NB. Before reading the following articles by Fr.
Joseph Wilson please note the following: In order to get deliverance you have
to renounce every item of witchcraft or world religions e.g. Buddha figures
because “the gods of the pagans are demons” (Psalm 96:5, 1 Cor. 10:20). Also
remove good luck charms like horse shoes, dream catchers, Chinese wind chimes
for prosperity, amulets, iziphandla, cords to protect you etc. also all new
age/theosophy books, all stuff given by bruxaria or witch doctors. Plus anything unedifying. All must be thrown out
and burned before deliverance or a house blessing. Put up crosses instead in
rooms even if hand drawn. The Christians of Ephesus burn everything (Acts 19).
As you break with it say: “Good riddance” (Isaiah 30:23).
DELIVERANCE
So you want a deliverance! - By Fr. Joe Wilson MSC
We are very happy that you have come for
deliverance. It may have taken you a long time to finally recognize your need
for deliverance. Understand that deliverance is not a same-day service like a Laundromat.
Remote and Immediate
Preparation for Deliverance
Many people come for deliverance prayer with
little or no preparation. In order to get the very best result from your
deliverance prayer, you must prepare for it: Fail to prepare, prepare to
fail. You need both Remote and Immediate Preparation. We will now explain
both, providing you with practical advice in order to derive maximum benefit
from your deliverance prayer.
Be patient: It took you a long time to put
that stuff in you, now give us time to uproot it, cleanse you from it, restore
and strengthen your soul, so that you can be completely free in Christ. ‘Now
that Christ has set you free. Remain free’. (Gal 5:1)
***************
Remote
Preparation of a candidate for Deliverance
1.
The candidate will make a thorough Confession of his Sin
Satan
is described in the Bible as ‘the accuser
of the brethren’ (Rev. 12:11). He accuses us of our sins day and night before our God. The only way to shut
him up is to ‘cast him down’ and that
is done through a thorough and detailed sacramental confession. Don’t think that
the church is legalistic about sin and is curious to know all the details. No!
Rather it is satan who is a legalist here. He continues to ACCUSE us... until
he is finally cast down by Jesus’ blood which cleanses us when we rightly
confess our sins.
Satan
keeps a precise record and inventory of all the things we have stolen, all our
fornications and adulteries, all our witchcraft consultations. Therefore, to
close down his accusations, we confess in detail. This is BIBLICAL. The
Christians in Ephesus ‘admitted in
detail’ (Acts 19:18) how they had used spells and witchcraft; then they
took them out of their homes and burnt them in public.
Your
confession must be thorough: For example, if I have been cohabiting with my
girlfriend for two years, and I say in confession: “Father I fornicated!” That means I am admitting to only
one count of fornication. I have not disclosed accurately that I have
been living in sin for two years. The Catechism
of the Catholic Church teaches that we must confess each mortal sin;
confessing both the type of sin and
the number of times we committed that
sin. What we do not disclose, does not get healed.
Be frank, honest, specific
Here
is a better way of confessing: “Father, I
committed the sin of fornication, with two different women, the first woman on
two occasions; the second woman on four occasions. I also committed adultery
with a married woman on one occasion.” The priest now understands the type
(fornication and adultery) of sin committed, the degree of attachment to that
sin, the cleansing needed and three soul-ties that need to be broken (1 Jn.
1:8).
It
is through a sacramental confession that the ‘accuser of the brethren is cast down’ (Rev. 12:11) because the blood of the Lamb now directly
cleansed the soul of sin through sacramental absolution when the priest says: “I absolve you from your sins” (Jn.
20:23). This is how sin is uprooted
and why satan hates confession.
Confession of Sin is
BIBLICAL
If
you are the type of person who feels reluctant to confess your sins, understand
one thing: Confession of sin is BIBLICAL.
If
you are the type of person who feels even more reluctant to confess your sins
to a priest (in the Bible known in Greek as
presbuteros or an elder) of the Church, then understand: Confession of sin to a priest (or an elder) of the Church is also BIBLICAL: (James 5:16; Mark 1:5;
John 20:23). This is God’s message and
not some human thinking” (1 Thes. 2 :13)
I
love what Max Lucado says: “The biggest
word in Scripture just might be that two-letter one, IF. (“If we confess our sins...” 1 Jn. 1:8). For confessing sins
and admitting failure, is exactly what prisoners of pride refuse to do.”
Don’t Confess through
the Ceiling
None
of us likes confessing our personal sins, especially to another person
(Priest/Elder). This demands humility and courage. We fear being judged. Of
course, it is much easier and less embarrassing to confess our sins at the end
of our bed, straight through the ceiling to God, but Jesus asked His church
through His Word (James 5:16; Mark 1:5; John 20:23), to choose the harder of
the two – and for good reason: It works! This is the way to be cleansed of all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8).
So,
those who “confess [their] sins to one
another” (James 5:16) find it a tremendously liberating and healing
experience, a release from guilt, a defeat of the devil, a regaining of
Christ’s grace and a strengthening of our weakness. Furthermore, confession
pulls down the web of satan, and deals a blow to the sin that clings so tightly
to us (Heb. 12:1). The more honestly and humbly we confess (for “The Lord loves truth in the heart” Ps.
51:6) the more freeing from the bondage of sin over us. Of the ‘humble and contrite man’ God says: “For my eyes are drawn to man of humble and
contrite heart who trembles at my word” (Isa. 66:2). Furthermore,
confession of sin and cleansing us
from all unrighteousness will break soul-ties and bind the devil’s activity in
our soul, according to the power Jesus granted in John 20:23.
******************
Areas to Cover in
Your General Confession
When you make your confession, pay close
attention to the following sins...
1.
Sexual sin:
Fornication, adultery,
pornography, masturbation, homosexuality, incest, sex with children. Confess
anal and oral sex as it demonizes us. If you have been the occasion of leading
someone else into this sin (???).
2.
Sexual abuse:
Have
I ever raped anyone? Was I abused as a child? Full penetration? Understand that
childhood abuse and trauma (which is not your fault), can lead to possible
demonization.
3.
Abortion:
Hurts
women deeply and cries out for healing. Abortion also demonizes the person and
disposes her/him to certain temporal punishment due to that sin.
4.
Binding Words:
Recall
how you may have said binding words (promises/oaths) over yourself while in a
previous relationship: “I will never love
anybody except you.” “If I cannot have you I will never ever be happy!” “If I
can’t have you no one else will!” These words will block you from finding
your God-intended spouse, keep you bound, and unable to move forward with your
life and getting healed.
5.
Occult:
Is
a huge area see (Deut. 18: 9-14). Witchcraft, consulting, prophets, putting
your trust in men, brings a curse on you (Jer. 17:5). Keeping muthi in your
home or on your person. The occult completely demonizes us.
6.
Satanism:
Freemasonry,
kereke ea sephiri. The bondage of
these sins is finally broken when we repent of them and also fully revealing the nature of the
contracts involved.
7.
Cursing:
When
cursed did you retaliate with a curse? Have I ever cursed anybody? My parents?
Has a person with spiritual authority cursed me? Have I cursed myself?
8.
Unforgiveness:
Do I
refuse to forgive? Do I hold hatred and unforgiveness? This major blockage is
one that Jesus particularly singled out.
9. Stealing:
Have I made restitution (returned) for things
I have stolen? (Ex.22).
10. The big 5:
Hatred, unforgiveness, cursing, witchcraft
and unconfessed sin.
Some
Sins need particular Cleansing
While
all sin needs to be cleansed (1 Jn. 1:8) and washed clean in the Blood of the
Lamb (Rev. 22:14), some sins stand in
particular need of cleansing.
Sexual
sin: After
his adultery with Bathsheba, David wrote:
“O wash me more and
more from my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin” (Psalm
51:4)
“O purify then I
shall be clean;
O wash me, I shall be whiter than snow”
(Psalm 51:9)
Sexual
abuse and incest: Can devastate the soul: Better a
millstone... (cf. Mt. 18:6)
Unforgiveness:
Jesus
especially singled this one out for special mention after teaching us the Our
Father (Mat. 6:12); unforgiveness is completely unacceptable to the Heavenly
Father. (Mat. 18.1f)
Tongue:
Sins
of the tongue. Isaiah says that he is a
man of unclean lips and dwells among people of unclean lips. The seraph had
to cleanse his lips with a live charcoal.
St.
Faustina teaches that some souls are in hell because of their tongue: “A talkative soul is empty inside. It lacks
both the essential virtues and intimacy with God. A deeper interior life, one
of gentle peace and of that silence where the Lord dwells, is quite out of the
question. A soul that has never tasted the sweetness of inner silence is a
restless spirit which disturbs the silence of others. I have seen many souls in the depths of hell for not having kept their
silence; they told me so themselves when I asked them what was the cause of
their undoing. These were souls of religious. My God, what an agony it is to
think that not only might they have been in heaven, but they might even have
become saints! O Jesus, have mercy! (#118).
I do not trust my
tongue... when I receive Jesus in Holy Communion, I ask Him fervently to deign
to heal my tongue so that I would offend neither God nor neighbour by it.” (#92).
********************
The
Occult Needs Special Cleansing
Because
the occult (witchcraft, consulting, spells, satanism) completely demonizes,
damages and dirties us (Lev. 19:31), we need to treat of it thoroughly, how to
pull out its roots: If you are seeking deliverance then pay particular
attention to the following bondages, for they may have legal rights over
you:
·
Spiritual
consequences of following Balaam: Understand that there are spiritual
consequences for you for having followed witchcraft, consulted mediums and
trusted in the powers of men. The Bible describes this as following the path of Balaam.
·
Witchcraft is deeply offensive to God:
(Deut. 18:9-14) and how it makes you dirty (Lev. 19:31). Sincerely repent of
this. Break finally with witchcraft (Isa. 30:21-23).
·
Consulting spirit mediums opens
spiritual Doors: With
each consultation, you will have opened more and more spiritual doors. These doors don’t close by themselves. We have to
identify the spiritual doors that you opened and now close them finally (Rev.
3:8).
·
You have given satan Power and Legal
rights over you: Understand that in following witchcraft, you
have given satan power over you and also give him definite legal rights over
your life to hold, bind and block you. This is how he steals from you (Jn.
10:10).
·
Repent and get cleansed: Learn how to repent of sin
and get cleansed from all unrighteousness (1 Jn. 1:8).
·
You drive God’s blessing away: By
following witchcraft (the Path of Balaam),
you drive God’s blessing away. Understand how witchcraft and cursing begin to
erode all your blessings.
·
When your words Bind: You
may have forgotten that you have pronounced binding oaths over your own life, and
maybe over others.
·
Ungodly soul-ties:
Learn about ungodly soul-ties that need to be broken.
·
Curses:
Find out about any curses over your life, identify them and have them broken.
Understand that if somebody cursed you and then you retaliated with a curse of
your own, you will only have made matters worse. Learn the steps you need to
take, according to Jesus’ teaching to get out of this.
·
Do not return Curses: If you want to be delivered
from the cursing of your enemy, but you in turn retaliate with cursing of your
own, it won’t work. Jesus teaches us how a curse is broken, which you need to
learn and carry out.
Two
minds and two feet:
Suppose you want to get
delivered from witchcraft, but you are currently using it at home believing
that it can help you, then you are like the man described in the letter of
James, between two minds.
The
teaching and advice given here is thoroughly based on Scripture. When you truly
follow Jesus, He and His teaching will set you free. If you think you are
clever by combining a bit of Jesus and a bit of muthi and moprofeta, then understand that three
things will happen to you.
1. You
will fall foul of Scripture: “That sort
of person, in two minds, wavering between going different ways, must not
expect that the Lord will give him anything” (James 1:8). James says
bluntly that God simply will not help you. You have one foot with God and the
other foot with the devil. This means that you don’t trust fully in Jesus. The
deliverance prayer won’t work.
Using
witchcraft to sort out your problems is deeply offensive to God and is
condemned in the strongest language, many times, in Scripture: “For the man who does these things is an
abomination to the Lord” (Deut. 18:9-14).
2. If
you use muthi, then instead of getting God’s help and blessing, you are only
driving it away. God will never share His
glory with an idol (Isa. 42:8; 48:5). You must understand that witchcraft
is a primary work of the flesh, and is directly opposed to the spirit.
3. By
consulting mediums, you bring a curse upon yourself and drive away God’s
blessing. Isn’t that a bit harsh? It is the teaching of Scripture (Jer. 17:5).
In order to get
delivered, I have to...
Renounce
every item of witchcraft:
Take
it out and burn it, like the Christians of Ephesus (Acts 19).
As
you break with it say: “Good riddance!”
(Isa. 30:23).
Turn
away from the Big 5: Hatred, Unforgiveness, Cursing, Witchcraft and Unconfessed
sin.
Satanism
and All occult Associations/covens: Here one can only be
cleansed if one completely discloses the nature of the contract made:
The number of contracts made and what precisely you agreed to; then to completely repudiate the
contract(s) and renounce the gifts satan gave to you. Only then can you be
cleansed.
********************
Remote Preparation
for your Deliverance
When
Jesus stepped ashore He saw a great crowd waiting for Him. They all looked so ‘harassed and dejected’ like sheep
without a shepherd.
Maybe
you also feel ‘harassed and dejected’ tired broken and weary with all the battles
and hardships in your life. All you want is to get the devil off your back.
That’s exactly what we want also. But often the devil ties you so “tightly" (Heb. 12:1), that you
need to be unbound (delivered). You may have also contributed to your own
binding by practicing the occult: witchcraft, satanic rituals, reiki, yoga and
cursing.
We unbind you in the following ways:
·
By repenting and making a thorough confession
of sin (Acts 2:37,38).
·
Breaking all agreements with satan (explained
later).
·
Giving up your old way of life (Acts 14:15;
Eph. 4:22; 1 Pet 1:18)
·
Turning to God for new life (Acts 16:30).
Five tactics the devil uses to prevent
deliverance:
These are five strategies which the
devil uses to stop people from getting delivered.
1.
Discouragement : We
have noticed that when people who have so long been in bondage or the occult
(Acts 8:11, 14:15; 1 Cor. 12:2; 1 Pet. 1:18), finally come to Jesus, they
suddenly become discouraged, tired and want to give up. The reason for this is spiritual. People have “worn themselves out” (Isa. 47:12,15)
consulting mediums and following the path
of Balaam (2 Pet. 2:15). And now, when at last they come to Jesus for life,
the devil acts directly on their mind to discourage them, making them feel like
the process is going to be too hard, full of hassles and many obstacles. This
makes them want to give up even before they start.
Counter
it: You
need courage (a gift of the Holy
Spirit) to counter discouragement. Be determined like the Prodigal Son to make
up your mind: “I will leave this place (of
sin and misery) and return to my Father.” Ask the Holy Spirit for this
courage to counter discouragement and move out of fear and choose the freedom
of the children of God.
2.
Impatience: Alternative common tactic of the devil is to
make the candidate feel impatient
with deliverance. Again acting on the person’s mind, the demon tells him: “Oh, this deliverance business is too long,
too hard and is full of hassles.” If the person listens to this lie, it
will incite him to become hyper impatient.
Counter
it: Remember Jesus’ words: “Do not let your hearts be troubled, trust in God still and trust in
me!” (Jn. 14:1).
The
one who perseveres to the end will be saved.
We
have to pass through many hardships before we enter life (Acts 14:22).
I
wait on the Lord.
3.
Spiritual Blindness: The god of this world (satan) wants to
keep you in darkness and bondage. He does this by means of putting a veil over
your mind to prevent you from seeing the brightness and freedom which Jesus
offers you. This is called spiritual blindness.
‘If our Gospel does
not penetrate the veil, then the veil is on those who are not on the way to
salvation; the unbelievers whose minds the god of this world has blinded to stop
them seeing the light shed by the Good News of the glory of Christ...’ (2
Cor. 4:3,4)
Counter
it: St. Francis of Assisi kept repeating this prayer: “Enlighten the darkness of my mind.”
4.
Little Understanding: If you don’t really understand what is
happening to you, you may just throw in the towel or walk off. By so doing, the
devil will succeed in stealing from you. It is another way in which he
successfully prevents you from getting free. I’ve heard a number of people say:
“This is not for me!” and leave.
“When anyone who
hears the Word of God without understanding, the evil one comes and
carries off what was sown in his heart” (Mat. 13:19).
The
Word also describes such people as being “between
two minds” or worse, unwilling to give up a life of sin. They are not able
to commit. (See James 1:8; and especially Rev. 9:20,21).
Counter
it: If you feel like walking away without completing your
deliverance, then ask yourself honestly: If you do not let Jesus set you free,
then who is going to deliver you from
this body of death? How are you going to get the devil out of your life? Are
you just going to close your eyes and leave him there to rule you? Maybe you
have compromised: “Better the devil I
know...”
5.
Botched deliverance before: Another reason why you are tired and fed up is
because you were not properly delivered in past attempts. Worse still, you
allowed someone who promised deliverance but through funny methods, only made matters worse. You should never allow any
Tom, Dick or Harry pray over you, not even when they claim the Holy Spirit told
them to do so. One of the things to watch for is an incomplete or partial
deliverance. You may feel a little better, but you need to be fully delivered,
otherwise this can leave you open to be demonized even worse than before (Mat.
12:45 “When an unclean spirit goes out a man it wanders through waterless
country looking for a place to rest, and cannot find one. Then it says ‘I will
return to the home I came from’. But on arrival, finding it unoccupied, swept
and tidied, it then goes off and collets seven other spirits more evil than
itself, and they go in and set up house there, so that the man ends up worse
than he was before”.
********************
Inventory
for Deliverance - By Fr. Joe Wilson MSC
Before
you can be delivered, we cannot stress how important it is for you to break
with witchcraft, the devil and the cursed life. The best place to break with
satan in the sacrament of confession before a priest. There you meet with the
forgiving, freeing and merciful Christ. In order to break completely free from
satan’s bondage, you have to be very honest and reveal exactly the nature of
your serious sins, occult sins and what you agreed to. If you don’t do this, we
can’t deliver you.
Q. Why do I need to reveal the number of
times I have gone to sangomas / brujias and spirit mediums?
A. The
reason is given in Revelation 12:10. It is because the devil accuses us of our
sins, day and night, before our God. The best way to shut him up is by making a
thorough confession, then he cannot accuse us.
If
you do not reveal to us what you have agreed to (in the occult), we cannot pull
out (deliver) you from the grip of the devil. Remember the words of Jesus: “The truth will set you free!” Without
repenting of and revealing what you agreed to, the devil will be able to hold
onto you. He will still have the right
to hold you in bondage, since you have not formally renounced him or confessed
your sins nor told him that you no longer want him. The best place to do this
is in confession.
“I renounce you
satan, and will no longer follow you in sin, witchcraft, satanism, hatred or
cursing. I now put off the works of darkness and will no longer make any
provision for the flesh. I give up all my rebellion and ask to be set free from
the slavery of sin. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I will now confess my
sins honestly and humbly, and ask You, Jesus to set me free from the power of
satan and his demons over my life. I repent with my whole heart of the occult
and confess fully the precise nature of each agreement I made with satan. I
renounce all his gifts, bling, prosperity or fame I have received from him. I
now repent of and bless each and every person that I have ever cursed, no
matter how long ago it happened; I take each curse back and replace it with a
blessing. I now give my life fully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and come under
the obedience of faith.” (cf Rom. 1:5;
16:26).
Have you confessed...
The
number of spirit mediums you consulted.
The
number of consultations.
Cutting
of your body.
Did
you seek work through a medium?
Did
you seek marriage through a medium?
Do
you still have muthi, bands, cords, iziphandla on your body? At home, or in
your car or office?
Did
the medium bury muthi in your garden or house?
Are
you prepared to remove it all and burn it? (Acts 19)
Have
you encouraged other people to use the services of a sangoma?
Have
you submitted to prophets?
Have
you attended kereke ea sephiri?
Did
you consecrate children through a medium?
Cursing:
Have
you cursed anybody?
When
they sent you muthi, did you send it back?
Confess
the nature of the curse: Did you wish death, accidents, break up of marriage,
sickness?
Are you prepared to”
Repent
of cursing.
Take
back the curse.
Replace
it with a blessing.
What agreements /
contracts have you agreed to:
Agreement
with spirits.
How
many contracts? The number of contracts.
What
did you agree to?
Have
you ever shed blood?
Have
you ever drunk blood?
Have
you had animal blood poured over you?
Desecrations:
Have
you desecrated the Blessed Sacrament?
Desecrated
the Bible?
Desecrated
the Crucifix?
Desecrated
the Church?
Stolen
from the Church?
Parents:
Did
your parents ever curse you? An uncle, aunt or sibling?
Bound
you so that you could never get married?
Cursed
your marriage or your daughter in law?
Daughter
in law curse mother in law?
Have
you ever cursed your parents?
Raised
your hand to your father or mother?
Curse yourself?
Speak
words of death over yourself or your family?
Why Witchcraft
is so Destructive
by Fr. Joe Wilson MSC
Witchcraft
leaves you feeling dirty, guilty and far from God
Come
back to Him today.
Take the advice given in the Bible and
leave all
witchcraft behind. You will feel much
happier and then
you can experience the joy and freedom of the
children of God.
Scripture
condemns witchcraft in the strongest possible terms – calling it an “abomination” (Deut. 18:14). By using
the strongest word possible in the
English language, ‘abomination’, the
Bible is trying to show us just how ‘utterly
repulsive’ and ‘hateful’
witchcraft is in the sight of God. This is because it brings a person into the
territory of satan and chains him under his power and his darkness.
Every
form of the occult and witchcraft is condemned
in Scripture (Deut. 18:9-14). Not a single verse of the Bible compliments
witchcraft. There is no such thing as white or good witchcraft – another big
lie of satan.
Witchcraft
is very tempting especially when we need to get out of a bad situation – fast!
We may think: “Look I am not using
witchcraft to harm anybody! I just need to get out of this hole right now! God
helps those who help themselves... and it might just work! ...and if it doesn’t
work, well, no harm done!”
Wrong!
Plenty of harm done!
If you practice witchcraft
you will incur the following serious damage to your soul.
·
You break the first Commandment – Exodus
20:3.
