General of the Faith: How Unforgiveness Can Set You Up for Demonic Strongholds

General of the faith Doris Wagner, CEO of Global Harvest Ministries, and her late husband, C. Peter Wagner, have walked hundreds of people through deliverance and inner healing. Forgiveness, she says, is a key component.

Wagner discusses the power of forgiveness on a recent episode of the Escaping the Hamster Wheel podcast with host Rob Saunders on the Charisma Podcast Network. The devil finds an easy opportunity in anger and unforgiveness, Wagner says. “Now by saying this, I don’t mean that every single time you’re angry, the devil will take advantage of it. But this is the problem. We’re just not sure when he’s going to come in and set up housekeeping and when he’s not.

“But let’s say that an individual is sorely sinned against, or that they have been unjustifiably accused of something that they did not do. [Someone] said, ‘Yes, you did it,'” she says. “Well, there is an incredible hurt that comes in that individual’s life when they’re falsely accused. They think, I have a right to be angry at that person, because they told a lie about me.“

But Jesus commands us to forgive, Wagner says. “Now, Christianity is very different from other religions that do not teach forgiveness. You check it out, and you’ll find that many other religions don’t mention the word,” she says. She points out Jesus’ emphasis on forgiveness in both His Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5) and the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6, Luke 11).

“After giving the instruction of the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus repeated so they would get the message,” Wagner says. “He underlined, ‘If you don’t forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive.’ It is unhealthy not to forgive, because I think that unforgiveness is some of the most nourishing demon food on planet Earth. And if you harbor unforgiveness, you’re really setting yourself up for further problems, and a demon can come and set up a stronghold really easily.”

To learn more from Doris Wagner on how forgiveness can transform your life, click here to listen to the entire podcast. {eoa}