Spiritual warfare

Padre Pio quotes: “The field of battle between God and Satan is the human soul. It is in the soul that the battle rages every moment of life.” "Do not fear. Jesus is more powerful than all Hell.”

The battle for the soul takes place in the mind and we fight a three-way battle against the world, the flesh and the devil.

Consider Our Lord's own personal words though: "The gates of Hell shall never prevail".

One of the greatest weapons we can ever employ against the enemy is humility

We are in a constant state of flux because times are always changing and it's sometimes tempting to side with today's world. Nevertheless, there is something to be learned from medieval history.

We could focus on the knights of old who shouted 'For God and for valour' before going in to the battle with the enemy.

In those days, a man could be dubbed by another knight but it was considered a greater honour if a queen conferred the title.

To be worthy of their knighthood a man had to display the following characteristics. 

• Mercy (Towards the poor and oppressed.)
• Humility
• Honour
• Sacrifice
• Fear of God
• Faithfulness
• Courage
• Utmost graciousness and courtesy to women

All of us can work towards being chivalrous for God and become knights for Our Blessed Lady. For many men these days, the word chivalry means nothing because of the suppression of traditional gentlemanly qualities due to gender equality. We must strive to reawaken the chivalrous in men. And by looking for the Holy Spirit in everyone we will learn humility.

Genuflection before the statue of Our Blessed Lady shows allegiance and wearing the armour of God will be our protection.

As a mark of respect for Saint Mary we must always remember to keep in mind the feast of The Immaculate Conception.

Our warfare tactics:

Jesus asks us to learn from him because he is humble; he was meek enough to wash his disciple's feet.

It was Lucifer's lies and pride which led to his downfall and the enemy hates humility. He'd be happy if we all made the ascent to pride. Ironically though, he detests pride. When he sees one of us make the ascent to it, he is appalled.

Humility is our weapon. Pride is our downfall. Satan will laugh at your pride.  Dismiss it like an unwelcome guest.

"Stand up to the Devil, strong in faith."

His warfare tactics:

He starts his assault early in life and would be happy if we were all terminated in the womb. There are tens of millions of aborted pregnancies each year. This is a massacre which we are blessed to have survived. However, it is followed by Satan's attempts to defile us and bring us down. We really do run the gauntlet. Sadly this starts through parents who, knowingly or unknowingly instil unbelief, doubt or nonchalance. This is war and the conflict is aimed at creating hostility towards God. Tricks include feeding false information to us and using the cover of darkness. After all, this is the best method of concealment.

One can liken Satan to a rat catcher. He's continually seeking opportunities to ensnare us.

He'll look for weaknesses, desires, chinks in the armour. And he won't stop. He is very subtle, hence his serpentine depiction.

Satan lies through his teeth. He's sickness personified. If he can snare you and drag you to his lair he'll despise you when he gets you there. In fact, the souls he despises the most are those who have committed the most grievous sins. The irony is that Hell is a prison which Satan doesn't want to share. He's angered that he has to inhabit that place with ruined souls who turned their backs to God. They are utterly contemptible to him and yet he seeks to drag every single one of us to eternal darkness.

The name of God is banned in Hell and he hates being anywhere near anyone who praises God. He also never refers to himself as Lucifer because that's his God-given name.

So praise God. Praise him to the rooftops and beyond. Sing in tongues, thank God for everything he does in your life. Praise him for your past, your present and your future. Bless his holy name. Do what Satan hates. Read a psalm. Pray through psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. Bless the Holy Spirit, thank God the Father, praise Jesus. Ask him to make you humble.

Always ask your guardian angel and Archangel Michael to keep you in good ways.

Pray to Michael often and always invoke the Archangels in combat.

Satan seeks to convince us, his enemy, that he doesn't exist. As mentioned at the beginning of this page, there are now many in the church who have abandoned belief in the Devil, demons and Hell. Some priests even believe that Hell is a state of being and not a place. There are also many who doubt the real presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. If you want evidence of the authenticity of the divine presence then just look to the Satanists. When they want a host to desecrate during their black mass, it's to the catholic church to which they turn. They won't bother going anywhere else. In addition, it's the Satanist who can pick out a consecrated host on a table containing unconsecrated ones.

Satan wishes to create uncertainty. He tried it with Jesus at the end of his 40 day fast in the wilderness. "If you are the Son of God..." he said to the Son of God. Here we see Satan trying to use scripture to trap Jesus. Take it as read then that he will try and deceive you. Satan is skilful and underhanded and does not play fair. He's not just a dirty fighter, he's a filthy one. Don't ever think you are above his temptations but don't think God's grace is insufficient for you.