·
You follow the Path of Balaam, [an occult path of sin] – 2 Peter 15.
·
Your heart turns from the Lord – Jeremiah 17:5.
·
God sees the
activity of witchcraft as an abomination – Deuteronomy 18:9,12.
·
God sees the
person who practices witchcraft also as an abomination – Deuteronomy 18:12
·
You defile yourself – Leviticus 19:31
·
You prostitute yourself – Leviticus 20:6
·
You become darkness – Ephesians 5:8
·
You fall prey to deceiving and lying spirits
– 1 Timothy 4:1; Acts 8:10
·
You come into satan’s territory – Colossians
1:13
·
You come under satan’s power – Acts 8:11;
Acts 10:38; 1 John 5:19
·
You are seduced by its power – Acts 8:19
·
You give satan a certain ‘legal right’ over you – Acts 8:21
·
The witchcraft leads you into wickedness –
Acts 8:22
·
Witchcraft can make ungodly money for you –
Numbers 22:7,17,37; Acts 16:16
·
Witchcraft traps and chains you – Acts 8:23
·
Witchcraft blocks the working of the Holy
Spirit
·
By following it, you risk losing heaven –
Revelation 22:15
·
Those who practice witchcraft themselves
become very vulnerable when targeted by the witchcraft of others.
Learn
just how much damage witchcraft actually does to you. By the way, that saying, “God helps those who help themselves:,
is nowhere to be found in the Bible!
When
we put our trust in the power of men and their witchcraft we break the first
Commandment – which is always seriously sinful. Jeremiah 17:5 teaches that when
we trust men and their occult practices, our hearts will automatically turn away from God- which amounts to sin. This makes
witchcraft one of the ‘works of the
flesh’ (Gal. 5:20; Rev. 21:8). The problem is that most South Africans – of
all races – actually see nothing wrong with using witchcraft in a crisis; they
certainly don’t see it as very sinful. In fact, 7 out of 10 South Africans
automatically turn to it, as to a friend, in times of crisis.
Take
this warning seriously: When you choose witchcraft to get you out of a tight
corner, then know you have just forfeited any help you may have expected from
God. God will never play second fiddle to human or occult powers (Isa.
44:25-26; 47:8-15). God will simply refuse to help you, until you take that
abomination out of His sight. Learn that God views witchcraft as in the same
category as idolatry (Deut. 17:3), and carries terrible consequences for us
humans (Wis. 14:25-26).
Here
are Moses’ final warnings to the children of God shortly before they enter the
Promised Land:
You must be entirely
faithful to Yahweh your God.
For these nations
whom you are dispossessing may listen to soothsayers and
diviners, but this is
not the gift that Yahweh your God
gives to you. (Deut. 18:14 Jerusalem Bible)
We
South Africans however, reject that teaching, because we love listening to ‘soothsayers and diviners’, which are
our izangoma, prophets and spirit
mediums. Our streets are littered with leaflets advertising their tainted
services, promising to “bring back your
long lost lovers in just 40 minutes... extend your manhood... and win your
court case!” Witchcraft is one of the greatest spiritual deceptions of
satan.
Constant
experience shows that while witchcraft promises to help, in the long run, it
actually serves only to make things worse. While it promises a quick solution, its stench and darkness
(Lev. 19:31) will follow you and your family for a very long time afterwards.
Spiritual short cuts always prove to
be very long and expensive. Read and study 2 Peter 2:12-22.
Double protection
doesn’t work!
If
you have umuhti (i.e. spiritually
tainted medicine given to you by a
medium as a remedy for your problem) at home or if you are wearing it on your
body to protect you (Baruch 6:41), then do yourself a favour – burn it! (Acts
19:18-19). Some people foolishly believe that if they can get protection of God
on the one hand, and the protection of witchcraft muthi on the other, then they will be doubly
protected. This doesn’t work, because God has declared that He will not share His glory with an idol (Isa.
48:5, 11: Isa. 42:8 and Cor. 10:21).
The
reality is that if you mix them, you will end up only with the protection
afforded by your medium – which will wear off in less than a week. The person
who has one foot with God and the other with the devil “must not expect that the Lord will give him anything” (James 1:8
and Cor. 8:7).
Since
God is our loving Father, He will take care of all our needs. We don’t need to
trust in witchcraft for our protection or to get blessings in life.
Learn
that all blessings and good come from God alone. The devil can give you nothing
but misery. Yes, he can give you wealth, but he is one big LIAR and THIEF. What
he gives you have to pay back 100 times over. He is the worst of all amaSonisi.
Prayer for the
Protection from Evil
Lord
Jesus, I want to follow your way only in my life, since you are the Way, the
Truth and the Life. Your way is sure and so, trusting in your loving will, I
now place all my trust in You.
Please
protect me from the wickedness of my enemies who want to destroy me. I promise
pray for them and bless them. May You bless me. Take all my fear away,
believing that when I entrust my cause to You, no sword forged against me will
prosper. O Lord be my security. Hide me in the shelter of your wings till the
storms of destruction pass by. Jesus I trust in You. Amen
Did I Open a Door?
Most
of us come upon witchcraft very innocently. We might have been drawn to it
simply out of curiosity or even boredom. As school children, we may have played
glassy-glassy or had a tarot reading
or been brought to a sangoma. As
teenagers we may have spent hours listening to alternative music and worn the black insignia.
We
may be drawn to it by its many false and empty promises, seduced by promises of
its hidden power. It may have been in a moment of vulnerability that an inner
voice suggested we try it for ourselves.
Youth are caught up
in the heady clamour of heavy metal and death rock. But that is its whole
purpose to attract, enthral and ensnare. Such music enters directly,
uncensored, into the very soul. There unhindered, it serves the purpose of its
master, satan.
Kinds of Doors
Unclean
spirits (evil spirits) have several
ways (doors) of entering into our
hearts, minds and bodies.
They
can enter through food, into which malicious spirits have been invoked (called sejeso in South Africa). An enemy puts something in our food that makes us
sick, depressed, breathless, fearful. This releases the power of a curse within
us.
Cursing
can affect our health, wealth and relationships. It can even affect practicing
and loyal Christians.
There
are other doors through which evil spirits can enter – such as drugs,
pornography, addictions, trauma, an unwillingness to forgive, hatred.
Such
spirits will not leave when you ask them. Once in, they make their home in the
person, usually hidden. There is scriptural evidence of this: Mathew 12:43f.
They usually have to driven out through a prayer called deliverance in the name
of Jesus. In the Gospel of Mark 1:23-27, we learn of a man who had an evil
spirit and was totally unaware of it. The man was actually praying in the
synagogue (Jewish Church), and when
Jesus walked in, the unclean spirit inside him became terribly frightened and
began screaming (using the man’s voice).
In their synagogue
just then there was a man afflicted by an evil spirit, and it shouted, ‘what do
you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who
you are: the Holy one of God’. But Jesus said sharply, ‘Be quiet! Come out of
him.’ And the unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions and with a loud cry
went out of him. The people were so astonished that they started asking each
other what it all meant, ‘here is a teaching that is new’ they said, ‘and with
authority behind it: He gives order even to unclean spirits and they obey Him!
Get Yourself Tested
The
Bible tells us to test every spirit (1 John 4 4:1). There is a simple test you
can perform on yourself to find out what spirit controls you. This trust is
based on the Word of God, Galatians chapter 5.
St.
Paul mentions nine fruits of the Holy Spirit with which we can check our
spiritual health against: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. The occult and
bondage of satan deprives us of all nine fruits. We experience the opposite.
Instead of joy, depression.
The Fruits of
Darkness and the Occult
Am
I more fearful than I was before? Do I have weird and frightening dreams? Do I
feel oppressed, depressed, dejected, empty, hopeless? Do I find it too
difficult to pray and feel a distaste for the things of God? I feel alienated
from God. I have suicidal feelings and sense of foreboding. I feel lost and
confused. Start by making a good and honest confession to a priest.
Prayer for
Deliverance (This prayer follows on from the Prayer
for Inner Healing – see Bulletin of 16th June 2013)
My Lord, you are all
powerful, you are God, you are Father.
We beg you through
the intercession and help of the archangels Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel for
the deliverance of our brothers and sisters who are enslaved by the evil one.
All Saints of Heaven,
come to our aid.
From anxiety, sadness
and obsessions we beg you:
Free us, O Lord.
From hatred,
fornication, envy we beg you:
Free us, O Lord.
From thoughts of
jealousy, rage and death, we beg you:
Free us, O Lord.
From every thought of
suicide and abortion, we beg you:
Free us, O Lord.
From every form of
sinful sexuality, we beg you:
Free us, O Lord.
From every division
in our family, and every harmful friendship, we beg you:
Free us, O Lord.
From every sort of spell,
malefic, witchcraft and every form of the occult, we beg you:
Free us, O Lord.
Lord, you who said,
“I leave you peace, my peace I give you,” grant that, through the intercession
of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may be liberated from every evil spell and enjoy
your peace always.
In the name of Jesus
Christ, our Lord. Amen.
A Personal Prayer (A prayer of unknown source can be used
by a lay person seeking personal protection from evil spirits)
Lord, almighty,
merciful and omnipotent God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, drive out from me all
influence of evil spirits.
Father, in the name
of Jesus Christ, I plead you to break any chain that the devil has on me.
Pour upon me the most
Precious Blood of your Son.
May His redeeming
blood break all bonds of my body or mind.
I ask you this
through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Archangel St.
Michael, intercede and come to my help.
In the name of Jesus
I command all demons that could have any influence over me to leave me forever.
By his scourging, his
crown of thorns, his cross, by his blood and resurrection, I command all evil
spirits to leave me.
By the true God, by
the Holy God who can do all, in the name of Jesus, my Saviour and Lord, leave
me. Amen
THE
BIG FIVE
By Fr. Joe Wilson MSC
When
your Spirit is Heavy
We
thank you for coming to the healing Mass. As the prayer team has prayed over
you, we find that there is a certain heaviness around you and perhaps even in
you. The Lord wants this attended to. We would ask you to make consider making
a good and honest confession of your sins to the priest.
Confession of Sin is
Biblical
In
case you have any doubts or misgivings, you must know that confession is
biblical. In the evening of the very day He rose from the dead, (‘the first day
of the week’, i.e. Sunday), Jesus appeared to the Apostles in the Upper Room
and greeted them with peace. Then, He breathed on them and said:
“Receive
the Holy Spirit, whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven...” John 20:22
In
James 5:16, the Scripture clearly tells us ‘to
confess our sins to one another’. It is clear from the context of James
that healing and the confession of sin is in the presence of the elders
(‘episcopos’ Greek word for ‘elder’) of the church. Episcopos are
the forerunners of bishops.
Now
read the text of James 5:13-17:
.......if one of you
is ill, he should send for the elders of the church, and they must
anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord and pray over him. The
prayer of faith will save the sick man and the Lord will raise him up again;
and if he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven. So confess your sins
to one another, and pray for one another, and this will cure you; the
heartfelt prayer of a good man works very powerfully.
Note in what Way the
Healing Comes
People
are to pray (mentioned 4 times) for
the sick person and confession of sin is integral. Confession of sin removes
blockages and softens the heart to God’s healing love.
Heaviness
in a person is caused mainly by the following:
Somebody
may have cursed you and therefore ‘put something on you’ to block you. That
‘something’ is often an unclean spirit which is intended to block you, make you
sick, or block your prosperity.
The
Big 5
Apart
from cursing above, a person’s spirit may also be heavy due to one of the
following. We like to call them The Big 5.
1. Unconfessed Sin
As
mentioned above, confession of sins is very important in breaking the chains of
satan and unbinding our hearts. If we refuse to confess, our hearts will
generally remain as hard as rocks, and therefore the prayer we make over you
will not penetrate.
Please
confess honestly all serious sin, for example: adultery,
abortion, murder, rape, sexual abuse, stealing, dishonouring parents, lying
that destroys another man’s life. Make a good examination of your conscience
before confessing. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal your sins to you. Begin your confession
with the more serious sins first.
2. Hatred
If
you hate somebody, your spirit will be very heavy. This is satan’s territory.
Reflect and see if there is somebody you hate? That you cannot stand? Prayer
cannot penetrate a heart that holds onto hatred. That applies to all the Big 5.
3. Unforgiveness
To
refuse to forgive someone is a very serious matter and will block our healing.
How often Jesus told us to forgive. If we don’t forgive others, then our
Heavenly Father will not forgive us either. It is the only time in Scripture
that God lays down a condition for forgiveness. It also stands to reason that
He can’t deliver us until we let go of unforgiveness. Read Matthew 18 and see how serious God treats
this matter. Is there somebody that you refuse to forgive?
4.
Witchcraft/Bruxaria
Have
you ever gone to a witchdoctor, sangoma, spirit medium, tarot reader, fortune
teller, bruxa, even twenty years ago, but did not confess it to a priest?
Please
note that you are asked by God to cast off ‘good
luck charms’ of any kind. Dream catchers, Chinese wind-chimes for
prosperity. Amulets, iziphandla, cords, to protect you. All stuff given to you
by bruxaria or witchdoctors: they must all be thrown out and burned.
As
long as you hold any of this stuff, even a small item, God will not help you.
He sees that you are trusting in that rather than in His power (Jer. 17:5-6).
As
long as you trust in any of this stuff, God will refuse to help you. The reason
is: you are not trusting fully in God, but you are putting your trust equally
in other powers.
5. Cursing
This
is where we deliberately call down or wish evil on another person. There are
many types of cursing ranging from: Death curses to cursing that causes people
to get sick, break up their marriages. Cursing is from the devil and God cannot
bless you as long as you hold s curse over somebody else. Please check out
whether you have cursed: business partners, ex-girlfriends, health, wealth,
relationships of other people.
If
you have cursed anybody, you need to do the 3 R’s
Repent
of it: Confess this sin.
Retract it:
Take back the sin.
Replace it:
Replace it with a blessing, so that God can bless you.
APPENDIX 7
This
prayer is based on Ephesians 6:10-18 & St Patrick’s breastplate
FULL
ARMOUR OF GOD
(Fr Joseph Wilson MSC)
How many are my foes, O
Lord
How many are rising up
against me – Ps 3
Let God arise, let his
enemies be scattered,
And let them that hate
him flee before Him - Ps 67:1
I arise today, through a
mighty strength, through the strength of
Christ, and the strength
of heaven. I arise today through God’s
strength to pilot
me – St Patrick
Father,
this day, I choose You and Christ, my light, to protect me. Make me strong in the Lord with the strength
of your mighty power; never trusting my own, and like Joshua, never swerving
from Your law to the left or right (Josh 1:7), but empower me to be strong and
very courageous (Josh 1:6,7,9,18).
For
the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the
pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing
that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity
every thought to the obedience of Christ.
(2
Corinthians 10:4-5, KJV)
For
it is not against flesh and blood that I must contend, but against
Principalities and Powers and against the world Rulers of this present darkness
– the spiritual army of wickedness in the heavenlies.
Therefore,
I now put God’s full armour on (Eph 6:11), that I might be able to resist the
devil’s tactics (Eph 6:11), for we are not ignorant of his schemes (2 Cor
2:11); and stand (Eph 6:11,13,14) in the evil day; and after fighting to
the end, still hold my ground. Though my
soul be cast down within me (Ps 43), I plead the resurrection power of Christ
to stay over me (2 Cor 12:9; Phil 3:10).
And in standing up strong in the faith (1 Pet 5:9), I will make Satan
run from me (James 4:7). What he has
stolen from me, I take back, in the name of Jesus.
So,
I stand my ground with TRUTH buckled
round my waist (Eph 6:14), that I may know your truth, and that it might set me
free (Jn 8:32). Protect me from doubt,
error, rash judgement as well as false speech (Rev 22:15); from deceitful and
cunning men rescue me, O God
(Ps
43:1).
I
put on the breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS (Eph
6:14). Take from me the heart of stone, unbelief and darkness,
give me a heart of flesh instead
(Ezek 36:26). Give me wisdom of heart
(Ps 90:12) and self control, especially over my anger, pride and lust (Gal
5:22)
I
put on the sandals, the readiness to announce the GOSPEL OF PEACE. Along a
safe path (Ps 36:23; Ps 143:10) lead me that I may not stumble (1 Jn 2:10; Ps
36:24) and certainly not fall (Ps 120/121:3) – especially into sin. Protect me from the secret snares laid for me
(Ps 24:15; 63:6; 141:4), and those who triumph if my foot should slip (Ps
38:17). Guide my feet into the road of
peace (Lk 1:79).
At
all times, I carry the shield of FAITH,
for with it I will be able to put out the burning arrows of the evil one. You Lord, are my encircling shield (Ps
3:4). Increase my faith (Lk 17:5) for
without it, I cannot please You (Heb 11:6).
I
accept SALVATION as a helmet. In the battlefield of my mind, protect me
from all confusion, deception, distortion, depression, obsessive thinking and
enslaving compulsions; deliver me from the tempting voices of addictions, and
all strongholds of the mind that pull me down and manipulate me through spells
and korabela.
“And
here is the mind that has wisdom” (Rev 17:9), that I might be as cunning as
serpents, yet as harmless as doves (Mt 10:16).
I thank you Jesus for allowing your head to be crowned with thorns (Mt
27:29) – winning for me the full protection of my mind.
I
take the sword of the Spirit which is the WORD
OF GOD, sharper than any
two-edge sword (Heb 4:12), to deal out vengeance to the demon by speaking your
Word in testimony (Rev 12:11). May I
devour your Word like Jeremiah (Jer 15:16), finding it sweet to my taste (Ezek
3:3), a hidden treasure (Mt 13:44) burning in my heart (Lk 24:32), for by it I
truly live (Lk 4:4); and with it You give me a lamp for my steps, a light for
my path (Ps 119:105). In your light I
see light (Ps 36:10). I thank you for
giving me the wisdom (James 1:5) to obey (Mt 7:24; Mt 21:29) your word, thereby
building my life on the Rock which is Christ (1 Cor 10:4) and not the shifting
sand of strife (Mt 7:25).
Arm
me with the weapons of righteousness
in the left hand and in the right (2 Cor 6:7).
May you, Lord Jesus, be my complete protection (Rom 13:14). I now cast off the works of darkness and put
on the armour of light (Rom 12:12). I
conduct myself becomingly as in the day (Rom 13:13). May I pray at all times, praying in the
Spirit on every possible occasion, never getting tired of staying awake to pray
for all God’s people (Eph 6:18).
I
summon today, all these powers between me and those evils;
Against
every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul;
Against
incantations of false prophets;
Against
black laws of pagandom;
Against
false laws of heretics, against craft of idolatry;
Against
spells of witches and smiths and wizards;
Against
every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul.
Christ
to shield me today against poison, against burning,
Against
drowning, against wounding.
So
that there may come to me abundance of reward – St Patrick
Though
I should walk through the valley of the shadow (Ps 23:4), no evil shall I fear,
for you are there.
Hide
me in the shelter of your wings till the storms of destruction pass by (Ps
57:1).
Conceal
me under your wings where I find refuge (Ps 91:3).
Free
me from the snare of the fowler (Prov 6:5) who seeks to destroy me (Jn 10:10).
In
you, I will not fear the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
the plague that prowls in the darkness, nor the scourge that lays waste at noon
(Ps 91:5-6). Though war break out
against me, even then would I trust, for whom shall I fear? (Ps 27:3).
May
I never give up when trials come (Rom 12:12), for God is faithful, and he will
not let me be tempted beyond my strength, but with the temptation will also
provide the way of escape, that I may be able to endure it. (1 Cor 10:13 – RSV)
In
Christ, I declare that the gates of hell shall not prevail against me (Mt
16:18) and no weapon formed against me shall prosper (Is 54:17).
Father,
I arise today, in the power of your mighty Spirit, which you promised me (Lk
11:13), for it is ‘not by might and not
by power, but by my spirit’ says the Lord (Zech 4:14). Cast from my presence the enemy of my
salvation as by the finger of God (Ex 8:19; Lk 11:20). Sprinkle, Lord Jesus, with your precious
blood, (1 Pet 1:2), my life, my family, my home, my loved ones and all our
possessions. O Blood and Water which gushed
forth from the Heart of Jesus
as a fountain of mercy for us, I trust in You. You are my Shepherd and I shall not want (Ps
23:1).
Thank
you Lord Jesus that you have given me the power to tread underfoot serpents and
scorpions, and the whole strength of the enemy, as well as your promise that
nothing will ever harm me (Lk 10:19 JB).
For the power of the wicked shall be broken (Ps 37:17).
Christ be with me, Christ within
me,
Christ behind me, Christ before
me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win
me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in the hearts of all that
love me,
Christ in the mouth of friend and
stranger - St
Patrick
PRAYER TO BE
PRAYED OVER YOUR CHILD
You are a child of the Most High God,
You have been crowned with God’s glory
and honour.
You can do all things through Jesus
Christ,
There is nothing in your heart that
you cannot accomplish with Jesus Christ.
You are full of potential, you are
overflowing with creativity.
God give you the strength, courage,
ability and confidence to do all your work.
The favour of God surrounds you
wherever you go in the city or in the country.
Whatever you touch is going to prosper
and succeed.
You are blessed, highly favoured,
deeply loved and you cannot be cursed.
That’s who you really are.
You are victorious. You are well able. You are endowed with greatness by God
Himself.
You are anointed, you are approved,
you are equipped.
You have been chosen, set apart
destined to live in victory.
God accepts you, God approves you and
I know God has good things in store for you, my child.
We ask all this in the name of Jesus
Christ of Nazareth, Son of God the Father Almighty.
Amen
APPENDIX 8
WHAT TO DO IF YOU FEEL YOU ARE CURSED.
Fr Joseph Wilson MSC
If you
believe you have been cursed, you will need a prayer of deliverance to set you
free. A curse is like the bite of a snake, it can kill, paralyse or
severely block you. Before praying the prayer of deliverance over you, in
order to derive maximum benefit from the prayer, you need to understand certain
things.
