You’ve prayed. You’ve broken the curse. The demon left. But then… it comes back.

This is one of the most heartbreaking realities in deliverance ministry. Many Christians experience genuine freedom only to find themselves battling the same spirit weeks or months later. Some even question if they were ever delivered at all.

But the problem isn’t that deliverance failed. It’s that something allowed the enemy to return.

In Experiences of the Paranormal: Real Conversations With Demons, Terry Fox explains that the aftercare of deliverance is just as critical as the deliverance itself. Demons don’t leave quietly, and they certainly don’t forget. If a door remains open, or is reopened — they will come back.

This blog dives deep into why demons return, how they regain access, and what you can do to stop the cycle for good.

Deliverance Is Not the End — It’s the Beginning

Too many believers think deliverance is a one-time prayer that fixes everything. But Jesus warned clearly in Matthew 12:43–45:

“When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it… then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’”

If the house is empty, the spirit returns. Often bringing others with it.

In his book Experiences of the Paranormal: Real Conversations With Demons, Fox shares the story of a woman who was freed from a tormenting spirit during a powerful session. But within three months, it returned stronger. Why? She never replaced the spiritual void. No prayer life. No worship. No Word. The door had been swept clean but left wide open.

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1. The #1 Reason Demons Return: Unfilled Space

Deliverance creates a spiritual vacuum. If that vacuum isn’t filled with the presence of God, demons have a legal right to return.

In his book, Terry Fox shares a chilling case of a man who kept getting delivered again and again but always fell back into bondage. The root cause? He refused to surrender fully to Christ. He wanted freedom, but not a relationship with Christ. As a result, the spirits found room to come back.

Solution:
Be born again. Fill your life with worship, Scripture, community, and obedience. Spend time in prayer and meditate on the Bible each day. Put on the Full Armor of God.

2. Sin Reopens the Door

Even after successful deliverance, unrepented sin can reopen spiritual access. Demons operate on legality. If you give them permission, knowingly or unknowingly — they will use it.

Fox recounts in his book a man delivered from the spirit of lust. He walked in freedom for months. But slowly, he returned to pornography. That re-entry gave the spirit the legal claim to return.

Solution:
Stay in a posture of daily repentance. Guard your habits. Don’t feed the very spirit you’ve cast out.

3. Bitterness and Unforgiveness

One of the most overlooked doors is bitterness. Forgiveness isn’t optional in spiritual warfare. It’s a shield.

“If you do not forgive others… your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:15)

Demons exploit bitterness because it ties people to past trauma. In his book, Fox shares a story of a woman healed of torment only for the spirits to return when she refused to forgive her abusive father. That unforgiveness bound her to pain, and this unforgiveness left a door open for demonic influence.

Solution:
Forgiveness isn’t saying what happened was right. It’s choosing to break the chain between you and the wound. Ask God to help you forgive those that have hurt you. That’s where healing begins.

4. Cursed or Hidden Objects in the Home

Sometimes the issue isn’t you — it’s what’s around you.

Fox details in his book a case where demonic manifestations kept occurring in a child’s bedroom. The family had already undergone deliverance. But the torment continued. The breakthrough came when they discovered a cursed object (a toy) buried in a box under the bed — a gift from someone involved in witchcraft.

Solution:
Pray over your home. Ask the Holy Spirit to expose anything that doesn’t belong. If in doubt, throw it out.

5. Lack of Discipleship and Accountability

Deliverance without discipleship is like surgery without recovery. You might remove the disease, but without healing and structure, it comes back.

In his book, Fox explains how isolation is one of the enemy’s favorite tools. People walk through freedom but have no one to walk with. No mentor. No community. No biblical teaching. The spirits simply wait for the weakness of isolation to return.

Solution:
Have a quiet time each day including prayer and Bible reading. Surround yourself with strong, spirit-filled believers. Attend a Bible-teaching church. Submit to wise counsel. Deliverance is personal, but freedom is communal.

6. Demonic Retaliation: When the Battle Intensifies

Fox doesn’t sugarcoat it. In his book, he talks about retaliation — when demons try to intimidate believers post-deliverance. This might look like:

– Sudden nightmares
– Fear in your home
– Relational division
– Spiritual apathy or distraction

These aren’t signs that deliverance failed. They’re proof that the enemy is angry and trying to reassert control.

Solution:
Don’t panic. Stand in your authority. Speak Scripture. Play worship music. Declare out loud: “In the name of Jesus and by the power of His blood, I command you to flee.”

What Terry Fox Recommends After Deliverance

Throughout Experiences of the Paranormal: Real Conversations With Demons, Fox offers a clear path for post-deliverance care:

1. Daily prayer and worship
2. Reading Scripture out loud
3. Renouncing fear, bitterness, and shame
4. Removing cursed items
5. Filling the home with an atmosphere of praise
6. Joining a discipleship group
7. Fasting occasionally for spiritual clarity

He reminds us that freedom is a lifestyle, not an event.

Do you know, What Most Christians Don’t Know About Casting Out Demons?

Final Thoughts:

The enemy doesn’t quit after deliverance. In fact, he often fights harder once he’s been cast out. But he only returns if he can find an open door..

If you’ve been through deliverance and felt like it didn’t last, don’t lose heart. Go back. Close the door. Fill the space. And walk daily in surrender.

Demons may try to return, but they cannot stay where Jesus reigns.

Experiences of the Paranormal: Real Conversations With Demons by Terry Fox isn’t just a deliverance ministry book. It’s a manual for staying free, staying filled, and staying faithful. Use it. Study it. Share it. Because the truth is: you weren’t just delivered to be free, you were delivered to be filled.