A Silo Pillar Page — Experiencinghisvictory.com
Seven Invisible Barriers to Spiritual Growth
Discover what’s blocking your freedom — curses, generational baggage, demonic influence, emotional wounds, ungodly beliefs, unforgiveness, and unbelief — and learn to break free. All 56 posts, in order.
“It was for freedom that Christ set us free.” — Galatians 5:1
Many sincere believers live far below the freedom and victory Jesus purchased for them. They love God, read the Bible, and pray faithfully — yet something keeps blocking their breakthrough. Scripture tells us the battle is not fought in the visible world but in an invisible one, against forces and influences most Christians have never been taught to recognize, let alone overcome.
This series identifies seven of the most common invisible barriers to spiritual growth: generational curses, past family baggage, demonic influence, unhealed emotional wounds, ungodly beliefs, unforgiveness, and unbelief. Each barrier is examined in depth, with biblical truth and practical steps to break free. The 56 posts on this page form a complete, connected series. Read them in order for the full journey, or jump to any barrier using the navigation below.
Jump to Any Section
- ◆ The Invisible World — Foundation (3 posts)
- 1 Invisible Barrier 1: Curses — 1 post
- 2 Invisible Barrier 2: Past Family Baggage — 1 post
- 3 Invisible Barrier 3: Demonic Influence — 6 posts
- 4 Invisible Barrier 4: Emotional Wounds — 4 posts
- 5 Invisible Barrier 5: Ungodly Beliefs — 20 posts
- 6 Invisible Barrier 6: Unforgiveness & Offenses — 14 posts
- 7 Invisible Barrier 7: Unbelief & Doubt — 7 posts
If you would like to receive these posts by email, click here.
Foundation: The Invisible World
3 posts • Understanding the Spiritual Realm
The invisible realm is just as real as the physical world — and arguably more powerful. This post marshals the biblical evidence for a spiritual dimension that operates behind every visible event, establishing why understanding it is essential for anyone serious about walking in freedom.
Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden was not just a personal moral failure — it had cosmic consequences. This post explains what the Fall actually changed: in humanity’s nature, in our relationship with God, and in the spiritual authority structure governing the earth.
When Adam sinned, he handed the governing authority God had given him to Satan. This post examines how Satan legally became the ruler of this world, what that means for every person born into it, and how Jesus’ death and resurrection changed the equation for believers.
Invisible Barrier 1: Curses
1 post • Breaking the Power of Generational Curses
A biblical curse is not folklore — it is a spiritual legal consequence with real effects on families, health, and destiny. This post defines what a curse is, how Scripture describes them, how they are transmitted generationally, and how the finished work of Jesus Christ provides complete redemption from every curse.
Invisible Barrier 2: Past Family Baggage
1 post • Breaking Free From Generational Patterns
Generational patterns of sin, pain, and dysfunction can follow families for decades — sometimes centuries. This post helps you identify the specific spiritual baggage passed down through your family line, understand how it operates as an invisible barrier, and discover the biblical steps to finally break free.
Invisible Barrier 3: Demonic Influence
6 posts • Recognizing and Overcoming the Enemy’s Schemes
Jesus cast out demons throughout his ministry as a regular, matter-of-fact part of his work. This post examines what Jesus actually said and did regarding demonic activity, why that makes the reality of demonic influence undeniable, and what it means for believers who face spiritual opposition today.
Satan doesn’t fight randomly — he uses predictable, identifiable tactics against believers. Part 1 begins exposing his primary strategies, showing how he operates in the lives of Christians today, and begins uncovering the specific answers God’s Word provides to counter each one with confidence.
Part 2 continues the systematic examination of the enemy’s tactics — including his use of fear, accusation, and deception — and pairs each tactic with the specific biblical truth that neutralizes it. Understanding how the enemy works is the first step to walking in consistent spiritual victory.
Part 3 reveals how Satan exploits personal history, weakness, and unhealed wounds as entry points for his attacks. Each tactic examined is matched with a precise biblical answer, equipping believers to stand firm against the enemy’s most persistent and personally targeted strategies.
