Our adversary wages war with humanity in many various ways. He can be defeated, if you know how.
Part I (links to Parts II, III, and IV can be found at the end of this post):
The first time the devil ever spoke to me directly, as himself, was about a decade ago (he speaks quite often while masquerading as other people, but that's a whole other story). Our adversary had been hard at work dividing my marriage, which was so abundantly blessed by God. The Lord allowed the devil to be successful. In our case, it didn’t take hardship to divide us; all it took was pride, and a distaste for sacrificial love and purity.
At that time, my three small children and I were living by ourselves in the beautiful new home our families had built. The house was up for sale because we could no longer afford to live there. I had no idea where the children and I were going to go, or what to do next, and awaited God’s inspiration.
The water softening unit in the basement had broken, and
once again, I was at a loss for what to do.
So many things broke in that house it was astonishing, because the house
and everything in it were new.
Maintaining the house had become my responsibility by a vote of two to zero (my vote didn’t count).
As I descended the basement stairs to take another look at
the unit and ponder what to do next, the devil spoke to me very clearly, right there on the
stairs. He said with tremendous
contempt, “You are nothing but a stupid housewife!”
Absolutely taken aback by the message, the malice, the timing, and the
tremendous lack of mercy when my family was vulnerable and in
need of compassion, I responded out loud, “I am NOT!”
Not long after that, I was in the master bathroom on the
second floor of the house late one evening.
The room was rather large, and longer than it was wide. All of a sudden I was aware that a force was
coming straight at me. It was moving
with tremendous speed, and it intended to run directly into me. Right behind me was a window, and its plan
was to send me right through it and have me fall two stories to the ground.
This was all going to be accomplished within a matter of
seconds, and I had no time to do anything but brace myself for the imminent impact. All of a sudden the force came to a complete
stop just before hitting me. God had sent someone from heaven to stand
right in front of me and stop the devil from sending me to what he hoped would
be my death. To this day, I have no
idea who interceded for me, but if I had
to guess, I would say it was my guardian angel.
But I don’t know that for certain.
For years I didn't know it was the demon's intention to send me through the window that night; I only knew he was coming at me with tremendous speed and intended to crash into me. The Lord revealed the other details this week as He and I collaborated on this post before the Blessed Sacrament.
For years I didn't know it was the demon's intention to send me through the window that night; I only knew he was coming at me with tremendous speed and intended to crash into me. The Lord revealed the other details this week as He and I collaborated on this post before the Blessed Sacrament.
Sometimes, very late at night, the beautiful new oak door
with the new brass handle and deadbolt lock would mysteriously blow wide open,
and an unsettling feeling would follow.
A few years later the devil once again came at me, and that time the Lord allowed him to strike.
Here’s that story: Every step we take leads us onto the battlefield.
Not long after that, the tire of my minivan went flat in the driveway. Someone who knows cars inspected it, and revealed that the sidewall had been punctured by someone, on purpose, in such a way as to make it go flat while I was driving on the road.
Another time, the devil was allowed to attack me, and it was made known to me that his intention was to knock my teeth in. Five times he came at me, and each time the Lord instructed me to pray for the soul of one of five people. The Lord said each of the names individually. The devil was not allowed to knock my teeth in, as much as he tried. It was extremely painful, and also terrifying because I was not allowed to fight back; I only remember one person's name.
More recently, the Lord allowed the devil to communicate his desire to smear me with excrement.
One night not long ago the devil arrived and announced his intention to beat me up until I was "almost dead:" Do You Know What Weapons You Need to Fight the Spiritual Battles Against Evil and Win?
The most severe demonic attack ever occurred just recently, while working on this particular series. Just before beginning Part IV, the devil was allowed to pay a visit and make very clear his desire, in his words, to "execute" me and my mother. He wanted to take us both out, and he wanted it to be horrible, so he decided to choke us to death. I honestly thought I was going to die. When I began to feel my soul separating from my body, I resigned myself to what seemed inevitable and looked forward to joining my sister (who died last year) in eternity. However, the good Lord didn't allow the devil to suffocate me to death, and Part IV was completed. Clearly, the devil does not want you to know this information.
After that came this ambush: "All This Could Have Been Yours, and More."