In the temptation in the desert we see evidence of the enemy's cunning as he tries to get Jesus into a lose/lose situation. Firstly, he tries to get Our Lord to prove his ability. "If you are the Son of God tell these stones to turn into loaves." He was goading Jesus and if he'd reacted then he would have fallen victim to the false ego and Satan would have won. If Jesus had turned the stones to loaves then he would have been disobedient by relying on himself and not God to provide. Jesus knew his scripture inside and out and he knew that God would make provision. Being self-sufficient is a human trait. Jesus was also divine. Satan was desperate to get him to cast his divinity aside. He knew that after 40 days the human side of Jesus might just be weak enough to do this.

Bear in mind that Jesus was at a low ebb. He was tired and drawn. He'd been sleeping rough. He hadn't eaten. Much more of this and he would have died. He was outside, it was cold and there were no comforts.

Then Satan brought him up to the temple embattlements. Again we hear the goading: "If you are the Son of God...". He knew that if Jesus jumped from that height he would kill himself and therefore break the fifth commandment. He also knew that he'd be going against Deuteronomy 6:16. Again, trying to put Jesus into a lose/lose situation.

These are only the temptations mentioned in scripture. There may have been many more. One thing is for sure though: if Jesus had failed then we would all have failed. But now we know we can overcome the enemy.

Enemy tactics: Satan will seek to get behind people. He's not fussy. Anyone who will give him even the smallest foothold will do. He looks for people who will provide a figurative portal or metaphorical landing platform so that he can wreck havoc and create chaos in our lives and in society as a whole. He also seeks to change earthly laws so that we abandon the Natural Law as well as the Divine Positive law. His ultimate goal is the complete rejection of the ten commandments.

The enemy seeks to oppress. He wants us without: without truth, rest, peace, funds, work and good health. He wants our relationships in tatters, our marriages broken, our churches empty and God's kingdom on earth annihilated. He wants us blinded, Godless and without shame. He wants anything but God.

As mentioned earlier, his aim is to exploit and control though destructive and toxic people and oppress us through them. If he can manipulate and pull their strings and influence their actions then he's gleeful and takes full advantage. Most of all though, he wants us without truth in our lives. He'll do anything to stifle and steal the word of God from us. He'll try and wrestle it away as soon as even the smallest seed is sown. This is what Jesus means about the seed sown on the path. It's earth that's been trodden hard and the seed which lands on it will never grow. It's also very visible to airborne birds who swoop down and eat it. Figuratively the enemy doesn't want a single grain of truth left behind because if this germinates - even if it is the size of a mustard seed to begin with - then he knows the outcome. Which is this: that we learn about who we are in Jesus and that we (in the name of Jesus) have authority over him.

He does not want us becoming even remotely aware of our full potential and would prefer us dead.

Whenever you hear negativity or come across unbelief or abuse you can guarantee that this is the work of the Evil One. When you see violence you see evidence of enemy activity. Same for mental illness because he's behind that in some way too.

What power does Satan have? What power do the fallen angels have?

Satan is limited. He doesn't know everything and he can't read your thoughts. But because he was once an Archangel he still retains his God-given knowledge and he knows your gifts so can take calculated guesses. He's been around for a long time and knows his business. He'll spot your weaknesses early on and he's well up on human psychology. He wants to mess up your children through you so they can mess up there's when it's their turn. He wants you without empathy for God. If He doesn't exist in your life then he's happy. Figuratively.

Although Satan is a true psychopath, make no mistake though, God is in control. He is the strongman and he has bound Satan. The enemy has not been left to rampage through Almighty God's kingdom creating havoc. He is under authority. In fact, he does not even have authority in Hell. He is bound by his nature to inhabit that realm with the fallen angels and the ruined souls. But even Hell is not without order. Never forget that it's still part of God's kingdom. And should things get out of hand in that place then it is Saint Joseph who goes to instil order. The ruined souls are terrified of him in the same way the demons are. He is not called Terror of Demons for nothing.

If we look through scripture and church teaching we can see that God's kingdom is one of order and that the angels and the Archangels all had/have jobs. Guardians, messengers, healers, protectors, advisors, companions and combatants. They form a hierarchy and are all in service to Almighty God. Their job is to carry out his will. We know that they reflect the glory of God and assist him in good works and we know that in some way they all wield the power of God. But we also know that they are created and that they are not omnipresent. We know they are all limited because they are finite spirits and because of this they are not perfect. We know they are capable of transgression but we take it as given that they - like the souls in Heaven - have no wish to sin because they are in receipt of the beatific vision. Like us they will have God given gifts and abilities which they use for the greater glory of God.

