PART 2 of 2
The list of steps (as listed in Part 1)
- Verbal Confession of faith & Asserting one’s identity in Christ
- Repentance and Renunciation
- Using the Holy Name of Jesus
- Getting into God’s Presence through Praise and Worship
- Using the Word of God (Bible) as a ‘Sword’
- Taking Authority as a child of God
- Prayer of Protection
Along with an introduction to the topic, points 1-3 were briefly addressed in Part 1 of this article. In continuation, below are brief descriptions of points 4-7.
4. Getting into God’s Presence through Praise and Worship
The term ‘praise and worship’ is many times associated only with the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. However, this should not be so. Every Catholic disciple is called to ‘praise and worship’ the Lord in and through varying spiritualities. Engaging in thanking and praising God draws one into His presence (Ps 100:4) and enables a stronger focus in prayer. Doing this through singing from the heart yields many spiritual benefits, as the lyrics of many songs are influenced from God’s Word in the bible.
One does not need to be a singer or a musician to praise and worship God with song. In the context of this article, it is worthwhile to mention that when Paul and Silas were in prison, it was when they were singing hymns to God that the doors were opened and chains were unfastened (Acts 16:23-26).
For us nowadays, this points to what happens in the spiritual realm. Freedom from bondages and breakthroughs happen when there is praise from the heart and when one worships the Lord in a sincere and Spirit-led manner. Satan’s hold on a person weakens and gets broken. It is important to note that this is a process which happens over time.
5. Using the Word of God (Bible) as a ‘Sword’
Jesus Himself was tempted by Satan (Matt 4) and resisted him successfully by using the Word of God. Jesus countered the devil with specific and relevant verses from the Old Testament to address each of the temptations. His retaliation with God’s Word was timely and effective, and as it cut off the enemy’s advances and kept him at bay, it functioned as a ‘sword’ in battle. When used wisely and prayerfully, the Word of God is ‘living and active’ (Heb 4:12) and brings about victory over the powers of darkness. It is important for every disciple to know some important bible verses (the more the better) and use them in the context of situations where Satan is active.
By ‘treasuring the word of God in one’s heart’ (Ps 119:9,11), a person can see where he is going (Ps 119:105) and walk securely instead of slipping and falling in the darkness. As Jesus did, one can rebuke the enemy using scripture, and prevent his damaging work. Bible verses can be used to deal with all of the capital sins (pride, greed, envy, lust, anger, gluttony and sloth).
Other works of the enemy such as unforgiveness, negative thinking, affliction of any type, hopelessness, faithlessness, loneliness, prayerlessness, sadness, suicidal tendencies, addictions, etc. can all be countered with Scripture. This does not mean that the use of the Bible produces immediate results. It means that with a prayerful use of biblical text in certain situations, the Holy Spirit does some inner work in the person’s mind and intervenes perhaps in a hidden manner in the external situation too, and this can provide the much-needed breakthrough and freedom. Satan’s hold on the matter gets broken.
6. Taking Authority as a child of God
Indeed, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will hurt you. – Luke 10:19
These words from Jesus were addressed to His disciples at that time. The same words are addressed to His disciples of today – you and me! The promise that ‘nothing will hurt you’ is attached to a context and is also conditional. It means that the work of the enemy will not succeed, but only if we use the ‘authority’ given to us by the Lord. For this to happen, there has to be a refusal to be defeated in the invisible spiritual battle, and a strong conscious decision –
- … not to yield to Satan and not to give in to temptations
- … not to be defeated and not to compromise on obedience to God
- … not to succumb to pressure from the three enemies of the soul which are ‘the world, the flesh and the devil’.
Taking authority and using it involves a conviction that Jesus is true to His words and has truly given the authority in the first place. It involves a conviction that with God, all things are possible (Matt 19:26) and that in Christ, a disciple is more than a conqueror (Rom 8:37). While not all disciples are called to cast out demons, every follower of Christ can use the authority to fight against Satan and engage in the very necessary task of spiritual warfare. Again, as mentioned in Point No. 3, the use of the name of Jesus yields wonderful spiritual benefits.
The permission and ‘authority’ to use His name to defeat Satan is given to us by Jesus Himself (Mk 16:17-18). It is worthwhile to mention that the sincere usage of the gift of tongues is an empowering way to put oneself in the presence of the Lord and resist the advances of Satan. Here, a person does not use set words or any pattern of prayer which requires the use of the memory and intellect. It is a free-flowing prayer from the heart (1Cor 14:2-5) which the Holy Spirit answers in accordance with the divine will of God.
Anyone baptized in Christ and who follows Him sincerely can take authority and speak out words as below in order to combat Satan.