The night before I was to attend a book signing this past October, I mentioned to my children that because of the devil's rage, I would most likely wake up to not one flat tire but two! The next morning, I stopped to get a cup of coffee while on my way to the book signing and discovered that my vehicle had two flat tires. After being rescued by my kind neighbor and multiple children, who transferred several boxes containing Joseph Karl Publishing's titles to two different vehicles, I journeyed on to the book signing. Praise God, I was only half an hour late.
You Better Believe It
Not long after that, the tire of my minivan went flat in the driveway. Someone who knows cars inspected it, and revealed that the sidewall had been punctured by someone, on purpose, in such a way as to make it go flat while I was driving on the road.
Another time, the devil was allowed to attack me, and it was made known to me that his intention was to knock my teeth in. Five times he came at me, and each time the Lord instructed me to pray for the soul of one of five people. The Lord said each of the names individually. The devil was not allowed to knock my teeth in, as much as he tried. It was extremely painful, and also terrifying because I was not allowed to fight back; I only remember one person's name.
More recently, the Lord allowed the devil to communicate his desire to smear me with excrement.
One night not long ago the devil arrived and announced his intention to beat me up until I was "almost dead:" Do You Know What Weapons You Need to Fight the Spiritual Battles Against Evil and Win?
The most severe demonic attack ever occurred just recently, while working on this particular series. Just before beginning Part IV, the devil was allowed to pay a visit and make very clear his desire, in his words, to "execute" me and my mother. He wanted to take us both out, and he wanted it to be horrible, so he decided to choke us to death. I honestly thought I was going to die. When I began to feel my soul separating from my body, I resigned myself to what seemed inevitable and looked forward to joining my sister (who died last year) in eternity. However, the good Lord didn't allow the devil to suffocate me to death, and Part IV was completed. Clearly, the devil does not want you to know this information.
After that came this ambush: "All This Could Have Been Yours, and More."
The night before I was to attend a book signing this past October, I mentioned to my children that because of the devil's rage, I would most likely wake up to not one flat tire but two! The next morning, I stopped to get a cup of coffee while on my way to the book signing and discovered that my vehicle had two flat tires. After being rescued by my kind neighbor and multiple children, who transferred several boxes containing Joseph Karl Publishing's titles to two different vehicles, I journeyed on to the book signing. Praise God, I was only half an hour late.
You Better Believe It
Does this sound like fiction to you? It’s not, and it is worth your while to read
on. The devil can physically and
verbally assault us directly if the Lord allows it. More often, he is allowed to incite us to assault and even kill one another.
The devil sets many different traps to accomplish his plan of destroying humanity. He tries to convince us to sin personally and also lead others to sin. Think of the incalculable destruction he encourages us to choose by accepting legalized abortion and the use of contraception. Those are just two of his strategies; he has many, many more.
Why does he try so hard to influence our behavior? Satan wants to encourage us to distance ourselves progressively from God so that when souls are summoned by God into eternity, they will be so filled with a hatred of all that is good they will actually choose to spend forever with him in hell.
The devil sets many different traps to accomplish his plan of destroying humanity. He tries to convince us to sin personally and also lead others to sin. Think of the incalculable destruction he encourages us to choose by accepting legalized abortion and the use of contraception. Those are just two of his strategies; he has many, many more.
Why does he try so hard to influence our behavior? Satan wants to encourage us to distance ourselves progressively from God so that when souls are summoned by God into eternity, they will be so filled with a hatred of all that is good they will actually choose to spend forever with him in hell.
The devil is a master of marketing, and is very good at
making sin sound very appealing, desirable even, something very wise people do, and definitely worth celebrating! He tries to convince us that holy
people are unhappy, controlling, unrewarded, and crazy.
He
cons the most prideful and ignorant people into believing that it is possible to
achieve wealth, power, and/or happiness at the expense of other people.
Many saints were tremendously persecuted by the devil, including St. John Vianney, Patron of Parish Priests (see St. John Vianney, the Big Fish, and You), St. Pio of Pietrelcina, St. Gemma Galgani, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Teresa of Avila. While the Lord does not allow most people to be physically assaulted by the devil to that extreme, many people are physically and/or emotionally assaulted by others whom the devil inspires to hate in his place. Every single one of us must battle the assaults of the devil in the form of temptations, and every single one of us must be prepared to fight the battle of good versus evil. Every step we take puts us on the battlefield. We are always standing on the front lines.