Their hellish counterparts serve Satan and try and subvert God's kingdom on earth. They try and create disorder and will even try and inhabit a person - but in most cases will only succeed in oppressing them.

There are many Satanic hallmarks including: depression, oppression, suppression and possession. When we come across any of these then the enemy is at hand.

Where ever there is depression you can guarantee that this is diabolic fluence. We are all battlegrounds and when people talk about having to deal with their demons, they may not realise just how much truth is in this. The problem is that the world will not acknowledge the spiritual forces of darkness. This means that neither will most doctors or psychiatrists. Unless, of course, they are fully committed Christians who have been brought into the truth.

Satan's loss, our victory in Jesus. Jesus gave us the victory by putting on the foul garment of sin and allowing himself to be sacrificed for our sins. He may have looked like a disgrace hanging on the cross like a common criminal but the fact is that by dying for our sins he totally decimated Satan. He utterly demolished him. And he did it in full view of the world. Satan was already ruined because of sin but Christ's victory publicly pulverised him to dust.

He was absolutely crushed and he hates Our Blessed Lady for bringing Jesus into the world. Therefore, whenever you hear of anyone speaking of her in a derogatory manner then be aware that they are under diabolic influence.

Although a defeated foe, the enemy continues his endeavour to restrict people in some way. He will attempt to lay traps, set obstacles and repress us so we never reach our full potential. He will fight tooth and nail to obtain or retain ground. We are all hard won.

Do not under-estimate the enemy. He is the most unscrupulous, dishonest, destructive, underhanded, lying, paranoid, crooked individual ever to inhabit this realm and "yet in all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

We have been charged with doing great things. Healing being one of them. Consider though, that healing and deliverance walk hand in hand with one another as evidenced by the woman who had been bent over for 18 years. A daughter of Abraham who had been held captive by Satan for nearly two decades. Jesus clearly defines her condition as being derived from diabolic influence and he casts out the demon. The enemy was indignant and can be heard in the voices of the synagogue officials who denegrated the people.

Similarly we have the healing of the Syrophoenician woman's daughter. Jesus performed an exorcism at a distance and by an act of will.

In direct contrast we have the incident of the hemorrhaging woman, who, when she touched the hem of his clothing felt immediately that the flow of blood had been stemmed. Jesus, realising that someone had touched him, asked who it was because he felt power go out of him. She who was consided unclean because of her medical complain was fully restored. A salient point being that anything she touched was to be considered unclean must have added to her anxiety and uncertainty about her condition. The fact that Jesus did not mention it but commended her faith is an indication to all who saw the incident that Jesus was above and beyond the law.

We, on the other hand, are not. But what we do know is that we can pray in a depricatory manner and implore the help of God in instances of diabolic attack on others and for the physical, mental and spiritual healing of others.

Although we, the laity, cannot perform solemn exorcisms we can always pray to Our Blessed Lord for the relief of the suffering of others caused by the demonic. We can trust that Jesus can inform us and unbind those we pray for. He did, after all, deliver Mary Magdalen from seven evil spirits.

Interestingly though, the question arises: "But how do we know there were seven". There can be no explanation other than he named them. We know Jesus delivered Mary of seven demons because it was written. For it to be recorded there had to be facts. It's not a case of someone imagining that there must have been seven or that seven were seen. Jesus named each one and told them to leave Mary. It's Jesus who helps us to identify for whom to pray and how but it is always him who precipitates the victory which is for God's greater glory.

We must also trust in our prayers to Our Blessed Lady and Saint Joseph.

Jesus makes it very clear that we will the same works as him but only because on him.

As mentioned previously, it is now on-trend to deny the existence of Satan and to pass off the works of darkness with modern-day explanations. But, as we now know, this is not the case. We now bear witness to the fact that Jesus dealt with demonic spirits and illness and disease in clearly and distinctly different ways.

When Jesus heals he never makes any assumptions concerning the person's desires and always asks what the person wants. Take the case of Bartimaeus. Jesus makes no assumption as to what he might want even though he's obviously blind.  So he asks him what he desires. Bartimaeus then requests the return of his sight. 

It's the same with the blind man at the pool. Even though Jesus knew he’d been there for 38 years he still asked him if he wanted to get well. This was not a case of the demonic and the man did not need deliverance. He wanted his sight.