A curse
can affect three areas of your life – your Health, Wealth and
Relationships. If someone hates you badly enough, he will curse all three
areas of your life. This will leave you snared and bound by very strong
spiritual chains. These spiritual chains can only be broken if the Curser
himself withdraws his curse (which is extremely rare) or breaking the curse(s)
by a prayer of deliverance. Jesus can free you:
“Our life
like a bird has escaped from the snares of the fowler. Indeed, the snare
has been broken and we have escaped” Psalm 123/124.
Cursing
is a daily occurrence in South Africa; even Christians can be cursed.
People can curse us just because we get promoted at work, or are succeeding in
life or getting married. South Africa is filled with a jealous spirit.
In order
to really hurt us, people call on the services of professional cursers.
Spirit mediums who curse people professionally are known in the Bible as the
followers of Balaam, who follow the path of Balaam (2 Pet
2:15). There are several kinds of curses: The curse of death,
sickness, accidents, poverty, barrenness, blocking people achieving their full
potential.
Cursing
is always serious and it is condemned both in the Bible and
the Catechism because it effectively calls down evil on
another child of God. Many priests do not believe in cursing, yet Jesus,
St Paul and St Peter all believed that cursing exists; they each give the same
answer in how to overcome a curse. The Bible says two things about
cursing: Never curse; and the way you overcome a curse is by blessing the
one who cursed you. Those who follow the path of Balaam, by consulting
mediums, are taught direct opposite: Return the curse so hard that the
perpetrator will never curse you again. This never works and only serves
to spread darkness and increase fear in our world.
Here are
the following steps you must take if you have been cursed:
1.
Protect Yourself:
The New Testament teaches us that there is a lot of evil out there and the very
first thing to do is to protect ourselves with “God’s armour” Ephesians
6:11. We should ask Jesus to cover us in his precious blood; ask Our Lady
to protect us and St Michael the Archangel to defend us. This is Scriptural
Bible teaching.
Read
Ephesians 6:10-18. You must keep vigilant in prayer, relying only on God.
2.
Bless those who curse you: Now this is the main teaching of Jesus about
cursing. All the other writers of the New Testament (Jesus, Peter, Paul)
teach exactly the same. The answer to a curse is to return a blessing.
“Bless those who curse you” (Lk 6:27). Pray hard for, and bless the very
person who has cursed you, and even wants you dead. Bless him/her.
The more you pray for and bless him/her, the more the curse is weakened.
You become spiritually stronger by doing this. So, start blessing those
who curse you and wish you evil. Read: Luke 6:27; Romans 12:14; 1 Peter
3:9.
As you
continue to pray and bless your enemy, his curse cannot do the damage intended.
3.
No Witchdoctors: Under no circumstances should you (a Christian)
seek out the protection of a spirit-medium (Witchdoctors, izangoma,
brujias, casters of spells etc) of any kind. We put ‘God’s
armour on’, not sangoma’s protection. Portuguese should avoid
‘women who pray’ but also like to add ‘extras’ to their ‘prayers’. This
is expressly forbidden by Scripture. Bible does not allow us to get help
from spirit-mediums, even when it is only for protection; see Jeremiah
17:5. Witchdoctors like to send back evil to its owner, but the Gospel
teaches the opposite: If someone sends you a curse, you send back a
blessing. If you send back a curse, you are only returning evil for evil,
and so increasing darkness and evil in our world. God
cannot bless you if you curse back, since that would mean He is condoning your
evil to fall on one of His (mistaken, yes evil) children. Yes, we are in
a real battle, but fight it God’s way, “resist evil and conquer it with
good” (Rom 12:21)
4.
Get rid of all muthi, potions,
powders, water, protective amulets, iziphandla and protection
given to you by spirit-mediums. God hates this stuff (Leviticus 19:31)
and God will not protect you if you put your trust in these things to protect
you. God will simply step back and hopes that you will see that these
things are not the best protection. We think that it’s okay to use muthi
in cases only where we want it to protect ourselves; we justify it by thinking:
we are not using it to harm other people, only to protect ourselves. Even
there, the Bible never allows it. Nor does the Catechism – even when we
use it for healing. The Bible tells us to put ‘God’s armour on’, not
sangoma’s armour!
No Muthi. Many South Africans repeat
this line as if it is in the Bible: “God helps those who help
themselves”. This proverb appears nowhere in the
Bible.
God, and only God, must be our protection. “Let your armour be
the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 13:14). If you think that be
using muthi in one hand and Jesus in the other, that you are
‘doubly protected’, you are making a very big mistake. God will not
protect you if you use muthi. This is Bible teaching. Scripture
says: “Put God’s full armour on!” – it does not say: “Put Mama Jacki’s armour
on”.
5.
Never return a curse.
You must never send the curse back. As stated in No. 3, witchdoctors like
to do this, but this is not Christian. St Paul and St Peter teach exactly
the same thing:
Jesus: Bless those who curse
you. Pray for those who treat you badly. (Luke 6:27)
Peter: Never pay back one wrong
with another, or an angry word with another one; instead pay back with a
blessing. That is what you are called to do, so that you inherit a
blessing yourself... (You) must never yield to evil, but must practice
good. Because the face of the Lord frowns on evil people, but the eyes of
the Lord are turned towards the
virtuous.
(1 Peter 39-12)
Paul: Bless those who persecute
you: never curse them, bless them... Never repay evil with evil... never try to
get revenge; leave that, my friends, to God’s anger. As Scripture says:
if your enemy is hungry, you should give him food, and if he is thirsty, let
him drink. Thus you heap red-hot coals on his head. Resist evil and
conquer it with good. (Romans 12:14-21)
6.
Big 5: Get rid
of the following Big 5 Evils from your heart: Hatred, Cursing,
Unforgiveness, Witchcraft and Unconfessed Sin.
Get rid
of all anger, grudges, bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness, revenge, fury
that is in your heart against the one who is cursing you. It is possible
to be ‘angry’ without sinning (Eph 4:26), but one must be careful that anger
does not give ‘the devil a foothold’ (Eph 4:27). Of all these, make sure
you forgive those who have cursed you. As you pray for them, it will
become easier to forgive them.
7.
Give us our Daily Bread: If you have not been able to find work, ask God for
your daily bread, to bless your finances and that you do not put your money
into purses riddled with holes (Haggai 1:6). When you look for work, do
not get muthi from sangomas. Trust only in God, and He can then
act. I assure you, those who use muthi will have no advantage over
you. The Rosary is a powerful prayer to find work.
8.
The Priest breaks the curse with a prayer of Deliverance: When all of the above conditions
have been met, when you let go of the help of mediums, let go of hatred from
your heart, when you bless those that curse you, you are now ready for a
deliverance.
Priest’s
blessing: Understand
that God blesses His people through the blessing of a priest. This is
Biblical. He may use the blessing of Aaron in Numbers 6:22-27.
As
Catholics we have many blessed things to help and protect us
spiritually. If you take off your muthi protection,
then substitute the following, called sacramentals of
the Church, which will provide better protection:
Prayer: personal, the Bible as sword; The
Psalms, The Mass, Blessed water, Exorcised Water, Exorcised Salt, Blessed Oil,
Blessed Candles, Blessed Incense, Scapulars, Rosaries, Miraculous Medals, St
Benedict Crucifix and Medals, St Michael the Archangel, who defeated Satan, St
Raphael who defeated Asmodeus, Protection of God’s angels and guardian
angel. Now that’s a lot more than your sangoma can give you.
+++++++++++++++++++++
Signs
that you have been cursed:
Derek
Prince gives 7 signs, or symptoms, of being cursed:
Mental and/or emotional breakdown;
Repeated or chronic sicknesses (especially if hereditary, and especially
without clear medical diagnosis);
Barrenness, a tendency to miscarry, or related female problems;
Breakdown of marriage and family alienation;
Continuing financial insufficiency (especially where income appears
sufficient);
Being “accident-prone”;
A history of suicides and unnatural or untimely deaths.
+++++++++++++++++++++
First, a
caution: We
all have our share of hardships, mishaps, misfortunes, setbacks, accidents,
sickness – this is part of our human condition. Acts 14:22 says: “We
all have to experience many hardships before we enter the kingdom of
God”. Many people don’t even realise they have been
cursed. It may only dawn on them after a prolonged period of
hardship. But when a curse is operating, we are looking at something way
beyond the statistical average. Shakespeare might well have been speaking
about curses when he wrote: “When sorrows come, they come not single
spies, but in battalions”. (Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 5)
The
following areas of your life may come under a curse:
Health:
A
recurring sickness that will simply not heal.
In
hospital more than usual.
Strange
diseases.
Wealth:
No matter
how careful you are with money, there comes large, unplanned-for
expenditure. Unexpected and unplanned outlay of monies. Large
bills; one expense after another. Chronic debt.
Despite
working so hard, your business collapses – again.
When you
enter your business, you feel like turning on your heels and going home.
Since the
break up with your business partner, you never have a day’s luck.
You never
get promoted at work, you are passed over for promotion, even though you are
most loyal.
Newcomers
get a raise in salary, but not you.
You can’t
find a job; spend years trying to get one.
Machines
seem to have hexes over them and break down erratically. When a mechanic
comes he can find nothing wrong.
Your
money runs out as if there were holes in your purse.
The
amount of misfortune is over and above the statistical norm.
You are
not able to take the obvious step.
When
about to be delivered, all kinds of obstacles present themselves.
A key
machine in a business constantly gives problems. Once fixed, other
machines give trouble.
Relationships:
You are
unable to sustain a relationship or get married.
You fight
with your spouse over nothing.
Breakdown
of marriages, ending in divorce.
No-one
wants to marry you, even though you are pretty.
Other:
You feel
your life is utterly blocked and stuck.
Everything
you do is a monumental struggle.
It’s just
one problem after another.
When one
misfortune follows another; barely over one then another arises.
When
about to be delivered, all kinds of obstacles present themselves.
Well
educated, but never reach your potential. Despite degrees, you get
nowhere; feel like your life is a waste.
Addictions:
Want to
give up on life and suicide ideation.
APPENDIX 9
WHY WE DON’T HAVE BLESSING.
WE MAY HAVE GIVEN ENTRY TO EVIL SPIRITS.
(Fr Joseph Wilson MSC)
Here are some of the entry points
(access points) for evil spirits into a person.
Through the Occult: When a person follows
witchcraft – which in the Bible is called the path of Balaam (2
Pet 2:15), by consulting spirit mediums, fortune tellers, diviners, prophets,
soothsayers, necromancers, shamans, brujias – all of which are mentioned as
prohibited in Deuteronomy 18:9-14.
Through Occult games: These supernatural
games snare young people through curiosity: glassy-glassy, Charlie-Charlie,
Ouija boards, certain mirror games.
Through Contracts or agreements
made with the devil or demons: As when people join Satanism, kereke
ea sephiri, freemasonry, certain occult associations. Where one makes
binding oaths of blood or death over one’s own life and the lives of one’s
family to follow certain occult ways of life.
When spirit mediums find jobs and employment for
people (Jer 17:5).
Through Drugs: Where consignments of
drugs are cursed by Shamans, spirit mediums and drug lords, calling down evil
spirits onto the drugs in order to make them immediately and more
addictive. Thus, when a person ingests the drugs, he is also agreeing to
inhale the demon. His addiction becomes binding.
Through Muthi: Undoubtedly the
staple diet of witchcraft, which attempts to affect or control life situations
or people in order to gain favourable outcomes for their clients. Muthi
can be sprinkled as powder where somebody sits, or into food, or on door
handles.
Through Habitual Sin: Fornication,
adultery, pornography, homosexuality, prostitution and orgies.
Through Cursing: By the cursing of
others; By a Professional Curser (such as Balaam and spirit mediums);
By cursing yourself, as, for example, with the Spirit of death; through the
tongue or will; through habitual cursing with one’s tongue (distinguished
swearing, bad language) (James 3).
Through Sejeso: Where people eat
spiritually contaminated food, which soon affects, sickens, binds or kills a
person. Sejeso is the Sotho word for something eaten.
Through Korobela: A spell or
charm to make a person. The word is found in Mnguni and Sotho languages.
Through Militant Atheism: When people
boast of their unbelief and mock Jesus or the Judea-Christian God. By
association with ungodly people, where there is usually a spirit of blasphemy,
mockery, pride, arrogance and license.
Through Doubt: When a person is
unable to, or blocked from submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Through Addictions: Many addictions have
unclean spirits behind them.
Through Certain
Consecrations: When parents consecrate their children to demons,
believing the ritual is okay.
By Ungodly Relationships and Friendships: Where people take
Christians far away from Jesus.
Through Occult Dreams: Dreams of people
trying to sleep with them (succubus/incubus spirits); where someone is
trying to feed you in the dream; or snakes or wild animals chasing you.
Through Satanic Music: Satanic, heavy metal,
death music; also by attending certain satanic rock bands and artists.
Certain markings on your
body: Where one allows certain occult markings of dragons, deities, to be
traced on your body, which is the Temple of the Holy Spirit.
Through the ritual shedding of
Blood: Either human or animal. There is a great possibility that this
blood has been sacrificed to demons. Drinking of ritually shed blood is
immediate entry of demons.
Through uncontrollable anger or rage: Where a spirit
of anger, rage, violence has entered a person.
Through sexual abuse: While sexual abuse is
most tragic and destructive, it also provides an access point for evil spirits
to enter.
Through childhood trauma: This is another
access point for the possible entry of demons.
Through generational
bondage: Where a member of your family tree has called in a spirit of sangoma
into the family, or where an ancestor has cursed his family and children’s
children.
Where one has returned evil for
good: When someone has done good to us, but we return evil to them, then a
curse will never leave your house.
Through certain so-called health
practices, such as yoga and reiki: Where
a person allows certain occult symbols to be drawn over his head and
body. While this gives an initial calm and relaxation, it is occult in
origin. One undergoes certain rituals in order to become a Reiki master.
Through repeatedly calling or chanting
Mantras: It has been found that when certain mantras are given, the recipient is
told not to disclose (occult) the mantra under any circumstances. These
mantras are actually invoking pagan gods or religion. The same goes for
certain prayer practices such as TM.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
sums it up # 2116
All forms of divination are to be rejected:
recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely
supposed to “unveil” the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm
reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and
recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in
the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden
powers. They contradict the honour, respect, and loving fear that we owe
to God alone.
Catechism of the Catholic Church #2117
All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one
attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one’s service and have a
supernatural power over others – even if this were for the sake of restoring their
health – are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion.
These practices are even more to be
condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they
have recourse to the intervention of demons.
Wearing charms is also reprehensible.
Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church, for her
part, warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional
cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation
of another’s credulity.
In order to really hurt, curse and bind us, people
call on the services of professional cursers. Spirit
mediums who curse people professionally are known in the Bible as
following the path of Balaam (2 Pet 2:15). When people
curse us, they call on the malice of the devil and his spiritual army of
wickedness in the heavenlies to attack and hurt God’s children. This is
wickedness.
APPENDIX 10:
HOW TO KEEP YOUR
DELIVERANCE AND MAINTAIN THE CLEARANCE FROM DEMONS.
DELIVERANCE IS
A PROCESS, NOT AN EVENT By a Pastor
Jesus said:
“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, it
wanders through waterless country looking for a place to rest, and cannot find
one. Then it says, ‘I will return to the home I came from’. But on
arrival, finding it unoccupied, swept and tidied, it then goes off and collects
seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and set up house
there, so that the man ends up by being worse than he was before”. (Matthew
12:43-45)
Comment:
This parable is applicable to all those who hear
the Word of God, and are in part reformed, but not truly converted. The
unclean spirit leaves for a time, but when he returns he finds the house
unoccupied, as Christ is not there to shut him out. So seven other
spirits, more evil than himself, occupy the vacant place, and the last state of
that man is worse than the first!
In deliverance, it is important to remember that a
few significant changes does not mean that you are totally delivered.
Many people fall into this error and that is why “so-called” deliverance will
only last a few weeks or months.
LIVING A NEW LIFE:
“Don’t watch the calendar to see how good you are
doing. Your focus should not be on how fast or slow changes occur in your
life. Your focus should be on living a new life, for the rest
of your life – whether it takes six months for complete
deliverance to occur, or six years. Something else you must know is that
deliverance is not a ‘once and for all deal’. Once you accomplish
deliverance in your life, you have to maintain it; you have to keep walking in
victory every day”. The Bible tells us that we will be transformed if we
renew our minds (Rom. 12:2). You have to put the right things into
your mind and keep the wrong things out. You cannot watch nasty movies,
listen to nasty songs, read nasty books, hang around nasty people, wear nasty
clothes and expect to have clean thoughts. For 'nasty' read 'sexy'.
(Laneen Haniah, STD’s : Sexually Transmitted
Demons, 2013. pp. 79/80)
“DELIVERANCE IS A PROCESS, NOT AN
EVENT”:
So, for the process to be successful, we need to
be committed to seeing the process through until we are
victoriously free. Need to be focussed not
frivolous or half-hearted, and put effort and energy into
the process. If you have been molested or raped, it was not your fault;
so don’t let tragedy define who you are. Beware of the victim mentality
that is self-defeating.
Jesus said that “the violent are taking the Kingdom
of God by force” (Matthew 11:12). Pope Pius XII, commenting on this
verse, says “we are all called to a life of Christian virtue. Now virtue
demands courage and, from us daily, assiduous unremitting effort to our very
last breath”. But the great and wonderful news is that the Holy Spirit
comes to help us in our weakness again and again all through life. (cf.
Rom. 8:26)
When we are weak then we are strong. (cf. 2 Cor.
12:9) God helps those who help themselves and does it with prodigal
generosity!
We need to be faithful to:
1. Prayer, e.g. Rosary.
2. Reading the Scriptures daily.
3. The Sacraments, especially
Confession and the Eucharist.
4. Keeping the Commandments,
especially No. 3: “Keep the Lord’s day holy”.
5. Crosses or crucifixes in
every room, if possible, as Satan cannot stand
the sight of these. Also icons of the Lord or his mother, Mary, or of
great exorcists like Padre Pio.
6. “Go on being filled with the
Holy Spirit” (Eph. 5:18) – daily!
7. Dress modestly, not
provocatively (1 Tim. 2:9).
SACRAMENTS:
“The sacraments are the best defences we have
against demons. Baptism is the first sacrament that we receive, and is
the door to receiving the other sacraments of the Church. The sacrament
of baptism wipes away original sin, makes us children of God and temples of the
Holy Spirit, and brings us into the Church. Baptism also is a protection
against the influence of demons.
Eucharist:
All the sacraments are powerful, but the sacraments
of Holy Communion (Eucharist) and confession (the sacrament of reconciliation)
are the ones that we can receive frequently. In the Eucharist, we receive
the true body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ. Furthermore, we
experience union with Christ and growth in his love as a special sacramental
grace. Given that the demons are separated from God forever, are
incapable of love, and are filled with hatred of God and all his creatures, it
is no wonder that the love of Christ we receive in the Eucharist is so powerful
against their work. As St. Thomas Aquinas wrote, “It repels all the
assaults of demons.... Like lions breathing forth fire, thus do we depart
from that table, being made terrible to the devil”.
Confession:
There are several reasons why the sacrament of
confession is also a powerful weapon against demonic attacks. First, it
is a sacrament, and the sacraments are the most powerful channels for receiving
grace, i.e. the life of Christ. Second, confession is the ordinary means
by which mortal sin – a door for demonic assault – is forgiven. It also
gives us the grace to resist committing those sins again. Finally,
confession involves recognizing that God is the supreme lawgiver; admitting
that we have disobeyed his laws, and being forgiven by him. These are
experiences that the demons cannot and will not ever have. They refuse to
recognize God’s authority, and cannot admit that they are wrong. They
will never experience the wonder of being forgiven, and hate the fact that we
can.
(Fr. Mike Driscoll, Demons, Deliverance and
Discernment, Catholic Answers Press, 2015, pp. 148/9)
See John 20:22/23 re forgiveness of sins.
HOW THE EUCHARIST HELPS YOU MAINTAIN
CLEARANCE:
The Mass is the greatest prayer of the
Church. It consists of two parts:-
a. Liturgy of the Word
b. Liturgy of the Eucharist
So in the Mass there are three important elements
to maintaining clearance: prayer, Scriptures and Holy Communion.
ELEMENTS OF THE MASS:
First, when you enter the Church, you bless
yourself with holy water, making the Sign of the Cross. The water is to
remind us of our baptism into Jesus Christ when we were made children of God,
and God’s property, not Satan’s. Of course, Satan can still tempt us with
feelings of condemnation, so we need to remind him that we don’t belong to him
anymore, but to God. Then he will flee.
The Sign of the Cross:
Making the Sign of the Cross is very
ancient. Tertullian (160-225 A.D.) said: “At
every forward step and movement, at every going in and out, when we put on our clothes
and shoes, when we bathe, or sit at table, or light the lamps, lie in bed or
sit down, and in all the ordinary actions of daily life, we trace upon the
forehead, the sign of the cross.”
St. Cyril of Jerusalem (315-386 A.D.) said:
“Let us not be ashamed of the Cross of Christ, but though another hide it, you
should openly seal it upon your forehead, that the devils may behold the royal
sign, and flee trembling far away. Make then this sign at eating and
drinking, at sitting and lying down, at waking up, at speaking, at walking: in
a word, at every act.”
Confiteor:
We begin the Mass with the Sign of the Cross, and
then examine our conscience, which is very important, as lack of forgiveness is
one of the greatest obstacles to the grace of the Holy Spirit, and is very
common. In the longest discourse by St. Paul on the Eucharist, he says we
are to examine ourselves very carefully before receiving Holy Communion,
otherwise we are eating and drinking our own condemnation and “that is
why many of you are weak, or sick, and some of you have
died”. (1 Cor. 11:30)
Since we have begun in the names of the Father, Son
and Holy Spirit, the latter will gently convict us of
sins so that we can confess them when next we go to Confession.
Satan condemns us and makes us feel ashamed, guilty and
hopeless, whereas the Holy Spirit gently leads us to repentance.
Gloria:
Next we sing the Gloria, a hymn of praise, and the
demons wince as they cannot stand praise!
