“Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. For our struggle is not with the flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. Therefore, put on the armor of God that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground.” (Ephesians 6:11-13)
As much as there is good in the world, there is much evil that is trying very hard to overcome it. When I think that I know all about spiritual warfare, God opens my eyes and makes me more aware of how serious the devil is about possessing our souls. Because the devil was cast out of Heaven, he became Prince of this world. So, he has unleashed all evil, demons, to destroy us. He seeks to destroy our relationships and our lives. Though the devil knows that he cannot hurt us, he is cunning. He knows our weaknesses. He throws us temptations with every movement we make. He lures us through the media. The media directs our attention that leads us to impurity of our hearts, minds and bodies. When God created us, He enabled us to think so we can figure out how to love and serve Him. Logic and reason takes place in the mind. And, this is where the devil manipulates our thinking. One of the many lies he tells us is that it is normal. It is normal to engage in premarital sex. It is normal to cheat on people. It is normal to watch pornography. It is not normal. We are not to rationalize what the world tells us, because it is the sin of impurity that separates us from God. Therefore, the devil and all of his demons want to insure that we swim in the darkness of impurity.
There is nothing to worry. There is nothing to fear. God is King of ALL the Earth. In John 16:33, Jesus said, “in the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” Although there is a battle for our souls, we are not alone. God sends His angels to watch over us and protect us. But we need more than His angels. We need to have a strong and steadfast faith in God. We need to exercise our faith in Him through:
Constant Prayer – Our prayers have the power to make miracles happen. When we pray unceasingly, we are one with Jesus and the Holy Spirit flows through us. Evil is overcome because we are in constant communion with God. As we see how prayer works powerfully in our lives and in others, our faith increases.
Receiving the Eucharist – “You are what you eat.” When we celebrate Holy Mass and receive Jesus through the Eucharist, we become more like Him and obtain God’s favor. Each time we receive Jesus in body and blood, we proclaim to the devil that we believe in Jesus and that He is the one who possesses our souls. We are untouchable.
Frequent Confession of our sins – When we sin, we are unable to see God. It is our pride that inhibits us from asking forgiveness. God wants us to be reconciled with Him so that He can give us strength to overcome temptation. The devil knows it and will hinder us from obtaining God’s grace. Through Confession, we tell God that we need Him and trust in His mercy.
Reciting the Rosary – The Rosary is a powerful weapon against the devil. The power of the Rosary “destroys vices, decreases sin and defeats heresies.” As we recite the Rosary, it offers us protection from the Blessed Mother and she helps us against the devil’s tactics. Praying the Rosary, we obtain God’s grace and grow in faith, knowing that no evil can prevail over us.
Growing in the Virtues – As we practice virtue, it molds our character so that we become like God in our thoughts, words and deeds. We can discern well when the devil tries to lure us away from what is pure, true or just. As we persevere to do good for God and others, the devil does not have a strong hold on us. That is because we state to him, in faith, we belong to God and no one else.
Performing acts of Charity – When we practice charity, we become like Jesus in giving ourselves to God and to others. It is in these selfless acts that we are obeying God’s commandments and sharing the love God has freely given us. It is God’s love that defeated the devil. As we live in God’s love and share it with others, there is nothing the devil can do to separate us from God.
Faith is like a shield. It intercepts attacks. Because we are fighting a spiritual battle, we need a shield that is fashioned to go against the devil. As we increase and strengthen our faith in God, we will resist and the devil’s tactics will no longer work on us. It is our faith that will bring down the devil and all his demons. We will be in the state of grace and the demons of our past and present will no longer pursue us.
“Because you are strong and the word of God remains in you, and you have conquered the evil one.” (1 John 2:14)
Syquia, Fr. Jocis. Exorcism: Encounters with the Paranormal and the Occult (2nd Edition). He is the Director of the Archdiocese of Manila Office, Exorcism)