In direct contrast we see Jesus deal with the demonic in a totally different way. He does not speak to the person, he speaks to the evil spirit. What is your name were the first words out of Jesus’s mouth when he encountered the demons at Gerasene. Having displayed superhuman strength for a long time evidenced by breaking forged chains Jesus wants the demon to name itself. “Legion”, replies the demon, “for we are many”. Straight away, the demons wanted to know if Jesus had come to deliver them.

Demons, in their perverted state, wish to be godlike. They know that we are temples of the Holy Spirit and want to possess us. They always want to hamper us from reaching our full potential so try to lead us into the occult, sexual perversion, unbelief and immorality. They want us to create an entry point. Possession is the spiritual equivalent of sticking two fingers up at God.

In the case of the Gerasene demoniacs Jesus wastes no time and begins the first stage of his exorcism by getting the demon to name itself. Demons rarely possess alone and this is evidenced by the highest ranking demon telling Jesus that there were a number of them in the afflicted. We use this term because people who are suffering this kind of assault are indeed distressed. But neither Satan or any member of the Satanic Horde can operate independently. They always have to ask for permission because if they didn’t then the world would be total chaos. They can only go as far as God allows them. This is evidenced when the leading demon asks permission to go into the pigs.

Exorcism is about reclaiming ground which the enemy has taken either by invitation, through the occult or negligence and sin. But if we are strong in faith we can defeat the enemy. If we know our faith is sound, that we are in good standing with God and we take ourselves seriously and are confident then the Devil cannot stand. Saint James actually says that the Devil will have to flee from us if we are single minded and committed to God.   

It has been said that one of Satan’s greatest lies is that he does not exist. Once people believe this then he can operate clandestinely, without suspicion and with impunity.  As Catholic Christians we have a duty to evangelise the truth about the war we fight. When we see the work of the demonic we must name and shame and pray against it. When we come up against the serpent we must "Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong." (1 Corinthians 16:13). We must be a community which rolls up its sleeves and gets dirt under its fingernails. We are up against unbelief, lies and deceit and we must preach the truth: that Jesus Christ defeated the works of darkness through his victory on the Cross. We have won because we stand with the victorious son of the Most High God and enjoy the spoils of war. One of which is the authority to use the name of Jesus against the enemy. Once he hears that name, he has to go.

A worthy prayer to the armoury when praying against the enemy is the binding prayer: Whatever ye shall bind on earth will be bound in Heaven….

Jesus Christ, our Lord and God, I ask Thee to render all spirits impotent, paralyzed and ineffective in attempting to take revenge against any one of us, our families, friends, communities, those who pray for us and their family members or anyone associated with us. I ask Thee to bind and sever and cut off all evil spirits, all powers in the air, the water, the ground, the fire, the underground, the netherworld, any satanic forces in nature and any and all emissaries of the satanic headquarters. I ask Thee to bind in Thy Blood all of their attributes, aspects, and characteristics, all of their interactions, communications, and deceitful games. I break any and all bonds, ties, and attachments in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

There are many incidents involving Christ going up against the demonic but there are also examples of the disciples waging war. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” 

But be careful, when you go up against the Evil One because you're going up against a subtle, malevolent undermining force which wishes calamity on you. Forget ye not the story of the seven sons of Sceva in the book of acts. Here we find a roving party of Jewish exorcists who tried to cast out demons in the name of Paul and Jesus and were unceremoniously debunked by a vicious demon who stripped them of their clothes and wounded them. And do bear in mind that the rite of Exorcism is not for anyone. It must be undertaken with care. In the church every bishop has the charism of exorcism bestowed upon him as part of his ecclesiastical role. He can deputise any priest to perform an exorcism but this is a process which requires much discernment and prayer. The church takes her pastoral care seriously and will examine a case in great detail, often working with a person over a period of years.

Major exorcisms are where the priest or bishop deals directly with the enemy. Minor exorcisms are where the laity can intervene and pray to God for deliverance either for themselves or for someone else. But do bear in mind that you must be in a good place before you attempt to go up against the enemy otherwise you can come off the worse for wear psychologically and may even end up going for prayer yourself.

So in your battle make sure you are not on your own spiritually and that you have made a good confession, have received the sacrament of holy communion and are covered in the precious blood of Our Lord. Go to scripture to seek passages which build up faith and always carry a set or rosary beads and holy water. If possible, contact your parish priest and tell them you want to pray for someone and ask for his prayer backing. When you go to mass, put your intentions on the alter.

