Jesus said several times in Scripture that the kingdom of God is at hand. As Christians, we are called to “expand” that kingdom. This often means going into territory where the kingdom isn’t readily visible so that it can be made manifest.
Sometimes, we don’t need to go very far to find a place in need of an intentional manifestation of God’s light. In a recent article, I told a story about some friends of ours who were experiencing interesting spiritual activity at the house they had just purchased. They asked me to “consult” with them about it.
While I was at their house, I sensed there had been some violence committed by previous owners. On top of that, the spirit, or atmosphere, of the neighborhood was pressing in on the house and influencing what was going on within it. My advice to the head of the household was to exert influence outward and to create a history of peace that would override the history of violence.
If the neighbors’ issues are pushing in on the place where we live, we need to push light outward. We need to be brighter in spirit, and we need to be aggressive. Not only is this good for our family, but it is also good for the entire neighborhood, for reasons we will discuss in a moment.
Harmony instead of disharmony
We want to leave God’s thumbprint on everything we touch. So whenever we come across disharmony in our home, it can be a sign that something is amiss.
In addition to affecting emotions and thought processes within the house, disharmony often manifests itself in several ways. We could feel an almost physical vibration in a certain area of the house. We might have an impression of something dark, or we could see pictures of negative activities that occurred there in the past; it is similar to witnessing a crime and feeling like you’re reliving it hours or days later.
Usually, these pictures will be somewhat faint, like echoes, but the more severe the painful activity, the louder the pictures will be, like 1000 small echoes that are more noticeable when combined.
As our discernment increases, much of what we feel will have some sort of texture to it that gives us a sense of the source. We could be picking up on violence, disunity, unbelief, hatred, bigotry, etc. There will also likely be a sense of direction accompanying it: I feel violence coming from the kitchen. I think the previous owner must have beaten someone there. Or, I feel fearful in the house at night. Maybe the previous owner struggled with anxiety.
If there are negative activities happening in the neighborhood, we could feel those pressing in as well. For example, if the couple next door is going through a divorce, we could feel disharmony, discontent or disunity trying to take root in our house.
How do we cleanse the space?
Typically, when people talk about cleansing a house, they mean three things: cleansing, anointing and taking possession.
First, we can cleanse a house by applying the blood of Jesus and asking God to wash it clean; both actions remove anything that isn’t of Him. If issues come up as we do this, we can repent, either for our own activities or those of the previous occupants.
Second, we can anoint the doorposts with oil and consecrate the house for God’s use. This makes it much harder for demonic beings to gain access.
But in the long term, the biggest impact we can have on a space is to take possession of it and be spiritually active within it. This isn’t a more powerful action, but when used in correlation with cleansing and anointing, it is the one that has the greatest effect long term. What really transforms a house is when a Spirit-filled believer takes possession of it, lives there, fully occupies the space and orients it toward the will of God, building a history with Him there.
When we truly possess the space we dwell in, it is filled with God’s presence. Instead of being defensive (“I’m anointing doorposts and windows to keep the enemy out”), we are being aggressive (“I am broadcasting the light of God to my neighborhood”). The house glows like a city on a hill. It becomes salt and light in the world.
Wherever you live, you have the ability to fill that space with the activity of the Holy Spirit. You have authority to ask God to cleanse it from the previous occupants’ behavior and wash away anything evil. You can dedicate it for His use during your time there, according to the authority you have.
More importantly, you have the ability to build a history — one in which that space is used in every way for God. As you make the house, dorm room or apartment your own, the kingdom of God becomes tangible in the neighborhood, city and maybe even nation, because you have taken full possession, and that space is in alignment with God.
The Spiritual House Cleaning by Jim Driscoll, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
This is very good! Don’t hear much about this kind
of stuff anymore. You Be Blessed! Needs to be said. Thank You,
Awesome article. I found the part about pictures and feelings very insightful. This has happened for me at several residences and I practiced what you said and saw things change.
Thank You!
Hi Jim…Thanks for the article above. What does the oil do…(how can “physical” oil resist “spiritual” devils?). I saw people fall on touching a preacher’s cloth. What is the laying of hand actually do spiritually? Can food that is serve to us affect our spiritual shield? Are these of similar feature ?
This is such an encouragement as my husband and I purchased a home 18 months ago and just recently have FINALLY gotten rid of “other occupants” who took up residence with the previous owners. We are mature Christians but have never dealt with the kinds of manifesations as we had since moving in. We felt like our house could have been on the show Haunted and at times even wondered if it was just our imagination. But the Holy Spirit revealed previous activity and even confirmed through the neighbors. We have learned so much through this. Thank God for the Blood of Jesus and His authority!!!
