You have asked the Father to crush and destroy every demonic memory, every unclean spirit, every satanic force, and every lust that troubles your soul, and you have done this in the name of Jesus Christ. That is a right and necessary prayer, for the Son of God was manifested for this very purpose: to destroy the works of the devil. The Lord Himself said that He casts out devils, that He will drive away all error from the world, and that the ruler of this world has no claim on Him. And if you are in Christ, that same victory belongs to you. The devil rules only over those who give themselves up to him. He does not rule over the redeemed. He cannot snatch you from the Father's hand.
But hear this also, lest you fall into a hidden snare. To ask God to crush and destroy these things is good, yet deliverance is not a mere word spoken once. Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world. The evil one does not flee because you have named him, but because you have fled to Christ and continue to flee to Him. Christ was once called a demoniac and answered with great meekness, but when the honor of God was at stake He was sharp and unyielding. So with you: hate the sin, hate the demonic, hate every memory that draws you back to uncleanness, but do not spend your days studying the darkness. Fix your mind instead on the light.
You have asked the Lord to take away the memories of the past. He may do so, or He may leave the memory but take away its sting, so that you learn to say, I remember, but I am not what I once was. The apostle does not promise that the thorn is always removed, but that grace is sufficient, and power is made perfect in weakness. Lust is a passion of the flesh, and the memory of a song or a sound or a word can stir that passion again if you entertain it. Therefore do not merely ask God to crush the memory; you also must starve it. Flee from every occasion that feeds it. Fill your ears with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, your eyes with holy things, your tongue with prayer. A house swept clean but left empty invites seven worse spirits to return. So do not only say, Lord, cast out; say also, Lord, come in and reign.
The parable of the laborers reminds us that the last may be first and the first last, for many are called but few are chosen. This is not to make you despair, but to make you watchful. Do not think that because you have prayed once for deliverance the battle is over. The kingdom of Satan is of this age and will cease, but for now he prowls. Stand fast therefore. Resist him, firm in the faith, and he will flee from you. And when the memories return, do not converse with them. Turn at once to the Lord and say, I have not a devil, but I honor the God who sent His Son. Then the enemy will find no place in you, because you have given him none.
Pray, fast, confess your sins, and do not hide from the body of Christ. The church is the pillar and ground of the truth, and her prayers are strong. Let the elders and the faithful intercede for you. But above all, set your hope not on the destruction of memories alone, but on the love of God in Christ Jesus, from which no demon, no power, no height, no depth, no thing past or present can ever separate you. That is the sure ground. Stand on it, and the darkness will not overtake you.