Go before Almighty God and ask that he erects a hedge of thorns around you so thick that the enemy cannot penetrate it and stay close to the the Breviary - otherwise known as the official prayer of the church. Saying morning or evening pray regularly clears the air of the demonic and raises your heart heavenwards.

And remember, a good confession is at least equal to an exorcism because it's a sacrament. You're laying it all before God and asking for reconciliation. You are granted total remission from all sin and you are established in your filial relationship with the Father.

A word to the wise: When you sin, run to the confessional and receive God's mercy. And don't forget that you've got friends in high places. You have those who have lived holy lives and have gone before you. You have the saints in Heaven. Ask them to intercede and make sure you adopt one as your patron saint. Saint Joseph is always a good choice ;-)

Another great saint to have on your side is Benedict and the medal of Saint Benedict is very worthy of a place in the armoury. It’s full of symbolism and even just meditating on it can bring us closer to God.

It's a high value item because the letters inscribed on the back give it exorcismic qualities. Once blessed, its power is great and it can clear demons from houses. 

The meaning of the letters was only discovered around 1647 when an old manuscript dating back to 1415 was found in the Benedictine abbey of St. Michael's in Metten.

Included was a picture showing St. Benedict holding a staff in one hand and a scroll in the other. On both the staff and the scroll were written in full the words of which the mysterious letters were the initials - a Latin prayer of exorcism against Satan. The manuscript contains the exorcism formula Vade retro satana ('Step back, Satan'), and the letters VRSNSMV SMQLIVB were found to correspond to this phrase.

 The Latin letters translate approximately to:

"May the Holy Cross be my light / May the dragon never be my guide

Step back Satan / Never tempt me with your vanities

What you offer me is evil / drink your own poison."

There is one thing which is for sure: Satan knows his time is limited. He only has a certain amount of time to wreck as much havoc as he can before he's bound for 1000 years. We know this because it says in scripture (Revelation 20) that there will be 1000 years of peace. Then he'll be loosed again for one more season of destruction before being consigned to the Underworld for eternity with a huge chain. FYI: this is the chain is the rosary.

The demons are reminded of their limited time in the Church's prayer of exorcism and it drives them mad. They can't stand to hear it.

Just as a point of information: the prayer of exorcism has always been in Latin but we now have it in English. It's called the New Rite. Some say the Latin has more Oomph. It's not that. It's the fact that the New Rite is an unknown quantity. The demons will try and resist it and priests need to grow in confidence when using it. It's like bringing a replacement weapon onto the battlefield. The opposition will be curious concerning it's capability. They'll want to see if it's as effective as the last weapon which won many battles.

Don't ever make the mistake of thinking that anything in the Old Rite is better than anything in the New Rite. Latin prayers of exorcism are not superior to those in a local language. It's the same with the mass. The Tridentine Rite vs the current rite of mass.  There is no difference. The mass is the mass and the prayer of exorcism is the still the prayer of exorcism. But if a priest is used to the Old Rite and has confidence in it but lacks confidence in the New Rite then the enemy will exploit this. Give the enemy a foothold here and he will run riot and cause as much chaos as possible.

It's like the name of Jesus. If you don't have confidence in his name then the enemy isn't going anywhere. You have to know and you have to use his name with the full intention of sending Satan right down to bottom of the pit. Better still, send him to the foot of the cross and have Jesus deal with him.

Just believe: "Whoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered". Joel 2 vs 32

The end times:

Many people condemn God for the state of the world or say that the enemy has gained too much power. But never be deceived into thinking God is helpless and that the enemy really is prince of this world. The fact is that evil is a side effect of free will. A by-product; and a very deadly one.

It was thus with the angels and it is the same with us. We really do have free will and some people will use it and choose evil. God, in his goodness, will let them. People have the right to choose how they hear, how they believe, what they believe and how to live their lives. God will bow down and respect their free will. (Luke 8:18; Deuteronomy 30:15; Deuteronomy 30:19).

Yes, Satan does have some influence over us. But we can resist him and there is present and future reward for doing so. "If a man keeps my word then the father and I will come to him and make our homes in him and I will show myself to him". "The just shall see God". "Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God". And Jesus is God.

He bears testimony to the fact that he will reward those who have been faithful: "For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds."

So hang on in there. If you'd like a bit more information concerning angels and Our Blessed Lady and their role during solemn exercisms then please follow the link below:

https://catholicexchange.com/exorcist-diary-the-work-of-the-angels-in-the-ministry-of-exorcism/

God bless you.