How to Finally Find Freedom from Turmoil

EARLY STRUGGLES 

When David ministers to those with spiritual, emotional, and psychological problems, he can relate to their pain and frustration. As a young child, ages seven to eleven, he suffered greatly with anxiety. He recalls getting upset at theme parks and other public places, feeling like he just needed to escape. At age eleven, David says he had a deep encounter with God when his father led him in prayer, and found freedom from the anxiety for years. At that point, he started reading the Bible and praying for several hours a day, and started praying for people at school.  

By age 13, David was asked to minister at his home church and says the presence of the Lord was profound. In his late teens, David says he started to become self-reliant and proud and the anxiety of his early years slowly crept back in to this thinking. He describes a panic attack as a young, married man in his 20’s: “As Jess and I drove home, all I could do was apologize to her again and again. She was so sweet and understanding about it, insisting that there was no need to apologize. Yet I felt so angry with myself for allowing yet another panic attack to ruin yet another beautiful moment. Then, of course, the enemy began to relentlessly taunt, ‘Aren’t you a man of God? You’re so weak. You’re a fake.’ I felt so helpless and ashamed. I was also confused. I asked myself serious questions: Haven’t I already been set free from this? How many more times am I going to have to defeat this darkness? How can this continue to happen when I’m walking with the Holy Spirit? How is this possible in the life of a faith-filled believer?” David found answers to those questions as he delved deeper into God’s Word.  
 
GETTING TO THE ROOT 

Spiritual warfare is usually thought of in terms of strongholds, David says, referring to Paul’s use of the word in 2 Corinthians 10. “Strongholds are deceptive thought patterns,” he explains. “These deceptive thought patterns can become safe havens for works of the flesh, as well as demonic influence. Once established, these ungodly thought patterns become ungodly behavior patterns, and those ungodly behavior patterns are what we refer to as ‘spiritual bondage.’ Most believers spend years trying to address the surface of a stronghold, which would be the bad habits or the negative feelings. They go after the symptoms instead of the sickness, the fruit instead of the root, the consequence instead of the cause.” To put it simply, David says, “Lies become deception. Deception becomes a thought pattern or a way of feeling. Those thoughts and feelings become actions. Those actions become habits. Those habits become cycles. That’s bondage.”  

What’s a believer to do about any sort of bondage? “Strongholds are dismantled, brick by brick, by truths,” he explains. “This is why we must make a practice of ‘Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.’ We do this by making use of the spiritual gear God has provided.” David refers to the armor of God explained in Ephesians 6:10-18; the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, etc.. “The Word clearly reveals that the enemy is powerless against Spirit-filled believers if he cannot deceive them. Strongholds, spiritual bondage, demonic attack – it’s all based on deception. Freedom, the armor of God, spiritual victory – it’s all based on truth.”     
 
BREAKING FREE FROM BONDAGE 

If a believer is in any form of bondage, he is not living the kind of life God intended for him, but is mired in spiritual defeat, David teaches. To break free, he says we must understand God’s authority. “Strongholds are built upon the lies of the enemy, and you have been given authority over the lies that attempt to deceive you. Don’t hide in the corner with your hands over your ears. Stand up, and go on the offensive.” David lists four steps to take:

• “Address the demonic aspects of the stronghold.”
• “Align with God’s authority though faith and obedience. In doing so, you rely on the Holy Spirit’s power, instead of man’s powerless protocols.” 
• "Then, exercise that authority though a simple command.”  
• “If the problem continues, fast and pray until you know your faith is strong. It’s not that demons can resist the Holy Spirit’s power and authority. Rather, it’s that we aren’t actually using the Holy Spirit’s power and authority until we’re properly aligned.” 

“If the problem persists after you’ve taken this simple biblical approach,” David advises, “recognize that the answer will not be found in strange superstitions or Christian myths about the spiritual realm….then you’re no longer dealing with the demonic aspect but rather with the mental and emotional aspects of the stronghold.”
 
ADDICTION IN PARTICULAR

David offers strategies to deal with a number of specific strongholds including temptation, fear and torment, and addiction in all it’s awful forms: drug, alcohol, porn, food, gambling, or anything else. “At first addictions are formed by foolish decisions but eventually go on to develop a physiological element. The body eventually aches for what it was trained to desire. We should remember that God can do anything He wants. I’ve seen addicts of all sorts instantaneously delivered, never to touch or even crave their preferred vice again. Then there are times when I’ve seen surrender more and more to the Lord. However freedom may come, there are layers to this stronghold that must be considered.” David says addiction must be dealt with in three ways:
 
DEAL WITH IT EARLY.  
“At a certain point, some addictions, like drug addictions, affect the body and brain to such a degree that discipline and willpower alone lose their effectiveness. What begins as a desire for pleasure or relief or escape will eventually become lethal. For as long as you are giving in to sin, you are strengthening the chains of sinful habits. Sin makes no exceptions. What you sow is what you reap. The earlier you address an addiction of any kind, the better.”
 
DEAL WITH IT PRACTICALLY.  
“Just as a sick person believes for their healing but also takes practical health measures, so one suffering from addiction should believe for their instant miracle while also taking practical measures to combat their addiction. This isn’t a lack of faith. Quite the contrary, this is faith in action. Medical treatments that work to heal that addiction and that don’t contradict teachings of Scripture should be embraced.”
 
DEAL WITH IT AGGRESSIVELY.
“Set up accountability with other believers. Don’t let shame keep you from reaching out for help. Be honest with them and give them access to a true and meaningful connection with you. Respect their role in challenging you and checking up on you. Addiction only grows stronger in isolation.”

For more information regarding David Diga Hernandez's ministry, please visit: davidhernandezministires, and get a copy of his book, "Holy Spirit: The Bondage Breaker," and be free to live your best life today.