It is difficult to write about my experiences with demons. Most people think they don’t exist, which is exactly what they want you to believe. It is much easier to capture their prey when their victim is unaware of their presence. The problem is that they have become more numerous and more flagrant in their activities, which calls for spiritual warfare.
Ephesians 6 exhorts us: “10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
In James 4:7 it says, “Resist the devil and he will flee.” How can we resist the devil?
First, an active prayer life. Jesus asked in Matthew 26,40 ‘And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 qWatch and upray that you vmay not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Second, Catholics must receive the sacraments worthily and often. Especially Confession, where one tells his sins to Jesus through an ordained priest. In forgiving one’s sins and performing absolution, the priest literally “exorcises” the penitent, who promises to avoid the near occasion of sin in the future.
Third, by staying under authority one finds protection from harm. An example may be obeying ones’ father and mother by coming home from a date at a regular hour. Other examples may include obeying posted speed limits or staying chaste while dating. Many rules and regulations are hard to follow, especially when “everyone else is doing it.”
The world and the flesh provide us with powerful temptations, but the devil is in another league.
Some time ago I belonged to a group that regularly prayed with people for their intentions, predominantly healing. Not all of our specific prayer requests were answered, but all those who asked for prayer felt comforted and loved by God.
During one of the prayer sessions, I was approached by Beth, asking for prayers. Her petition was that she wanted to have a family, but in the interim she had three miscarriages. She thought she might be pregnant and did not want to lose a fourth child. We began the session by asking the Holy Spirit to reveal how to pray for Beth and her baby.
As I was praying a hedge of protection around Beth and her baby, I saw a dark presence come over Beth and a name kept coming to mind. I vocalized the name to her. “Does the name Molech mean anything to you?”
Her eyes widened. “Why, yes. When I was a teenager I was reading some National Geographic magazines. One story that appealed to me was about some archeologists who had unearthed the ruins of a Canaanite village. While excavating the site of the temple mound, the diggers had recovered a statue of their demon-god named Molech. It was an odd statue, but I was fascinated by it.”
What came to mind was Exodus 23, “The LORD warned Israel to not worship foreign gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds (v. 24).”
Somehow Lyn’s fascination with a statue became a portal for demonic oppression. I knew that I could not handle this alone, but there was a concern for Beth’s privacy, so I asked that we meet again at her house with her husband, Mark. We agreed to meet again later that night.
When I arrived at their house, Mark met me at the door. “What are you doing here?’ he asked.
“Beth Asked me to come here and pray with the two of you.”
“Why? We pray regularly.” I could tell that Beth did not fully inform Mark of my visit.
“Let’s have Beth tell us why.” I said.
We sat down at the dinner table and even more of Beth’s story poured out. I encouraged Beth, who was obviously telling her husband things for the first time.
“Mark, you know about those miscarriages that we have had. Well, I think I’m pregnant again and I am afraid that I’ll lose this baby, too. So I went to the prayer team today to ask for protection for this baby.”
“There are things that I haven’t told you and maybe you should know them now.”
“I work as a nurses aide at the local hospital. I knew that they performed abortions and informed my boss that I did not want to work in that section. But I keep getting nasty comments from the other nurses. In addition, there have been multiple times that I was required to sterilize surgical equipment, only to find out later that hey were used in abortions.”
Mark replied, “Then you should hand in your resignation. You don’t need that kind of work.”
Beth responded, “I know. But there’s more. In each of my pregnancies I have had dreams of my children being taken away by something evil just before the miscarriages.”
She added, “Tony might have the answer why this is happening.”
Mark turned to me. “Please explain.”
I was on the spot. I realized at that moment how little I knew about demons. I prayed, “Come Holy Spirit, come.”
Then I informed Mark, “I don’t have the authority to deal with demons, but you have God-given authority, as Lyn’s husband.”
“We need your help to expel this demon. Molech is the demon of child sacrifice, which explains the miscarriages. God forbade the Israelites from even associating with the people of Canaan because of their evil ways. Unfortunately, Beth unknowingly became entangled with this demon by reading National Geographic magazines.”
Mark’s eyebrow raised. “You are kidding me.” He was definitely not on board.
I prayed silently, “Come Holy Spirit, give Mark enlightenment.”
I turned to Mark, “We can at least pray with Beth, since the life of your expectant child may be at stake.”
The passage from Genesis 3:15 came to mind. “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”.
Since Mark and Beth were Orthodox, I suggested we say a “Hail Mary.”
They agreed. The air became charged as we prayed. I could see that Mark was praying, too.
I then instructed Mark, ” You must command the demon to leave.”
“How?”
“Just say, ‘In Jesus name I command you to leave.’”
Mark repeated the command.
Suddenly, Lyn’s facial features changed unpleasantly. She opened her mouth and a male guttural voice came out, “She gave me permission to be here.”
Mark stiffened when he heard to voice and turned to me.
“What should I do now?” he pleaded.
I responded, “Mark, when you got married to Lyn, the marriage sacrament gave you the grace (power) and authority to protect your wife and family from evil. Use it now.”
Mark turned to Lyn and uttered, “By the power and authority given to me by Jesus Christ, I command you in Jesus’ Name to leave Lyn now! Go to the feet of Jesus who will deal with you.”
Lyn slumped in her chair. Mark quickly moved toward her and held her for a moment. She soon recovered and asked for a drink of water.
I told them, “It’s not over yet. Beth needs to quit her job at the hospital. And Mark, you must pray over Beth and your child every night for protection from the evil one.”
He readily agreed.
About six months later, their son John was born. Mark and Beth had two more boys and a girl. They are now best of friends with my adult children.
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