Word of God:
Then we listen to the Scriptures. Jesus said
we live “by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
God guarantees us victory over the devil when our lives are directed and
controlled by His Word. We are to “be doers of the Word and not hearers
only” (James 1:22). The Scriptures tell us that “the devil prowls around
like a roaring lion looking for someone to eat” (1 Pet. 5:8), but we are to
“stand up to him, strong in faith” and “faith comes from hearing the Word”
(Romans 10:17). Hence the importance of listening carefully, and hearing
the Word of God at Mass, to build up our faith and give us strength to repel
the devil.
B.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST:
The Our Father:
We all pray this prayer at Mass to our Father in
Heaven. In the original Greek, in which the Gospels were written, the
last line of the Our Father is “Do not put us to the test, but save us from the
evil one” (that is the devil). Not impersonal evil, but a real and
evil person - Satan. In John Chapter 6, the longest discourse by Jesus on the
Eucharist, the Lord says: “As I who am sent by the living Father, myself draw
life from the Father, so whoever eats me will draw life from me”
(v. 57)
When we receive the Eucharist with a pure heart, we
receive the very life of God into our hearts. This is why St. John Bosco
could say that the demon cannot coexist in the same body with the Body of
Christ, and has to get out!
“The Eucharist repels all the assaults of
demons.... Like lions breathing forth fire, thus do we depart from that
table [of the Eucharist] made terrible to the devil”. (St. Thomas
Aquinas).
“Put on the whole armour of God that you may be
able to stand against the tricks of the Devil.... for our battle is not against
flesh and blood [people], but against... the spiritual forces of evil”
(Eph. 6:11-12). “To put on the armour of God is to put on the Lord Jesus
Christ. Called truth and righteousness, our Saviour is our belt and our
breastplate. Called the Living Word of God, he is the sword who is sharp
on both sides” (St. Jerome).
RESOURCES:
Cautionary websites to look at:
1. Google : sine-glossa.blogspot.com (Article
on Demons)
2. http: drintimacy.wordpress.com
(Scroll down to Incubus blog)
APPENDIX 11.
PERMANENT CLEARANCE FROM DEMONS By a Pastor
Jesus said: “When an unclean spirit goes out of a
man, it wanders through waterless country looking for a place to rest, and
cannot find one. Then it says, ‘I will return to the home I came from’. But on
arrival, finding it unoccupied, swept and tidied, it then goes off and collects
seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and set up house
there, so that the last state of that man becomes worse than the first”
(Matthew 12:43-45)
Comment
This parable is applicable to all those who hear
the Word of God, and are in part reformed, but not truly converted. The unclean
spirit leaves for a time, but when he returns he finds the house unoccupied, as
Christ is not there to shut him out. So seven other spirits more evil than
himself, occupy this vacant place, and the last state of that man is worse than
the first! In deliverance, it is important to remember that a few significant
changes does not mean that you are totally delivered. Many people fall into
this error and that is why “so-called” deliverance will only last a few weeks
or months. (Bible Hub)
Note that this comment on Matthew 12:43-45 talks of “Christ is not there to
shut him out” so the demon returns after deliverance accompanied by seven worse
demons and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. This can
mean an existence of unremitted horror that can endure for a lifetime. So it is
imperative to accept Jesus fully into our lives and keep the devil out
permanently! Jesus must be Lord of each and every area of our lives. As the
saying goes: if Jesus is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all!
The Scriptures admonish us to become a new being in Christ:
“Since you have accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, live
in union with Him” (Col. 2:6). “All that matters is to become an altogether new
creation” (Gal. 6:15). “Whenever anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2
Cor 5:7). “Your hearts and minds must be made completely new. You must put on
the new self who is created in God’s likeness and reveals itself in the true
life that is good and holy” (Eph. 4:23).
Peter Horrobin in his book “Healing through
Deliverance” states that healing and deliverance do not last if there is no
personal relationship with Jesus as Lord of every area of one’s life:
“There are many people who are in desperate need. They want to be
healed. They have symptoms that control their lives, and they say they will do
anything to get rid of them. It comes as quite a shock to some to discover
that, in ministry, we are sometimes more concerned about their personal
relationship with Jesus than about their symptoms.
That is not to say that we are not interested in their condition---we
are, desperately. But we have learned from experience that the most important
healing anyone can ever have is healing in the spirit, through having a
personal relationship with God. Continued weakness in this area will have
consequences in every other part of the being, and while healing of symptoms is
important, spiritual wholeness is an essential step toward remaining healed.
When Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes
to the Father except through me” (John 14:6, NIV). He was not arrogantly
projecting Himself, but in the simplest possible way telling us of God the
Father’s plans for the restoration of a rightful relationship between the
Father and His children.
When it comes to living in fellowship with God day by day, there is only
one question that really matters: “Who is Lord of your life”? Sadly, there are
many Christians who have never grasped the significance of this question. They
have no problem in believing that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died and
rose again from the dead, that He ascended to glory, that He sent the Holy
Spirit upon the Church and that one day He is coming again as King of Kings and
Lord of Lords.
However, the reality of day-to-day living under the Lordship of Jesus
Christ is often quite a different story. Anyone can sing the song “He is Lord,”
but the key is to mean every word of it, for that is exactly what He is---Lord
of all. God has given each of us free will with which to make choices. While
Christians know that Jesus is Lord of all, they also have to choose to invite
Jesus to be Lord of each and every area of their being----body, mind,
emotions, will and spirit. For many, failure to let Jesus be Lord is the root
of all their problems. An ungodly way of life has led them into situations that
have subsequently created havoc in their lives.
So a starting point for much of the counselling and prayer for healing
and deliverance we conduct has to be the very simple question, “Are you willing
to make Jesus Lord?” For if Jesus truly is Lord, then there is no blockage to
the flow of the Holy Spirit, and the way is open for the deliverance of any
evil spirits whose rights are undermined by Jesus becoming Lord. Many people
are in need of deliverance ministry simply because they have not been willing
to give Him the rightful place in their lives.
Many people ask me the question such as, “How can I be filled with the
Holy Spirit?” I usually answer by asking them, “Who is Lord of your life?” For
if Jesus truly is Lord, then the Holy Spirit will rejoice to fill them to
overflowing, but if there are areas of their lives where Jesus is not Lord,
then they are likely to have problems experiencing the fullness of the Spirit
of God.
Many religious people find that their practice of religion becomes Lord
of their lives and not the living Lord Jesus Christ, and that they have
unknowingly submitted themselves to the control of religious spirits, from
which they will need deliverance before they can truly know the indwelling
power of God.
The Lordship of Jesus Christ is the single most important issue that
those in need have to resolve. It is necessary for the person to
have exercised his will by choosing to make Jesus Lord of every area of his
life by living in a way that would not continue to give demons further rights
through sinful behaviour and by wanting to be set free of any demons that have
entered.
Our experience has proven time and time again that for many people, the
reason they have not been set free is that there are areas of
their lives that are not rightfully submitted to the Lordship of Jesus but
are under the control of either self or the demonic”
Prayers You Can Say
From Your Heart
Prayer
of Commitment:
Lord Jesus, I confess that I have sinned and acknowledge my need of You.
I thank You for dying on the cross for me and accept You as my saviour.
I invite You now to be Lord of every area of my life---Lord of my mind and all
my thoughts, Lord of my emotions and all my feelings and reactions. Lord of my
will and all my decisions, Lord of my body and all my behaviour, Lord of my
spirit and my relationship with you, Lord of my time, my work, my home, my
possessions and all my relationships. Thank You that Your blood was shed that I
might be set free.
Amen
Prayer
of Consecration
Lord Jesus, I give my entire being----spirit, soul and body into Your
hands. I invite you now to fill me with Your Holy Spirit, that I may be totally
Yours In Jesus’ name, Amen
(Peter Horrobin, Healing through Deliverance,
Sovereign World, 2008. Pages 311: 468|9f)
TOTAL SUBMISSION: Nothing really
deeply happens in our spiritual life unless we make a personal commitment and
total submission to Jesus, putting our hand to the plough and never looking
back (Lk. 9:62) like the American writer, Rose Sweet. She was a nominal
Catholic until adversity and trouble came into her life. An old saying states
that “man’s extremity is God’s opportunity” and Rose Sweet was at her wit’s
end. She decided she had nothing more to lose, and so decided to commit her
life entirely and unreservedly to Jesus. She writes: “The words came silently
on their own: O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee . .
. and I offered Him every area of my life. In that act of
surrender I expected to feel differently, to hear bells, or maybe
sense the presence of angels. There was nothing like that . . . little did I
know that in that precious and intimate act of communion with God, I had
conceived a new spiritual life and that little dying ember in my heart was
beginning to fan into blazing flame”.
“My Non-Catholic friends had always encouraged me
in my personal relationship with Jesus, but it was the Catholic Church who
called me into full communion with His Body and the gifts of the sacraments. In
surrendering my heart to Christ, I willingly surrendered to His Church as
well”.
“Immediately I began to have insatiable hunger for
a deeper knowledge of Scripture, of the Church’s teachings, and of the lives of
the saints”. (Matthew Pinto, Freedom, Ascension Press, 2009, page 6)
This wonderful new life in the Spirit is free for
the asking – sincere asking – “If you seek me you will find
me if you seek me with all your heart”. (Jer. 29:13)
Fr Raniero Cantalamessa says that this entails a
personal decision : “those who say, and mean ‘Jesus is
Lord’ practically are saying to Him ‘You are my Lord; I submit myself to You, I
freely acknowledge that You are my saviour, my head, my master, the one who has
every right over me’. It is to give Jesus the reins of one’s own life”.
(Colloquium, page 11)
REBELLION:
Unfortunately, in all of us, there lies a spirit of
rebellion, preventing us from humility before God, holding us back from bending
the knee before the mystery of God and the Church He established. Modern man
prides himself on his autonomy and hates to admit his dependence on One greater
than himself. That’s why we need to “go on being filled with the Holy Spirit”
everyday as St Paul says (Eph 5:18), to daily exorcise this spirit of rebellion
in our hearts and realign ourselves daily with the Father’s will. In a sense
the deepest sin of all is our failure to let Christ rule our lives. Who is
ruling my life, self or Christ? We need daily to be emptied of self and yielded
to Christ day by day.
We do not have to make long prayers as Levi Matus,
a young Catholic student in America discovered.
“I prayed, “Jesus if you’re real and you love me,
then I’m sorry for what I’ve done. Please show me your love.”
Almost immediately I felt a sense of peace, love
and joy wash over me. I knew instantly that it was Jesus, his Holy Spirit.
After that my life changed. I no longer felt like I needed the approval of
others. I knew that when times got hard, I could always rely on Jesus and his
love for me.
He gave me a strength to carry on when times were
difficult and a courage to stand up for my faith when I felt drawn to
compromise to gain the support of others.
Yet things were never easy. I still struggle, but
I’ve always been able to rely on Christ for my strength”. (Alive Magazine,
Dublin, May 2014, no.200)
FROM GANGLAND TO PROMISE LAND
One unlikely person helping people meet Jesus is
the English Catholic evangelist John Pridmore who was once a London gangster.
In his bestselling autobiography he wrote:
"LOOKING BACK ACROSS MY LIFE — a journey, you
might say, from gangland to promised land — I've come to understand that we
just need to ask Jesus to reveal Himself in our hearts and let us know that
he's real and that He loves us. I did; and He replied. To anyone who is
sceptical about this, I would simply say, just do it. If someone had said this
to me when I was involved in all that criminal activity, I would probably have
laughed and told them that they were living in cloud-cuckoo land. Now- I know
that Jesus is real, not through reading books or studying theology, but from
personal experience. You don't have to go into a church to ask Jesus to reveal
Himself. He will come to you in your flat, in the street, or in the back of a
police van!
If you don't know God, then I believe you have to
put him to the test. What else can you do? If you do this, God will answer you,
in a way only you will know and maybe when you're least expecting it. On the
night when I sat in my flat in Leyton and was suddenly hit by ail the bad
things I'd done in my life, aware that I'd nearly killed a man, when I told God
I'd only ever taken and now t wanted to give, He couldn't refuse to show His
love for me. God is pure love, and He doesn't wait until we're perfect to love
us. He just waits until we ask
Him” (From Gangland to Promised Land, D.L.T. 2002 p
174)
Here’s another prayer you can say to accept Jesus
into your life:
The Miracle Prayer by Fr. Peter
Rookey O.S.M
Lord Jesus I come before, just as I am. I am sorry
for my sins, I repent of my sins, please forgive me. In your name, I forgive
all others for what they have done against me. I renounce Satan, the evil
spirits and all their works. I give you my entire self, Lord Jesus, now and
forever. I invite you into my life Jesus, I accept you as my Lord, God and
saviour. Heal me, change me, and strengthen me in body, soul and spirit. Come
Lord Jesus, cover me with your precious blood, and fill me with your
Holy spirit. I love you Lord Jesus. I praise you Jesus. I thank you Jesus.
I shall follow you every day of my life. Amen
Say this prayer faithfully, no matter how you feel, when you come to the point
where you sincerely mean each word, with all your heart, something good
spiritually will happen to you.
You will experience Jesus, and He will change your
whole life in a very special way.
SIGNS OF NEW LIFE:
Once we make a deep, sincere commitment to God and trust him completely like
Job who said “even if God kills me, yet will I trust in Him” (Job. 13:15), then
good things begin to happen in our spiritual lives. Here are some of the common
things that happen, and you can use to gauge the progress you are making in
becoming a new creation (2 Cor 5:17)
1. JESUS ALIVE
First Jesus comes alive for us and we are conscious of Him everywhere.
His name and words are balm and we want to share Him with others as we always
do with good news. So we feel driven to read the Gospels to find out more about
Him and what He expects from us. We can then experience Rayma –
“the individual Scripture which the Spirit brings to our remembrance for use in
time of need, a prerequisite being the regular storing of the mind with
Scripture” (W.E. Vine) see John 14:26
2. PRAYER
Prayer becomes a hunger as we want to talk more to the Jesus who has
come alive for us. Participating in the Sacraments instituted by Jesus
especially the Eucharist (John 6) and Penance (John 20:23) becomes a joy
instead of a bore and an imposition.
3. SIN AND DEATH
Since the “sting of death is sin”. (1 Cor. 15:56) attending the
Sacrament of Confession to get all sins off our chest [and receive absolution
(John 20:28)] removes the sting and the fear of death we have (Heb. 2:14) so we
can say triumphantly with St Paul “to live in Christ and to die is gain” (Phil.
1:21)
Like St Paul our desire for Jesus can so
increase that like him we can say “my desire is to depart and be with Christ”.
(Phil. 1:23) We can find ourselves thirsting for God with the Psalmist: “As a
deer thirsts for running water, so my soul thirsts for you my God” (Ps. 42)
4. LIGHT:
We can experience the light of Christ in
our inner being for Jesus said “I am the light of the world” and whoever
follows me will not experience darkness” (Jn. 8:12). Someone once said to Nicky
Gumbel of the Alpha Programme when they became a Christian “It was as if the
light had suddenly been turned on and I could see things for the first time!”
5. HOLY SPIRIT:
Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to
those who love him (John 14:15f). When it happens we can experience the
Holy Spirit coming into our hearts crying “Abba Father” (Gal. 4:6). Nicky
Gumbel writes; “when the Holy Spirit fills us, we experience the fatherhood of
God, the love of Christ and the power of the Spirit . . . to be filled with the
Spirit is to experience God as Trinity “One of the first signs
of the working of the Holy Spirit is conviction of sins (John 16:8). The Spirit
begins to gently convict us of all our sins so we can confess
them. However Satan, the ‘ape of God’ will urgently condemn us
by reminding us of our sins. We need to rebuke him and remind him that “there
is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1)
6. FRUITS:
To go on being filled with the Spirit is
an imperative (Eph. 5:18) and it allows us to experience all the fruits of the
Spirit (Gal. 5:22) and these, especially the first three and the last (love,
joy, peace and self-control) make the Christian life wonderfully enjoyable and
full of delight. The testimonies above of Levi Matus and John Pridmore show us
that God’s love is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. If we ask (Rom.
5:5). The fruits of love makes us people of gentleness and compassion
especially for the poor and needy as Jesus loved them especially.
St. Paul says that “no eye has seen, no ear has heard what God has
prepared for those who love Him” (1Cor.2:9) This makes it very difficult for us
to conceive heaven and be motivated to get there. But if we have an experience
of God’s love poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit we will never forget it
and never cease desiring to experience it again in fullness in Heaven. “The
heart has its reasons” (Pascal)
7. ABOUNDING IN HOPE:
Since it is by the power of the Holy
Spirit that we abound in hope (Rom. 15:13) we find despondency and hopelessness
disappearing as we are buoyed up by a wonderful hope.
8. BLESSED ASSURANCE:
Hope is linked to a “blessed assurance”.
(1 Peter 1:9; 1 John 5:13) Which begins to flower as we grow in holiness, the
work of the Holy spirit, the Sanctifier, a Spirit of holiness, a Holy Spirit (1
Thess. 4:3; 1 Peter 1:2). But we need to beware of complacency that even tempted
the holy St Paul: “I pommel my body and subdue it lest after preaching to
others, I myself should be disqualified”. (1 Cor. 9:27)
9. ADVERSITY:
It happily begins to dawn on us that
“in everything God works for good with those who love him”
(Rom. 8:28) and that includes the inevitable adversity because Jesus promised
in the world we will have trouble (Jn. 16:33) and goes on to say “but in me you
will have peace” – the peace that surpasses all understanding (Phil. 4:7)
because it is not extinguished by adversity. It is an amazing peace that
persists even in the midst of trials and tribulations and so is beyond
understanding!
10. PRUNING AND TESTING:
With conversion and commitment to Jesus
comes a period of pruning
(John 15:2; Heb. 12:6-11) and testing (Mark 14:38; 1 Peter 1:6; James
1:3) when the world, the flesh and the devil (Mk. 4:15-17; Eph. 2:1-3) will
sift us like wheat to test the purity of our intentions and sincerity of our
commitment. But we are never tested beyond our ability to
endure (1 Cor. 10:13) and we need note “greater is He who is in you than he who
is in the world” (1 Jn 4:4). Meaning: greater is the Holy Spirit who is in you
that he (satan) who is in the world. Remember also that the Holy Spirit comes
to help us in our weakness (Rom. 8:26) everyday of our lives.
William Shakespeare in his play As You
Like (act 2:1) talks of “the Uses of adversity” as does the Psalmist: “Before I
was afflicted, I strayed but now I keep your Word”.
(Ps. 119)
11. CONCLUSION:
St Paul tells us that “you must go on
making more and more progress in the kind of life you are meant to live” (1
Thess. 4:1). That includes holiness (1 Thess. 4:3) and practice of the
Christian disciplines (prayer, fasting and almsgiving) (Matthew 6). If you do all
these things there is no danger that you will ever fall away” (1 Peter 1:10).
In the Christian life if we are not progressing we are regressing or back
sliding as St Peter sternly warns echoing the dire warning of Jesus in Matthew
12:43f mentioned at the start of this article where Jesus states that the
last state of a once demonised man who backslides becomes worse than the first.
“For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the
knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in
them and empowered, the last state has become worse for them than the first.
For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of
righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment
delivered to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, the
dog turns back to his own vomit, and the sow is washed only to wallow in the
mire”. (2 Peter 2:20-22)
The Letter to the Hebrews is equally severe re
backsliding: “As for those people who were once brought into the light, and
tasted the gifts from heaven, and received a share of the Holy Spirit, and
appreciated the good message of God and the powers of the world to come, and
yet in spite of this have fallen away – it is impossible for them to be renewed
a second time”. (Heb. 6:4-6)
Aquinas once said that “no one can live without delight and that is why someone
deprived of spiritual joy goes over to carnal pleasure”. To avoid being
deprived of spiritual joy and happiness and returning to illegitimate carnal
pleasure that can attract the demonic, we must delight in the Lord with all of
our hearts (Ps. 37) and remain permanently committed to Him. True happiness as
opposed to pleasure that is fleeting, is choosing God’s will and remaining
steadfast.
After deliverance we strive
with all our heart to be worthy of being called “children of God” and no longer
“children of the devil”. We have to strive for holiness with all our strength. As
Jesus said “you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,
and with all your mind... and your neighbour as yourself”. (Matt. 22:37-40) Otherwise
we face the danger of the return of the demonic permanently!
More information on all of the above can be found
on the blog: sine-glossa.blogspot.com
1. Confirmation Reflections
2. Conversion and Baptism in the Holy
Spirit
3. Desire for God
4. Life in the Spirit Seminars
5. New Life in the Spirit
6. Personal Testimonies
Pastoral Aids (below)
1. Basic (best) Practices
2. Sexual or (Soul Ties)
3. Forgiveness
4. Alcoholics and Sex Addicts Anonymous
5. Pledge to Fast from Alcohol
6. Gay is Just a Label Anyway
7. Spiritual Damage of the Sin of Fornication
8. Westminster Exorcist: “Promiscuity can lead to Demonic Possession”
9. Have you had a good cry lately?
10. Porn: what’s the problem?
11. Internet porn and erectile dysfunction
12. Porn overcome
13. The Father’s love letter
14. A Genuine Christian alternative to Yoga
15. Overcoming the Deadly Sin of Anger
16. Dreams
17. Healing the Family Tree
18. Boredom in Prayer (Akedia)1. Basic (best) Practices
The following practices, if
appropriate, should be observed by anyone who is experiencing any form of spiritual
struggle, demonic attack, or oppression:
§ Regularly
attend Mass and receive Holy Communion
§ Seek
out a regular confessor for the Sacrament of Penance
§ Spend
time in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament
§ Incorporate
Marian devotions into the daily routine, especially the rosary
§ Use
Scripture for prayer and reflection (esp. the prologue of John’s Gospel)
§ Include
other devotions (e.g. Divine Mercy), prayers to patron saints, etc.
§ Use
sacramentals such as holy water, blessed salt, blessed objects, sacred images,
etc.
Please
note:
It is fundamental that the
afflicted person utilizes these traditional channels of God’s healing and grace.
The person must also have
the support of a praying community, at least a spiritual companion or prayer
partner. The person should not be isolated. God does not intend for us to walk
alone.
