I feel like I have run into a wall. What is going on? Why can’t I move forward? Are you trying to protect me from something ahead? Are you trying to teach me something? Are you working on something and the time is just not right? Maybe you are trying to teach me PATIENCE!
Please help me to see your will and learn from life’s lessons. Please encourage where I am, give me patience and wisdom, and motivate me to move in the direction you want, when you want. Thank you for being with me.
This morning I am moved to pray for new Christians. Satan does not want them to be happy with their decision to follow you. He wants to trip them any way he can. Please, send a legion of guardian angels to surround them and protect them from harm and evil. Give them extra strength to reject the temptations that Satan sends their way. Help them to stand strong upon the Rock of their salvation and not to doubt.
I pray for them and for all Christians to have faith that can move mountains, grace for the moment, and guidance for today and every day to come. I praise you and thank you, all-powerful, all-knowing God, full of grace and truth.
If you think we can “agree to disagree” on theology so easily, I have to tell you about my old friend “Don.”
Don was a pastor who told me satan was using me. I was eager to believe Don because I didn’t want satan using me. In my impressionable young mind, I tried hard to get on his good side.
Don was the type of guy in constant lecture mode. Always condescending. But his theology only made that worse.
Here’s when I knew it was all wrong.
At the church Don was working at, a student took his own life. The lead pastor told the staff, “This is the biggest attack on our church from satan we’ve ever faced.” The student’s suicide was “spiritual warfare” against the church. Don believed that completely.
I still would’ve done anything for him. I did. I listened to Don lecture me for hours and trash talk every pastor in town and he confided in me his own deepest heartbreaks, though he never listened to mine. And even then, I was put on his list anyway: the list of people being used by satan. I feel a deep shame about all of it. Part of me still wonders, “Is Don right? Am I being used by satan?”
Don’s story of spiritual abuse is mild compared to so many stories I’ve heard over the years. My sad suspicion is that if it were not for his theology, we might still be friends.
I say that to say: Your theology matters.
If your theology demonizes others so much that even their suicide is called an attack from the devil, then hey: you are the devil. It’s you. You can go straight back to hell with that theology. Or throw it out and start over.
I know I’ve gotten it wrong too. But what I know is that if my faith ever compels me to erase someone’s dignity, then Scripture has become my weapon and not a mirror to check myself. It is a no longer a home for connecting with God, but a throne in my own image.
If your faith makes you a jerk, then what is it even for? If you harm others in the name of Jesus, in the end the only name you’re dragging is yours.
I believe that Scripture must move us to a theology of compassion, accountability, to be wildly kind. Otherwise it is not the life that Jesus had in mind. Christ is for the wounded. This is where I will be too.
[Saint] Paul was denounced to the [Roman] authorities by owners of a slave-girl who had the power of predicting the future [due to the influence of a demon. Such soothsaying was not uncommon;] in the uncertainties of a pre-scientific age, any high-ranking official would have a staff of seers to predict the future for a price. Today we [effectively] still have them and they call themselves scientists, whether their predictions have a sound scientific basis or not. [Although legitimate science is praiseworthy and practically useful, we see the modern “demonic” aspect inevitably emerge when the knowledge gained by science is separated from God, being instead hailed as the result of human power alone, and used for trivial, selfish ends. Like in the pagan days of Rome, today individuals of popular esteem or rank will, almost religiously, consult the (often unprofessional) predictions of ‘science’ to guide and govern their choices. This superstitious obsession, and the power it brings, has become so integral to the lifestyles of so many that, when it is questioned– or removed, as Saint Paul did with the demon of divination– the result is striking. Idols do not fall quietly, especially not before Christ. Likewise,] when Paul silences this girl– and deprives her owners of their income– [in their fury,] they easily accuse him of other 'crimes’. These might be refusal to attribute divine status to the Emperor– [the next step up in idolatry. Whereas a pagan had no trouble promoting mortals to 'godhood’ and consulting spirits for hidden knowledge, the early Christians– still seen only as a Jewish sect– openly refused and rebuked such practices. Their faithful devotion to the One God, and declaration of His Sovereignty, was an automatic criminal sentence in the eyes of a vengeful nonbeliever– or even a misguided man of their natal faith, once the Christian declared Christ as God Himself! Thus] in his proclamation of the Gospel, Paul was caught between two [unavoidable and painful outcomes]: either he was beaten by the lictors for refusing divine honour to the emperor, or he was beaten by the Jews for granting divine honour to Christ. [Nevertheless, he– and all the faithful– stood undaunted.] Half-a-century [after Paul was so accused,] Pliny, as a provincial governor, challenges Christians to say ‘The Emperor is Lord’; they reply, ‘Damn the Emperor, Jesus is Lord!’
Dom Henry Wansbrough; Expounded Commentary on Acts 16:16-22
Amid the challenging prophecies of persecution for His followers comes Jesus’ promise of the witness of the Paraclete, The [Holy Spirit Himself, Who] is to be the backbone or mainstay of the [nascent] Christian movement as [either] the substitute for, or [altered] Presence of, the physical Jesus. [Initially] the help provided by this ‘Advocate’ concerned the truth of the [internalized] message: the Paraclete would make clear to the disciples the implications and the fullness of the message of Christ. Now, [this depth being grasped,] the Paraclete faces outwards in bearing witness to that truth.
