Killing the Demon of Self Effort by Patty Sadallah

The following is a spiritual exercise experienced by Patty Sadallah, a CLU Instructor.

The issue that I was laying at Jesus' feet was one of what I thought was instant gratification and lack of self-control related to eating at night. But God put it into greater focus. 

My battlefield was a dark swamp with stepping stones.  There were many demons that looked like varied sizes of water creatures and fish with sharp teeth. One looked like an alien.   There was one large leviathan, a great sea monster whose name was "Self-Effort". 

Jesus was large and wearing a body of Armor; The Full Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17). His light was bursting brightly through the armor mail. I was hiding behind Him watching.   At the sight of Him the demons dropped underwater and out of sight.  All but the bigger leviathan.  Jesus was speaking rebukes with a loud thundering voice telling them they were not welcome and that this was the day they would die.  Then He grabbed me and pulled me 'into' Him.  I went through the armor until I was covered by HIM inside the armor.  I could feel what it felt like to "Put on Jesus" with His confidence and power! (Romans 13:14).  Then I heard Him command me to strike the final blow.

I wielded the Sword and sliced off the head of the demon "Self Effort" and as I did, the other demons floated to the top dead as well.  They were linked and fueled by this one and no longer had power or dominion either.  It was AWESOME! 

Then I praised and thanked Jesus over and over.

Not only did this give me release from the stronghold, but it gave me the picture I needed of how to allow Jesus to work His power through me.  I had never thought of the Armor of God quite like that.  I always pictured MYSELF putting on the Armor.  Not stepping into God's 'skin', in a sense wearing that Armor as HIM and not me.  That new picture can really make a difference for me not just for this stronghold, but for all issues for which I may tend to try to take personal control. 

Everyone in the group had success with this exercise.  Many felt a heaviness lift off their chests, or a peace flow through them.  This really worked well.  We all shared our pictures of Jesus and I think even hearing other people’s stories and visions gave us all even more pictures for which we can anchor our faith. 

Discover more about Patty and her blogs.