There is no magic bullet or
quick fix for overcoming the assaults of the devil. Like all of the spiritual
life, it is a process, a journey.
Above all the person is to
be encouraged to remain focused on Jesus Christ – not on the devil or evil,
despite the evil one’s attempt to distract and discourage.
2.
Sexual ties or (Soul ties) By
Francis MacNutt
The best example of this is
the spiritual identification that seems to take place when two people engage in
sex together. Something more takes place than the mere joining of two bodies;
some kind of spiritual bonding happens as well.
Do
you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take
the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know
that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is
said: “The two will become one flesh.” But he who unites himself with the Lord
is one with Him in spirit.
1
Corinthians 6:15-17
Paul does not say exactly
what kind of union takes place when a man becomes one flesh with a prostitute,
but he seems to teach that something takes place in the spiritual realm. We
know for a certainty that the union of man and wife is special since it
symbolizes the union of Christ and His Church. It is not just a joining of
bodies but of spirits.
Again, Tommy Tyson was the
first I ever heard speak about the need to break sexual-spiritual ties. While
we were speaking in Bolivia in 1970, a missionary asked how to answer teenagers
regarding what is wrong with premarital sex. Tommy responded that whenever
anyone engages in a full sexual relationship, a permanent bond is set up that
remains until it is broken, not by the couple’s breaking up, but by something
like a prayer for deliverance. If a man has had a sexual relationship with six
women before he marries, he brings six people besides himself into the marriage
bed and spiritual confusion is brought into that marriage from the beginning.
(Women usually seem to have a deeper appreciation of these relationships than
men, and sense these spiritual dimensions more profoundly.) If this is true, it
helps explain why so many marriages break up in an age of promiscuity.
It is an excellent idea for
pastors to pray (in a private setting) for a kind of deliverance for each
partner entering a marriage. Ideally confession, repentance and forgiveness
precede being set free from an entangling past life.
Praying for someone to be
set free from undue physical, psychological or spiritual bondage is relatively
easy. Simply form a prayer under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, asking Jesus
to sever each previous sexual liaison. You might pray like this for one of the
partners planning to marry: “In the
Name of Jesus Christ, I set you free from any physical, psychological or
spiritual bond that remains within you, caused by your past sexual
relationships.” Then pray to bless and set free those past lovers. Last
of all pray that the person (or couple) receive the gift of loving faithfully,
and be filled with the love of Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit to live
out their commitment together in great joy.
From:
Francis MacNutt, Deliverance From Evil Spirits, Baker House Books, USA
What
every Christian Should Know About
Breaking Soul Ties
By
Dr. Dough Weiss
JOY!
MAGAZINE (June 2019)
Everyone knows that when
they walk down the aisle, they are tying the ‘knot’, so to speak. Tying the
knot is also known in the Bible as “becoming
one flesh” (Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:5). Becoming one flesh in marriage
definitely involves a sexual experience. We give ourselves spiritually and
physically, along with the full aspects of our soul, to our spouse during this
experience. Unfortunately, a large majority of us reading this article didn’t
have their spouse as their first and only person they were ‘one’ with.
Marriage
isn’t the only way to ‘become one’
The principle of becoming
one flesh also applies to those you may have had sexual relations with prior to or outside of
your marriage. First Corinthians 6:16 states, “What? Do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body
with her? For ‘the two’, he says, ‘shall become one flesh’”. It is a
serious decision to give of yourself sexually to others or the images of
others. Many people believe that you actually are tied to the people you have
had sex with in your lifetime.
Many
struggle with this
As a clinician who works
primarily with men who have sexual addictions, I have seen many men struggle
with fantasies and images from past sexual encounters or pornographic sexual
experiences. Many of my clients have found it very helpful to untie the knots
from previous spirit, soul, and body ties (many
people are walking around with soul ties they are unaware of), to those
they have had sexual experiences with outside of marriage. My clients that have
done this have reported a new freedom from lusting/objectifying. I too have
personally experienced an incredible new layer of freedom when the Lord took me
through this process. I will outline a process for you for untying the knot to
those you have bonded yourself to in your sexual past, but before we do let’s
talk about your past for a moment.
It’s
time to open up
Some of you may have been
sexual with others, and these individuals are usually easy to remember. Some
have had sexual experiences with one-night stands. Others have had sexual abuse
experiences in their past. In addition to these experiences with others, there
are other sexual experiences you may have had.
This would include sexual thoughts, images, beliefs, and pornography in
which you engaged. Some have found it also helpful to break the ties they had
with their involvement in pornography, fantasies, or any other specific targets
of their sexuality from the past.
Make
a list, be honest
Go to the hidden places and
break the ties with these individuals and other secrets of your sexual past.
You can live a much freer life after following this simple process. To do this,
first make a list of the people you have had a sexual history with. Include all
sex acts, not just intercourse, as well as pornography and fantasies in your
sexual history list. Second, confess these behaviours and beliefs as sin.
Remember that fornication (sex before marriage), adultery (sex outside of your
marriage), and lust are still sin.
Pray
this prayer
I have put together a prayer
you can adopt as a guide for your confession and breaking these ties from your
sexual past. Take each person’s name and say this type of prayer out loud:
Father, I ask forgiveness for
(fornication, adultery, lusting, fantasising and so on). I ask in the Name of
Jesus that any spirit, soul or body ties or connections to this person (name
here), image, or fantasy be broken. I command all parts of my spirit, soul, and
body that I gave to this person’s image or fantasy to be returned to me. I also
command all spirit, soul, and body ties to this person be returned to them. In
the Name of Jesus, I loose the angels of God to accomplish this. I also ask
you, Father, to put the blood of Jesus between me and this person (name), image
or fantasy. I command any spirit or influence that has a right to me because of
my sin to leave me right now in the Name of Jesus.
AMEN
Dr.
Dough Weiss [Ph.D] is an
author, speaker and licensed psychologist. Visit drdoughweiss.com
Severing
soul ties (catholicdeliverence.blogspot.com)
Do you not know that your
bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take Christ’s members and make them
the members of a prostitute (or a
sodomite, witch, psychic...)? Of course not! [Or] do you not know that
anyone who joins himself to a prostitute (or
a sodomite, witch, psychic...) becomes one body with her (him)? For “the two”, it says, “will become one
flesh” (Matthew 19:6); Genesis 2:24), [And the demons in his/her body will have
the right to invade and inhabit your body. (Demons
are transferred through sexual intercourse)]. S.T.D’s can also mean Sexually
Transmitted Demons! But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit
with Him.
Avoid immorality. Every
other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the immoral person sins
against his own body (and opens a door to
the demonic).
Do you not know that your
body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and
that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore,
glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:15-20)
“In
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen”:
Lord Jesus, I repent of all
my sins. I renounce pride, avarice, envy, anger and un-forgiveness. I renounce
lust and all acts of fornication, adultery and homosexuality. I renounce
gluttony and sloth. I renounce witchcraft, Santeria, the Occult, Satanism and
the New Age.
Lord Jesus, I repent of
joining with one practicing or dabbling in witchcraft, Santeria, the Occult,
Satanism or the New Age. I repent of all my sinful relationships, and I
renounce all unholy soul ties. I choose to forgive everyone in my life, both
past and present. (And I will confess my
sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation as soon as possible).
“In the Name of Jesus, I
sever all unholy soul ties between me and every human being, alive and dead”. (“In the Name of Jesus, I sever all unholy
soul ties between my spouse and every human being, alive and dead.” “In
the Name of Jesus, I sever all unholy
soul ties between each one of my children and every human being, alive
and dead.”)
Lord Jesus, I repent of
having sexual relations with a spirit husband / spirit wife. “In the Name of
Jesus, I sever the evil soul tie between me and my spirit husband / spirit
wife.”
“In the Name of Jesus, I
break every curse, hex, spell...and I bind all witchcraft directed against me.”
“In the Name of Jesus, I break every curse, hex, spell...and I bind all
witchcraft directed against my spouse.” / “In the Name of Jesus, I break
every curse, hex, spell...and I bind all witchcraft directed against my
family and home.”
“Most Precious Blood of
Jesus, wash over me.” “Most Precious Blood of Jesus, wash over my spouse.”
/ “Most Precious Blood of Jesus, wash over my family and home.”
Lord Jesus, I surrender my
life (and family) to You. May Your Divine Will reign in me. Amen.
“In
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen”:
Through
the Sacraments, we receive Sanctifying Grace. The Sacrament of Confession is
more powerful than the rite of exorcism. Living a Sacramental life is the
best defence we have against the Devil. Attend daily Mass and receive Holy
Communion as often as possible.
3.
Forgiveness – Gods Master Key by
Peter Horobin
Make
a list
If you now made the choice
to forgive, it is time to get out a piece of paper and start making a list.
Before you get to work, pray a short prayer. You can use your own words or say
something like this:
Thank You, Jesus, for teaching me the
importance of forgiving others.
Please help me to remember all the
people who have
hurt me so that I can forgive them from
my heart.
Prayers like this one don’t
have to be long or terribly formal – God in interested in you as a person and
in the decisions of your heart, not in whether or not you are good with words!
One way of making your list is
to think through your life. You can begin at the beginning and work forward or
you can start from where you are and work backward – it does not matter which.
Whichever direction you
decide to go, the two names that need to be at the top of your list are your
parents’ – even if you think they were really perfect! In reality no parents
were ever perfect, and they may also have carried to you problems caused by
what their parents and grandparents had done. (You may also need to repent of
any ungodly reactions you had to things your parents did – there are two sides
to every relationship!)
Be careful and systematic,
and give God a chance to remind you of people you might have forgotten. Every
time you think of someone you need to forgive, write down his or her name. You
may also find it helpful to write down the particular reason for which you need
to forgive that person.
You need to ask God to
remind you of things that may have happened in your family, with your friends
and with any other circle of people with whom you have shared something of your
life over the years. Think back on every year of your life and everywhere you
have been – school, work, church, sports events, vacations and so on. Don’t
rush it – give yourself space and time.
And don’t forget to put your
own name on the list if you struggle with the consequences of mistakes you have
made or have ever cursed yourself by saying something like “I’ll never forgive
myself!”
Some names will cause you
more pain than others, and you might even have difficulty writing down some of
the names. Inside you might think that you don’t want to forgive them or they
don’t deserve to be forgiven.
If you have difficulties
like this, look back to the specific chapter in this book that deals with the
particular problem you are having, read it again and be determined to press on.
Remember, you have made a decision to forgive, so ask God to help you write
down the names!
Start
to Forgive
Now’s the time for another
short prayer. Pray something like this:
Lord Jesus, thank You for dying on the
cross that I might
be forgiven. I am sorry for my own sins,
and I ask You to be my Saviour
and the Lord of my life. And now please
forgive me for
things that I have done wrong. Please
help me to forgive
from my heart all the people on my list.
Then as you go down the list
pray carefully over each name. Remind yourself for a moment about what it was
they did to you, and then pray something like this:
I now choose to forgive [insert
the name of the person you are
forgiving]
for [insert a brief description of
what was done to you],
and I release
[insert the person’s name] into the
freedom of my forgiveness. I will not
hold these things
against [insert the person’s
name] any more.
As you pray through your
list from your heart, you will find that God slowly changes you from the inside
out. You will be leaving behind all the bad things that resentment and
bitterness have brought into your life and begin to emerge like a butterfly at
the beginning of a new era.
Ask
God to Set You Free
You can do this after each
prayer of forgiveness or you can say it at the end about everyone you have
forgiven. Whichever way you choose, pray something like this:
Thank You, Lord, for helping me to
forgive
[insert
the name of the person you are forgiving]. I
ask now
that You set me free from every ungodly
influence that [insert the
person’s
name] has had on my life and that You cut
the ropes
that have held me tightly to the pain of
the past.
Say
You’re Sorry for Blaming God
If at various times of your
life you have blamed God for things that you now know were not His
responsibility, you will want to tell Him you are sorry and ask Him to forgive
you before you move on. You can use words like these:
I am sorry, God, for blaming You for the
bad things that have
happened in my life. I now know You did
not want these
things to happen either. Please forgive
me.
Pray
the Most Powerful Prayer on Earth
Praying the most powerful
prayer on Earth is what this book is all about! We have had to travel quite a
journey through your life to get to this point. When Jesus prayed, “Father,
forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,” there was no sin,
un-forgiveness, resentment, bitterness or ungodly anger in His heart, so He did
not have to do what you have just done.
Jesus was free to be able to
pray this most amazing prayer with a pure heart, right in the middle of His own
pain.
[P.S.] “Forgiveness is the
best form of self-interest because it means you are no longer locked to the
perpetrator of the crime”.
In the Lord’s Prayer (Matt.
6:9-13) Jesus only mentions one sin: lack of forgiveness, perhaps to underline
its gravity. When He reached the end of the Prayer He goes back to amplify only
one phrase in this Prayer as regards lack of forgiveness: “but if you forgive
men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do
not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Heavenly Father forgive
your trespasses”. (verse 14). A few chapters later in Matthew, Jesus in the
parable of the unforgiving debtor calls this man ‘wicked’ (18;32). So if we
don’t want to be called wicked by the Lord we need to forgive urgently!
Jesus said: “Love your enemies
and pray for those who treat you badly” (Matt. 5:43).
“Forgive one another as soon
as a quarrel begins” (Col. 3:13f).
4.
Alcoholics and Sex Addicts Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A)
began on the 10th of June 1935, cofounded by William G. Wilson
(“Bill W”). Wilson conceived the idea of A.A. while he was hospitalised for
excessive drinking in December 1934. During his hospital stay, Wilson had a
spiritual experience.
Wilson was mostly influenced
by the British Oxford Group (Or Moral Rearmament Movement) founded by Dr Frank
Buchman. Its American leader Anglican Rev. Samuel M. Shoemaker, contributed
most significantly to the Christian basis of A.A. Both Wilson and Bob Smith,
his colleague, attended Oxford Group meetings and based much of the A.A programme
on their ideas.
In the 1920’s and 1930’s the
Oxford Group became a revolutionary answer to the anti
religious reaction following
World War I, aiming to rekindle living faith in a church gone stale in its
institutionalism. In what Wilson called “concessions to those of little or no
faith”, God was described as a “power greater than ourselves” and “God as we
understood Him”.
The American Psychiatric
Association (APA) has noted that “referral [to 12-step groups] is appropriate
at all stages in the treatment process even for patients who may still be
substance users”. On a representative sample of 450 private rehab centres in
the U.S.A., 90% of the facilities based their treatment on 12 step principals
and variations of this model. As the degree of involvement of the 12 step
programme increased, the outcome becomes more positive.
For example the 12 Steps of Sex
Addicts Anonymous (Christian version)
1. Admit you are powerless over porn – that
your life has become unmanageable. (1 Jn. 1:8-10; Rom. 3:23)
2. Believe that the Lord Jesus (later a ‘power
greater than yourself’) restore you to sanity (Jer. 17:5; Deut. 1:32/33; Is.
31:1; Ps. 20:7)
3. Make a decision to turn your will and your
life over to the care of God (later: ‘as you understand Him’)
4. Make a searching and fearless moral
inventory of yourself (2 Cor. 13:35; Ps. 139:23/24; Lam. 3:40)
5. Admit to God, to yourself, and to another
human being the exact nature of your wrongs (Jn. 20:22/3; Acts 19:18; James
5:16; 1 Jn. 1:7 & 19; Prov. 28:13; Ps. 32:5)
6. Be entirely ready to have God remove all
these defects of character
7. Humbly ask Him to
remove your shortcomings (Ps. 51:10)
8. Make a list of all persons you have harmed,
and be willing to make amends to them all.
9. Make direct amends to such people whenever
possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. (Luke 19:8; Acts
19:19; Num. 5:6-7; Ex. 22:1)
10. Continue to take personal inventory and
when you are wrong, promptly admit it.
11. Seek through prayer and meditation to improve
your conscious contact with God (later: ‘as you understand Him’) praying only
for knowledge of His Will for yourself and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result
of these steps, try to carry this message to sex addicts, and to practice these
principles in all your affairs.
Appendix
The idea of confessing sins
privately to God and asking for His forgiveness easily leads to self-deception.
As a famous Lutheran martyr, Dieterich Bonhoefer under Hitler once wrote to his
parishioners:
“Have
we not often been deceiving ourselves with our confession of sin to God, have
we not rather been confessing our sins to ourselves, and granting ourselves
absolution.
Are
we not living on self-forgiveness and self-forgiveness can never lead to a break
with sin.
Who
can give us the certainty that, in the confession and forgiveness of our sins,
we are not dealing with ourselves but with the living God. God gives us that
certainty through our brother. Our brother in Christ breaks the circle of self-deception.”
Sin is not private. It
affects others. So the gesture of asking pardon and forgiveness must also be a
public act.
See the letter of James
5:16: “So confess your sins to one another.” This command must be interpreted
within context of the anointing rite, where the elders (i.e. priests)
presumably hear the confession of the sick person before his sins are remitted
through the sacrament (5:14-15).
Such confession has its
roots in the liturgical practice of Israel (Lev. 5:5-6; Num. 5:5-10) and is
implicitly mandated by the teaching of Jesus (Jn. 20:23)
5.
Pledge to Fast from Alcohol (see Daniel 1:12-16; 10:3)
I...........................................(name)
promise God that I will abstain from all
alcohol for
........................................(length of time)
with God’s grace.
Pledge taken this
day.................................
Before
Father............................................
Heroic
Offering
For
your greater glory and consolation,
O
Sacred Heart of Jesus,
for
Your sake to give good example,
to
practice self-denial, to make reparation
to
You for the sins of intemperance,
and
for the conversion of excessive drinkers,
I
will abstain for....... from all intoxicating drinks.
AMEN
“My
vows to the Lord I will fulfil in the presence of all His people,” (Ps. 22)
“I
can do all things through Him who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)
6.
Gay is Just a Label Anyway By anonymous
Unwanted
It was as a teenager, that I
realised I had same sex attraction (SSA). I was shocked, I did not want this
for my life. Each year tens of thousands of young people have a similar
experience with unwanted SSA.
I did not know what to do.
Psychology did not have an
answer I could identify with, and the religious route I took failed me. Coming
out of the closet seemed to be the only logical option.
Just
a Label
Fag, queer, moffie, gay,
lettie, homo-labels that can swamp the HUMAN identity.
These are people with SSA
(Same Sex Attraction) who have taken on the “gay” label as the primary identity
of their lives. But surely, being human encompasses so much more.
There are so many questions
and opinions about SSA – is it:
§ Genetic?
§ Due
to childhood circumstances, upbringing and environment?
§ Choice?
Google any one of these and
up comes opinions expressing a host of views covering every angle.
Yet, in the end all that
matters is-
Ø What
am I doing with my SSA?
Options,
Decisions
You might be at a crossroad and
looking for answers to base your decision on. You may already have made a
decision.
Maybe you are reviewing your
life, your circumstances might have changed, or you’ve got new insights that
you want to incorporate into your life. (This happened to me)
All
Considered
You have investigated SSA
from every angle. Could there be something you have not considered?
So much has been said about
sexual orientation, discrimination, equality, human rights and freedom of
choice. I had considered all these, then came out of the closet, to be, what I thought
was, my authentic self (supported all gay rights issues, be it, gay marriage or
those who considered sex-change operations as an answer). No one was going to
tell me how to live my life, and I was not going to tell anyone how to live
theirs.
Euphemistic
But was I in control?
I was enjoying my freedom with
SSA, but as time went by, other areas of my life started to fall apart. How
inter dependant were the different aspects of my being? Was I experiencing a
mind, body, spirit disconnect that was responsible for my disintegrating life?
For me, the gay label was turning out to be a sad euphemism.
A
Journey
Later I came to hear of a
group with an alternative approach to unwanted SSA. They understood everyone
has a unique journey in life. With this alternative, they encourage and support
one another along the way.
I embarked on this journey
and found that it worked for me. I wish I had heard of it long ago.
It is with this in mind that
I recommend you look at www.couragerc.net
I found this, written by
Vera, on the site that sums up my experience: “We’re happy, we’re growing,
we’re vibrant and we’re complete human beings.”
7.
Spiritual Damage of the Sin of Fornication By
Fr. Joe Wilson M.S.C.
Not a lot of people see much
wrong with living together in our time. In fact, it is almost becoming the
norm.
While we feel it might be
wrong to sleep with a prostitute, we don’t see any sin cohabiting with our
girlfriend.
In a sense, we feel we are
making some kind of commitment to our partner... but the reality will shock
you!
In God’s eyes, to sleep with
a prostitute for one night and to cohabit with your boyfriend / girlfriend for
one year amounts to the same sin of fornication. The difference is, you have
more sin since you are continuing to live in it.
This pamphlet will explain
the spiritual reasons.
Some
of the Spiritual Damages of Fornication
The New Testament constantly
repeats the warning: “Keep away from
fornication” to Christians. The following are some of the references to
fornication in the New Testament from the King
James Version:
Acts
15:20 Acts
15:29 Acts
21:25
Rom
1:29 1
Cor. 5:1 1
Cor. 6:13
1
Cor. 6:18 1
Cor. 7:2 1
Cor. 10:8
2
Cor. 12:21 Gal.
5:19 Eph.
5:3
Col.
3:5 1
Thes. 4:3 Jude
1:7
Rev.
2:14 Rev.
2:20 Rev.
2:21
Rev.
9:21 Rev.
14:8 Rev.
17:2
Rev.
17:4 Rev.
18:3 Rev.
18:9
Rev.
19:2
The
question then arises: Why does the Bible insist so vehemently that we avoid
fornication? The reasons are spiritual, that is, God’s
reasons, and are not always obvious to us, why we should avoid this sin.
Spiritual Reason #1
The
body was not made for fornication
Keep away from fornication. All the other sins are committed
outside the body; but fornication is to sin against your own body. Your body,
you know, is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you since you received
Him from God. You are not your own property; you have been bought and paid for.
That is why you should use your body for the glory of God.
1 Cor. 6:18-20 Jerusalem Bible
But the body - this is not meant for
fornication; It is for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
1 Cor. 6:13 Jerusalem
Bible
Notice
the Bible calls fornication a sin – a sin against our own bodies, which drives
the Holy Spirit from his temple of your body.