‘Paraclete’ is obviously a sort of work-name for the Spirit. In the Book of Judges, the spirit of God – not yet understood as a separate Person – comes suddenly upon God’s chosen agent (Gideon, Samson, Saul), giving power to lead Israel to confront enemies and conquer them. Here, however, [coming upon those chosen by the Son,] the Spirit bears witness by giving the strength to confront opposition and speak out boldly, as we see the apostles doing in the Book of Acts. [The Holy Spirit remains willing and able to bestow this strength upon all Christians facing spiritual warfare, both within and without,] but we still retain free will, and no strength will come from the Paraclete unless our own spirit is moved to stand firm. In the daily calls to bear witness by putting ourselves out [onto the front lines], by risking loss of ease, credit, or comfort, let alone actual pain, [injury, or even death], our own resolution is needed too.
The parable of the sower is plain. The seed sown is the word of God. The sower is our Lord Jesus Christ, by Himself, or by His ministers. Preaching to a multitude is sowing the corn; we know not where it will light. Some sort of ground, though we take ever so much pains with it, brings forth no fruit to purpose, while the good soil brings forth plentifully. So it is with the hearts of men, whose different characters are here described by four sorts of ground. [Yet the sole quality] that distinguished the good ground was fruitfulness. By this true Christians are distinguished from hypocrites. Christ does not say that this good ground has no stones in it, or no thorns; but [only that it had] none that could hinder its fruitfulness. All [hearts] are not alike; [yet nevertheless, for love of God] we should aim at the highest, to bring forth most fruit. [Even if we begin with stones and thorns, if we recognize them, we must not let them hinder God’s Word within us– for neither stones nor thorns are permanent fixtures, and we may implore the Gardener to aid us in tending and protecting His grain of the Gospel until harvest. Thus with all diligence] let us look to ourselves, that we may know what sort of [ground] we are.
During my pregnancy with our daughter, Sarah, I had a vivid dream. In it, I entered what appeared to be a basilica. Gargantuan in both size and wondrous beauty, I noticed it was empty as I crossed the threshold from the outside into the sanctuary. It occurred to me that I was in another realm, certainly not earth.
I didn’t know what I was looking for or why I was there. I patted my round belly and soon noticed an older man dressed in papal vestments descending an elaborate spiral staircase. He was accompanied by another individual whose image was blurred to me.
Not recognizing who this man was, he looked upon me with such tenderness that I knew I must be in heaven and that I was in the presence of a saint who had once been pope. He took both of my hands in his and spoke to me about the love of Christ and cloaking myself in His mercy every day. Then he blessed my womb, and we parted ways.
When I awoke, I realized that motherhood is a form of spiritual warfare. The battle begins at conception. For those of us who are blessed to carry a baby to viability and eventual birth, we instinctively notice that we are fighting for our child and his or her soul.
Pregnancy is such a vulnerable and delicate state of being for both mother and child. We see this in the life of Our Lady as she carried Jesus through dangerous terrain, political strife, and religious persecution. How do we begin to care for the spiritual wellbeing of our children when we can control so little that happens to them?
As a mom of five children ages ten to infancy, I am confident in two aspects of parenting: that God is sovereign over all, including my (His) children and that He has given me authority over evil on my children’s behalf.
This is why infant baptism is so vital. As a Sacrament of Initiation, baptism includes a minor exorcism and imparts upon our children divine grace to aid and inform their consciences. We begin our spiritual formation as mothers when our child is in the womb, and once born, we draw upon the wellspring of grace to mold and shape our child’s understanding of right and wrong, good and bad.
God Is Sovereign Over All
In the creation story, God gave dominion to Adam and Eve, which means dominion originated with God Himself. Synonyms and definitions of the word dominion include sovereignty, reign, and rule.
In Christianity, dominion refers to God’s reign as King. We know that God is the Creator, that He has granted humanity the ability to act on His behalf. Knowing this can be quite an encouragement to a weary mother who is fighting an invisible battle for her children. Just a daily reminder that God is leading us and that we can access His grace through prayer increases our strength.
Mothers Have Spiritual Authority Over Their Children
In a world filled with skeptics and reason-over-faith critics, it might seem outlandish to believe there are actual prayers of deliverance against evil that parents can (and should) pray. One of my favorites is called the binding prayer, which can be found in Father Chad Ripperger’s book of approved deliverance prayers for the laity.
Exorcists, including Father Ripperger, agree that demons are legalistic and only follow the hierarchy of authority ordained by God. This means that husbands can pray on behalf of both his wife and children, and wives can pray on behalf of their (biological or legally adopted) children.
We literally have the weapon of prayer at our disposal to rebuke evil. To be clear, I am not saying that your children will never fall into sin, including mortal sin, nor am I saying that nothing bad will ever happen to them. What I am saying is that it’s important for us to engage in spiritual battle for our children, because have confidence that God grants them an abundance of grace at their disposal. Our hope is that they access it according to their free will.
Start your day with morning prayer, if possible. Pray to your child’s guardian angel. Ask for special protection against evil. Keep your own soul in a state of grace by regularly going to confession and avoiding sin. Teach your children how to make sensible, wise choices in different tough scenarios.
We can do our best with what we have been given, then release the rest to God. As we relinquish control, we remember that God reigns over all and that our children first belonged to Him.
God does not mess with free will, if you want what he’s offering you have to change.✨ You see we’re at a turning point in consciousness… "Christ Consciousness" which is the "Great Awakening" “Spiritual Warfare” is real and it’s happening “NOW"
