Renouncing

I have come across a few stories recently about "renouncing" (some in written form, and a few told by those who experienced it). I am referring to the practice that exorcists encourage when a person is struggling with a particular sin and not finding victory. It can often be caused by a demonic attachment that came from a past behavior.

The one story I heard most recently was about a man who had struggled with an addiction to porn for years. He had been severely molested as a child, and forgiven the people who did it to him, but he never truly moved past it and the lust gripped him for most of his life. Then, at the counsel of an exorcist, he "renounced" all that he went through and expressed forgiveness for everyone who led him down that path. The result was astounding. He found the temptations went away quickly. His heart changed, and he was able, for the first time in his life, to look at women as more than just objects for his fantasy world.

Not every demonic attack will require one to receive a full exorcism; in fact, those are rare today. Demons come after people in much more subtle ways these days, and if we attribute our sins only to bad choices, then we can miss a spiritual connection (yes, sins are bad choices, but those choices are usually caused by something other than just our fallen minds). We do not want to be running around seeing the devil under every rock; but we are not supposed to ignore him either.

Is there something that you need to renounce in this way? Is there something gripping you that you are not finding victory over? A simple declaration like, "I renounce what happened to me", or, "I renounce what evil things I opened myself up to", or even, "I renounce this curse that I spoke on myself in my anger", can be an enormous factor in changing the spiritual dimension of your life. Your words matter, both for and against you. Take advantage of the grace of God, and the power of Christ's atoning sacrifice; it may just be the difference between sin and righteousness, between Heaven and Hell.