Lately I’ve been watching a lot of powerful testimonies from former occultists who came to Christ. People like Riaan Swiegelaar, Craft to Christ, John Ramirez, and many others. Their stories are incredible. Many of them were deeply involved in witchcraft or satanism before encountering Jesus in dramatic ways and turning their lives completely around.

Their passion for Christ is inspiring.

Listening to these testimonies also brought up some questions for me because, while my experience wasn’t as extreme as theirs, I did time involved in the occult myself. Not long by their standards, but long enough to suffer serious consequences in my mental health.

Eventually I was freed from that through deliverance. But even then, I didn’t immediately surrender my life to God.

Years later, when I was in the hospital and close to death, I finally made the decision that if God spared my life, I would give it to Him. Even after that moment, though, my walk with God still wasn’t fully committed.

It wasn’t until 2024 that things truly changed.

I bought a Bible.
I started reading it regularly.
I began praying daily.
I cut out secular music and filled my time with sermons and worship.
I started attending church regularly.

For the first time in my life, I truly gave my heart to God.

My Struggle with Authority and Surrender

One thing that made this difficult for me was my personality.

I’ve always struggled with authority. Even as a child I was rebellious. I don’t naturally like the idea of submitting to someone else’s control. I’m very strong-willed, very independent, and honestly a bit of a control freak.

I’m also on the autism spectrum, and emotionally I’m wired a little differently than most people. I don’t always connect or feel things the way others describe them.

For example, I don’t often feel emotional connection toward people the way others seem to. But I cry at movies. I cry over animals being hurt. My emotional responses don’t always make logical sense. I’ve been labeled cold and dry by some.

So while many people describe dramatic spiritual encounters with God, visions, or voices, that has never been my experience.

My relationship with God has been much quieter.

But it has been real.

The Confusion I Started Noticing

As I listened to these testimonies from former occultists, one thing kept coming up repeatedly.

They talk a lot about:

• Named demons (Jezebel spirit, Leviathan spirit, etc.)
• Specific spiritual warfare techniques
• Covering yourself in the blood of Jesus before leaving the house
• Praying a “hedge of fire” around yourself daily
• Being careful of strangers placing curses on you

Now, having been on the other side of occult practices, I know spiritual warfare is real. People absolutely do attempt witchcraft, curses, and spiritual attacks.

I even done many of these things myself before I came to Christ.

But something inside me started questioning whether all these extra steps were actually necessary.

Because one question kept coming back to my mind.

If I belong to Christ… am I not already covered by His blood?

When I Asked God for Clarity

This question kept bothering me.

So one morning I prayed about it.

I asked God directly:

“Lord, if this knowledge is something I need, guide me to it. If not, show me that too.”

I opened my Bible without knowing where to start.

At first I thought maybe I should read about exorcism or spiritual warfare. I even considered starting in Galatians because it talks about legalism and adding extra rules to salvation.

But instead I felt drawn to the book of 1 John because I had noted in the back of my bible that it discusses gnostic lies & identifying true believers.

So I started reading from the beginning.

Within a minute I came across this verse:

But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true, it is not a lie.

— 1 John 2:27 NLT

When I read that verse, it felt like confirmation.

Not that teaching is useless. Not that learning is bad.

But that God Himself is enough.

The Holy Spirit will guide us.

What I Believe God Was Showing Me

A true relationship with Christ is the foundation.

We don’t need to memorize demon hierarchies.
We don’t need special formulas.
We don’t need ritualistic prayers.

We can simply come to God.

Ask Him for protection.
Ask Him for deliverance.
Ask Him for wisdom.

The Holy Spirit will guide us in what we need to say.

Jesus already defeated the enemy at the cross.

Is Learning About Spiritual Warfare Wrong?

This is important to clarify.

I do not believe studying spiritual warfare is necessarily wrong.

Many deliverance ministers, like Frank Hammond and others, developed their understanding through years of ministry experience helping people who were demonized.

Over time they likely noticed patterns and shared their observations.

But these teachings are not Scripture.

They are interpretations and experiences.

Helpful for some people in deliverance ministries perhaps.

But not required for salvation, protection, or walking with God.

Think of them like extra commentary, not the foundation.

A Message for New Believers

If you’re new to Christianity and feeling overwhelmed by all the teachings about spiritual warfare, demon names, or complicated prayers, I want to encourage you.

God is not complicated.

He is not trying to make salvation difficult.

You don’t need a special formula to approach Him.

Just talk to Him.

Trust Him.

Ask Him for help.

Scripture says:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”
— Proverbs 3:5

God is enough.

The Holy Spirit will guide you.

And the blood of Christ has already secured the victory.

Final Thought

There may be times when God leads someone to learn more about spiritual warfare. But that knowledge should never replace the simple truth of the gospel.

If you are experiencing spiritual warfare and feel confused:

Lean not on your own understanding. You don’t have to be an expert on demons to be protected by God.

Trust the Holy Spirit. He will give you the words you need when you ask the Father for protection.

Rest in the Finish Work. You are covered by the blood because of what He did, not because of a ritualistic prayer you prayed this morning.

What about you?

Have you ever felt like you weren’t “protected enough” because you didn’t know the right spiritual terminology or specific prayers for protection?

I want to encourage you today: If you have Christ, you have everything. You don’t need to be an expert on the darkness to walk in the Light. Spend some time in 1 John today and ask the Holy Spirit to remind you that His anointing is real, it’s inside you, and it is enough.

Have you felt like you were missing something in order to practice your authority in Christ?

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.