The very nature of incorrect thinking precludes the ability to recognize or see the condition without discernment from the Spirit of Truth.
Closing Open Doors
There are four elements of removing permissions and closing doors.
- Confession - 1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
- Repentance - Act 17:30 "… God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent,"
- Seek Forgiveness - 1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
- Renouncement - Pro 28:13 He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
Renouncing is cancelling a choice that opened a door.
Doors that Won’t Stay Closed
Often we see doors that won’t close or stay closed. A person under this condition will often experience the same problems returning again and again. I personally believe Satan will use a door that is left open to build schemes in people’s lives, repeating the cycle of bondage over and over.
Here are three conditions that prevent doors from being closed or reopen closed doors:
- Faith + Works must both be present to close a door.
- Unforgiveness can hold a door open.
- Failure to renounce a choice can leave a door open.
Results of Doors Left Open
- Unclean spirits may return to continue oppressing a person.
- A person may experience temporary freedom but slip back into oppression and torment.
- A door left open can be the root of a repeating scheme.
- Doors that are left open can make a person feel like they can’t find lasting freedom because the same issues keep coming back. They may feel haunted and tormented by something they can’t escape.
- A person’s own expectation of bondage can develop into a stronghold of incorrect thinking that insures the condition will return.
Proclamation of Renouncement
This is a Proclamation of Renouncement. Save it! Its purpose is to cancel choices that open doors. You may phrase this for yourself or for someone else.
"By the power and authority of the blood of Christ, I cancel all legal grounds and permissions I created through my actions and choices, and I proclaim that unclean spirits have no authority to operate in or over my life."
Use this. Proclaim this over yourself anytime or every time you need to erase a bad choice and close a door.
This may be proclaimed over someone as a tool in intercession and ministry, but be aware that if the person you’re interceding over is not also renouncing the choice or open door, the effect will likely be temporary.
Key Point Review
- Doors are conditions created by choices.
- The four power spirits of witchcraft, power, manipulation, intimidation, and control rebel against and deny your free will and choice.
- Choice is the moment of sin.
- From the heart spring evil thoughts that defile.
- Jesus died to protect the integrity of free will and choice.
- A spirit will fight if it’s in its right to stay.
- Footholds hold doors open.
- Strongholds root a spirit in place.
- Doors are closed by confession, repentance, forgiveness, and renouncement.
- Doors that are left open can help build a cycle of bondage.
Study Questions:
- Explain why unclean or evil spirits try to influence your choices.
- Explain what Lucifer’s precious stones teach us about God’s value of free will and choice.
- Explain why choice is the moment of sin.
- Explain how one closes open doors and cancels choices.