Spiritual warfare

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I have heard about people “fighting their demons”, is this the same thing as spiritual warfare mixed with a little ignorance about what it truly means.

it seems like Catholics know a great deal more about dealing with the principalities of this world than any other religion.

I attend a United church and asked my minister about some of the things that I was experiencing that felt like spiritual attack and he couldn’t do much to help me, so I visited the local Catholic church for some holy water and they had tonnes of stuff to help people deal with that. Right at the front of the church there were pamphlets, they had holy water free for the taking and people who were knowledgeable in it.

The majority of prayers I use I have found here and the other religions don’t seem to have anything like what the Catholic church has.

How many of you actually feel like we are in the middle of a spiritual war and how does it affect you personally?
Sometimes it’s nice to know that I am not alone in what I have been experiencing.
 
The term fighting their demons means more along the lines if someone fighting something that is hindering them greatly for example a past action that haunts them.
But as far as real demons are concerned while possesions do happen they very rare, these days.
 
We Catholics believe that Satan and the fallen angels who follow him are real beings. We cannot blame all of our sins and faults on the devil. There is the world and the flesh that also tempt our fallen nature. For many, the devil does not want them to know that he is a being that actually exists so they will go on doing the bad things that they do without fear or turning to God to help them in their struggles against sin. I can only speak for myself. I have had a few experiences of an evil presence. I don’t have them all them time and years have gone by not having experienced anything. I don’t like to dwell on that because I don’t want to constantly live in fear. I know the devil exists and that is enough. But I also know that God is more powerful than the devil. I keep holy water in our home. I pray to St. Michael the Archangel. But the quickest way for me to get help has always been to pray to our Blessed Mother.
 
I was literally and physically attacked in my bed. I was almost asleep and what I saw made me think I was going mad but it truly happened.

I was laying on my back when I felt my body lift on its own, I opened my eyes and I saw the devil staring back at me, I called out to Jesus and I saw a flash to my right hand side, he dropped me and disappeared.

He was red-orange in color, he had horns that curled backed behind his ears like a ram or a goat, his eyes were fixated on me and in them I saw hell, he was huge and I could not move, could not fight and I was completely frozen and helpless. I kid you not.

I since have thanked God everyday for intervening on my behalf, my husband did not believe me and insisted on a medical and mental assessment. I had both and I am in perfect health and I was completely cleared on my mental assessment so I am not nuts. I saw what I saw.
 
I very much believe we are in the center of spiritual warfare, and agree with the sentiment that one of satan’s greatest victories is convincing people he doesn’t exist.

I went through a time of great struggle & darkness and looking back I can see that it was more spiritual warfare than anything I guessed at the time. I have never seen demons (or angels) but I absolutely believe that some people do; whether it’s a gift or a greater sensitivity I don’t know. Here are some stories of saints who wrote about seeing demons.

What you experienced must have been terribly frightening. It’s possible you were allowed to experience it so that you will know how very real satan is and remember it. Perhaps it will never happen again. But I do urge you to prepare for spiritual battle; holy water is great, knowing the prayer to St. Michael is wise; and there are books on spiritual warfare that may give guidance.

I love your response - calling out to Jesus! 👍 I think of Peter walking on water and beginning to sink. Jesus was right there with him, but only after Peter cried out did Jesus “immediately” reach out to save him.
 
I heard of someone that, was saying a made up new age prayer, and instantly felt an evil spirit full of hatred, anger, cruelty, fear instilling, in their room like an evil cloud, trying to enter their chest and possess them. They were paralysed during the experience and could not move or shout for help. They could not move to grab a crucifix or get Holy water. They said the Name Jesus in their mind and instantly the evil spirit left.

The evil spirit tried to come back for many weeks after though, particularly when it was dark, or when it was 12am or 3am (the witching hour that bad people use to mock both the time Jesus was put on the cross and died on the cross.) But the Name Jesus was the only thing that banished the evil spirit, and did so immediately.