Thanks Jim, as always your articles are helpful and full of insight!!
My husband and I have moved into his parents 100 year old farmhouse in order to have more space for 3 teens and a preteen. The move was prophesied to us and the house itself was even described.
There are spiritual attachments to this house though from all family members and I have felt that my husband and our family have had trouble actually occupying it although we live here.
No one wants it fixed up and whenever we try bad things happen, things break more and it’s frustrating. When I say no one wants it fixed, I mean literally that if anyone trys to start fixing things members of the family start having anxiety attacks and resent it. My mother in law expressed she wished the place would burn down. (not with us in it) She had bad creepy dreams when she lived here and felt very oppressed.
Since my husband and I don’t actually own the house, what are we to do? Can we still apply these principles while others own and actively have very bad feelings over the property?
We’ve almost divorced while living here and there has been a heaviness.
That’s really good. It answers some questions I’ve had for a long time. Thanks, Jim!
Can you please send me the prayers for cleansing violence/critisism.
Hi Jim,
Very interesting article, I have at times felt stuff from the neighbors pressing in my house. This article is enlightening. I will be anointing those windows and doors, thanks!!!
This is so helpful. To be more specific and effective when you are asked to go to someones house to pray and anoint it. My daughter is going to college and the idea of aligning the dorm room and orienting it towards the will of God and BUILDING a history with Him is needed light to walk His paths. Thanks
Wow, praise God!
Can I ask though if one has done this on a few occasions and what the previous occupants suffered comes back, is retaliation from the enemy possible. We bought a house but the previous owner lived separate lives which truely I can confess started happening to us, we ended up divorced. Now my son and his wife lives in the house but it still belongs to us. What can they do with regards to the spritual activity, really aggressive, almost like human manifestations sometimes cats crying almost like a cry that wants to intimidate.
Please help!
This is a very good article. It is clear, concise and chock full of spiritual truth in a way that is helpful and memorable to the reader. Thanks so much for sharing it Jim!
Thank you so much for this word. Boy, we need to be reminded so much. We get spiritually lazy and I have been very guilty of that. Thanks again for your obedience to the Lord.
Dear Jim,
I just want to thank you for the reminder of who has authority of our land and how to be on the offensive rather than the defensive. I have been struggling with how to regain the feel of light in our home and even now as I spoke over our land and home, I felt the light increase. I was reminded, just yesterday, about basing my actions and beliefs on the Word not on my experiences. God bless you for sharing this word.
thank you for this article…it’s a reminder to me to re-commit this home to the Lord in deed and action… recently my dad has moved in since my mom passed…there has been increase in turmoil , anger , short fuses , emotions running high , depression , illness…even loss of friendship and now because i am reminded of Gods faithfulness i can step in again in the authority He has given me and cleanse this house with the healing blood of Jesus
Love this approach, “I am broadcasting the Light of God to my neighborhood!”
Twelve years ago my family, (husband, 3 daughters) were forced from our safe suburb home to an inner city home. House looked great, and because we were being rejected we were desensitized to the spiritual rejection possessing our new home along with other dark forces. The home seemed great at the time.
After experiencing much darkness in our lives the first 2 years we began and have been anointing our home now with the Blood of Christ Jesus and the Oil of Holy Spirit for some time, however in a defensive mode. In the first 4 years of our twelve years here, we had 4 violent murders on our street and have been robbed 4 times. We were stuck and could not get rid of the House. It was not a home. However God had a plan of delivery and we now have 2 home groups a week and the angelic activity is strong. Our home has become a field hospital for the angels in the neighborhood to come and be filled with the Light of God and Heaven. Warring Angels are release into the city through our property. We have been doing what you, Jim have suggested in action, however never saying it and words are powerful. Thank you.
I really like the way you put this together–the 3 pieces–cleansing, anointing, and taking possession. As a young child i sensed evil in the house, it scared the wits out of me & I couldn’t sleep. Years later I received deliverance from a spirit of fear; (God gave me a dream showing me something had happened during the building of the house). I hated that house. (The feel) I finally asked my sister if she felt anything there & she said yes. She hated it too. It was awful as a child not to be able to sleep. I know there was more than just an event that had happened, there were evil spirits there tormenting us.