Part 4 exposes additional enemy strategies and shows how believers can stand firm against every scheme by putting on the full armor of God. Each piece of the armor is examined in practical terms as a real defensive and offensive weapon against the enemy’s ongoing attacks.
Part 5 concludes the series by giving believers a complete picture of the enemy’s full playbook and God’s comprehensive strategy for walking in overcoming victory. It integrates everything from the series into a practical framework for ongoing spiritual battle and consistent breakthrough.
Invisible Barrier 4: Emotional Wounds
4 posts • Receiving Jesus’ Healing for Past Hurts
Unhealed emotional wounds don’t just cause pain — they create invisible barriers that block spiritual growth, distort our view of God, and drive destructive behavior patterns. This post examines the specific ways past hurts affect every dimension of life and why healing them is not optional for those pursuing freedom.
Pain avoided is pain prolonged. This post examines why so many Christians choose to bury emotional pain rather than face it — and how that choice creates deeper spiritual and emotional bondage over time. Understanding the problem with unaddressed pain is the first step toward genuine, lasting healing.
Most people have developed coping strategies for emotional pain rather than pathways to healing. This post explores the most common ways — both healthy and destructive — that people try to manage hurt, and explains why only God’s path of honest acknowledgment and surrender leads to real and lasting healing.
Jesus was described as a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief — not as a distant observer of human suffering, but as one who entered it fully. This post explores the depth of Jesus’ compassion for human pain and why his personal experience of suffering makes him uniquely able to heal yours.
Invisible Barrier 5: Ungodly Beliefs
20 posts • Replacing Lies with God’s Truth
A personal story illustrating how a single deeply held lie can shape an entire life — and how recognizing it, renouncing it, and replacing it with God’s truth produced breakthrough and lasting freedom. This post opens the ungodly beliefs section by showing the power of these lies through one real example.
Ungodly beliefs are lies we have accepted as truth that hold us in spiritual and emotional bondage. This post defines what an ungodly belief is, how it differs from ordinary wrong thinking, where these lies come from, and why they must be specifically addressed and renounced to experience genuine freedom.
Ungodly beliefs take root through specific painful experiences and responses. Part 1 explores the primary ways false beliefs begin to form in the human heart, examining how early wounds and experiences produce distorted conclusions about God, self, and others that then operate as invisible barriers to growth.
Part 2 continues examining how ungodly beliefs form, including the role of believing Satan’s lies and misinterpreting God’s Word. Understanding these formation pathways helps believers trace the specific lies they carry back to their origins, which is the first step toward targeted and lasting freedom.
Part 3 uncovers additional sources of ungodly beliefs, including sinful reactions to pain and the formation of inner vows — powerful hidden structures where we swear to ourselves that we will always or never do something. These vows become invisible barriers that keep many believers spiritually stuck for years.
Part 4 explores how cultural influences, trauma, and even misguided teaching contribute to the formation of ungodly beliefs. It shows why these culturally and experientially embedded lies are often the most difficult to identify — and why they must be specifically renounced to find freedom rather than just intellectually corrected.
Part 5 examines how ungodly beliefs form through disappointment, unanswered prayer, and seasons where God seems silent or absent. These are some of the most spiritually damaging lies — false conclusions about God’s character drawn from painful experience — and this post shows how to guard against them.
Part 6 concludes the formation series by completing the catalog of how lies take root in the human heart and pointing toward the transformative power of God’s truth to replace every ungodly belief. It prepares believers to move from diagnosis to the active renunciation and renewal that brings freedom.
Before you can renounce ungodly beliefs, you must identify them — and that takes honest, Spirit-led examination. This post provides practical ways to surface the hidden lies shaping your thoughts and behavior, including specific questions to ask God and common belief patterns to look for in your own heart.
The only effective antidote to an ungodly belief is God’s truth. This post explains how to renounce specific lies and replace them with specific Scripture — moving from intellectual assent to genuine heart transformation. It provides the biblical framework for the most critical step in the freedom process.
Renewing your mind is not passive — it requires actively exchanging your habitual thought patterns for God’s. Part 1 introduces the biblical concept and process of mind renewal, showing how consistently replacing lies with God’s truth literally rewires the way you think, feel, and respond to life’s circumstances.
