10 powerful weapons to fight the devil
We Christians face a spiritual battle every day. The Word of God teaches us that our life on earth is a constant struggle against the Evil One, and reminds us that we have decided to follow Christ to always be prepared to face the blows of the Devil. To make this Lent an authentic time of conversion, without any kind of concession to the Devil, we present you ten effective spiritual weapons.
1. Lead an orderly life
First, pay close attention to prayer, which is the basis of your spiritual life. Also find time to read the Bible. We suggest that you dwell on the Gospel of St. Matthew, chapter 25, verses 35-40.
On the other hand, you must be firmly rooted in your vocation. It could be married life, the priesthood, consecrated life, etc., but whatever it is, you must be faithful in everything to the call that God has addressed to you.
Finally, dedicate some time to the Church. We know that not all of us have been called full-time to ministry in the Church, but we can all collaborate in some way, to the extent of our possibilities.
2. Strictly reject temptation
A problem in the spiritual struggle is the slow and weak response to temptation, but with the grace of God you can strengthen your will to firmly and firmly reject the temptation from the beginning. On the other hand, we often have temptations because we put ourselves in a situation close to sin. Always remember this proverb: "Whoever plays with fire sooner or later gets burned".
3. Identify the enemy well and ask God for help
When we fall into temptation, it is very useful to admit it in this way: "The Devil, the enemy of God, is tempting me". Name him and say short, heartfelt prayers to ask for the Lord's help. Some examples of short but powerful prayers are: "Jesus, I trust in you", "Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation", "Lord, save me", "Lord, come to my help", and obviously invoke with faith and trust the holy names of Jesus, Joseph and Mary.
4. Fight desolation
Spiritual desolation is experienced as darkness in the face of divine truth, insensitivity before the Word, laziness in doing good, distance from the Lord. It can have unexpected strength and cause the good intentions you had just a day before to falter. St. Ignatius said that in the state of desolation it is important to pray and meditate more, examine one's conscience (understand why one is in a state of desolation) and then apply some adequate punishment.
5. Fight laziness
If you have nothing to do, then the Devil will give you many tasks. San Giovanni Bosco did not like the holiday season for his boys from the Oratory because he knew that too much free time was accompanied by many temptations.
6. Use the weapons of Jesus in the desert
Heard and prolonged prayer, constant mortification (fasting) and familiarity with the Word of God, both meditating on it and putting it into practice, are effective weapons for fighting and overcoming Satan.
7. Talk to a spiritual director
St. Ignatius warns us that the Devil loves the secret, so if a person is in a profound state of desolation and opens up with a spiritual director he can overcome temptation. Total silence is like a cut or a deep wound that hides under clothing. As long as that wound is not exposed to the sun and is not disinfected, not only will it not heal, but it will become even more infected and there will be a risk of gangrene, or even worse of amputation. Once the temptation is revealed to a spiritual director, power is gained over her.
8. Use the sacramentals
The effective use of the sacramentals can be very effective in the fight against the Devil, especially these three: scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Medal of Saint Benedict and blessed water.
9. Invoke Archangel Michael
In our battle against Satan, we must use all weapons. God chose St. Michael the Archangel as the faithful angel, the Prince of the Heavenly Militia, to throw Lucifer and the other rebel angels into hell. St. Michael, whose name means "Who like God", is powerful today as in the past.
10. Invoke the Most Holy Virgin
Mary is the human person that Satan fears most, according to what many exorcists have reported based on the words of the demons themselves. Mary has many invocations; invoking one is very useful to ward off the Evil One. The old snake, the Devil, can go wild against you by spitting out poison, but if you ask Maria for help she will crush his head.