Jesus is the most powerful word to think or say in a spiritual attack. The evil spirits flee and cannot stand Jesus Name being said.

The Bible even says, that the Apostles said; “Lord, even the bad spirits submit to us when we use your Name.”

And: “They cast out demons calling upon the Name of the Lord.”

Jesus Name vanquishes all evil spirits. Fact.

It works.

Use His Name.
 
truthquester said:
I have heard about people “fighting their demons”, is this the same thing as spiritual warfare mixed with a little ignorance about what it truly means.

it seems like Catholics know a great deal more about dealing with the principalities of this world than any other religion.

I attend a United church and asked my minister about some of the things that I was experiencing that felt like spiritual attack and he couldn’t do much to help me, so I visited the local Catholic church for some holy water and they had tonnes of stuff to help people deal with that. Right at the front of the church there were pamphlets, they had holy water free for the taking and people who were knowledgeable in it.

The majority of prayers I use I have found here and the other religions don’t seem to have anything like what the Catholic church has.

How many of you actually feel like we are in the middle of a spiritual war and how does it affect you personally?
Sometimes it’s nice to know that I am not alone in what I have been experiencing.
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What do you mean you feel like you are under attack? What symptoms are we talking about? Sickness? Depression? Insomnia? Strange things happening in your house? I myself find things moving around that shouldnt be…
 
truthquester said:
I was literally and physically attacked in my bed. I was almost asleep and what I saw made me think I was going mad but it truly happened.

I was laying on my back when I felt my body lift on its own, I opened my eyes and I saw the devil staring back at me, I called out to Jesus and I saw a flash to my right hand side, he dropped me and disappeared.

He was red-orange in color, he had horns that curled backed behind his ears like a ram or a goat, his eyes were fixated on me and in them I saw hell, he was huge and I could not move, could not fight and I was completely frozen and helpless. I kid you not.

I since have thanked God everyday for intervening on my behalf, my husband did not believe me and insisted on a medical and mental assessment. I had both and I am in perfect health and I was completely cleared on my mental assessment so I am not nuts. I saw what I saw.
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How horrifying! Tell me, what was the state of your spiritual life just before this happened? Were you contemplating Catholicism? Trying to get closer to God? That’s when these attacks usually occur. I know because something similar happened to me.
 
I am very close to God and believe that I have lived a life that is pleasing to Him, He is everything to me. 🙂
 
Eric_Magus said:
What do you mean you feel like you are under attack? What symptoms are we talking about? Sickness? Depression? Insomnia? Strange things happening in your house? I myself find things moving around that shouldnt be…
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It is a feeling, some people describe oppression. It’s like I can sense an evil presence and it’s a horrible feeling and there have been times when I have been awakened by the sense that something is there.

There have even been times when it felt like I could breath it in it felt so close and the room even smelled differently. When this happens, the entire house becomes affected. The members of my family are more quarrelsome, more prone to bad days ect.

I am the only one who believes in God so when they see me spraying holy water around, they don’t like it. However, when I do spray holy water around, it quiets things down considerable.
I have not had as many bad experiences either nor do I have nearly as many nightmares and I have had some horrific nightmares to say the least.

There was even one night when it felt like something was trying to steal my breath but it always happens at night. Rarely does anything happen during the day.

I had intrusive thoughts for a little while also and that was disturbing but I also have good dreams too. I prayed to God about the things that were going on and I had a dream where I was given the vision of the cross and the sword.
The word of God is the sword of the spirit and it works to drive evil spirits back into the darkness where they belong.
I also bought a salt lamp to help clear the air and I leave it on all day.
 
MaryHelp777 said:
I heard of someone that, was saying a made up new age prayer, and instantly felt an evil spirit full of hatred, anger, cruelty, fear instilling, in their room like an evil cloud, trying to enter their chest and possess them. They were paralysed during the experience and could not move or shout for help. They could not move to grab a crucifix or get Holy water. They said the Name Jesus in their mind and instantly the evil spirit left.