Your article is a reminder of the power of spiritual influence and an encouragement.
Thank you Jim
what if my husband is not saved and he is mean and curses and calls the kids names. is he just bringing things or creating openings back into our home for the enemy to gain access. my kids see and feel things and have anxieties at night . two are afraid, and one gets sad and cries over dead animals she doesnt even really remember and bad things that could happen. what do i do.
I will get busy annoiting the door step and windows of my home. Thank you Jesus for your authority.
Valuable info. Lucky me I found your site by accident, I bookmarked it.
Terrific work! This is the type of information that should be shared around the web. Shame on the search engines for not positioning this post higher!
This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I enjoy seeing websites that understand the value of providing a prime resource for free. I truly loved reading your post. Thanks!
I was thinking about how I was a janitor for about 3 months at BethEl the church I got saved in. And recently thought about how I could have cleaned it alot better especially the floors, and the roof. I could have gotten in the corners better, and smoothed out the tar on the roof a little better. Since we are supposed to do all things unto God and not to man. So a woman the other day asked me to clean her house and do some minor repairs so I knew I had to remember that the way I would want it is the way I had to complete it for her. And I think one of the motivators was getting paid. I only expected a certain amount, and she paid me tripple. Praise God
Jim,
I take care of an elderly retired Mormon missionary woman at her home in the mornings. Both of us have heard strange sounds like footsteps when no one was there. Since it is her house, how do you recommend handling the situation?
I have shared the Gospel with her. At first she seemed to understand and receive it. I was almost sure she had received Jesus. The next week, she was back to believing that grace plus works would get her to heaven. I think these two things could be related. Any suggestions? I pray for her everyday.
Wowzers! incredible article. I needed that soooo much. I am 2 year old christian and what you said in the article is whats going on in my neighborhood, my room that I am renting and affecting me in a very yucky way.
The house is brand new, but my room has had 2 other occupants,(renters). the previous renter of my room, has racial issues but still lives in the house but in a bigger room now.
Today I will anoint my doorposts and window. Because I was thinking of the scripture Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made…
So when your said anoint the doorposts and the windows it made clear sense to me that doors and windows are for opening and closing and entry and leaving in the natural, so in the spirit it would mean the same thing, because of Romans 1:20.
Now I will ask God for the cleansing of me, my room, the house and then the neighborhood, and probably in that order too, cause I would think I would be the first in the domino affect to push back spiritually, too push out, against and away from the icky yuck the makes the house so confusing and then the neighborhood.
Its almost like when I pray or worship God in my bedroom that all the icky darkness starts to come closer to me, like I am a magnet or something.
Before I read your article, I would just get home from work and shut my door and everything would be ok, because the darkness would be outside my door then. But thin I would have to go downstairs to make dinner and do laundry and other things. But I cannot stay in my room forever. So I am going to try everything you said, mainly cause I hate staying in my room all the time.
I had an interesting experience with this. I prayed for my husband named Tim to come back to the Lord after he moved out of the house. After I moved away from this house I had gotten a traffice ticket to go to court because I was fighting the ticket. I met a man that was at traffic court that happened to sit next to me. He told me his name. His name was Tim. He should me his ticket that had his address on it. I happen to notice that it was the same address of this house I used to live in. Anyway, the interesting thing was he was not saved before he moved in that house. He got saved after he moved in there. I wondered if it had anything to do with my prayer that I had prayed for my husband who was named Tim. What are the chances of that happening.
It was amazing.
You are right about these things. 4 years ago i moved into a company house after somebody from the company vacated it. I stayed there for sometime then I was attacked. It was a horrible experience. I was so scared of being in the house alone. Whenever I was moving arounding doing my work something will catch my leg. I was crying all the time. I called brethrens to come pray with me as we were praying one of them was also attacked. Guess we didnt know what we were doing at that time. The evil spirit was moving all over the house.Sometimes it will catch my leg in the passage. It first started in my bedroom as one day I was asleep and I was woken up all to find that I couldnt move my leg. I jumped up and started praying and casting and pleading the blood of Jesus. It left me alone but it remained in the house. This experience brought so much fear in my life. After the prayer it got worse I was even scared of getting inside the house. Until oneday i met a prophetess of God who came to house and annointed everything from doorpost to the compound. From that day (6 years later) there is peace in my house. All what you saying its right. We thank God for people like you whom God is using this way. Indeed we are perishing because of the lack of knowledge. May the Almighty God be praised forever…Amen