Freedom from the Spirit of Fear, Anxiety, and Depression

While fear can be a human emotion, it can also come from a demonic spirit. Below is an excerpt from Setting Captives Free with teaching and testimonies about deliverance from the spirit of fear, anxiety, and depression. Be encouraged to walk in greater freedom from these influences!

Delivered from the Spirit of Fear

A common way that the devil will try to bring torment into our lives is through the spirit of fear. Fear can be a natural human emotion, but it can also come from a demonic spirit: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7, emphasis added). When there is crippling anxiety, irrational and tormenting fear, or constant intimidation, there is probably a spirit of fear at work. It has gone beyond natural human fear, and into supernatural oppression and torment.

I once preached on overcoming the spirit of fear to a group of young adults. I taught about various aspects of the nature of fear: it is a thief that seeks to rob us of God’s promises and our destiny; it is a liar that falsely promises to protect us from the things of which we are afraid; and it is a spirit that seeks to torment us. During the ministry time, I prayed for a young lady who was a visitor to the group that night. Nothing observable or dramatic happened, so it was hard to know if anything significant had taken place. Several months later, I saw her at a friend’s birthday party. She reminded me of the night that I had prayed over her to be set free from fear and testified that she had been delivered. The fear that had controlled and bound her was no longer there!

The spirit of fear can come in through a variety of ways. Sometimes it will come when there has been a terrifying or traumatic experience. Sometimes people are exposed to the spirit of fear at a young age through horror movies or scary situations. Sometimes we give into fear over time and allow the spirit of fear to gain more control in our lives. We should actively resist fear instead of embracing it. We should stand against it, because it is an enemy that seeks to hinder us and keep us from our God-given purpose.

Freedom from Anxiety and Depression

Anxiety is a specific form of fear that can paralyze and torment people. After a series of events, Rachel (not her real name) began to experience depression and anxiety on a daily basis. She lost her best friend in an untimely way to a short battle with cancer. This, on top of other pressures and painful circumstances, were beginning to add up and satan was taking advantage of her situation. Soon, depression began to settle in and anxiety would keep her awake at night.

Rachel began to take her relationship with God more seriously and allow her identity in Christ to be her foundation. She was asking God for healing from anxiety and depression, knowing that this was not His best for her. One day, Rachel’s mom was praying for her and God gave her my name. Rachel looked my name up online and found out that I would be ministering at a deliverance service in her area. She and her husband came to the service that night.

After my message, I led the congregation in a prayer for deliverance and began to minister corporately. Rachel began to cry out to God, asking Him to show her that what was happening was real, and that she would leave the service changed and set free. Within moments, the Holy Spirit highlighted her to me and I called her out of the crowd, knowing nothing about her situation or what she had just been praying. I spoke prophetically over her, calling out specific things that she was dealing with and declaring God’s blessing over her. Tears came down her face as the Lord ministered healing and deliverance to her. From that day forward, the depression and crippling anxiety were gone from her life. She experienced the love of God in a personal way that marked her and allowed her to know that God sees her and cares for her. Praise God that we can be set free from depression, anxiety, and torment, and that we can walk in God’s peace.

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Setting Captives Free is filled with biblical teaching on the topic of demons and deliverance, powerful testimonies of those who have been set free, and practical prayers that you can use for yourself or others in need of deliverance. Make sure to get your copy!