Deliverance minister and revivalist Isaiah Saldivar says too many Christians are unaware of how demons operate, how they gain access and how Jesus has given believers authority over the powers of darkness.
In a recent teaching titled “10 Demons Every Christian Should Know About,” Saldivar said the goal is not to glorify demons, but to expose darkness and point believers back to the authority of Jesus Christ.
“We’re not magnifying darkness,” Saldivar said. “We’re magnifying Jesus. But, we are going to expose darkness.”
- The spirit of fear
Saldivar said the spirit of fear is one of the enemy’s primary tools to paralyze Christians and keep us from obeying God.
“God has not given us the demon of fear,” Saldivar said. “You could use that translation. It’s a spirit.”
He said this spirit often works through intimidation, panic, irrational fear and constant dread. For believers, he said, fear can keep us from preaching, praying for the sick, evangelizing or stepping into the calling God has placed on our lives.
“The enemy doesn’t need to physically chain you down if he can keep you intimidated not wanting to do what God told you to do,” he said.
- The lying spirit
Saldivar pointed to 1 Kings 22 and John 8:44 to explain what he called the lying spirit, saying Satan’s strategy is not always an obvious lie, but a believable distortion of the truth.
“It’s not obvious lies,” Saldivar said. “It’s a strategy to make lies sound believable.”
He said this spirit works by attacking what God has spoken, just as the serpent did in Genesis when he asked, “Has God indeed said that?”
“The lying spirit whispers, ‘God doesn’t love you. You’re never going to change. You don’t need to repent. You’re the exception. It’s fine. God isn’t speaking. You’re not really saved,’” he said.
- The spirit of infirmity
Saldivar said not every sickness is caused by a demon, but he also warned that Christians should not ignore the biblical connection between some sickness and demonic oppression.
“The Bible clearly teaches that not all sickness is caused by demons,” he said. “But at the same time, the Bible clearly teaches that some sicknesses and infirmities are connected to demonization or having a demon.”
Pointing to Luke 13, he noted that the woman who was bent over for 18 years was described as having a spirit of infirmity.
“Whether your problem’s physical, whether your problem’s spiritual, whether your problem overlaps and is both, the answer will always be Jesus,” he said.
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- The deaf and dumb spirit
Saldivar said Mark 9 shows Jesus directly identifying a “deaf and dumb spirit,” proving that Scripture names specific demonic spirits.
“Jesus names the demon, and specifically calls it out by name,” Saldivar said.
He said this spirit is not only about physical hearing or speech, but also spiritual hearing and spiritual silence. It seeks to stop believers from hearing the Word of God and speaking the truth of the gospel.
“Satan loves that you’re silent,” he said. “He loves when a Christian doesn’t share their faith.”
- Unclean and sexual spirits
Saldivar described unclean and sexual spirits as among the most common demonic bondages facing people today.
“There seems to be a category in scripture, at least in the New Testament, where there’s an unclean spirit, not just a demon,” he said.
He connected these spirits to lust, pornography, sexual addiction and perversion, saying the enemy takes what God created as pure and corrupts it.
“God wants you to have a pure sex life,” Saldivar said. “But an unclean spirit wants you to have a perverted sex life.”
He warned that sexual sin can become a spiritual doorway and said Jesus does more than forgive sexual sin; He breaks its power.
“Jesus didn’t just die to forgive sexual sin, he died to break the bondage of sexual sin,” he said.
- Legion, torment and self-destruction
Using Mark 5, Saldivar said the account of Legion shows how demons seek isolation, torment and destruction.
“This is Satan’s ultimate goal, it’s a spirit of legion, torment, self-destruction,” he said.
He said this spirit can manifest through despair, self-harm, addiction, reckless behavior and suicidal thoughts. Its purpose is to destroy what God has created and sabotage what is good.
“Whatever’s good, you can find you destroy it,” Saldivar said. “That spirit is strong, it’s evil, it’s vile.”
- The spirit of divination
Saldivar said Acts 16 identifies a spirit of divination and warned Christians to reject occult practices that seek supernatural guidance apart from God.
“Not every spiritual experience comes from God,” Saldivar said. “Not every manifestation from God, not every prophecy from God, not every voice is from God.”
He listed tarot cards, psychics, mediums, horoscopes, spirit guides, channeling, Reiki, manifestation practices and Ouija boards as spiritual doors Christians must avoid.
“Divination is seeking supernatural guidance apart from God,” he said. “It’s saying, ‘God, I don’t trust you to lead me. I’m going to find another source to lead me.’”
- The religious spirit
Saldivar acknowledged that the Bible does not use the exact phrase “religious spirit,” but said the spirit is seen in the pride and hypocrisy Jesus confronted in the Pharisees.
“There is a religious spirit that’s just always denying God and fighting and asking questions and rebellious and replacing relationship with Christ with religion,” he said.
He said this spirit produces spiritual pride, judgment, performance-based Christianity and outward holiness without inward transformation.
“I don’t want people to think I’m Christian,” Saldivar said. “I want to actually be a Christian.”
- The spirit of jealousy
Saldivar used Saul’s jealousy of David to show how envy can corrupt the heart and turn friends into enemies.
“Jealousy disguises itself as discernment,” he said. “Jealousy disguises itself as criticism and competition and offense.”
He said jealousy destroys churches, ministries, marriages, families and friendships because it causes people to see another person’s blessing as a threat.
“One of the fastest ways to identify the spirit of jealousy, and this is a spirit, is to ask yourself this question: Can I celebrate someone else’s success?” he said.
- The Antichrist spirit
Saldivar closed by warning about the Antichrist spirit, which he said rejects Christ’s authority, lordship and exclusivity.
“The spirit of the antichrist rejects Christ’s authority; it rejects His lordship; it rejects His exclusivity,” he said. “It’s a lying demonic spirit.”
He said this spirit promotes false gospels, denies repentance, twists Scripture and treats Jesus as one option among many.
“The many ways to God, all roads lead to heaven, it’s antichrist,” Saldivar said.
The issue is not fear of demons, but confidence in Christ. Every spirit he described works toward bondage, confusion and destruction, but Jesus came to bring freedom, truth and abundant life. We must stay rooted in Scripture, walk in discernment and remember that the focus of the gospel is not the power of darkness, but the victory of Jesus Christ.
“Never forget this,” Saldivar said. “The focus of the gospel is not demons. The focus of the gospels is Jesus.”
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