Feminism
teaches that a woman’s body is her own property and she can do what she likes
with it; an unborn baby in her womb may be aborted because she can do what she
likes with her own property. This text clearly teaches us that we cannot.
Spiritual Reason #2
God
blesses marriages not cohabiting
The second reason against fornication follows
from the first. When God had finished creating man and woman [Genesis 2:7,22],
in the very next verse, the Bible speaks about marriage: “Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one
flesh.” [RSV Gen 2:24]. Notice the word ‘wife’ not ‘girlfriend’!
When Jesus comments on this verse, He adds: “For this reason a man shall leave his
father and mother and be joined to his
wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but
one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder.” [RSV
Mark 10:7-9].
Notice
what Jesus adds:
“what God has joined together...”
Marriage therefore, is what God does in joining a man and a woman together. God
teaches us about marriage from Page One of the Bible. If you are living unmarried with your girlfriend, God has not joined you to her. Such a
joining can only happen in marriage. Since God is the Designer of Marriage,
then if we live outside of His design, our cohabiting love will not come
under God’s blessing. Jesus was bringing his hearers back to the original
intention of the Creator for marriage.
Spiritual reason #4
God wants us to be Holy
What God ants is for
you all to be Holy. He wants you to keep
away from fornication, and each one of you to know how to use the body that
belongs to Him in a way that is holy and honourable, not giving way to selfish
lust like the pagans who do not know God. He wants nobody at all ever to
sin by taking advantage of a brother in these matters; the Lord always punishes
sins of that sort, as we told you before and assured you. We have been called
by God to be holy and not immoral.
1 Thes.4:3-6 Jerusalem Bible
There’s
that warning again: ‘Keep away from
fornication’. Why? Because God has called you to be holy. We have to learn
to use our bodies in the way God wants and not to live lustful lives like
pagans, this will destroy your holiness. Lust is a deadly sin.
Spiritual Reason #5
Sexual
sin is always punished by God, because it takes advantage of another person.
God wants nobody at all ever to sin by
taking advantage of a brother in these matters; the Lord always punishes
sins of that sort, as we told you before and assured you. (1 Thes. 4:5-6)
These things all happened as warnings
for us, not to have the wicked lusts for forbidden things that they had... We must never fall into sexual immorality:
some of them [that is, the children of God] did, and 23,000 met their downfall
in one day. We are not to put the Lord to the test: some of them did, and
they were killed by snakes... (1 Cor. 10:6-9)
St.
Paul is very clear that God always punishes this sin of fornication,
either in this world or also in the next. In fact, if we persist unrepentant in
this sin, we put our souls in mortal danger. Check out the references given
above just from the Book of Revelation alone, about the eternal punishment for
this sin.
There are other spiritual reasons
against fornication, but there is not enough space in this pamphlet.
How to confess Fornication
Fornication
is a pleasure to commit, but hard to confess. We find it difficult to confess
in confession because we feel ashamed. This is because it is a sin against our
own bodies [1 Cor. 6:18,19]. David did not confess his sin of adultery, until
confronted by the prophet Nathan 2 Samuel
12.
Because
fornication is a very serious sin, it is necessary to confess it properly in
order to break satan’s power over us. To confess it properly, we have to
confess both the number of partners we have sinned with and also the number of times we committed the sin. Also we have to
indicate whether the person we sinned with is a married person or not.
To
sin sexually with an unmarried person is called fornication. To sin sexually
with a married person is adultery, where either you or the partner is married.
Adultery is even more serious still than fornication, but both kill the life of
God in the soul.
Example of Incomplete or Bad Confession
If,
in confession, you say to the priest “Father,
I have committed fornication”, this means you have only confessed one count
of the sin. If you have in fact fornicated three times, then you have omitted
to confess two counts of the sin. Those two sins are therefore not confessed
and the confession is not good.
Example of a Good Confession
It
is far better to say: “Father, I have
committed fornication three times, twice with one woman, and once with a
different woman.”
Confessing Adultery
While
fornication is very serious, adultery is even more serious still, since it
involves sinning against the marriage bed of another man and possibly
destroying that marriage.
If
either you or the person you sinned with is married, then the sin is now
adultery: “Father, I have committed
adultery once with a married woman, and twice with an unmarried woman.”
Take
this sin seriously and use the Sacrament of Confession / Penance as a means of
breaking with this sin. We know Jesus’ attitude to this sin: “Go sin no more!” [John 8:11]. If this is
a habitual sin for you, you may even ask the priest to pray prayer of
deliverance over you, so that Jesus breaks the bondage of this sin over your
heart and will.
For
your part, try to avoid the occasion of sin in the future. Don’t go to the
place where you know it will be a temptation to fall into this sin again. You
may need to avoid cell phone calls, avoiding going partying, deleting
pornography from your cell phone and computer. Remember Jesus’ teaching: “if your hand / eye causes you to sin, cut
it off” [Mat. 5:29; Mat. 18:9].
Summary
1. Break with this sin in your life by
making a good confession. To persist in this sin will drive out the Holy Spirit
from my life and make my heart hard like a rock. It may destroy my life and
marriage.
2. Make a good confession of your sins. If
you feel ashamed or if you need help, ask the priest to help you. He will be
happy to do so.
It
is no use in making an incomplete or bad confession of your sins because this
will allow the devil to keep his stronghold over you. A good confession will
allow Gods’ grace to give you power and victory over your sin.
3.
Now start following Christ EVERYDAY and you will find that you will be much
happier: “Happy the man who follows God’s
law.”
Romans 1
For
this reason God gave them up to dishonourable passions. Their woman exchanged
natural relations for unnatural, and the men likewise gave up natural relations
with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing
shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for
their error.
And
since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a base mind
and to improper conduct.
They
were filled with all manner of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of
envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity, they are gossips, slanderers, haters
of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,
foolish, faithless, heartless, and ruthless. Though they know God’s decree that
those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them but approve
those who practice them.
8. Westminster Exorcist Says Promiscuity
can Lead to Demonic Possession By Hilary White (LifeSiteNews.com,
15/08/2008)
WESTMINSTER,
UK, August 15, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A priest of Westminster, the leading
diocese of the Catholic Church of England and Wales, has written that
promiscuity, whether homosexual or heterosexual, can lead to dire spiritual
consequences, in addition to the dangers of physical health.
Promiscuity,
as well as homosexuality and pornography, says 73 year old Fr. Jeremy Davies,
is a form of sexual perversion and can lead to demonic possession. Offering
what may be an explanation for the explosion of homosexuality in recent years,
Fr. Davies said: “Among the causes of homosexuality is a contagious demonic
factor.”
FR.
Davies continues: “Even heterosexual promiscuity is a perversion; and
intercourse, which belongs to the sanctuary of married love, can become a
pathway not only for disease but also for evil spirits.”
“Some
very unpleasant things must be mentioned because young people, especially, are
vulnerable and we must do what we can to protect and warn them,” he told the
Catholic Herald.
He
also said that satan is responsible for having blinded most secular humanists
to the “dehumanising effects of contraception and abortion and IVF, of
homosexual ‘marriages’, of human cloning and the vivisection of human embryos
in scientific research.” Extreme secular humanism, “atheist scientism”, is
comparable to “rational satanism” and these are leading Europe into a dangerous
state of apostasy. “Only by a genuine personal decision for Christ and the
Church can someone separate himself from it."
Fr.
Davies’ (an Oxford graduate who is also a qualified physician) comments come in
conjunction with the publication of his new book, entitled, “Exorcism: Understanding Exorcism in
Scripture and Practice” published earlier this year by the Catholic Truth
Society (CTS).
In
the Catholic Church, exorcisms can only be performed by a priest who has the
“express” permission of his bishop. According to the Code of Cannon Law, only
experienced priests can be chosen who exhibit, “piety, knowledge, prudence and
integrity of life.” Before the official rite of exorcism is used, the subject
must also be examined thoroughly by doctors and psychiatrists to rule out any
non-spiritual causes of his difficulties and physicians are often asked to
assist during the course of an exorcism.
Fr.
Davies also warns in his book against so-called New Age and occult practices,
as well as trendy exercise and “spiritual” healing regimes delivered from
eastern religions.
“The
thin end of the wedge (soft drugs, yoga for relaxation, horoscopes just for fun
and so on) is more dangerous than the thick end because it is more deceptive –
an evil spirit tries to make his entry as unobtrusively as possible.”
“Beware
of any claim to mediate any beneficial energies (e.g. reiki), any courses that
promise the peace that Christ promises (e.g. enneagrams), any alternative
therapy which has its roots in eastern religion (e.g. acupuncture)”. Needless
to say, overtly occult activities such as séances and witchcraft are “direct
invitations to the devil which he readily accepts.”
Fr.
Davies was appointed exorcist of the Westminster Archdiocese in 1986 after a
four month training period in Rome. In 1993 he co-founded, with Italy’s Father
Gabriele Amorth, the International Association of Exorcists which now has hundreds
of members worldwide. In 2000, Fr. Davies told the Independent newspaper that
incidents of demonic possession are rising dramatically along with the increase
of New Age beliefs and practices, ignorance of the Bible and a growth in
spiritual confusion.
“At
the centre of this is man’s ever-growing pride and attempt of self-reliance.
Man trying to build a better world without God – another tower of Babel,” he
said. In 2005, the Vatican recently made headlines around the world by publicly
announcing the launching of a course on exorcism for priests.
The
Church’s writings on exorcism and demonic possession say that a person can be
influenced or even possessed by demonic forces when they are “hardened” in
serious sin and the Church specifies that these include people who are involved
in heavy drug use, violence and sexual perversions. It is also noted that the
“heinous crime” of abortion exacerbates these. Italian exorcist Fr. Gabriel
Amorth writes that it is particularly difficult to liberate a victim who is
guilty of abortion, and that this can take a “very long time.”
9. Have You had a Good Cry Lately?
By Laneen Haniah
Are
you one of those people who almost never cries even though you often feel pain?
Do you find it hard to cry even when you want to? Are you afraid to cry? Do you
think crying makes you weak? Are you scared that once you start crying over the
pain of your life that you may never recover? If you can answer yes to any of
these questions, then this article is for you.
One
of the issues I often encounter when coaching people is the inability – or
really the unwillingness - of many
people to cry. Crying is an absolutely essential part of healing and
deliverance. People often times don’t know how to use tears. Tears can be a
healing balm, or a poisonous venom, depending on how you apply them.
”In all thy getting, get an
understanding”. Isn’t that what the Bible says? Even in
crying you must have an understanding of why you are crying and what to expect
as a result of your tears. One of the main reasons people fear crying is that
they are afraid the pain of their past will be brought back to the surface and
overwhelm them. But tears brought before The Father in brokenness and humility
will not produce pain but will
instead release pain.
Let
me just take a moment to explain to you the revelation that is hidden in human
tears in the hope that you will go ahead and have that good cry that is long
overdue (smile).
What is a Tear?
§ a transparent drop of fluid or hardened
fluid matter (as resin)
§ un-dissolved material that has been
changed into glass or a glassy substance by heat and fusion: close
crystallisation by high firing to make non-porous
While
most of us know the common definition of the word “tear”, did you know that a tear
can also be a hard, non-porous substance? A revelation really hit my spirit
when I read these above definitions in
Merriam Webster’s On-Line Unabridged Dictionary. The revelation is this: tears that remain in
your heart, constantly warmed by the heat of anger, become hardened residue
that imprisons your heart in bitterness and pain.
You should be crying almost every day!
Ok,
I know that sounds a little bit over the top, but please allow me to explain. I
am certainly not suggesting that we all ought to be crying every day for the
rest of our lives here on earth. However, as we continually go through seasons
of transition, growth and / or healing – yes we should be crying often. Now let
me back that up in Scripture.
“He called a little child and had him
stand among them. And He said: ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and
become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven’. (Mat.
18:2-3).”
Is
not every true believer striving to enter the Kingdom of God? Not heaven, but ”His Kingdom come, His will be done, on
earth as it is in Heaven”: “that life and life more abundantly” that we
were promised by Jesus as a result of His coming? Of course we are, and Jesus
Himself said that would only happen if we become like little children. Not just
children, but little children. Being
a mother of seven, if there is anything I can say with certainty is this: Little children cry almost every day!
“Really though, why should I cry about
stuff that happened in the past?”
Well,
I’m glad you asked. One of the first things I present to my clients during
coaching sessions is the necessity of crying over their childhood. When helping
a client work through issues of sexual perversion for instance, I explain to
them, “You didn’t just wake up one day
and decide to be perverted.
Perversion was injected into your heart
before you had a chance to decide.”
The problem is that often times when that
injection takes place in our lives, whether it is an injection of perversion,
anger, depression, rejection or otherwise – we are often too young to realise
that we should be outraged at the state of our lives. At a time of our existence
as children, when it would be as easy as one, two, three to grieve, we fail to
understand that we should grieve because we don’t know that what is being done
to us is wrong. It not until we come to an age of understanding many years into
our adulthood that we suddenly realise, “Hey,
I had mucked up my childhood! Momma shouldn’t have done that to me! Daddy
should have been there!”
Once
the realisation and understanding comes, it will be dealt with one, two or all
of three ways:
1.
Numbness and denial
2.
Depression and sadness
3.
Outrage and anger
No
matter how you slice it up though, the only way to work through it at that
point is to cry those dormant tears that are locked away in your inner being;
the tears that have become the glassy residue that has hardened your heart and
interfered with your intimacy with God and relationship with people.
Still
don’t believe me? Well guess what other definition for tear is: “a drop of clear saline fluid.” Did you know that saline is basically the
salty element found in some water? It is
saline water that is used to flush out wounds. The first thing the nurse in the
ER does is find out how you got cut. Next, the nurse flushes out your wound to
access the damage and prepare it for an expeditious and hopefully uneventful
healing process. In other words, through your tears you will wash away all of the
debris and foreign substances that were injected into you throughout your life.
The release of your tears, your saline water, will flush out your heart and
rinse away the dead things that are covering up your festering wounds.
And
here is another jewel of revelation. If you put saline water into a container
and allow it to evaporate, you will be left with salt. Salt is a preservative.
That means that everything that has been hidden in your dormant tears for all
these many years has been preserve for such a time as this! You haven’t lost anything at all. God has
preserved your joy. He has preserved your restoration. He has preserved your
destiny. All has been preserved in your tears.
So go
ahead, cry your heart out and become the salt to the earth that Jesus said you
would be as one of His disciples! Below
I have listed some scriptures for you to write down, memorise and meditate on.
Don’t expect the scriptures to yield a change in you right away. But as you
keep meditating on these scriptures daily and going before the Lord, your heart
will be softened and you will be able to cry. I am confident that in time,
whether it is a few days or a few months, the streams will begin to flow from your
eyes and you will start to heal like you never thought you could!
Not a single one of your tears is ever
overlooked by God. He sees
each one and understands the significant
meaning behind every fallen tear.
“You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your
bottle.
You have recorded each on in your book.
Psalm
56:8
When you seek the Lord for deliverance
you should seek Him with tears.
God resists the proud, but a broken
spirit and contrite heart
will never be despised by God.
“In those days, at that time,” declares
the LORD,
the people of Israel and the people of
Judah together
will go in tears to seek the LORD their
God.”
Jeremiah
50:4
Your tears create a noticeable fragrance
that gets the Lord’s attention -
they perfume the atmosphere with
repentance and brokenness
and God responds with His mercy and
restoration.
“And as she stood behind Him at His feet
weeping,
she began to wet His feet with her
tears.
Then she wiped them with her hair,
kissed them and poured perfume on them.”
Luke
7:38
Jesus being no less than God Himself,
had to come before the Father with tears
when His deliverance was on the line.
If He who was without sin had to cry,
how much more must you and I cry?
“During the days of Jesus’ life on
earth, He offered up prayers and petitions
with loud cries and tears to the one who
could save Him from death,
and He was heard because of His reverent
submission.
Hebrews
5:7
When people treat you badly, you should
never get bitter about it,
nor should you turn to other people to
offer you false comfort by joining in your anger. You should pour out your
tears to God,
the one who is able to heal you.
“My friends scorn me, but I pour out my
tears to God.
Job
16:2
Understand that all of these scriptures
teach you that if you really want to be heard in times of distress, in bitterness
of soul, in the weakness of you sinful flesh, in the injustices of life... you
must come before the Lord with your tears.
He is so ready to hear you, if you will just
come to Him in humility.
“Hear my prayer, O Lord! Listen to my
cries for help!
Don’t ignore my tears.
Psalm
39:12
After your crying is over with, there
will always be great deliverance that comes about and a peace that comes to
your soul.
“Be at rest once more, O my soul, for
the LORD has been good to you.
For you O LORD, have delivered my soul
from death, my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling, that I may walk
before the LORD in the land of the living.
Psalm
116:7-9
Once all of the stress and pain that you
have been carrying around for years
is finally washed away through your
tears – you find that
crying often allows God to release
healing to your body!
“Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader
of my people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David says: I have
heard your prayer and seen your tears;
I will heal you...’”
2
Kings 20:5
When it is all said and done, after your
crying is over,
you will harvest the Lord’s Joy!
“Those who plant in tears will harvest
with shouts of joy!
Psalm
126:5
Press through the pain and let the tears fall!
You cannot harvest joy if you do not sow you tears.
The
Gift of Tears –
Suggested reading
See Simon Tugwall OP, Did you receive the
Spirit? DLT London, 1972.
Appendix One: Consolations and Spiritual Joy.
‘During His life on earth Jesus offered up
prayer and entreaty aloud and in silent tears and He submitted so humbly, His
prayer was heard’. (Heb. 5:7)
“Sometimes Christians are as it were, in
grief and lamentation for the human race, and pouring out prayers for the whole
race of Adam, they give way to tears and grief burning with the Love of the
Holy Spirit for mankind. At another time they are inflamed by the Spirit with
such joy and love that, they would take all mankind, good and bad alike, into
their hearts”. (Anonymous Christian writer, 4th cent. D.O. I.p.484)
See also 1 Thess. 3:12
“I weep over the sufferings of my Lord Jesus
Christ, and I ought not to be ashamed to go all over the world weeping out loud
for his sake”. (St. Francis of Assisi LTC 5) “Love is not loved”.
“’Blessed those who mourn’ Matt. 5:5. Godly
sorrow mourns for others’ sins or one’s own... and for the sins of mankind’s
wickedness”. (See St. Leo the Great, D.O. III,p.506)
Prayer
of St. Augustine for the Gift of Tears
O King of Glory and Teacher of all virtue, by
word and by example, has taught us to weep and mourn, saying: ‘Blessed are they
that mourn for they shall be comforted’. You wept for your dead friend, and you
wept over the city that was to perish (Jn. 11:35). I beseech you O Good Jesus,
through these most blessed tears, and through all your tenderness, by which you
wondrously came to our aid who were lost, grant me this grace of tears my soul
so longs for, and now begs of you. For without your gift of it I cannot possess
it.
By your Holy Spirit who softens the hard
hearts of sinners, and moves them to tears, grant me the grace of tears, as you
granted it to my fathers, in whose steps I should follow: That I may bewail my
whole life as they bewailed themselves by day and night. By their prayers and
merits who have pleased you, and most faithfully served you, have mercy on me
your most pitiful and unworthy servant, and grant me the gift of tears. Water
me from above, and water me from below, that day and night tears may be my
bread. May I become in your sight, O My God, a sacrifice, rich and full of
marrow, through the fires of your compunction. May I be wholly consumed on the
altar of my own heart, and may I as a most acceptable holocaust, be received by
you as an odour of sweetness. Grant me a strengthening fountain, a clear
fountain, in which this defiled holocaust may be continuously washed. For
though by the help of your grace I have offered myself wholly to you, yet in
many things I daily offend you, because of my great weakness. Grant to me
therefore, this gift of tears, O blessed and loveable God, especially because
of the great sweetness of your love, and also for a remembrance of your
mercies. AMEN.
10. Porn:
What’s the problem? (Chastity.com)
If you have ever watched a television show about
the deep sea, you’ve probably seen a creature known as the anglerfish. It’s
bizarre and gruesome appearance is not easily forgotten because the needle like
teeth are so long that it is unable to shut its own mouth. Protruding from its
head is a bioluminescent lure that dangles above its jaws, inviting
unsuspecting prey to wander toward the glow. Smaller fish are entranced by the
harmless light and lose their lives at the moment they least expect.
In much the same way, millions of men have
become entranced by the allure of pornography. At first, the habit may seem to
be only harmless entertainment. But once the damaging effects of lust emerge,
these men feel unable to break the habit and erase the memories.
Thankfully, God is not only able to redeem
our souls, but even our desires. Christ did not die to eliminate sexual
attractions; He offered His life to ransom our souls and to teach us how to
love. To experience the fullness of redemption and the freedom He wishes to
give. We must begin by admitting our faults and seeking His help and
forgiveness. To break free from pornography, a man must first choose to open
his eyes to the harm that it causes. It damages children, wives, and the women
in the porn industry, as well as the viewer.
“Each
man must look within himself to see whether she who was entrusted to him as a
sister in humanity... has not become in his heart an object of adultery.”1
Pope John Paul II
The
problem of Porn
Recent brain research has discovered that
with each visual experience, we literally grow new brain.2 In fact,
synapses between brain cells are either strengthened or pruned based upon how we choose to live.3
Therefore, a man can shape the way his brain views woman based upon what he
places before his eyes. Through pornography, a man learns to measure the value
of a woman based upon how much lust he feels for her. He may try to convince
himself that isn’t a problem, but in reality his ability to love is being
crippled by it. Without realising it, he comes to view the world through porn
goggles and assumes that constant lust is natural. When he eventually tries to
love a woman, he will find himself confused ad disappointed.
One reason for this is that pornography
trains a person to get bored with commitment. No matter how perfect a model
might be, the man hooked on porn will leave her within a matter of seconds in
order to view other women. Without realising it, he is robbing himself from the
ability to be captivated by a woman. If the most seductive super models fail to
hold his interest for more than a few seconds, how long will his bride keep his
attention? He has made himself into a glutton who is never filled.
