Spiritual Warfare

[TeresaBenedicta]

Msgr. Pope has an intriguing article about [url="http://blog.adw.org/2011/05/on-the-spiritual-attack-of-our-converts-and-what-to-do-about-it/comment-page-1/#comment-50020"]Spiritual Warfare against recent converts[/url]. It's a topic that isn't discussed very often, but I think it's very real.

Have you ever experienced/suffered from spiritual attacks?
Did you recognize them immediately?
How did you fight them?

I have some experiences I'd like to share eventually.

[tnavarro61]

i got a blog post about that

http://desertwhirlwind.blogspot.com/2011/04/on-satans-ways.html

Edited May 5, 2011 by tnavarro61

[cmaD2006]

[quote name='TeresaBenedicta' timestamp='1304574526' post='2237424']
Have you ever experienced/suffered from spiritual attacks?
[/quote]
Yep. Definitely.

[quote name='TeresaBenedicta' timestamp='1304574526' post='2237424']
Did you recognize them immediately?
[/quote]
Sometimes yep. But -- the bigger attacks tend to be quite subtle.

[quote name='TeresaBenedicta' timestamp='1304574526' post='2237424']
How did you fight them?
[/quote]
Good question. I would say:

a) prayer, Eucharist, Confession,
b) spiritual direction -- in fact there have been times that the attack only stops by way of something that my spiritual director suggests
c) fore-knowledge. What I mean by that is a "preparation" to become more aware of how you can be attacked. If you know where your weaknesses are, and you look at them head on then its harder to be attacked that way. Also more recently I was on retreat and the priest suggested my reading "Discernment of Spirits" by Fr. Timothy Gallagher, OMV. I had just gone through a very serious attack (one of the worst I've lived through). Reading that book right after the attack made me realized *why* the attack was so strong, and what I had done to fuel it (and what I could have done to stop it early on).
d) (from the Discernment of Spirits book) -- if you made any resolutions before the period of desolation (which I suspect is part of most spiritual attacks) DON'T CHANGE THEM. Why? This will add fuel to the attack.
e) spiritual friendships -- what I mean by that is if you have people around you that share your beliefs in which you can confide in, then in those periods where you're under spiritual attacks you should especially depend on those friends. In my last spiritual attack, I felt as though I couldn't depend on most of these people. That was a big mistake -- because this group of people would have said to me "are you nuts? can't you see who is behind this?" and would've helped shorten the attack to say a week (instead of 50 days).

Hope this helps,

[tnavarro61]

I've read the link, and also Dr. Kreeft's article is very powerful and straight to the point. Everyone must read it. (it's in TB's link.)

[Chamomile]

I agree and can identify with this through my experience.

[size="3"]Maybe it would be a good idea for the Church to give converts - especially those having come from backgrounds very distant from the Church - an experienced spiritual mother or father to guide them through this time. [/size]

[TeresaBenedicta]

[quote name='Chamomile' timestamp='1304643351' post='2237765']
I agree and can identify with this through my experience.

[size="3"]Maybe it would be a good idea for the Church to give converts - especially those having come from backgrounds very distant from the Church - an experienced spiritual mother or father to guide them through this time. [/size]
[/quote]

Ideally, the relationship of sponsor or godparent continues after one enters the Church-- partly for this reason. But, often either the relationships don't continue, or the sponsor isn't someone who [i]can[/i] be a spiritual guide.

I got lucky. Not four months after my baptism I fell into a spiritual direction relationship.

[faithcecelia]

I used to be in the music group at my old parish. Just as I was accepted to enter Carmel, and a friend was recieved into the Church, there started to be lots of silly little arguments over music with people getting upset and hurt. Thankfully, as a group, we realised that we were being attacked and it wasn't that we had stopped loving each other. Initially in small groups (the hurt was deep and we couldn't immediately resolve it all together) we began to pray together about it, we realised we were all suffering more from the division than from the arguments. We then decided to use our practise time to pray instead of practise, for as long as it took. The resolution wasn't immediate, but we did very quickly decide we must put our love for each other ahead of our love for the music. As it happened, people did start commenting on how lovely our music was during this time we weren't practising, and I'm sure it was because we were playing with love, for each other and for God. The people involved now mean more to me than ever before, and when I first visited after leaving Carmel, I took shelter in their love up in the choir loft, even though I couldn't face being seen by the parish by going for Communion.

[OnlySunshine]

[b]Have you ever experienced/suffered from spiritual attacks?[/b]

Definitely!
[b]

Did you recognize them immediately? How did you fight them?[/b]

Not all of them. I consider my the start of my depression to be a spiritual attack because I experienced PTSD after a friend died. I had to deal with death in a very real way and it was extremely scary and difficult. During the first year of being diagnosed, I experienced terrifying thoughts and what I can only describe as the devil attacking me. I look back now and realize that I should have prayed more back then, but I was lukewarm in my faith and sometimes I plain forgot about it.

After I reverted, I experienced a few attacks, including the night before my reversion. I went to a retreat and I could tell that satan did not want me there. He made it very difficult and I experienced an anxiety attack. Fortunately, a Sister from the Sisters of Life prayed with me and I was released from satan's grip.

I also believe that I felt a very evil presence in my house one night. I walked out of my room into the hallway and just felt this overwhelming sense of dread. It was right after I prayed and I wanted to go to the kitchen for some water. Fortunately, I had a bottle of Holy Water so I went back to my room and got the bottle and sprinkled water everywhere while saying the St. Michael prayer. It was really late at night and my parents were asleep, so I knew that I had to pray to get rid of the problem myself. After praying and dousing the rooms with Holy Water, the general feel of the rooms was much better. I felt calm and peaceful.

[BigJon16]

Ive experienced what the one poster there, "just_a_dre", had talked about. For a while I had really been experiencing dark, faith-questioning fits of doubt. At one point, thoughts of suicide even crept into my head.

One night, while I cried and prayed, the Holy Spirit spoke to me in my heart. Not literally "out loud". Its kind of like when you get a sudden thought that arises, but for some reason I felt it wasnt a thought, but a message.

I relised that this darkness that was overtaking me -this plauge- was the work of Satan. As described in just_a_dre's post, I too rebuked Satan. Told him to leave, that he was not welcome. I then called on Jesus and Saint Michael the Arch-Angel. I soon felt a feeling of calm, of peace. I have never felt that kind of darkness ever again.

Every night I ask Saint Mike for his intersession and protection.

The name of Jesus is a powerfull one, but when used by a man of faith -a man to whom Jesus is more than just a name- it can not only overcome Satan, but it can overcome the evil of doubt; It can move mountains.

edit: typo

Edited May 17, 2011 by BigJon16