“In the name of Jesus, I nullify the action of every power of darkness in my life, my family, my relationships, my health, my …”
“Spirit of … anger / lust / pride / unforgiveness … and every evil spirit causing division and disunity, affliction, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, sickness – depart from me, in Jesus’ name. I bind and cast you to the feet of Jesus. You have no place in my life.”
“I rebuke every demonic influence and attack in Jesus’ name, and I command every spirit of oppression to leave me, in Jesus’ name.”
“May no weapon fashioned against me prosper (Isa 54:17) and no evil come near my tent (Ps 91:10).”
“As a child of God, I bind and break every evil influence in my life; and through the Cross, I declare victory over all the powers of Satan. I reject Satan and all his empty promises.”
While this method may come across outwardly as a psychological approach to direct the mind into positive thinking, it should be noted that there are deep and very beneficial consequences which occur in the spiritual realm, in the external circumstances, and interiorly in the soul as well.
7. Prayer of Protection
Many Catholics are familiar with the Rosary, Psalm 91, the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel and the prayer to the guardian angel. Apart from these set prayers, petitioning God with words of free-flowing nature can be made from the heart. These are very effective. A sample is here below.
Heavenly Father, I commit myself into your hands. I pray that the blood of Jesus be sprinkled over my entire being, my body, my mind, my thoughts and my emotions. I pray that you send your angels to watch over every step I take. Clothe me with your protection. Cover me with your wings and shield me from all powers of darkness. I renounce all the times that I allowed the enemy into my life. I am sorry. May no weapon of the enemy succeed in stealing away the plan and the purpose you have for me.
With you O God all things are possible. With You on my side, I declare victory in this battle. Lord Jesus, cover me with Your Precious Blood and protect me from all evil. Through what You achieved by dying on the Cross and by the power of Your Resurrection, give me deliverance and restoration. Come Lord Jesus come. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done. Jesus, my Lord and Savior, come.”
Conclusion
By making these seven steps a habit on a regular basis, a person’s thought life is protected from the works of Satan. Sanctity increases, and the influence that Satan has on a person’s life reduces. The fellowship of the Holy Spirit increases (2Cor 13:13) along with a deeper sensitivity to what is happening in the spiritual realm. It becomes easier to ‘treasure God’s Word in the heart’ (Ps 119:10) and recognize and identify the attempts of Satan in a timely manner.
Indeed, we live as humansbut do not wage war according to human standards,for the weapons of our warfare are not merely human,but they have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ. – 2Corinthians 10:5
… that we may not be outwitted by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his designs. – 2Corinthians 2:11
The awareness of one’s areas of weakness and of awareness of what Satan is doing and attempting to do is of utmost importance if a disciple has to progress in getting closer to the Lord. Ignorance of this aspect and negligence in the matter will result in damage and defeat, whether one realizes it or not.
Externally, the person’s life could appear to be smooth and victorious; but at a deep spiritual level, Satan would be having his way. In 1972, Pope Paul VI said that one of the greatest needs of the church today is defense from the devil. In 2014, Pope Francis reminded us that the life of every Christian is a battle against evil and that whoever wants to follow Jesus must be aware of this reality. His words – “We mustn’t be naïve, right? We must learn from the Gospel how to fight against Satan.”
By looking at what is happening in the church today, the urgency of this topic becomes evident. There are a countless number of signs and consequences of the damaging work of Satan, who Jesus refers to as the ‘ruler of this world’ (Jn 12:31, 14:30).
While this article deals with a few practical steps in the area of spiritual warfare, it is important to note that there are other facets to this topic that take on a different dimension and which cannot be neglected. These include the need for daily personal prayer, a sincere participation in Holy Mass with a prepared heart, praying the Rosary with a sincere meditation of the mysteries, going for the Sacrament of Confession with heartfelt repentance and desire to change, the use of sacramentals such as a blessed crucifix, holy water, oil and salt. One has to take utmost care not to depend on any method over and above the dependence on the Lord without Whom nothing is possible (Jn 15:5).
While taking certain physical steps is beneficial and required, spiritual warfare is more about the inner attitudes, a conscious desire to obey the Lord in all things, and an utmost dependence on the power of the Cross of Jesus. This is when Satan and his strategies are effectively dealt with and when a disciple emerges victorious. At the end of the day, it is the Lord who fights our battles for us. Victory is conditional and is based on human co-operation. As the saying goes, “God helps those who help themselves.”
By prayerfully taking the 7 steps listed and by putting them into practice, we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us into deeper levels of discipleship and into a more empowered and effective spiritual journey!
This article was published in the magazine ‘The Tabor Kirana’ in 2025 and features as a chapter in the book “The Inner Man’s Journey into the Deep” written by Vinay Silva, published by ATC Publishers.
