How does one know if the devil is attacking them?

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That certainly is an indirect route for one to take on their journey to salvation. :eek: I am concerned in the drastic change you are experiencing. I offer my prayers and advise you to seek a consultation with your parish priest or your spiritual adviser. Take a long walk this morning and pray for Gods help.
 
MtnDwellar said:
From Fr. Fortea’s book, Interview With an Exorcist:

“There is no way to distinguish temptations of demonic origin from those that come from within us. Demons tempt us by infusing thought in our minds. In other words, a demon introduces into our reason, memory, and imagination intellectual objects proper to our understanding that cannot be distinguished from our own thought.”

I ask my guardian angel to pray along with me. It helps. 👍
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This is very useful, and it describes what I’m experiencing. But it’s difficult to know whether I’m actually thinking it, or the Devil is infusing it into my head (after all, I’m doing a 54-day rosary so he might try to put me off that). In all honesty, God hasn’t been very fair to me, and hence the confusion as to whether these are even my thoughts at all.
 
Bohm_Bawerk said:
This is very useful, and it describes what I’m experiencing. But it’s difficult to know whether I’m actually thinking it, or the Devil is infusing it into my head (after all, I’m doing a 54-day rosary so he might try to put me off that). In all honesty, God hasn’t been very fair to me, and hence the confusion as to whether these are even my thoughts at all.
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Sometimes the seed of resentment gets in the heart and it can be hard to dislodge. Whatever you do, don’t harden the heart. Keep it open and when the lesson the Lord is trying to convey sticks, it may be dislodged. I’m just going by my own experience with the same struggles in the past and they have been many.
 
Samson01 said:
Sometimes the seed of resentment gets in the heart and it can be hard to dislodge. Whatever you do, don’t harden the heart. Keep it open and when the lesson the Lord is trying to convey sticks, it may be dislodged. I’m just going by my own experience with the same struggles in the past and they have been many.
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Thank you :). As a matter of fact, I’m a personal fan of you because of the fact that you battled with cancer successfully. I am incredibly grateful that you managed to pull through in the end, and you are a walking miracle 🙂
 
Bohm_Bawerk said:
This is very useful, and it describes what I’m experiencing. But it’s difficult to know whether I’m actually thinking it, or the Devil is infusing it into my head (after all, I’m doing a 54-day rosary so he might try to put me off that). In all honesty, God hasn’t been very fair to me, and hence the confusion as to whether these are even my thoughts at all.
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LOL… According to Fr. Fortea there is NO WAY to tell your own thoughts from diabolic influences. But, it doesn’t matter. Your response is the same either way.

Don’t think that it is rare, especially for someone who is growing in faith, to be tempted by the devil. Although some may think that the devil is a slacker, the truth is that demons are very active. There are about a gojillion demons. They do not spend their days basking by the pool. They have the ability, motivation, and manpower to make your journey toward God difficult.

This stuff is real.
 
MtnDwellar said:
LOL… According to Fr. Fortea there is NO WAY to tell your own thoughts from diabolic influences. But, it doesn’t matter. Your response is the same either way.

Don’t think that it is rare, especially for someone who is growing in faith, to be tempted by the devil. Although some may think that the devil is a slacker, the truth is that demons are very active. The are about a gojillion demons. They do not spend their days basking by the pool. They have the ability, motivation, and manpower to make your journey toward God difficult.

This stuff is real.
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You’re right. St. Padre Pio said something along the lines that if we could see the demons present in the earth, they would darken the morning sky.

P.S: Apologies, I thought Fr. Fortea was merely using a hyperbolic expression when he said “no way” 😊
 
Bohm_Bawerk said:
Thank you :). As a matter of fact, I’m a personal fan of you because of the fact that you battled with cancer successfully. I am incredibly grateful that you managed to pull through in the end, and you are a walking miracle 🙂
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Wow Bohm, you made my day. Fighting cancer was easy compared to the recovery and trying to make sense of life again. That is a fight you are aware of and participate in. We all go through what is needed so these life lessons are taken in. We will have hard times with them, struggle, even fall…but belief is a grace not easily turned off. Even if you try to turn it off, the Lord will prompt it somehow and we go back to building again. Keep the hope alive. The ol boy will mess with you, no doubt and often in ways you never expect, but what can he really do that God hasn’t allowed him to do for a greater purpose. He’s got a pretty weak attack in light of what the Lord can do. Seems like the Lord likes your zeal.
 
Heavenly Father, in the Name of Your Son Jesus Christ, please have mercy on Bohm and help him during this trying period. Amen.
 
hey Bohm, just watch the enemy doesn’t distract you with the big temptations and get you in the little things…Take care, Samson.
 
Stop worrying about the source of the temptations. It makes you focus too much on them. Just ignore them and do what you know you should to be holy. Imagine how infuriated the serpent would have been if Eve had given it the silent treatment!
 
Heavenly Father, in the Name of Your Son Jesus Christ, please have mercy on Bohm and help him during this trying period. Amen.
 
Rather than attempt a 54 day novena for helping to bring 10 million souls out of purgatory, you might try something less ambitious next time, and work your way later toward a more strenuous discipline.

Bohm is da bomb! 🙂
 
Bohm_Bawerk said:
I’m currently doing a 54-day rosary novena. Already on my 2nd day, and I keep getting thoughts of how the rosary is useless, how God isn’t listening, how I should just leave the Catholic Church and how there is no point of praying at all.

Previously, I recall wanting to help free 10 million souls from Purgatory. Anyways, on the day that I dedicated to this feat, I recall hating God so much and even blaspheming His name on several occasions. This hatred for God just came about on the day. In addition, we had two men who came to repair several things in our house (of all days!), and so I couldn’t even pray at all, and not a single Holy Soul was saved.

How does one know if the devil is “attacking” them, for lack of a better word :confused:. I’m not really sure what to do now 😦
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The devil would not be pleased with your decision, so either he, or more likely, one or more of his demons has decided to rattle you. On the business of blaspheming his name, I’m not sure if you mean swearing using his name or reference, or thinking blasphemous thoughts (eg. “$%^& off God!”). When I was a new Christian i used to cop “stray thoughts” like those, and so did another new Christian I was talking to. He commented that until he became a Christian, he never even had a problem with this issue.

I"m not sure about “hating God” but that sounds like a demonic activity again. I get angry and very frustrated with God sometimes, but I don’t ‘hate him’.

I’d just keep on going if I were you. If you stop, the demonic program of discouragement has succeeded. As for the two men, well, that’s probably coincidence. You will get interruptions, so you just start again. Just plod along, and accept the spiritual world is real, and that these things are going to come. If you like, it’s evidence for the reality of your faith. If you weren’t a potential threat to the devil, he wouldn’t bother you.
 
Bohm_Bawerk said:
Thank you…I managed to pray peacefully today 🙂 👍👍👍
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I am happy to hear that Bohm! God bless!

Heavenly Father, in the Name of Your Son Jesus Christ, please have mercy on Bohm and please continue to help him during this trying period. Amen.
 
Heavenly Father, in the Name of Your Son Jesus Christ, please have mercy on Bohm and please continue to help him during this trying period. Amen.
 
I know what you mean OP… The Devil knows my weak spots and no matter how much I try to up my defenses, he has already exploited them. I just need to keep on trying to rebuild my walls and trying again to keep him out.

Free will works both ways. It can hurt and it can help. I will try to use my will to fight Satan as hard as it is. We can fend him off.
 
Heavenly Father, in the Name of Your Son Jesus Christ, please have mercy on Bohm and please continue to help him during this trying period. Amen.
 
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