Part 2 builds on the brain exchange process by giving practical tools for consistently applying God’s Word throughout daily life. It shows how sustained, intentional application of Scripture to specific lie patterns progressively dismantles the mental structures the enemy has built and establishes new foundations of freedom.
Strongholds are mental fortresses built from lies that have been reinforced over time until they feel immovable. Part 1 defines what a stronghold is, examines how they form from accumulated ungodly beliefs, and explains why dismantling them requires the divine weapons Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 10, not willpower alone.
Part 2 equips believers with the divine weapons God has provided for pulling down strongholds — taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ. It moves from theory to practice, showing how to engage in spiritual warfare against entrenched thought patterns with confidence and biblical authority.
Part 3 applies the biblical framework for destroying strongholds to real-life scenarios, showing how to identify specific strongholds in your own mind, trace them to their root lies, and systematically dismantle the patterns that have held you captive — with practical steps for each stage of the process.
Part 4 addresses the challenge of perseverance when strongholds resist initial efforts at demolition. It provides biblical strategies for continuing through the renewal process even when progress feels slow, showing that consistent truth-declaration and warfare — not a single prayer — is what produces lasting breakthrough.
Part 5 tackles some of the most stubborn strongholds believers face — the deeply embedded thought patterns that seem to return no matter how many times they are addressed. It shows how sustained, Scripture-based spiritual warfare progressively dismantles even the most entrenched mental fortresses over time.
Part 6 explores the role of declaration and worship in breaking strongholds, showing how speaking God’s truth aloud — not just thinking it — accelerates the demolition of lies in the mind. Verbal declaration is a spiritual weapon that engages both the believer’s faith and the spiritual realm simultaneously.
Part 7 addresses the relapse cycle — when old thought patterns return after initial breakthrough — and equips believers to respond without discouragement. It provides a framework for sustaining freedom over time through ongoing mind renewal, accountability, and the consistent application of God’s truth to recurring battles.
Part 8 concludes the stronghold series with a comprehensive framework for walking in lasting freedom — integrating renunciation, truth declaration, community accountability, and ongoing spiritual warfare into a sustainable lifestyle of freedom. It is both a capstone for this barrier and a bridge to the rest of the journey.
Invisible Barrier 6: Unforgiveness & Offenses
14 posts • Walking Free from Bitterness and Offense
Lies about forgiveness are remarkably common — and they keep believers in bondage. This post systematically examines 24 of the most widespread forgiveness myths, reveals what Scripture actually says about each one, and clears the path for the genuine, biblical forgiveness that produces real freedom from bitterness.
Unforgiveness doesn’t punish the person who wounded you — it destroys you. Part 1 exposes how bitterness and resentment function as invisible barriers that block blessing, cloud perception, damage health, and poison every area of life. Understanding the cost of unforgiveness is the beginning of the motivation to release it.
Bitterness doesn’t stay contained. Scripture warns that a root of bitterness springs up, causes trouble, and defiles many. Part 2 reveals how unforgiveness spreads beyond the individual who holds it, contaminating relationships, poisoning community, and producing a destructive ripple effect that touches far more people than the original wound.
True peace is impossible when bitterness and hurt remain unaddressed. Part 3 examines the ultimate personal cost of unforgiveness — spiritually, emotionally, and relationally — and presents the compelling case for why choosing to forgive is not just the right thing to do but the most liberating decision a believer can make.
Jesus warned in Matthew 18 that those who refuse to forgive will be turned over to torturers. Part 1 examines this sobering parable in depth, showing how it describes a real spiritual dynamic — that unforgiveness creates an opening for torment in the believer’s life — and why Jesus told this story as a warning.
Part 2 moves from the diagnosis to the remedy, showing how to break free from the torment that unforgiveness produces. It guides believers through the process of genuine forgiveness — releasing the offender to God, canceling the debt, and walking out of the prison of bitterness into the freedom Christ purchased.
Part 3 completes the torturers series with a practical pathway for walking in sustained forgiveness. It addresses what to do when wounds resurface, how to maintain the release when feelings haven’t yet caught up with the decision, and how complete forgiveness ultimately restores the soul of the one who grants it.
