“Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.” — 1 Corinthians 6:18

“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” — 2 Corinthians 7:1

The Spiritual Dangers of Sexual Immorality

It cannot be overstated how spiritually risky it is to be involved in fornication (having sex with someone who is not your spouse). Through my involvement in deliverance ministry, several people who were heavily demonized after frequenting prostitutes have contacted me for deliverance prayer. Some have told me that even as Christians, they went to prostitutes, which is grievous. They were suffering the terrible consequences of demonic symptoms resulting from their involvement in sexual sin.

Other deliverance ministers have attested to the spiritual risks of fornication. According to the late Frank Hammond:

Sexual sin is a unique sin. It is unlike any other sin because “Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body” (1 Corinthians 6:18). One might protest this argument by citing drunkenness and gluttony as sins against one’s body, but fornication is different inasmuch as it gives the power of the body to another person. Fornication has an inherent depravity that defiles the “temple” purchased by the incorruptible blood of Jesus, making the fornicator’s body one with the vile person with whom he sins. Thus, a demonic soul-tie is forged.

(Repercussions from Sexual Sin, p. 11)

He also wrote:

Another passage where “fornication” occurs is in the listing of “words of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21, e.g., KJV). These verses state “the works of the flesh are manifest (obvious), which are… adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness.” These works of the flesh, unless they are quickly mortified, become demonic strongholds. Sowing to the flesh produces corruption (Gal. 6:8), and corruption (dead flesh) provides a banquet table for unclean spirits. Works of the flesh are the opposite of the “fruit of the Spirit” (v. 22-23); they cancel out the Spirit’s fruit. Godly love is destroyed by sensual lust; Holy Ghost joy is replaced with fleeting pleasure, and the peace of God is drowned in fear of exposure and other fears.

(Ibid.)

The late Derek Prince, also a deliverance minister, wrote:

Repeated yielding to any fleshly lust can open the way for a corresponding demon to enter. This applies to all the works of the flesh listed in Galatians 5:19-21. A person who yields regularly to fornication or jealousy or envy (to name but three) will probably be taken over by the corresponding demon.

(They Shall Expel Demons, p. 138)

If mere fornication with someone you’re dating can open doors to demonization, how much more so if you commit such a sin with someone whose occupation consists of having sexual relations with multitudes of people?

It is said that lying with a prostitute (hooker, escort, call girl, ‘sex worker,’ harlot, or whatever name they are called these days), which includes porn actresses/actors (it’s essentially prostitution but just recorded) and sugar babies, could be worse for the client since the prostitute has picked up a multitude of unclean spirits from her previous transactions.

Indeed, not just going to prostitutes can get you really demonized, but also being a prostitute. It appears that those who are prostitutes can have some of the worst cases of demonization.

How is this so? I believe that sexual intercourse is a mechanism designed by God to bond two people. When used outside of marriage—especially in prostitution—it becomes a “gateway” for demonic infestation.

The primary biblical foundation is the following:

“¹⁵ Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.¹⁶ What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh” (1 Corinthians 6:15-16)

Because the flesh is now “one,” the tie acts like a spiritual highway. Any “unclean spirits” or demonic baggage attached to the prostitute can transfer into the client and vice versa. This is commonly called a “soul tie” or, as I prefer to call it, a “soul-knit.”

Every person has a spiritual “hedge” of protection from God. Engaging in what the Bible calls porneia (sexual immorality) is a “willful trespass” of God’s commandment. By choosing to sin, the person is giving the enemy legal ground or legal right to enter. In other words, the person has unwittingly opened the “door” to the enemy.

If one is a Christian who goes to a prostitute, he/she is defiling where God dwells. The Bible teaches that the body is literally a temple of the Holy Spirit of believers in Jesus (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). By involving oneself in sexual sin, one is defiling that temple (Matthew 15:11; 1 Corinthians 3:16–17).

If one has demonic symptoms after being involved with a prostitute or prostituting oneself, then it is very likely attributed to demons indwelling.

The Good News: Forgiveness, sanctification, and salvation are found in Jesus

While prostitution is condemned, Jesus famously noted that those in that occupation were often more open to spiritual truth than the religious elite and showed that those who repent find mercy while the self-righteous do not:

“… Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.” (Matthew 21:31-32)

In this famous account, a woman known in the city as a “sinner” (widely believed to be a prostitute) enters a Pharisee’s house to wash Jesus’ feet with her tears and hair. When the Pharisee judges her, Jesus defends her:

“⁴⁷ Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.⁴⁸ And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.” (Luke 7:46-47)

Rahab is one of the most significant figures in the Old Testament. Despite her occupation, she showed faith in God by hiding Israelite spies. Not only was she forgiven and spared during the fall of Jericho, but she is also listed in the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11 and included in the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:5). God doesn’t just “ignore” the past; He often uses people with complicated histories to fulfill significant purposes (like Rahab).

What about men who have gone to prostitutes (in modern language, typically called a “John,” sex buyer, in the Bible, called a whoremonger)? God’s forgiveness is available to them as well.

In this famous story told by Jesus, a younger son takes his inheritance and squanders it on “wild living.” When he returns home, his older brother angrily accuses him of “devoured thy living with harlots” (verse 30).

The Father (representing God) does not focus on how the money was spent or who the son was with. Instead, he runs to him, embraces him, and says:

“³² It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.” (Luke 15:32)

The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Corinth, listing various lifestyles—including sexual immorality—that people once lived. He then provides this powerful “after” statement:

 “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9–11)

Thus, redemption and grace can be found in Jesus Christ when one comes to Him in faith and repentance.

If you are a Christian who is involved in this sin, let’s repent and “cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Cor. 7:1)

Renouncing Prayer

One veteran deliverance minister wrote:

Sexual relationships outside of marriage are called soul ties, and each one could be an entry point for demon spirits. The ties must be broken by confessing them as sin and then choosing to be free from them. I will include a prayer you can pray. It would be best if you could do so by denouncing each one by name; do the best you can with that. The deliverance process involves canceling permission of evil spirits to be in our lives. This prayer and renunciation will cancel consent that was granted through soul ties. The prayer can be something like this: 

Father, I confess the sin of sexual relations outside of marriage. I renounce that sinful activity in Jesus’s name. I call back that part of me that was given to another, and I refuse that part of another that may have come to me. I denounce soul ties with [SAY NAME] and choose to be free in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.

(Don Dickerman, Keep the Pigs Out, p. 52)

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If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can receive Him into your heart, and He can deliver you from darkness and sin and have your name written in His Book of Life.

If you are sincere, you can say this simple prayer to the Father (it doesn’t have to be word-for-word):

“God, I recognize that I have not lived my life for You up until now. I have been living for myself and that is wrong. Please forgive me of all of my sins, just as I forgive others. I need You in my life; I want You in my life. I acknowledge the completed work of Your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ in giving His life for me on the cross, I believe in my heart Jesus is Lord and was raised from the dead and I long to receive the forgiveness you have made freely available to me through this sacrifice. Come into my life now, Lord. Take up residence in my heart and be my king, my Lord, and my Savior. From this day forward, I will no longer be controlled by sin, or the desire to please myself, but I will follow You all the days of my life. Those days are in Your hands. I ask this in the Lord and GOD Jesus’ precious and holy name. Amen.”