“The alternative is clear: either man governs his
passions and finds peace,
or he lets himself be dominated by them and becomes
unhappy.”
Catechism of the Catholic
Church 2339
Not surprisingly, research on people who
looked at porn found that they were less likely to be satisfied with their
partner’s affection, physical appearance, sexual curiosity, and sexual
performance.4 Their behaviour has led them away from what they were
seeking in the first place. In the words of one husband, “The best way to ruin
pleasure is to make it your goal”.5
The man who views pornography experiences a
deadness inside. Yet, he returns again and again to what only leaves him
feeling emptier than before. One recovering porn addict admitted that viewing
pornography “brings intense disappointment, precisely because it is not what
I’m really searching for. It’s like a hungry person standing outside the window
of a restaurant thinking that they’re going to get fed”.6 If God has
created us to love as He loves, it is no wonder that those who view porn are
never satisfied.
The fact that strip clubs refer to themselves
as “adult” entertainment and “gentleman’s” clubs prove that no matter how far
we fall, we still need to identify with authentic manhood. God has stamped into
us the call to love in a noble and sacrificial way, as well as the desire to
behold what is beautiful. However, when these God-given desires are warped
through porn, we miss the point of why God made us men. Instead of dying to
ourselves for the sake of women, we sacrifice them on the altar of lust.
When a husband is hooked on pornography, he’s
only a shadow of the man his wife and children need him to be. His ability to
be the spiritual leader of his family is stripped away from him. For lack of a
better description, his addiction could be considered a spiritual vasectomy. Until his heart is changed, his ability to
transmit the spiritual life is gone. Likewise, so long as a single man is
trapped in the habit of porn, he could miss the vocation to which God is
calling him.
St. Alphonsus Liguori once noted that, “When
a raven finds a dead body, its first act is to puck out the eyes, and the first
injury that [impurity] inflicts on the soul is to take away the light of the
things of God.”7 It is not surprising, then, that so many men wander
away from the Church when they begin to fall prey to sexual sins, which blind
them to spiritual realities. Some of these men may still attend Mass, yet they
cannot escape the shame of living a double life.
When one’s fantasy life is revealed, the
damage becomes impossible to ignore. Upon discovering her father’s online porn
collection, one young girl stormed away from him saying, “I thought you were a
better man than that.” Another teenage daughter said, “I found out that my dad
looks at porn, I used to look up to him. Now I can’t even look at him.”
Although these things are not easy to read,
there is hope. No matter how deep the wounds or severe the addiction, God is
capable of healing anyone who comes to Him with a sincere heart.
Ten
Steps to Break Free from Porn
1. Go to
confession. Through
confession, you receive forgiveness and added grace to help conquer temptation
in the future. You also have someone to whom you are accountable. As the Bible
says, “Two are better than one... If they fall, one will lift up his fellow;
but woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up”
(Eccles. 4:9-10).
2. Go to Mass
and Eucharistic Adoration. No greater grace exists in the Church than
the Blessed Sacrament.
3. Develop a devotion
to Mary and St. Joseph. Carry a rosary with
you at all times and pray it often. Invoke our Lady’s intercession when you
feel tempted. She is the woman who will restore your ability to view all other
women honourably. The Church honours St. Joseph as the guardian of virgins and
the terror of demons. He is a powerful ally against sins that violate the
dignity of women.
4. Fast. There is tremendous
spiritual power in this ancient practice. Visit e5men.org, and talk to a priest
about how to implement fasting into your prayer life.
5. Be active
and productive. St.
Robert Bellarmine said, “Flee idleness, for no one is more exposed to such
temptations than he who has nothing to do.”8
6. Put a filter
on your computer.
See filterreview.com and see noevilonline.com for examples.
7. Use
sacramentals.
Place a holy image, crucifix, or statue where you’re tempted to view
pornography. You could also make the sign of the cross or bless yourself with
holy water when you feel tempted.
8. Read
Scripture.
The Word of God has the power to drive out the evil one.
9. Pray for
your temptations.
Whenever an impure image comes to mind, pray for the grace to overcome the
temptation. But do not stop there. Let the image serve as a reminder to pray
for that woman’s conversion. As strange as it sounds, the antidote to pornography is to love the women in pornography.
Feel responsible for them as your sisters in humanity. According to Pope John
Paul II, God “assigns the dignity of every woman as a task to every man.”9
10. Don’t be
discouraged.
The battle is not an easy one, so don’t give up if you fall. Persevere and you
will win the crown.
“No temptation has
overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let
you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide
the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13
The
Church’s message of purity is not a condemnation but a calling to authentic
human love. It is an invitation for men to master their impulses and allow
Christ to transform the way they view women. When this happens, they become who
they are, sons of God and earthly icons of the Heavenly Father. St. Josemaria
Escrivá said, “There is need for a crusade for manliness and purity to
counteract and nullify the savage work of those who think man is a beast. And
that crusade is your work.”10
Therefore,
if you own any pornography, destroy it and defend your ability to love all
women with a clean heart.
For
more information, visit www.chastity.com This online resource
offers a wealth of information on how to practice the virtue of purity. On
site, you can read answers to specific questions, watch videos, download
inspirational audio files, browse a library of articles, shop online and more.
Endnotes:
1. Pope John
Paul II Mulieris Dignitatem 16
2. Statement of
Dr. Judith Reisman, Testimony
3. Joe Mc Ilhaney and Freda M.
Bush, Hooked
4. D. Zillman
and J. Bryant, Pornography’s Impact on Sexual Satisaction, Journal of applied
Social Psychology 18(1988) 438-453
5. J.
Budziszewski, Designed for Sex
6. John-Paul
Day, as quoted in Edward Marriot, Man and Porn, The Guardian (8/11/2003)
7. St.
Alphonsus Liguori, The Dignities and Duties of the Priest
8. R.E. Guiley,
The Quotable Saint, 2003, p. 135
9. Pope John
Paul II, General Audience 28/11/1982 Man and Woman He Created Them
10. Josemaria
Escriva, The Way
11. Internet porn:
The highly addictive narcotic emasculating young men through erectile
dysfunction. By Dough Mainwaring
March
29, 2019, (LifeSiteNews) – Young men are being robbed of their ability to enter
into natural sexual relationships with women as frequent pornography viewing
rewires their brains, undermining their ability to perform sexually.
In
a sense males in their teens through their 30s are being inoculated
against sex, against intimacy, against procreation, against expressing love,
against marriage, against happiness.
And
that vaccination is administered free of charge via the internet.
“Until
2002, the incidence of men under the age of 40 with ED (erectile dysfunction)
was around 2-3%,” Mary Sharp of Reward Foundation told the Guardian. “Since
2008, when free streaming, high definition porn became so readily available, it
has steadily risen.”
“Porn
is changing how children become sexually aroused,” continued Sharp, and it is
happening, “at an age when they’re most vulnerable to mental health disorders
and addictions. Most addictions and mental health disorders start in
adolescence.”
The
Guardian article suggests that, “Up to third of young men now experience
erectile dysfunction.”
The
phenomenon has grown so common that it has a name: “Porn Induced Erectile
Dysfunction” (PIED).
“Instead
of wiring his sexual arousal to real people, today’s adolescent is often found
in front of a screen, and he’s wiring his brain’s sexual circuits to being
alone in his room, to voyeurism rather than participation,” noted an
instructive video, Adolescent Brain Meets High-speed Internet Porn.
“Alien
is the word I’d use to describe how it felt when I tried to have sex with real
women,” said one young man quoted in the video. It felt artificial and foreign
to me.”
“It’s
like I’ve gotten so conditioned to sitting in front of a screen (masturbating)
that my mind considers that to be normal sex instead of real actual sex,” he
added.
12. Porn Overcome
“Jesus
said if a man looks lustfully at a woman, he has already committed adultery in
his heart. If your eye causes you to sin, tear it out rather than go to hell”
(Mt. 5:28-29)
“Adulterers
will never enter Heaven” (1 Cor. 6:9).
PORN
– “One of the greatest threats to Christianity” (Joy Magazine) “Church
launches war on porn” (Southern Cross 02/09/2015 “Porn killing our
brains and our children (Southern Cross 26/08/2015).
www.endsexaulexploitation.org for violence: the
newly accepted form of sexual expression.
www.profile365.com for your brain gets
hijacked when looking for porn! and five practical ways to defeat porn
addiction.
www.everystudent.com for freedom from
Porn for male and female Addiction: Nine lies of porn.
www.everystudent.com for struggling alone
with porn. A female student talks about her addiction.
National
Centre for Sexual Exploitation: exposing the seamless connection between
all forms of sexual exploitation.
KICKING
the HABIT:
Note
Well
·
As
many as one out of every four online searches are for porn.
·
Every
second 30,000 people are viewing porn. The average age of first exposure is
just eleven years of age.
·
Porn
users increases the marital infidelity rate more than 300%.
·
In
56% of all divorce cases, one party had an obsessive interest in porn sites.
Remember every fisherman knows: the bait determines the catch! Offer physical
bait and you’ll end up with men who only care about that, not men who care
about you (good news gazette).
“More
souls go to hell because of sins of the flesh than any other reason”... “certain
fashions will be introduced that will offend Our Lord very much” (Our Lady of
Fatima).
“Impurity
leads inevitably to violence” (Aquinas)
13. The Father’s Love
Letter
By
Sue Atkinson (July 2004)
Have
you ever wondered how much God the Father loves you? Have ever had times when
you doubted His love for you, either because of your own sinfulness, or a sense
that He was absent from your life? I have – many times. One day, during these
times of doubt and difficulty, I came across “The Father’s Love Letter.” It
touched me deeply and I want to share it with you here. Read it slowly and
prayerfully, and let the words sink deeply into your heart. God wants to meet
you there and show you how much He really does love you.
My Child...
You
may not know me but I know everything about you... Psalm 139:1
I
know when you sit down and when you rise up... Psalm 139:2
I
am familiar with all your ways... Psalm 139:3
Even
the hairs on your head are numbered... Matthew 10:29-31
For
you were made in my image... Genesis 1:27
In
Me you live and move and have your being... Acts 17:28
I
knew you before you were conceived... Jeremiah 1:4-5
I
chose you when I planned creation... Ephesians 1:11-12
You
were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book... Psalm 139:15-16
I
determined the exact time of your birth, and where you would live... Acts 17:26
You
are fearfully and wonderfully made... Psalm 139:14
I
knit you together in your mother’s womb... Psalm 139:13
And
brought you forth on the day you were born... Psalm 71:6
I
have been misrepresented by those who don’t know me... John 8:41-44
I
am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love... 1 John 4:16
And
it is my desire to lavish my love on you... 1 John 3:1
Simply
because you are My child I am your Father... 1 John 3:1
I
offer you more than your earthly father ever could... Matthew 7:11
For
I am the perfect Father... Matthew 5:48
Every
good gift you receive comes from My hand... James 1:17
For
I am your provider and I meet all needs... Matthew 6:31-33
My
plan for your future has always been filled with hope... Jeremiah 29:11
Because
I love you with an everlasting love... Jeremiah 31:3
My
thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore... Psalm
139:17-18
And
I rejoice over you with singing... Zephaniah 3:17
I
will never stop doing good to you... Jeremiah 32:40For you are my treasured
possession... Exodus 19:5
I
desire to establish you with all my heart and soul... Jeremiah 32:41
And
I want to show you great and marvellous things... Jeremiah 33:3
If
you seek me with all your heart, you will find me... Deuteronomy 4:29
Delight
in me and I will give you the desires of your heart... Psalm 37:4
For
it is I who gave you those desires... Philippians 2:13
I
am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine... Ephesians 3:20
For
I am your greatest encourager... 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
I
am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles... 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
When
you are broken hearted I am close to you... Psalm 35:18
As
a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart... Isaiah 40:11
One
day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes... Revelation 21:3-4
And
I’ll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth... Revelation
21:3-4
I
am your Father, and I love you even as I love my Son Jesus... John 17:23
For
in Jesus, my love for you is revealed... John 17:26
He
is the exact representation of my being... Hebrews 1:3
He
came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you... Romans 8:31
And
to tell you that I not counting your sins... 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Jesus
died so that you and I could be reconciled... 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
His
death was the ultimate expression of my love for you... 1 John 4:10
I
gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love... Romans 8:31-32
If
you receive the gift of my Son Jesus, you receive Me... 1 John 2:23
And
nothing will separate you from my love again... Romans 8:38-39
Come
home and I’ll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen... LuSke 15:7
I
have always been Father and I will always be Father... Ephesians 3:14-15
My
question is... Will you be My child?... John 1:12-13
I
am waiting for you... Luke 15:11-32
Love, Your Dad .
Almighty God
(Used
with permission Father Heart Communications, Copyright 1999 www.FathersLoveLetter.com )
Sue
Atkinson, her husband and their five children are members of Annunciation of
the Lord parish in Ottowa
Let
us Pray.
Father, your Son Jesus Christ has told us that no father would give son a stone
if he asked for bread, or a snake if he asked for fish, or a scorpion if he
asked for an egg. And if we who are evil know how to give our children what is
good, then how much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to
those who ask. (Luke 11).
Father
you servant Luke told us that Peter was filled again and again with the Holy
Spirit (Acts 2:4; 4:8,31) and your Apostle Paul commands us to go on
being filled with that Spirit (Eph. 5:18)
Father,
we your children, wait for what you have promised – for power from on high.
Lord fill us again with the Spirit to convict us of sin, give us the Fruits,
Gifts and Charisms of the Spirit and so by our lives glorify your Son Jesus
that He might have pre-eminence in all things for He is Lord for ever and ever.
AMEN.
14. A Genuine Christian Alternative to Yoga From: Max Scully, Yoga, Tai Chi & Reiki: a Guide for Christians
As
this book was about to be published, I was given a DVD with an accompanying
booklet called Praise Moves. I was
most impressed by its programme and its presentation. Its author and presenter,
Laurette Willis, is described on the DVD cover as a Women’s’ Fitness Specialist and a certified
personal trainer. In her article, ‘Why a Christian Alternative to Yoga’ which
appears on Praise Moves website, she
provides some background:
As a child growing up
in Long Island, I became involved in yoga at the age of seven when my mother
and I began watching a daily yoga exercise programme on television. For the
next 22 years I was heavily involved with yoga, metaphysics and the New Age
Movement until I came to the end of myself and surrendered my life to Jesus
Christ in 1987.
After
becoming a Christian, she abandoned her New Age practices including yoga. But
14 years later, the Spirit of God moved her in a new direction:
I was looking for a
gentler form of exercise. I’d be doing aerobatics, and I wanted to do some
stretching and strengthening exercises, but I wanted absolutely nothing to do
with yoga. I wondered how I might exercise the body while praising God, how I
might meditate on Scripture while stretching the body – moving in praise of
God. Praising and moving – Praise Moves!... For the next two years I prayed,
studied and developed the Praise-Moves series of stretching postures. I wanted
to make sure this was not just a good idea but God’s idea.
By
2006, Laurette was in a position to produce her alternative to yoga for
Christians, which she stresses is not Christian yoga, which sees as a
contradiction of terms. At the heart of her Praise
Moves is a set of 21 postures, each animated by a passage of Scripture. For
example, The Eagle posture is accompanied by the speaking aloud of this verse:
‘Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up
with wings as eagles, they run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint’
(Is. 40:31).
Praise Moves is designed for
committed Christians. Its foundation text makes that eminently clear: ‘For you
were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit
which are God’s (1 Cor. 6:20)
Through
this process, Laurette claims and users testify, one can obtain all the health
and relaxation benefits attributed to yoga.
One
can do this programme in the comfort of one’s home by doing it in synch with
the DVD or as part of a class under the guidance of one of Laurette’s many
qualified instructors. Such is the popularity of the course, that it is now
available throughout America and has been introduced to a number of countries
world-wide. a correspondence course is being offered to train instructors in
Australia.
Laurette
has also developed a fitness programme for children, Power Moves Kids. It combines stretching exercises with character
building quotes. It is non religious and is being use in schools both public
and private. See the website, http://praisemoves.com
15. Overcoming the
Deadly Sin of Anger
The deadly Sin of
Anger
Anger,
or wrath, or rage, is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. In the Sermon on the Mount,
Jesus identified anger as a violation of the 5TH Commandment and as
endangering one’s eternal soul: “You have heard that it was said to the men of
old. ‘you shall not kill: and whoever kills shall be liable to judgement’. But
I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgement”
(Matthew 5:21-22)
Pursuing Love,
Patience, and Gentleness
Despite
our Lord’s demanding words against anger, for many of us, especially those like
me who are married with young children, anger remains a recurring, if not
daily, sin. So how do we overcome our anger? The answer, if not the execution,
is easy enough: we overcome the vice of anger, by pursuing the virtues contrary
to it.
A
few weeks ago at Sunday Mass, these words from St. Paul stood out to me: “But
you, man of God, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and
gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:11). (From the Second Reading at Mass for the 26th
Sunday of Ordinary Time.
For
those seeking to overcome anger, I suggest that we heed St. Paul’s admonition
by pursuing, in particular, the latter three virtues he names: love, patience, and gentleness. Do we
actually pursue gentleness?
While
most of us would readily agree that we as Christians should be pursuing love
and patience, how many of us would list gentleness as one of our daily pursuits?
Could it be that we lack this gentleness because we are not pursuing it? Or
because we don’t value it? Or perhaps we excuse our lack of gentleness as
necessary for effective discipline within our homes? I ask these questions
because I’m certain I have been guilty in the past of all three.
Let
us turn to the saints to clarify that gentleness is, indeed, a Christian
virtue. A few quotes will suffice.
Saint
Francis de Sales counsels:
Of
course it is a duty to resist evil and to repress the faults of those for whom
we are responsible, steadily and firmly, but gently and quietly. (From Introduction to the Devout Life, emphasis
added).
Saint
John Bosco, known for his kindness and gentleness toward the often rough boys
he shepherded and educated, likewise encourages gentle discipline and kindness.
It
is easier to become angry than to restrain oneself, and to threaten a boy than
to persuade him. Yes, indeed it is more fitting to be persistent in punishing
our own impatience and pride than to correct the boys. We must be firm but kind
and be patient with them. They are our sons, and so in correcting their
mistakes we must lay aside all anger and restrain it so firmly that it is
extinguished entirely. There must be no hostility in our minds, no
contempt in our eyes, no insult on our lips. (The Spiritual Testament of St.
John Bosco, from the Office of Readings for the Feast of St John Bosco.
Emphasis added).
So
if we want to overcome anger, let’s heed St. Paul (and Sts. Francis de Sales
and John Bosco) and pursue gentleness – especially with our spouses and
children.
How
We Grow in Virtue
Thus
far, we have identified the virtues we should pursue to overcome anger: love,
patience, and gentleness.
But
pursuing the right things, while indispensible, is not enough. We cannot grow
in virtue, or excise vice, merely by willing it. In pursuing virtue, we need
the grace of God. So it is not surprising that St. Paul not only encourages us
to pursue the virtues of love, patience, and gentleness, but also identifies
these virtues as fruits of a life rooted in the Holy Spirit: “But the fruit of
the Spirit is love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23) emphasis added. This
bears repeating: love, patience, and gentleness are fruits of the Holy
Spirit. So if we want to obtain love, patience, and gentleness – and joy,
peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control – then we must let
the Spirit dwell in us.
The
Incompatibility of Anger with the Fruits of the Spirit
Reviewing
these nine fruits of the Spirit should also make it obvious that anger is
incompatible with them. By incompatible, I mean that you can’t have both anger
and these fruits of the Spirit at the same time. That is, you can’t be joyfully
angry, or peacefully angry, or gently angry.
Those
who would attempt to justify or excuse their anger, or claim that their anger
is righteous, I again reference the wise words of St. Francis de Sales: “On no
pretext whatever suffer your heart to admit anger and passion”. St.
James plainly and reservedly, that ‘the wrath of man worketh not the
righteousness of God’ (Introduction to
the Devout Life). St. Francis de Sales continues on the subject: “Depend
upon it, it is better now to live without being angry than to imagine one can
moderate and control anger lawfully, and if through weakness and frailty one is
overtaken by it, it is far better to put it away forcibly than to parley with
it, for give anger ever so little way, and it will become master, like the
serpent, who easily works in its body wherever it can introduce its head”. [Introduction to the Devout Life].
Recognising
the incompatibility of anger with a life filled with the Holy Spirit can lead
to some uncomfortable truths about our own anger. There are two possibilities:
either (1) our anger – and corresponding lack of the fruits of the Holy Spirit
– confirms that we are not living a prayerful, spiritual life, or (2) if we are
living a prayerful, spiritual life, our anger is extinguishing it. In other
words, the manifestation of anger in our life either confirms the lack of an
interior life, or destroys or weakens the interior life. Conversely, the
manifestation of the fruits of the Spirit correspond to, and reveal the growth
and depth of interior life.
Anger
in the Home
Very
few of us have entirely conquered our anger, so if you occasionally raise your
voice or lose your temper – and by saying occasionally, let’s say a few times a
month – it can be an occasion of humility and repentance and an opportunity to
rededicate oneself to the spiritual life. Embrace this opportunity and keep at
it! Don’t be discouraged. Turn to God in prayer. Depend on Him. He will
provide. More on this below.
But
I suspect that many of us lose our temper more frequently – even daily – and
tragically with those we love most: our spouses, children, parents and
siblings.
Again
do not be discouraged. Today is the day to stop excusing our anger and to
conquer it. And since our anger is often directed at those nearest us, we’ll
have many opportunities for practicing the virtue of love, patience, and
gentleness and for monitoring our growth in the interior life.
Overcoming
Anger through the Interior Life
So
how do we reduce our anger and grow in peace and patience? We should already
know the answer. Our anger and corresponding lack of the fruits of the Spirit
means that we need the Spirit. We need prayer. We need to cultivate the
interior life through good habits of prayer. We need to spend time in daily
mental prayer – before the Eucharist if possible – and lectio divina. We need to frequently confess our sins and be
nourished by the Eucharist. We need to give alms and discipline our flesh
through fasting. We need to turn to Mary in the Rosary. And we likely
need a good silent retreat to help us get started. The often missing
ingredient? Daily mental prayer.