The evil spirit tried to come back for many weeks after though, particularly when it was dark, or when it was 12am or 3am (the witching hour that bad people use to mock both the time Jesus was put on the cross and died on the cross.) But the Name Jesus was the only thing that banished the evil spirit, and did so immediately.

Jesus is the most powerful word to think or say in a spiritual attack. The evil spirits flee and cannot stand Jesus Name being said.

The Bible even says, that the Apostles said; “Lord, even the bad spirits submit to us when we use your Name.”

And: “They cast out demons calling upon the Name of the Lord.”

Jesus Name vanquishes all evil spirits. Fact.

It works.

Use His Name.
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We need to be careful about what we say, I found it’s wise to mostly stick to the prayers that are already written. I have made some of my own prayers but they are always fashioned after what I have read here. Some of that new age stuff can be a little misleading.

I think that calling out the name of Jesus proves that He hears us. It’s not just because they are afraid of His name but because Jesus Himself hears us and sends the heavenly hosts to our assistance because he knows we are in trouble just from the sound of our voice.
 
Sounds like you’re right in the middle of a huge spiritual battle, take heart, that is actually good news, 🙂 you wouldn’t get attacked if you weren’t on your way back to God like the prodicle son. Use the word of God and I guarantee you will get out alive. Psalms is like a knife, it cuts into the darkness and drives them off pretty quick.

They will keep trying on and off but eventually they will stop, that’s how it was for me. They still try occasionally but I don’t even mind, anything that brings me closer to God I am grateful for It’s like they try to create an illusion and if you believe what they are throwing at you then they will feed off of it and keep going.

You might be fearful but don’t give in, next to God even a 1000 demons look like spoiled little bullies that have no power over you what so ever and they are just having a little temper tantrum.

Your faith truly does act like a shield, they will throw reams of negative energy like sorcery or black energy and the way your mind interprets it might make you feel like you’re going mad, but you are on to their tricks.
Believing in God is definitely the first step in the right direction, but don’t stop there. Don’t stop thinking about Him and memorize His words, it’s incredible the force His words have to stop the enemy dead in their tracks.
I handed my life over to God and it’s incredible how much better things are getting, even my most distant relatives are feeling better. It’s just incredible the difference that God makes, I’m not even afraid anymore and I used to be terrified, night terrors are a thing of the past. Self doubt is becoming a thing of the past.

Here are the tools I use that drive all of these things away:
  • music, I sing to Him all the time
  • prayer
  • I dance for Him every chance I get
  • spray Holy water every time I feel a negative presence. (yes, I use a spray bottle to make sure it gets everywhere.)
  • keep a cross under my pillow when I feel scared
 
truthquester said:
Here are the tools I use that drive all of these things away:
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Of course, as many exorcists attest to, the number one tool that anyone can use is to live a fully Sacramental life. Regular Confession and frequent reception of Our Lord in Holy Communion are absolutely priceless, whether we’re experiencing demonic oppression and harassment or not.
 
We can’t blame everything on spirits though.

Sometimes cutting back on caffeine is a first step in determining whether we are really under spiritual attack or not.

Diet and exercise help. Sleep deprivation is common - people in western society don’t get enough sleep. Too much red meat, refined sugar and latte.

I’m not discounting what the OP is going through but some are too quick to blame evil spirits for what really might be something very simple like getting too little sleep.

-Tim-
 
TimothyH said:
I’m not discounting what the OP is going through but some are too quick to blame evil spirits for what really might be something very simple like getting too little sleep.
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As an exorcist once said, “The devil isn’t under every rock. He’s under every other rock!” 😛
 
I used to have such experiences with entities that would attack me in my sleep, both at night or if I took a nap. One terrifying time something sit on my chest, crushing me, and I could feel hands around my throat choking me. There were other similar instances, even a sexual one and I would call upon the name of Jesus and it would eventually stop.

