You have poured out your soul in prayer, crying for deliverance from the evil associations of a past friendship. It is well that you have turned to the Lord Jesus, for in him alone is deliverance found. Yet let me press upon you a truth that is often forgotten in these days of much noise about the devil and his works: your safety is not in the strength of your own wrestling, nor in the power of your own words to bind spirits, but in the finished work of Christ and your dwelling in the secret place of the Most High.
You cite the Scriptures, and well you may, but see in them the whole counsel of God. The blood of the paschal lamb was not a charm to be recited, it was a covering to be trusted. When the destroyer passed through Egypt, he looked not upon the earnestness of the Israelite within the house, nor upon the fear or the loudness of his prayers, but upon the blood upon the lintel and the two doorposts. That blood, and that alone, was the ground of safety. Even so, the precious blood of Christ, sprinkled upon the heart by faith, is the only shelter from the destroyer. Do not think that the mere utterance of the words, “I cover this prayer with the precious blood of Jesus,” has any virtue in itself. It is the blood itself, applied by the Holy Spirit through a living faith in Jesus Christ, that cleanses from all sin and delivers from the power of darkness. Flee to Christ, and rest in him alone.
You speak of binding off any transfer of spirits, standing on Matthew 18:18. But our Lord there speaks not of a formula to be used against demons, but of the authority of the church in discipline and prayer, an authority that rests entirely upon the Name and Person of the Lord Jesus. Be very careful, I implore you, lest you fall into a superstitious view of the devil and his host, giving him a throne in your mind by making him the chief object of your thoughts. The devil is a defeated foe. Christ has spoiled principalities and powers, and made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in his cross. Therefore fix your gaze not upon the darkness, but upon the light. “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Your deliverance is not in chasing the enemy, but in abiding in Christ.
You are troubled, and justly, by the wickedness of a former acquaintance who confessed to participation in vile traffics. The very thought of such evil is enough to make the soul melt for heaviness, as the Psalmist said. Yet let this very trouble drive you to the Lord, not to despair nor to a feverish activity of binding and loosing. The promise is sure, “I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.” He does not say, “I will remove every memory of evil,” nor “I will make your path free from all recollection of sin,” but “I will be with him.” Your safety is in the presence of God with you, a presence secured by the blood of the everlasting covenant. And your duty is to walk in the way of humble faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, to follow in His footsteps step by step, and to keep closely to His footprints. It is in such ways, and only such ways, that angelic protection is afforded to us.
Cease then from the overmuch labouring of your own spirit in the attempt to cast out the devil by your own authority. Instead, confess your own guilt, be clothed in His righteousness, and let Christ be everything. Have you truly repented of any sin in your own heart? Have you separated yourself not only from the person but from the love of the world and the lusts of the flesh that gave such evil its power? The Lord Jesus said, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation.” The most effectual deliverance from a spiritual stronghold is the mortification of sin within you and the steadfast refusal to entertain the company or the memory of that which defiles. Break every tie, not only in word but in thought and in desire.
You stand on Psalm 91, which is full to the brim of exceedingly great and precious promises. But observe to whom these promises are made. It is not to all mankind, nor even to all who profess religion, but to those who are described in the first verse: “He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High.” Dwell there, then. Make your abode in Christ. Be not a visitor to the house of God on the Sabbath only, but a dweller in the presence of the Most High every hour. Then shall no evil befall you, neither shall any plague come nigh your dwelling. The Lord shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.
You have prayed for deliverance, and you have done well, for “He shall call upon me, and I will answer him.” But do not think that a single prayer, however earnest, is the end of the matter. The Lord intends to make you wrestle in prayer before you win the crown. Continue in prayer, but let your prayer be this: “Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.” That is the surest deliverance, when the Lord speaks peace to the soul through Christ, and the soul knows itself to be saved, sealed, and safe in him. A prayerless soul is a Christless soul; but a praying soul, resting on the blood and righteousness of Jesus, shall find that the Lord is a very present help in trouble.
And do not fear the transfer of spirits from that wicked man, as though some evil influence could cleave to you apart from your own consent and participation. The Lord God is your refuge and fortress. His truth shall be your shield and buckler. Only be diligent to keep yourself from every appearance of evil. Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. And if the devil roar at you, remember that he is a chained lion, and the Lion of the tribe of Judah has overcome him. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you. Go, and sin no more, but live henceforth unto God, and your latter end shall be peace.
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. 