Many saints were tremendously persecuted by the devil, including St. John Vianney, Patron of Parish Priests (see St. John Vianney, the Big Fish, and You), St. Pio of Pietrelcina, St. Gemma Galgani, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Teresa of Avila. While the Lord does not allow most people to be physically assaulted by the devil to that extreme, many people are physically and/or emotionally assaulted by others whom the devil inspires to hate in his place. Every single one of us must battle the assaults of the devil in the form of temptations, and every single one of us must be prepared to fight the battle of good versus evil. Every step we take puts us on the battlefield. We are always standing on the front lines.
"Offer your temptations for the conversion of sinners." ~ St. John Vianney
Persecution: The Devil's Calling Card
For more than a decade, in the years during and after my divorce, the devil worked through
the “Friend” of the Court to relentlessly persecute me, and even attempted to have me thrown in jail by accusing me of being crazy and an unfit mother. After a while, I could tell another strike was coming. I would be laying in bed just before attempting to sleep, and could feel the devil's presence right next to me. He was so close, I could feel his cold breath on my face.
Every single time that happened, I would be served with more idiotic papers within days. My court file is incredibly thick, filled with meaningless and very expensive motions over nothing, but contains no evidence against me, because none exists: Persecution as a Means of Living in Imitation of Christ.
To this day, the devil continues threatening to take me to court and have me declared crazy. Why? No reason. The devil doesn't need reasons. He fabricates and lies very, very well. He fights to win at all costs. If you let him win, his prize is your soul.
Another way the devil persecuted me was to try for many years to force me to work outside the home, because that would force my young children into daycare, and as they got older would leave them home alone after school. Working full time as a single parent would have meant even more stress for all of us, and would have left me less able to parent my children well. If the devil cannot get us to kill our children in the womb, he tries very hard to get us to be absent, place them with other people, or be too busy with our own activities or theirs to participate properly in their formation. Often what is the first thing to go out the window? Notice the metaphor. The first thing out the window is the practice and teaching of the Faith.
Every single time that happened, I would be served with more idiotic papers within days. My court file is incredibly thick, filled with meaningless and very expensive motions over nothing, but contains no evidence against me, because none exists: Persecution as a Means of Living in Imitation of Christ.
To this day, the devil continues threatening to take me to court and have me declared crazy. Why? No reason. The devil doesn't need reasons. He fabricates and lies very, very well. He fights to win at all costs. If you let him win, his prize is your soul.
Another way the devil persecuted me was to try for many years to force me to work outside the home, because that would force my young children into daycare, and as they got older would leave them home alone after school. Working full time as a single parent would have meant even more stress for all of us, and would have left me less able to parent my children well. If the devil cannot get us to kill our children in the womb, he tries very hard to get us to be absent, place them with other people, or be too busy with our own activities or theirs to participate properly in their formation. Often what is the first thing to go out the window? Notice the metaphor. The first thing out the window is the practice and teaching of the Faith.
When my children were a few years older, the Lord had me write a
book to guide others into greater intimacy with God and to teach people, from a Catholic perspective, that they have a God-given purpose to fulfill in His
plan of salvation. As the book was being
written, the Lord requested that a new Catholic publishing company be founded
with Jesus Christ as its Head.
As soon as that was accomplished, the devil came after me in a panic and tried to get me to stop working! His efforts to
force me to work when it was not God’s will abruptly ended when God said it was time to take on the extra responsibilities.
The devil doesn't follow rules, in fact he likes to change them, and he just loves it when we ignore logic.
The devil doesn't follow rules, in fact he likes to change them, and he just loves it when we ignore logic.
His many persecutions also came through other people who were very outspoken about their dislike for my work, all of which were assignments given to me directly by the Lord. Several people close to me directly insulted the work, all good people, all Catholic. I call them "The Dream Crushers." They made it their business to try and
convince me to get another job, a “real” job, a paying job, any other job!
