After pondering overnight on our conversation, I felt like I need to add a key component of how our enemy gains access to our spirit, mind, heart and physical body. One of the entryways he has is through the path of unforgiveness that we harbor. Much of the work of resistance that we are able to do alongside and led by God is the very difficult labor of identifying and addressing unforgiveness in our hearts and walking through the obedience of forgiving those by whom we have been wronged. If we fail to recognize the power of forgiveness, and our need to cooperate and choose it, and live instead with unforgivess in our hearts and minds, satan always has an entry point. Unforgiveness, harboring resentments, daydreamjng about revenge, about getting even or about someone who harmed us receiving their due punishment: these daydreams and musings open more conversations with our enemy than we can even begin to perceive through human minds. But God knows fully how dangerous unforgiveness is, which is why there are many commands to forgive throughout Scripture. Forgiveness is a matter of obedience, that we may be like God and Jesus, but it is not ONLY a matter of obedience. It is also a matter of His protection for us.
Unforgiveness will wreck our spiritual and mental lives, emotionally keep us stunted, and it is detrimental to our physical bodies. There have been scientific studies on the effects of unforgiveness on iur bodies, and the effects are very harmful. Unforgiveness keeps us in a state of perceived self-righteousness, rather than humility and peace woth God. When we let go and let God have his appropriate role as Judge, the embodiment of Justice and the owner of Vengeance, and let the other person or persons be left to Him, our hearts are freed from the burden of holding grudges. I have witnessed more effective spiritual oppression whose root is unforgiveness than I have any other type, by far. And this root touches and affects all three types of spiritual conflict that you referred to. It is interwoven into and actively at work in all three of them.
Some key verses that reference the need for forgiveness as a key, core obedience in our lives are:
Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:16-21
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:29-32
Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.
Ephesians 4:26-27
My belief is that the most basic level or layer of forgiveness is simply this: We agree with Romans 12:16-21, and surrender our perceived right to avenge ourselves, and we agree with God to leave the person or persons in the hands of the living God, to Whom vengeance belongs. To do this, we have to agree with Him that He is the perfect bringer of Justice, that He sees, knows and hears all; that He is sovereign and that He will repay accordingly. This layer of forgiveness admits our humility and our dependence on God, but this simplest layer removes so much pride, harboring of grudges, hatred, contemplation of vengeance and what we believe is just punishment of our enemies out of our hearts, so we become unburdened by these weights and chains that are far too heavy for us to carry. Unforgiveness can destroy us and is often the foundation upon which entire lives and even generations can be derailed.
I felt compelled to add this to our discussion, as I believe any discussion of spiritual warfare is incomplete without acknowledging that practicing forgiveness often and thoroughly is an act of protection God has given us so we do not allow the enemy a foothold, as Ephesians 4:26-27 describes.
Love you!
Joni Byrd. 7/24/25