For
me personally, daily mental prayer was for too long the missing ingredient.
Only when I began to spend 15 to 30 minutes in daily silence with Our Lord did
I begin to root out anger and grow in peace and patience. The daily mental
prayer afforded me the opportunity both to pray for the virtue of patience and
to anticipate those stressful parts of the day when I was most prone to raising
my voice or losing my temper. Focussing on controlling the tone of voice, and
recognising when I all too frequently raised my voice, was helpful to
overcoming these outbursts. And nightly examinations of conscience helped me to
recall my daily shortcoming in this area and to resolve, with the power of
Christ, to do better tomorrow. I am still imperfect in this area. From time to
time I snap at my kids or raise my voice to my wife. But since adopting the
habit of daily mental prayer, these outbursts of anger have become less
frequent and less prolonged; and I now notice immediately when I have lost my
peace, and usually I am able quickly to regain it and apologise – both to the
victim of my outburst and to God.
Modelling
Patience and Bringing Christ to the World
Overcoming
our anger is a battle worth fighting. Not only does it imperil our souls and
hurt those around us; but it also poorly models Christian discipleship, and
especially for those of us who are fathers, poorly models the fatherly love of
God. In contrast, when we maintain our peace and patience and model love,
patience, and gentleness, we provide a powerful witness of God’s love.
Maintaining peace and patience also has the salutary and pacifying effect on
those around us (which also can make it easier to maintain our own peace and
patience).
Lastly,
maintain our own peace, and setting this example for others, is a very real way
to bring Christ to the world and transform it. We rightfully lament the
diminishing space for Christ in the modern public square. But by our anger, we
ourselves eject Christ from His rightful dwelling place within us. How can we
bring Christ to the world if we ourselves lack Him? Let us correct this by
conquering our anger and thereby preserving Christ’s place within us. Only then
can He act through us. And He will if we let Him.
By William Bloomfield
16. Dreams – By Dr Scott Hahn
(Catholic Bible Dictionary)
The
ancient world believed that dreams were full of meaning. There were experts who
specialised in dream interpretation, such as those who failed to interpret
Pharaoh’s dream (Gen. 41:8) and Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Dan. 2:2).
The
Old Testament warns against treating dreams as a form of divination, as they are often misleading (Deut. 13:1; Sir. 34:7).
The psalmist saw them as fleeting (Ps. 73:20; 90:5). Jeremiah considered them
untrustworthy, even though he did acknowledge that they could be a source of
revelation (Jer. 23:27,32; 29:8). God’s people must beware of false prophets,
whose dreams comes from their own minds, and who give Israel a false sense of
security in spite of the sins of the nation (Jer. 23:16).
Still,
God did use dreams to communicate with his prophets–in contrast to Moses, with
whom God spoke “mouth to mouth, clearly” (Num. 12:6-8). Dreams played a
positive role in the account of three figures in particular: Jacob (Gen. 31:10-13,
24), Joseph (Gen. 37-41), and Daniel. Solomon asked for wisdom in a dream (1
Kings 3:5-15), and God sometimes sent dreams to foreigners (Gen. 20:31), Judges
7:13-14).
In
the New Testament dreams are found only in Matthew and Acts. Joseph is told in
a dream the Mary’s child is divine (Matt. 1:20), is warned in a dream to flee
to Egypt (Matt. 2:13), and is later told in a dream when to return (Matt
2:19-20). The wise men are also warned in a dream to avoid Herod the Great
(Matt. 2:12). Later, Pilate’s wife has a dream and warns Pilate against
pursuing the trial against Jesus (Matt. 27:19). In Acts, the word “dream” is
not directly used, instead divine revelations that come by night are called
“visions” (Acts 16:9, 18:9-10); cf. Acts 23:11, 27:23-24).
Dreams - (Messianic Bible, October 19, 2020)
“He speaks in dreams, in visions of the
night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their beds.” (Job
33:15)
When you read the
word DREAM, what thoughts or images come to mind?
Just
your mind emptying out when you sleep? Or perhaps daydreaming about success,
marriage, or future life?
In
the Bible, dreams from God affected
and influenced many of the Bible characters’ decisions and actions. Is it
possible to learn about our dreams from theirs?
Could
it be that the prophet Joel said:
“And it shall come to
pass afterward, that I will pour out
my Spirit on all
flesh; your sons and your daughters shall
prophesy, your old
men shall dream dreams, and your
young men shall see
visions. Even on the male, and
female servants in
those days will I pour out my Spirit.” (Joel
2:27-29)
Is it possible that
God is speaking to us in our dreams?
People
have been dreaming since Adam and Eve. We were created with this capacity built
into the fabric of our being. But not all dreams are from God.
Researchers
tell us that dreams are made up of fragments of our lives that creep from our
conscious to our unconsciousness in an effort to arrange a paradigm or grid to
resolve the input and stimulation we encounter throughout our lives.
However,
we are not going to look at modern psychology here. We are only looking to
understand if God (whose personal name is YHVH) is speaking to us in our dreams
and to uncover a few principles for interpreting them.
Here comes the
Dreamer
“Now
Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even
more.” (Genesis 37:5)
Some
of the most famous of all dreams in the Bible are those that Joseph had (which
almost got him killed) and those he interpreted for others (which rose him to
second in command of all Egypt).
In
Genesis 37, God gives Joseph two dreams using metaphors and images that he is
familiar with-a common method used to transmit messages in dreams still today.
In
his first dream, eleven sheaves bow down to the sheaf of Joseph. This dream is
so easy to interpret that Joseph’s eleven brothers immediately understood it.
“Are you actually
going to reign over us?” they asked him. (v.8)
The
mere thought of it threw the brothers into a rage. “Here comes the dreamer,” they said, as they plotted to kill him.
(v.19)
That
is not the immediate result Joseph had hoped for from a dream of God.
Nevertheless,
his prophetic destiny, confirmed by his two dreams (vv.8-10), gave Joseph the
hope he needed to sustain many years of misfortune in Egypt leading up to that
destiny.
Our
dreams can give us hope, too. And we can see from Joseph’s life that sometimes
our dreams have both an immediate result and a long-term outcome. We need the
wisdom of God to help us see both, if it is in His will that we know it.
As
Joseph said: “Do not interpretations
belong to God?” (Genesis 40:8)
God can Converse with
Us in Dreams
We
might think that dreaming is a one-way communication from God to us, but a
dream of King Solomon shows us that this is not always the case.
“At
Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night” and said, “Ask what I
shall give you.” (1 Kings 3:5)
Solomon
asked for “an understanding mind to govern Your people, that I may discern
between good and evil.” (1 Kings 3:9)
Our
Father in heaven loves to bestow wisdom, especially on those who cherish it
more than riches and honour. So, He gave
Solomon wisdom and discernment (an immediate result) like no other king ever
had, and he went on to pen the great books of wisdom: Proverbs and Ecclesiastes
(a long term outcome).
At
times, we too can interact in our dreams and perhaps move our destiny ever so
slightly. We may even receive interpretation of the imagery in the dream
itself.
For
instance, after Daniel dreamed of four beasts, he wrote:
“I approached one of
those who stood there and asked
him the truth
concerning all this. So he told me and
made known to me the
interpretation of the things.” (Daniel 7:15)
Daniel lived a rich
life of dreams (while sleeping) and visions (wile awake) and was given much
wisdom in the interpretation of them, such as this magnificent Messianic dream
given to a pagan king. (Daniel 2:31-45)
“In your vision, O
king you saw a statue, very large and exceedingly bright, terrifying
in appearance as it
stood before you. The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest
and arms were silver,
its belly and thighs bronze, the legs iron, its feet partly iron and
partly tile. While
you looked at the statue, a stone which was hewn from a mountain
without a hand being put
to it, struck its iron and tile feet, breaking them in pieces. The
iron, tile, bronze,
silver, and gold all crumbled at once, fine as the chaff of the threshing
floor in summer, and
the wind blew them away without leaving a trace. But the stone
that struck the
statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
This was the dream;
the interpretation we shall also give in the king’s presence. You,
O king are the king
of kings; to you the God of heaven has given dominion and strength,
power and glory; men,
wild beasts, and birds of the air, wherever they may dwell,
he has handed over to
you, making you ruler over them all; you are the head of gold.
Another kingdom shall
take your place, inferior to yours, then a third kingdom, of
bronze, which shall
rule over the whole earth. There shall be a fourth kingdom,
strong as iron; it
shall break in pieces and subdue all these others, just as iron
breaks in pieces and
crushes everything else. The feet and toes you saw, partly
of potter’s tile and
partly of iron, mean that it shall be a divided kingdom, but yet
have some of the
hardness of iron. As you saw the iron mixed with clay tile, and the
toes partly iron and
partly tile, the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.
The iron mixed with
clay tile means that they shall seal their alliances by inter marriage,
but they shall not stay united, anymore than iron
mixes with clay. In the lifetime of those
kings the God of
heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed or
delivered up to
another people; rather, it shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and
put an end to them,
and it shall stand for ever. That is the meaning of the stone you saw
hewn from the
mountain without a hand being put to it, which broke in pieces the tile,
iron, bronze, silver
and gold. The great God has revealed to the king what shall be in
the future; this is
exactly what you dreamed, and its meaning is sure.”
The stone that Became a Mountain
“The stone that
struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.” (Daniel
2:35)
Sometimes dreams that
are meant for us can be given to the most unlikely people.
Consider the stone’s
current trajectory on becoming a mountain, a kingdom that fills the whole
earth, and what your role in it is.
As we can see from
these examples in the Tanakh (Hebrew Scriptures), God spoke through dreams in a
way that made sense, either to the person having the dream or to its
interpreter.
When someone didn’t
understand and God wanted it to be understood, He gave the interpretation. The
same applies to us today. God is the one
who reveals the understanding of dreams, as He did with Joseph and with Daniel:
“The mystery was
revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night.
Then Daniel blessed
the God of heaven... and said, ‘Blessed be the
name of God forever
and ever,... for
You have given me wisdom and might, and have
now made known
to me what we asked of you, for You have made known to us the king’s matter.”
(Daniel 2:19-23)
Understanding
Biblical Interpretations of Dreams
By
looking at the dreams and interpretations revealed in the Bible, we can see
patterns develop and discern some principles for interpreting our own dreams.
Let’s
ask some questions about King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, as an example, and then see
how you can apply these same questions to your dreams.
1. Who had the dream? King Nebuchadnezzar
of Babylon.
2. What was the imagery used and why? A
statue. Why a statue? As with most dreams,
the primary image used is something the dreamer is intimately familiar with.
Nebuchadnezzar built statues of himself to be worshipped by citizens of his
kingdom. Therefore, a statue was a perfect metaphor to represent his own and
other kingdoms.
3. What was God’s message? Even though
Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom was the most powerful of the day, a time would come
when no earthly kingdom, no matter how great, will stand when the Kingdom of
God comes to full fruition.
4. How was the dream interpreted? (For
example, did the interpreter pray first? Did God reveal the meaning during the
dream?) While some dreams (like Joseph’s) are understood upon hearing, Daniel
prayed for revelation of the king’s dream.
5. What was the response or outcome? The
king’s dream had no immediate outcome except to prove that God was indeed speaking
through Daniel. Yet, that gave Daniel great favour with the king. The fuller
outcome, however, is still unfolding as the stone continues to grow into its
destiny as a kingdom that fills the whole earth.
Some
dreams, however, have a clear and immediate fulfilment, especially when they
deal with warnings.
For
instance, in the Brit Chadashah (New Covenant), Joseph was warned to leave
Bethlehem with baby Yeshua and Mary and flee to Egypt. The three Magi were
warned in a dream not to return to King Herod, so they went home by another
route. (Matt. 2)
Before
trying to analyze your own dreams, practice applying the five questions above
to the dreams of the following people:
1. The Phoenician
King Abimelech (Genesis 20)
2. Joseph’s two
dreams (Genesis 37)
3. The cupbearer
(Genesis 40)
4. The baker
(Genesis 41)
5. Pharaoh
(Genesis 41)
6. King Solomon
(1 Kings 3)
7. Daniel (Daniel
7)
8. The Magi
(Matthew 2)
9. Joseph (Matthew
2)
By
analysing the dreams listed above, you will become more able dissect and
understand your own dreams-that is, if you remember them. So, as you embark on
this new venture, add these items to your daily routine:
1. Pray to
remember your dreams.
2. Write them
down when you wake up.
3. Pray for
understanding as you apply the questions below to your dreams.
Interpreting Your
Dreams
When
you have remembered and written down a dream, answer these questions:
1. Who had the dream? You, a friend, or a relative?
2. What imagery was in it? Who are the
people in it? What are the places or objects? What activities are going on? How
does the imagery relate to you or the dreamer? Don’t interpret yet, just
identify the imagery.
3. What is the message? Is there a simple,
clear meaning as in Joseph’s dream of the sheaves? Was the interpretation given
in the dream? Or does the meaning need to be prayed through?
Consider
what is going on in the life of the dreamer, but be careful. Maybe you play
tennis, but just because you dream about a tennis match with someone attractive
does not mean you are being told to play tennis with them. Sharing the dream with someone who knows you well may help bring
further insight.
If
you come to an interpretation, does it make sense to the dreamer within the
context of their life? If not, keep praying.
4. Even if the immediate result is
unfavourable, what will the overall outcome be if the dream is heeded? Whether
it is a warning or guidance, will it
bring glory to God?
If
you get stuck at any step, pray some more. If the dream is truly from God, He
will make the interpretation known in His timing.
Remember,
though, that not all dreams are “God” dreams. Some are just dreams, and some
nightmares are from a spicy meal. So, it really is important to pray for
understanding; and when you receive it, give God all the glory!
When
Solomon received abundant wisdom from God, “he stood before the ark of the
covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and
made a feast for all his servants.” (1 Kings 3:15)
Appendix
to Dreams
Ecclesiasticus
chapter 35
says: “Mirror and dream are similar things: confronting a face, the
reflection of that face.”
Jerusalem
Bible
comments on this verse: “The dream like the mirror only presents an image; or
perhaps the dream reflects only what a man already has in his mind, neither
adding anything nor providing any assurance.”
St
Basil the Great
said that “our sleeping dreams are mostly but echoes of our daytime thoughts.”
St
Therese of Lisieux
wondered if this is true what Basil says then why did she not dream more about
God.
Dreams
we can ignore but nightmares we need to take seriously as there may be a
demonic component. If we have un-confessed sin of hatred, jealousy,
un-forgiveness, lust etc. we may attract nightmares. If we are over stressed we
may attract panic attacks, not demonic but still very frightening. We need to
examine ourselves to see why we are overstressed and then try to rectify the
situation.
“I
will bless the Lord who gives me counsel, who even at night directs my heart.”
(Ps. 16:17)
17. Prayer for
Healing the Family Tree
Heavenly
Father, I come before you as your child, in great need of your help. I have
physical health needs, emotional needs, spiritual needs and interpersonal
needs. Many of my problems have been caused by my own failures, neglect and
sinfulness, for which I humbly beg your forgiveness, Lord.
But
I also ask you to forgive the sins of my ancestors, whose failures have left
their effects on me, in body, mind and spirit. Heal me, Lord of all these
disorders.
With
your help, I sincerely forgive everyone, especially living or dead members of
my family tree, who have directly offended me or my loved ones in any way, or
those whose sins have resulted in our present sufferings and disorders. In the name of your Divine Son, Jesus Christ,
and in the power of the Holy Spirit, I ask you Father, to deliver me and my
entire family tree from the influence of the evil one. Free all living and dead
members of my family tree, including those in adoptive relationships, and those
in extended family relationships, from every contaminating form of bondage.
By
your loving concern for us, Heavenly Father, and by the shed blood of Your
precious Son, Jesus, I beg you to extend your blessing to me and to all my
living and deceased relatives. Heal every negative effect transmitted through
all past generations, and prevent such negative effects in future generations
of my family tree.
I
symbolically place the cross of Jesus Christ over the head of each person in my
family tree and between each generation, I ask you to let the cleansing blood
of Jesus purify the bloodlines in my family lineage. Set your protective angels
to encamp around us, and permit the Archangel *Raphael, the patron
of healing, to administer your divine healing power to all of us, even in areas
of genetic disability. Give special power to our family members’ Guardian
Angels to heal, protect, guide and encourage each of us in all our needs. Let
your healing power be released at this very moment, and let it continue as long
as your sovereignty permits.
In
our family tree, Lord, replace all bondage with a holy bonding in family love.
And let there be an ever deeper bonding with You, Lord, by the Holy Spirit, to
Your Son, Jesus Christ. Let the family of the most Holy Trinity of the Triune
God pervade our family with its tender, warm, loving presence, so that our
family may recognise and manifest that love in all relationships. All of our
unknown needs we include with this petition that we pray in Jesus’ precious
Name. AMEN
REV.
FR. JOHN H. HAMPSCH C.M.F.
(http//www.claretiantapeministry.org/hampsch.html)
*See
Tobit 12:15 (In Septuagint, Catholic Old Testament version of the Bible)
18. Boredom in
Prayer? – by C. Cary-Elwes
Accidie
From
Greek akedia: carelessness,
indifference. Cassian brought this vice into prominence (Institutes Bk. 10,2) and claimed it attacked hermits particularly.
He suspected it was the same as the noonday devil mentioned in Psalms (90:6
[Vgl]), since the height of the ‘fever’ comes at midday. According to him it is
a fever both of heart and mind for the monk finds no longer any savour in his
solitude, no delight in his prayer, but rather irksomeness; which all leads to
a clamorous desire for change – to go visiting, to receive the brethren, to
leave his cell. Reasons abound: his life is meaningless, unprofitable to
others; the active ministry would be more useful. The response Cassian suggests
is a greater devotion to prayer.
If
accidie only attacked hermits, this notice could be cut short. But in many forms it attacks today the active
Christian too, especially in middle life, when the romantic mood has dissolved.
The chosen vocation – the life of a barrister, merchant, civil servant,
physician – and still more the factory or office job, unaccountably seem empty and
meaningless, the very faith a mere dream. Our practice of religion seems a mere
external ritual. Why continue? This is the noonday devil of the 20th
century. He is slain by faith and courage and doggedness, in practice,
especially by prayer. If one begins to slacken off, what had been perhaps only
difficult, will become positively distasteful: ‘Now is the acceptable time’
(Ps. 69:13)
Columba
Cary-Elwes, Experiences with God: a Dictionary of Spirituality and Prayer,
Sheed & Ward, 1986.
19. Fasting (Charles Fraune, Slaying Dragons, p. 146/7)
St
Alphonsus warns against abandoning a spirit of fasting. He states, “As fasting
prepares the mind for the contemplation of God and of eternal good, so
intemperance diverts it from holy thoughts.” He adds that St John Chrysostom
taught that “the glutton, like an overloaded ship, moves with difficulty; and
that, the first tempest of temptation, he is in danger of being lost.” A lack
of temperance and control of the appetite leads to an inclination to indulge
the other senses as well. This exposes the soul to many moral dangers, the
worst of which is an assault on chastity. Sins of the flesh, as St Alphonsus
says, are so powerful that they cause the soul to nearly forget everything
related to God and become almost blind. (True Spouse of Christ). However, as
the saints experience, the devil does not tempt us toward lust once he is
thwarted by temperance.
FASTING:
List
of Blessings
1. “If you pour yourself out for the hungry…” Seeking God in fasting prayer guarantees us light and victory.
2.
“Your health shall spring forth speedily”-this is probably the fastest
way to recover your health outside of God’s miraculous intervention.
After fasting a few days the blood
starts to be purified, blood pressure returns to normal and combating
disease begins with a vengeance-fasting strengthens the immune system
and helps us overcome disease.
The
instant you stop eating (consult your doctor if on medication) your body starts
with a housecleaning or detoxification with minor side effects
like bad breath, coating on tongue or mild headaches. Coupled with prayer, the
fasting can lead to almost miraculous healing.
Healing
and release from addictions are greatly strengthened through fasting and
prayer. Lee Bueno in her popular book “Fast Your Way to Health” was
diagnosed with incurable Rheumatoid Vasculitis by the medical
authorities.
“Incurable”
means that medical science does not have the answer to your problem. However
God does! Three weeks of fasting plus four days of eating natural food
detoxified Lee Bueno and healed her completely.
3.
Isaiah 58:8 “your righteousness will go before you”-fasting keeps
the body under control enabling one’s spiritual side to grow. Fasting frees up
the Spirit.
4.
Isaiah 58:8 “the glory of the
Lord will be your rear guard”-God lets his glory be seen as he did on Mount
Tabor to the disciples-either in prayer or in one’s dreams-heavenly music is
not uncommon!
5.
Isaiah 58:9 “Then you will call
and the Lord will answer. You will cry for help and God will say “Here I
am”.
Fasting
prayer is the most powerful prayer you ever engage in. “Prayer joined to
sacrifice (like fasting) constitutes the most powerful force in human history.”
(Pope John Paul II). (See James 5).
6.
Isaiah 58:11 states: “and the
Lord will guide you continually”-don’t consult superstitious mediums or horoscopes-seek God
in a fast.
7.
Isaiah 11 (b) “He’ll satisfy your soul.” There is a God-shaped
vacuum in each of us that only God can satisfy. As St Augustine said:
“Lord you have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless till they rest
in you alone.”
8.
Isaiah 58:11 (c) says “the Lord will strengthen your frame-your physical
body will greatly benefit from fasting. Did you know that more people die as a
result of over eating than from the effects of smoking and drinking combined?
Isaiah
58 goes on to list the blessings that others will receive as a result of
your fasting: (1) To undo heavy burdens. (2) To break every yoke. (3) Sharing
food with the hungry. Christian fasting must be from pure motives-not to
glorify self not to bring attention to self otherwise Jesus says “you have had
your reward”-you’ve had it!
Two Dangers in Fasting: (1) Bad
temper and (2) Phariseeism-putting on a big show. St Ignatius Brianchoninoff
says: “Those who do not practice self-discipline like fasting, praying, reading
the Bible, standing in Church, singing hymns, bowing, keeping vigil in silence,
remain animals. But those who would make these disciplines the essence of faith
do not remain animals they become demons!”