Often they focused their attention on making money. Truly the devil was at work in them as they tried and tried to get me to abandon doing God's will. One tomorrow, every person will stand before God's tribunal and will be held accountable if we refused to do His will and instead pursued something as meaningless as money. Some may even find themselves before His tribunal today.
Often they focused their attention on making money. Truly the devil was at work in them as they tried and tried to get me to abandon doing God's will. One tomorrow, every person will stand before God's tribunal and will be held accountable if we refused to do His will and instead pursued something as meaningless as money. Some may even find themselves before His tribunal today.
The assaults also came directly from the devil; every time great good was being accomplished for souls, when a new book was about to be published, or a video finished, or authentic Catholic pictures posted and shared around the world, the devil oppressed everyone on our publishing team and tried to get us all to stop what we were doing. He tries so hard to stop the authentic, majestic Catholic images from being taken and shown and shared around the world.
I can tell you that he is very clever, and studies every single one of us so he can use our weaknesses as well as our strengths against us. He can be very, very convincing. One of his favorite lies is to tell us that what we are doing isn't making any difference.
Keep it Smooth
I like to describe it this way: when we come out of the
confessional after having made a good confession, our souls are pure and
that makes them smooth. When we sin, our souls become misshapen, creating handles of sorts, which make it easier for the devil to grab hold of us and tempt us to sin again and again and again. The more we sin, and the more we refuse to make good confessions, the more opportunity we give the devil to grab hold of
us. We can actually help the devil harm us!
Make sure that every time you go to confession, you seek
pardon for your pride.
Those who do not avail themselves of God's grace, which is sufficient to win every battle, are very likely to lose when tempted. We also put ourselves at risk
of becoming his willing instruments of destruction, often unawares, often while
celebrating how great and intelligent we are!
Last year, when my soul was making great progress in the confessional, the Lord spoke to me just after I
picked my children up from school. We
were all in the living room, and He said, “The devil’s
stranglehold on your family is being broken.”
How much of a stranglehold does he have on you? On your family?
The Eucharist gives us the ability to discern his stranglehold not only on individuals and families but on parents, grandparents, youth, governments, court and educational systems, the medical and legal professions, banking, our food supply...
The Eucharist gives us the ability to discern his stranglehold not only on individuals and families but on parents, grandparents, youth, governments, court and educational systems, the medical and legal professions, banking, our food supply...
Few people have ever heard me speak about these events, and part of
the reason is that it was only after I was invited by the Lord to attend Holy
Mass every day, and received the Eucharist more frequently, that I was able to clearly see the devil’s presence in all these events. The power of Jesus’
Precious Body and Blood allowed me to clearly discern his presence in a
way I had never before experienced.
The Eucharist clearly exposes the devil.
The Eucharist clearly exposes the devil.
In addition, this is not the topic one goes about discussing with
others, because many people do not understand the devil and how he operates. Thus they are quick to dismiss this reality. That is exactly what the devil wants. One of his chief weapons against humanity is to try and get us to believe that he does not exist.
What We Are Told, and What We Actually Need to Know
One thing I have found both surprising and confusing is the common response given by laypeople and priests when the subject is not only the devil himself, but spiritual combat. “Don’t worry, the devil can’t
hurt you.” This statement is absolutely false, because God can allow the devil to physically assault us directly. It is also misleading.
Perhaps what well intentioned people mean to say is “Don’t worry, the devil can never force you to sin.” That is true; he can never force us to sin against our will. But that conclusive statement provides absolutely no information we need to fight the battle between good versus evil. Another absolutely useless statement is, "Just ignore him."
Perhaps what well intentioned people mean to say is “Don’t worry, the devil can never force you to sin.” That is true; he can never force us to sin against our will. But that conclusive statement provides absolutely no information we need to fight the battle between good versus evil. Another absolutely useless statement is, "Just ignore him."
Why are so many people so apprehensive to talk about the devil's presence? Our failure to educate and be educated, so we can best fight and conquer our enemy, does not cause the devil to disappear.
It makes us vulnerable to losing battles.
It makes us vulnerable to losing battles.
While the devil can’t force any of us to
sin, he can be very good at convincing us to, and we must know who and what we
are up against.
