Many Christians don’t know that there is a spiritual war raging in this world – especially in today’s culture.
In his new book, The Art of Spiritual Warfare, theologian Father Venatius Oforka explains our role in the spiritual battle for our souls. In order to win such a sophisticated, spiritual war, we have to arm ourselves with supernatural weapons.
Here are five weapons that Satan can’t stand (and how to use them in your daily spiritual life!):
1. Intercessory weapons
“God is looking for somebody, a wall builder; somebody who can prevent calamities and avert disasters through importunate tears of supplication,” writes Father Oforka. “Such wall builders attend the divine council and, like spiritual attorneys, passionately argue their cases in order to achieve their purpose.”
An example of an intercessory warrior is Moses in the Old Testament. “Moses acted as a bridge between God and His people. That was an office that God called him to when He appeared to him in the form of a burning bush. He therefore respects both Moses as His faithful servant and His office of mediation between Him and His people,” Father Oforka writes.
How does intercession play a role in our lives today, as the spiritual battle rages on still? “We must go back to our roots and repossess the right of attending the divine council through the ministry of intercession,” Father Oforka explains. We intercede through prayer, petitioning for others before the throne of God.
2. The name of Jesus
“There is something in the name of Jesus that is awesome and fascinating,” Father Oforka writes. “Hence, the quiver of the intercessory cannot be complete without it.”
Saints Paul, Peter, and John write extensively about the power of the name of Christ. No one can make demons subject to him without the name of Christ.
In the early Church, Justin Martyr wrote, “For every demon, when exorcised in the name of this very Son of God – who is the First-born of every creature, who became man by the Virgin, who suffered, and was crucified under Pontius Pilate, who died, who rose from the dead, and ascended into Heaven – is overcome and subdued. But though you exorcise any demon in the name of any of those who are among you – either kings, or righteous men, or prophets, or patriarchs – it will not be subject to you.”
3. The power of praise
Praise is a underrated arrow in the quiver of a Christian. “It’s important that intercessors should learn the power of praise,” writes Father Oforka. “A group of prayer ministers may gather for hours praising God and soaking the air with divine waves. . . the Father cherishes it when His awesome deeds are recounted and His person is addressed accordingly.”
What does this have to do with spiritual warfare? “At those times when the thick clouds of evil begin to gather, when the smoke of Satan begins to blur our view and choke our breath, intercessors might opt to descend into the bright cloud of praise, invoking these awesome names, instead of a mournful prayer-fight.”
Heaven can’t resist soulful praise of the faithful – and Satan can’t stand to hear God praised here on earth.
4. The fire of the Holy Spirit
The fire of the Holy Spirit has a two-fold purpose in the life of the spiritual warrior. “It could be used as both an offensive and a defensive weapon,” Father Oforka explains. “It is like the word of God, which is double-edged and therefore dual in purpose.”
We often see God through the medium of fire throughout the Old Testament. He appears to Moses in a burning bush, and as a pillar of fire through the desert wanderings of the Israelite nation. In his Letter to the Hebrews, Saint Paul writes that God is an “all Consuming Fire.”
5. The Eucharist
In the Gospel of John, Christ says: “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life within you.” The institution of the Eucharist is an event recorded meticulously by three of the synoptic Gospels and Saint Paul.
When Catholics worship in the Mass and receive the body of Christ through the Eucharist they can “draw more strength than he can image,” explains Father Oforka. “An intercessory, who identifies with Jesus in the Eucharist, can handle difficult cases. He does not just end with the invocation of this treasure. He must, as often as possible, be part of the Sacrifice of the Mass through which this power flows.”
To claim a victory in spiritual warfare, we have to engage in a fight against Satan and the demonic. Want to learn more about how to frustrate the devil? Pick up a copy of Venatius Oforka’s book The Art of Spiritual Warfare: Secret Weapons Satan Can’t Withstand at your local Catholic bookstore or online through Sophia Institute Press.
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