Then I was diagnosed with depression with anxiety, and sleep apnea. I was actually experiencing sleep paralysis. Once I received treatment, the episodes stopped.

Every once in a while something like this will happen (very rare), and it is always when I am anxious or wake finding myself in an awkward sleep position (I move around a lot in bed).

I am not saying that people are not experiencing something demonic, I can’t judge, but I am saying that it might be something that would respond to medical treatment and be a sleep disorder or depression, etc., and one should check out this possibility, as these episodes could possibly be eliminated.

For a description of sleep paralysis, there are many sites on the internet to explore which may be helpful.

And, the Church has always stated that when any extraordinary phenomenon occur, the possibility of a natural explanation must be investigated and ruled out first. That is how the Church says we should approach these things, and how the Church approaches them. Supernatural phenomena exist, but most things have a natural explanation and the Church expects us to pursue that first, as our religion is also based on reason as well as faith.
 
CB_Catholic said:
And, the Church has always stated that when any extraordinary phenomenon occur, the possibility of a natural explanation must be investigated and ruled out first.
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This is absolutely valid, IMO, and I agree.

But I also want to point out that, in the case of the demonic:

(1) The influence of evil spirits can take the form of something that appears to be perfectly natural. Exorcist Fr. Chad Ripperger, rightly or wrongly, has pointed out that all mental illnesses can be perfectly mimicked by devils, especially schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder.

(2) One of the main methods of determining true demonic activity, according to Fr. Amorth, is to actually begin exorcism. My memory might be faulty, but I believe, in that book, that Father may have actually stated that only exorcism can truly reveal the demonic should it choose to remain hidden.
 
TimothyH said:
We can’t blame everything on spirits though.

Sometimes cutting back on caffeine is a first step in determining whether we are really under spiritual attack or not.

Diet and exercise help. Sleep deprivation is common - people in western society don’t get enough sleep. Too much red meat, refined sugar and latte.

I’m not discounting what the OP is going through but some are too quick to blame evil spirits for what really might be something very simple like getting too little sleep.

-Tim-
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I agree, we still have to take responsibilities for our own actions but that is the first step and it’s a big one. Jesus also said the body is a temple and we have to take good care of it. Not enough sleep, too much sugar ect. can make us weak and potentially prone to attack.
The next step is knowing for certain that we have been forgiven and not allowing anybody or anything take that away or cause us to doubt.

We have been made clean in the precious blood of Christ and that is something to celebrate. All of the things we did wrong have been **written in pencil **so it’s easily erased.

I had a really good dream one night where the prison gates swung wide open and in the place where a key would go in the door was a golden cross. Not all dreams are going to be nightmares, take it from me, it does get better.
 
truthquester said:
The next step is knowing for certain that we have been forgiven and not allowing anybody or anything take that away or cause us to doubt.

We have been made clean in the precious blood of Christ and that is something to celebrate. All of the things we did wrong have been **written in pencil **so it’s easily erased.
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While this statement can conform to Catholic theology in one sense, I just wanted to point out that this is not what the Church teaches as such, especially if this is rooted in a once saved, always saved perspective. 🙂

For us Catholics, the ordinary means to be forgiven for mortal sins is to go to the Sacrament of Confession. While we certainly trust in Jesus and His mercy, we do not presume, so long as we’ve accepted Christ at one point in our lives, that our sins are no big deal or that we shouldn’t be concerned when we commit them. Sin is a great evil, and when we freely choose it, we deeply offend God. Conversion for us is a daily occurrence, and we should all strive to cooperate with God’s grace to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling” while relying on God’s infinite love and glorious mercy.

Forgive me for speaking tangentially, but I just wanted to offer you the Catholic perspective on what you’ve written, should you be interested.
 
Churchman25 said:
But as far as real demons are concerned while possesions do happen they very rare, these days.
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What happened between “those days” and “these days”? Maybe the devil has just found ways to improve upon his “greatest trick.”
 
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