Why do we need to know? Because our choices have very real outcomes for ourselves, and they also impact other people. The outcome of this epic battle is eternal for every one of us.
Why do we need to know? Because our choices have very real outcomes for ourselves, and they also impact other people. The outcome of this epic battle is eternal for every one of us.
We must understand that it is possible for the devil to physically harm us. He can also harass us, try to harm us by interrupting our rest, bind us with addictions and excesses, lead us or those in the medical profession to ruin our health, and persuade others to harm us
physically, spiritually, and/or emotionally.
One or more of these types of assaults will occur throughout the course of our lives, they are very real, and we need to know what to do so that we can fight well and win.
The Battle Doesn't Stop Just Because It's Dark Outside
Through the years, one of the worst persecutions from the devil has come
in the form of harassment during the night. He works very hard to prevent me from sleeping and getting rest (there is one more epic assault that has been even more sinister, which will be an article all its own). At one point, I tried to nap peacefully during
the day before the Blessed Sacrament in churches close to home, just before
picking my children up from school. However,
many times I ran into people I knew and we would end up talking, or the
churches would be locked in the afternoon.
I have come to know our adversary very well through decades worth
of encounters, enough to tell you with certainty that he is a liar, deceiver, imposter, and killer. Show me a person without mercy,
and I’ll show you the devil.
I tell you with conviction that he absolutely hates priests,
and also the Sacrament of Marriage, people who are chaste, honest, charitable, humble, those
who pray for others, women who dress modestly, people who go to Confession and receive the Blessed
Sacrament regularly, couples who welcome
children, and those who live heroically in imitation of Christ. He hates unborn babies, children, men, and
women. He hates good fathers and mothers,
and he hates the vulnerable, peacemakers, and people who value suffering.
What does he hate especially? The One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic, and
Pro-Life Church.
He works tirelessly to keep people from becoming Catholic, to get Catholics to leave the church and join other denominations that emphasize personal pleasure and minimize sacrifice, and to keep practicing Catholics lukewarm.
He works tirelessly to keep people from becoming Catholic, to get Catholics to leave the church and join other denominations that emphasize personal pleasure and minimize sacrifice, and to keep practicing Catholics lukewarm.
War Tactics and
Battle Strategies
The devil tries very hard to get us to think we are so great
that we don’t need anyone else, especially not God, and that we are better than
everyone else. He tries very hard to get
us to be selfish, materialistic, greedy, disrespectful, vulgar, and controlling while demanding our
right to do whatever we choose. He rejoices when we insult God and others with foul language, and has very effectively convinced many people to feel entitled to demand whatever they want, whenever they want it.
He works very hard to
stop us from hearing our calling, suggests or magnifies our fears so we are too afraid to fulfill it. He does not want us to have holy
relationships with God and with other people, and seeks to divide our
marriages, kill our children, break our promises, and neglect our obligations
to others.
He very much seeks to convince us to please ourselves, or
better yet, worship ourselves! He tries
to convince us that God does not exist, or exists only to give us what we want. He want us to believe that when God doesn’t
give us what we want and when, then God doesn’t exist, or He is against us, and
we should get mad at Him and reject Him.
He knows the absolutely incalculable value of suffering, and tries to convince us to avoid it at all costs.
He knows the absolutely incalculable value of suffering, and tries to convince us to avoid it at all costs.
He is the great divider, mastermind at creating confusion,
chaos, doubt, fear, and magnifies situations so they appear far worse than they
really are. Where there is peace he
seeks to create problems, and makes those problems seem insurmountable. He is often successful at getting us to see
our own version of the truth (often times his version) instead of seeing truth
through God’s eyes.
The Rings
One morning I had just arrived at the church to make
a Holy Hour before Holy Mass and ran into the pastor, Father Ben Kosnac. The devil made it a point to draw my
attention to the ring on Father’s finger, a symbol of the priest’s fidelity to the vows
He made to God. The devil mocked that
ring while the good priest and I had a short conversation!
He tries very hard to get me to hate that holy man, who is
also my confessor, because the devil hates fidelity and he knows the man's fidelity to his vows is helping me become holier. He tries to convince people who have made
vows that the vows are actually not important, that the rules are flexible, and it doesn’t matter whether we are faithful
or not. He tries to convince us that we
will be happier elsewhere, doing something else, or by being with someone else.
