Shortly after joining the Church at Easter last year, I read an article by Monsignor Charles Pope entitled “On the Spiritual Attack of Our Converts and What to Do About It.”  As the title suggests, the article discusses the spiritual war, particularly in the context of those who have been newly received into the Church.  A friend had recommended the article to me because, after a period of intense spiritual consolation at the Easter Vigil and in the weeks following, I soon began to experience a period of spiritual dryness.  

After reading the article, I shared it with my Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) class.  I asked whether anyone knew of prayers to combat spiritual warfare, in addition to the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel that we prayed at the end of Mass.  No one was aware of other prayers, but several responded that they also were experiencing spiritual warfare upon entering the Church or had seen it in the lives of others.  We agreed to pray for one another.

Since then, in his grace, the Lord has shown me that the Word of God tells us what we need to know about the spiritual war and how to defend ourselves in it.  I hope that these Scriptures will encourage you and provide a foundation to equip you in this battle.  

The first point to remember is that spiritual warfare is real, and we are called to actively resist the devil.  “Give in to God, then; resist the devil, and he will run away from you.  The nearer you go to God, the nearer God will come to you” (James 4:7-8).  

How are we called to actively resist the devil?  St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians (6:10-18) provides the answer:  

[G]row strong in the Lord, with the strength of his power.  Put on the full armor of God so as to be able to resist the devil’s tactics.  For it is not against human enemies that we have to struggle, but against the principalities and the ruling forces who are masters of the darkness in this world, the spirits of evil in the heavens.  That is why you must take up all God’s armor, or you will not be able to put up any resistance on the evil day, or stand your ground even though you exert yourselves to the full.  So stand your ground, with truth a belt round your waist, and uprightness a breastplate, wearing for shoes on your feet the eagerness to spread the gospel of peace and always carrying the shield of faith so that you can use it to quench the burning arrows of the Evil One.  And then you must take salvation as your helmet and the sword of the Spirit, that is, the Word of God.  In all your prayer and entreaty keep praying in the Spirit on every possible occasion.  Never get tired of staying awake to pray for all God’s holy people.

This is a powerful passage to learn by heart and to pray daily.  

The passage begins by reminding us that our strength to triumph in the spiritual war comes from the Lord (Ephesians 6:10).  “You can rely on the Lord, who will give you strength and guard you from the Evil One” (2 Thessalonians 3:3).  There is nothing you cannot do in the One who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13); “take strength from the grace which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1).

Next, we are not struggling against human enemies, “but against the principalities and the ruling forces who are masters of the darkness in this world, the spirits of evil in the heavens” (Ephesians 6:12).  We must remain alert because our “enemy the devil is on the prowl like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  We are instructed to resist the “devil’s tactics” (Ephesians 6:11) and “to avoid being outwitted by Satan” and his scheming (2 Corinthians 2:11).  The devil “comes only to steal and kill and destroy,” but take heart, the Good News is that Jesus came so that we “may have life and have it to the full” (John 10:10). 

To defend ourselves in the spiritual war, then, we must put on the full armor of God—truth, uprightness, an eagerness to spread the Gospel, faith, salvation, and the Word of God—and pray on every possible occasion (Ephesians 6:14-18).  In the abundance of his grace, God provides us full armor; without it, even if we fully exert ourselves, we cannot stand our ground or put up any resistance in the spiritual war (Ephesians 6:11, 13).   

The Word of God is the piece of armor that Jesus used in resisting the devil’s temptations in the desert (Matthew 4:1-11).  We can do the same. For example, we can pray Psalm 91 for God’s protection:  

You who live in the secret place of Elyon, spend your nights in the shelter of Shaddai, saying to Yahweh, “My refuge, my fortress, my God in whom I trust!”  He rescues you from the snare of the fowler set on destruction; he covers you with his pinions, you find shelter under his wings.  His constancy is shield and protection.  You need not fear the terrors of night, the arrow that flies in the daytime, the plague that stalks in the darkness, the scourge that wreaks havoc at high noon.  Though a thousand fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, you yourself will remain unscathed.  You have only to keep your eyes open to see how the wicked are repaid, you who say, “Yahweh my refuge!” and make Elyon your fortress.  No disaster can overtake you, no plague come near your tent; he has given his angels orders about you to guard you wherever you go.  They will carry you in their arms in case you trip over a stone.  You will walk upon wild beast and adder, you will trample young lions and snakes.  “Since he clings to me I rescue him, I raise him high, since he acknowledges my name.  He calls to me and I answer him: in distress I am at his side, I rescue him and bring him honor.  I shall satisfy him with long life, and grant him to see my salvation.”

The Word of God is alive, active (Hebrews 4:12), and life-giving (John 6:63).  Although the devil is full of lies (John 8:44), if you make the Word your home, “you will come to know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32).

Finally, praising God is also a powerful tool in the spiritual war.  Psalm 8:1-2 provides one example: “Yahweh our Lord, how majestic is your name throughout the world!  Whoever keeps singing of your majesty higher than the heavens, even through the mouths of children, or of babes in arms, you make him a fortress, firm against your foes, to subdue the enemy and the rebel.”

Although we will have hardship in the world, let us be courageous, knowing that Jesus has conquered the world (John 16:33) and that the Lord will protect us from the Evil One (John 17:15).  May the precious blood of Jesus protect us in the spiritual war (Revelation 12:11).