Prayer Prompt before reading MT 8:28-34: Come, Holy Spirit, teach me how to pray, interpret the Scriptures for me so that I may know the Truth about who God the Father is and God the Son so that I may know who I am.
“They cried out, “What have you to do with us, Son of God?”” MT 8:28-34
Humbly submit your will to God (Thy Will be done) and consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Mary and Joseph.
What does God want us to know about Satan? It has taken me years of silence in prayer with Jesus in the Scriptures and several spiritual books to recognize how much Satan and his demons have impacted my life. The two biggest areas of my life he has attacked is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and my marriage. Today, I want to take some time to reflect on the spiritual battle every soul embarks on if they are serious about falling in love with Jesus Christ.
This weekend at the Christ the Teacher Retreat, Fr. Hecker spoke in confidence a very specific way to battle Satan that you can apply to your life. He said, “The devil uses specific events in our lives to plant seeds of lies and doubt into our hearts.” These events can blind and deceive you for years! These events are the ones that make us carry heavy burdens and leave scars on our hearts. So, what can we do?
Unbound Ministry is a ministry of healing that prays over a person after they discuss with the team something they need healing from physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. This ministry uses these words to help a person battle the lies of Satan planted in us from those events I mentioned above, “In the name of Jesus Christ, I renounce the lie that…” or “In the name of Jesus Christ, I renounce the spirit of anger, depression, oppression, impatience, etc.”
When we are hurt by someone, God taught us forgiveness. Forgiveness is impossible in some situations, but by the grace of God, the impossible becomes possible. Why forgive, it heals. It unchains a person from those that hurt us. Say, “In the name of Jesus Christ, I forgive __________________ for _____________________.”
In relationships, it is not if trust will be broken it is when. It is important to understand these two principles of renouncing lies Satan plants in our hearts from certain events of pain, and constantly asking for the grace to be vulnerable and forgive. Satan attacks in our shame usually after a sin or mistake we have made. He plants seeds of doubt that a holy God would ever love us after what we did.
This is totally false, God is love straight through. No matter how many times we sin or how big the sin is God just loves us. Anything bad that happens to us in our life is a result of sin and evil. God never stops loving us. The Truth of Christianity is that you are loved right now just the way you are.
Satan attacks constantly in our prayer life and especially distracts us from what is happening at Mass! The source and summit of the Christian life. Why? The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is where we are healed and forgiven offered up through the Son’s sacrifice to the Father and healed with forgiveness in the Eucharist. God can’t be more intimate than creating a way for us to put Him inside of us. God can’t give more than Himself and we need nothing more.
Finally, run to our Lady when struggling with sin, lies and doubts planted by Satan. Mary always leads us to her Son. Satan flees from Mary. Marian devotions, prayers, or the rosary every single day is medicine for the soul and its need to heal and fight. You can defeat Satan and his lies, heal relationships, forgive yourself, and experience joy in the resting arms of our Father with these tactics! I pray that you never give up the fight!
Today’s challenge: Learn the tactics of the devil. Allow yourself to be healed and forgiven. Bring yourself to God’s grace.
Be a servant, be a saint today!
#Christian YODO (You Only Die Once; we will live again!)
This is great! Thank you Greg!