He tells us that no one has the right to control us, and no one will ever get hurt by anything we say or do that is sinful. According to the devil, there are no consequences for anything, God is controlling, and His devoted servants (whether religious, single, or married people) don’t care about others. As a matter of fact, he says, they are crazy!
He tells us that no one has the right to control us, and no one will ever get hurt by anything we say or do that is sinful. According to the devil, there are no consequences for anything, God is controlling, and His devoted servants (whether religious, single, or married people) don’t care about others. As a matter of fact, he says, they are crazy!
The devil did not leave the wedding ring issue alone. He used it to harass and mock me, by playing
upon my emotions. When I was still
married, Satan had convinced my husband to take off his wedding ring in the final years of our marriage. And now, so many years later, the devil was telling me that the reason he took the ring off was because I wasn't worth loving. After giving me the business about Father Ben's ring, the devil said that since I had no ring on
I was unlovable. "See? Everyone has a ring but you! You're not worthy of anyone!!" When my children's father came to pick up our children for visitation, the devil pointed out
his (second) wedding ring and mocked me, telling me how much more he mattered because he is married, how much more worth loving he turned out to be, how much happier he is, and blessed by God with so many more material
things, while I had been abandoned by God and given nothing.
“See how God treats you?” the devil taunted.
But the Lord had a big comeback planned, and allowed everything
to come to pass so something greater could result, and it did.
God told me that He loves me, and He pointed out that I did have a ring, the one I wore at that time on my right hand. He reaffirmed that the ring was our ring (His and mine), and that it represented our love and my
promise to live truthfully, humbly, devoutly, and faithfully, all the days of
my life.
Not long after that, the good Lord suggested that I move the ring to my left hand, and several weeks after that, He proposed and I accepted: A Spiritual Espousal and a Lifetime of Preparation .
Not long after that, the good Lord suggested that I move the ring to my left hand, and several weeks after that, He proposed and I accepted: A Spiritual Espousal and a Lifetime of Preparation .
The Lord went beyond even that! One day I was in
church and had knelt down to receive Holy Communion from Father Ben when the Lord
pointed out the ring on his finger. In that moment, a lot happened and it was very beautiful. In a way I cannot describe adequately in
words, the Lord celebrated how beautiful the soul is that makes a vow (honorably) and keeps
it, and how pleasing that soul is to Him. He
said how pleased He is with His servant Father Ben, and how pleased He is with me.
The victory in every battle always belongs to God no matter what the outcome, for the unfathomable power of His love makes great good come
out of every situation. If only every soul would humbly embrace all He has to offer
it!
Part II: Do You Know What Weapons You Need to Fight the Spiritual Battles Against Evil and Win? Perhaps Some of Them May Surprise You
The devil is easily beaten. Here’s what you need to know to fight the battles and WIN.
Part III: Suggestions for Making Your Confessions More Powerful, Intimate, and Meaningful
Even more of what you need to know to be able to fight the battles against our adversary AND WIN.
The devil is easily beaten. Here’s what you need to know to fight the battles and WIN.
Part III: Suggestions for Making Your Confessions More Powerful, Intimate, and Meaningful
Even more of what you need to know to be able to fight the battles against our adversary AND WIN.
Part IV: The
Sacrament of Reconciliation, Penance, Conversion, Forgiveness, Divine
Intimacy, Christ's Peace, Healing, Humility, and Catholic Courage
Which name do YOU prefer, and how well do you know this sacrament so helpful in achieving Divine intimacy, and so vital in fighting the battles against the flesh, the world, and the devil?
And also: More Thoughts on the Importance of Going to Confession
The spiritual battle is very real; how prepared are you to fight, and win? How to make your confessions more meaningful, powerful, and very beautiful.
Which name do YOU prefer, and how well do you know this sacrament so helpful in achieving Divine intimacy, and so vital in fighting the battles against the flesh, the world, and the devil?
And also: More Thoughts on the Importance of Going to Confession
The spiritual battle is very real; how prepared are you to fight, and win? How to make your confessions more meaningful, powerful, and very beautiful.
© Joseph Karl Publishing