God is not waiting to condemn you — He is waiting to heal you. Positioned at the heart of the forgiveness section, this post is a heartfelt invitation to come to God exactly as you are, with all your wounds and failures, and receive the love, mercy, and restoration that only He can provide.
Many believers unconsciously mix grace with works — striving to earn what Jesus already gave them. This post exposes the subtle trap of performance-based Christianity and invites believers into the freedom of resting in Christ’s finished work, which is the only foundation on which genuine healing and freedom can be built.
The demand for an apology often keeps us prisoner to the offense longer than the offense itself. This post examines what the Bible says about taking offense, why the demand for acknowledgment can actually deepen the wound, and how releasing the expectation of an apology is the path to genuine freedom.
What do you do when both parties feel wronged — when you are offended and so are they? This post examines the biblical calling to be at peace with all men as far as it depends on you, offering a realistic, grace-filled path through the complexity of mutual offense toward genuine reconciliation.
Being offended is a universal experience, but how you respond determines whether it leads to freedom or bondage. This post provides clear biblical steps for handling offense God’s way — including when to go to the person directly, when to release it quietly, and how to guard your heart through the whole process.
Picking up an offense on someone else’s behalf is one of the most common — and overlooked — traps in Christian relationships. This post exposes the spiritual danger of vicarious offense, showing how it creates bitterness the original victim may not even feel, and how to guard your heart against this subtle pattern.
When someone else is offended with you — rightly or wrongly — how you respond matters deeply. This post provides biblical principles for pursuing peace and seeking reconciliation without compromising integrity, showing how to take appropriate responsibility while still maintaining healthy spiritual and relational boundaries.
Invisible Barrier 7: Unbelief & Doubt
7 posts • Moving from Wavering Faith to Settled Confidence
The desperate cry of the father in Mark 9 — “I believe; help my unbelief!” — is one of the most honest prayers in Scripture. This post examines what this moment reveals about the nature of faith and doubt, why God honored this man’s honesty, and how his prayer models the approach that moves God to act.
Unbelief is not a passive condition — it actively destroys the blessings, healing, and breakthrough God intends for your life. This post examines the biblical evidence for unbelief’s destructive power, showing how Jesus himself was limited in what he could do in places where people refused to believe, and what that means for you.
Sometimes we have all the evidence we need to trust God — fulfilled promises, answered prayers, Scripture’s testimony — and still struggle to believe. This post explores why unbelief persists even when the evidence is clear, examining the deeper heart-level resistance that keeps people from receiving what God has already provided.
James warned that a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways and should not expect to receive anything from God. This post examines what double-mindedness looks like in a believer’s daily life, why it is so spiritually crippling, and how to move toward the singular, settled faith that opens the door to receiving from God.
Abraham doubted. Elijah despaired. John the Baptist questioned. Even the greatest Bible heroes struggled with doubt. This post examines their stories honestly, showing what they teach about bringing doubt to God transparently rather than hiding it, and how wrestling honestly with doubt can actually lead to deeper, more resilient faith.
Doubt and unbelief are not permanent conditions — they can be overcome. This post provides the specific biblical steps for moving from wavering faith to settled confidence: feeding on God’s Word, rehearsing his faithfulness, renouncing unbelief, and choosing to act on what you believe even before the feelings fully follow.
Doubt rarely appears without a reason. This post identifies three of the most common causes of persistent spiritual doubt — including unaddressed wounds, ungodly beliefs about God’s character, and the enemy’s targeted accusation — and shows how addressing the root cause of each one can restore your confidence and trust in God.
Connected Series — Continue Your Journey
Eight Steps to Victory
The Eight Steps series is the core framework of EHV — a practical, Scripture-based process for moving from spiritual bondage into lasting freedom. The 44 posts cover eight movements: knowing God’s character and authority, receiving revelation about your own condition, taking action through repentance and renunciation, receiving healing for inner wounds, and walking in the spiritual authority God has given every believer. This is not a formula but a biblical journey. Each step builds on the one before it, forming a complete pathway for anyone serious about experiencing genuine deliverance and lasting victory. Whether you are just beginning or have been seeking freedom for years, the Eight Steps framework meets you where you are and gives you a clear, grace-filled path forward.
