John Ramirez doesn’t talk about spiritual warfare from a seminary classroom. He talks about it from a place most people will never go—and come back from.
For 25 years, Ramirez served as the third-highest-ranked devil worshipper in New York City. Today, he is a born-again Christian, author and minister who has made it his mission to expose the very kingdom he once served.
In a recent episode of the Revival Is Now podcast, hosted by Kathryn Krick, Ramirez pulled back the curtain on the demonic world—its rituals, its strategies, and its relentless campaign to destroy the Church from the inside out.
To order Kathryn Krick’s new book, Ignite Revival, visit Amazon.com.
Drafted Into Darkness at Age Eight
Ramirez’s story begins not with a curse. At seven and a half years old, a necklace bearing what he describes as the seven demonic powers fell at his feet in a broken lot. He put it on—and within months, he was being initiated into the occult.
By the time he was a young adult, Ramirez had been sworn in by 17 warlocks in a blood ritual, received ceremonial marks carved into his body, and given a new demonic name. He ran spiritual “regions” from New York to Miami, Cuba and Haiti—astral projecting, cursing neighborhoods, breaking marriages and performing rituals for hire.
“I had $100,000 worth of witchcraft items in my house,” he said.
What the Devil Really Wants
One of the most striking revelations Ramirez shared is what Satan actually seeks from his followers—and it isn’t power through sacrifice. It’s devotion.
On the night he almost committed murder at the devil’s instruction, Ramirez describes being asked to prove his loyalty through a human sacrifice. He missed his chance—and two weeks later, Jesus showed up.
But the lesson he draws is profound: the devil wants the same thing God wants. Worship. Loyalty. Time. Dedication.
“The devil wants how loyal could you be? How faithful? How much you love me? See, that’s what the devil wants. The devil wants the same thing we give Jesus,” he stated.
This parallel, he says, explains why people in the occult outspend, out-pray and out-commit most churchgoers—because they believe in what they serve.
The Night He Died and Came Back
Ramirez’s conversion in 1999 was not a quiet moment of prayer. It was a near-death encounter with hell itself. Sitting on his bed one night, he challenged God—telling Him he planned to die a warlock and that if He was truly more powerful than the devil, He would have to prove it.
To order John Ramirez’s new book, Exposing the Devil’s Playbook, visit Amazon.com.
What followed was a vivid vision of hell—the ground breathing like a living person, terror wrapping around him like a python, and a 14-foot devil declaring he had to destroy him. Each time the devil lunged, an ancient wooden cross covered in blood appeared between them, dropping the devil to the ground. God then placed Ramirez back in his body.
“That was my only chance that God was giving me to turn to Him. And that night I said, ‘Lord, I just go with you. I leave everything behind.’ That was my sinner’s prayer,” Ramirez said.
The Devil’s Scheme to Divide the Church
Perhaps the most urgent portion of the conversation was Ramirez’s diagnosis of what is killing the church today: division, pride, jealousy and a religious spirit.
Having spent 25 years in a kingdom that operated with military-like unity, he is grieved by what he sees among believers.
“I have [seen] more unity with the devil worshippers than I have with some people in the body of Christ. That belongs to the body of Christ,” he said.
Ramirez identifies the religious spirit as the devil’s most effective weapon inside the church—producing Pharisee-like critics who attack genuine anointing they cannot understand, spread gossip under the guise of “exposing,” and allow jealousy to poison their calling. He also warns that the devil can send dreams that fit a person’s existing hatred or jealousy, fueling false accusations that feel like divine revelation.
A Call to Deliverance and Revival
Ramirez closed with a direct challenge to pastors and church leaders: get equipped for deliverance, or risk being bypassed by the coming revival. When the lost come flooding in—addicts, gang members, the broken—they will need more than a sermon. They will need someone with authority to cast out what has been tormenting them.
The message Ramirez carries is both a warning and an invitation: the enemy is organized, strategic and relentless. But the church has been given authority over all of it—if it will only walk in it.
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the upcoming book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
