Scripture:
1 Samuel 24:3-21
Mark 3:13-19
Reflection:
"He appointed twelve, whom he also named Apostles, that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach and to have authority to drive out demons." Mark 3: 14-15
How many people today actually believe that demons can affect them? One of Satan’s greatest tricks is making people believe there aren’t any demons or that they are just cute little guys in red suits with pitchforks. But demons are far from little and far from cute. 1 Peter 5: 8-9 tells us: "your opponent the devil is prowling like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour". And in our prayer to St. Michael we ask Jesus to "cast into hell Satan and all evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls." Their job is to keep us from heaven, so that’s something we should be concerned about – or at least aware of. "Our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the principalities and powers, the rulers of this world of darkness and the evil spirits in regions above" (Eph 6:12). We need to know that we have an enemy, but that in Jesus we have the power to defeat him!
I first began to learn about spiritual warfare years ago after I saw a demon one night. I had no idea what I had seen, I just knew I was paralyzed with fear in his presence and felt helpless to do anything. God led me to tell my bible study leader what happened and she began to teach me how to fight back by using God’s Word. The verse that laid the foundation for my confidence to stand against evil was 1 John 4:4: "He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world." Another was James 4:7: "Therefore submit to God; resist the devil and he will flee from you".
I’ve learned a lot about demons, and we don’t need to be afraid of them. The main thing we need to know is that God is stronger than any evil that can come against us. The greatest weapon against evil is praise. Praise God in all things and you will never be defeated. We know that God will triumph at the end of time and we, his followers, will triumph with Him.
Janice Carleton and her husband Jim live in Portland, OR and partner with Passionist Fr. Cedric Pisegna in Fr. Cedric Ministries. Janice also leads women’s retreats. She is the mother of 4 grown children and grandmother of 2, soon to be 3. Visit Janice’s website at http://www.jcarleton.com/ or email her at janice@frcedric/org