"…the gate to the carnal self is five-fold: sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch. A demon can come in through any of the five gates by tempting the guard at the door. If the guard allows the demon in then the demon has authority to move about freely. You gave him this authority by giving up your free will to stand and rebuke the temptation."—Chris Ward, Can a Christian be Demon Possessed? (1999)

The Uninvited: The True Story Of The Union Screaming House is the true and terrifying firsthand account of how my three children and I were driven from our Union, Missouri, home by demonic attackers. The house's relentless supernatural predators infested those around us. I consulted paranormal investigators, psychics, and priests, but the demonic attacks—screams, growls, putrid odors, invisible shoves, bites, and other physical violations—only grew worse. The entities clearly demonstrated their wrath and power: killing family pets, sexually assaulting individuals, even causing two people to be institutionalized.

Since the release of The Uninvited: The True Story Of The Union Screaming House, I have been asked numerous times, "What does it take to let a demon into your life?"

During my work with violent and sometimes demonic haunting cases, I have found there is always a clear "Invitation Phase" involved with letting such a force have access to and control of your life. The scary thing is that the "invitation" could be something as simple as a doubt, which plants the seed that could grow into a larger doubt, which then opens the doorway. Of course there are always the normal sins, too, which can also invoke that invitation.

What do I mean by sin?

A "sin" can be defined as simply as something that hurts another, for starters. For example: a husband brings infidelity into a marriage. Even though the wife might be aware of the affair, it may be hard for her to forgive him. Without completely forgiving her husband, she could be opening a door to let something negative into their life. It is always hard to accept responsibility. While the wife may feel that the husband is the only one who should accept responsibility (and sure, part of that responsibility rightfully belongs to him), she must be willing to accept her role in the situation by forgiving her husband or risk sending out a possible invitation that could lead to something "uninvited" in their spiritual life and home.

Addiction is another way to open the unwanted doorway. It is thought that the invitation is offered up by the alcohol- or drug-weakened mind's inability to control its thoughts. I was speaking at an event this past weekend where an individual shared their personal experience detailing this very thing. In the end, they almost took their own life. How did they save themselves? They took the responsibility for their actions and changed their lifestyle.

Another way to offer the invitation is to turn your back on your beliefs. We have found that those who subscribe to a certain belief system and then suddenly turn away from those beliefs are subject to the possibility of inviting something unwanted into their lives.

While such a thing won't happen to every person who hurts another, imbibes too much alcohol, or strays from the beliefs of their childhood, the point is that such an invitation is an easy thing to send out. Once a negative force has accepted that invitation, your life can and will be detrimentally affected. However, there are a few things that will always help to keep you and your family protected (no matter what your beliefs may be). Faith, love, and humor: the stronger these things are in your life, the less likely "The Uninvited" will be able to step into your lives and take control. These are the three things that brought me back from my long, dark journey, and they are the things that I live by today.