Spiritual Warfare – the armor of God

“Blessed by the Lord, my Rock,

Who trains my hands for battle,

my fingers for war;

my safeguard, my deliverer,

My shield, in Whom I take refuge,

Who subdues people under me.”

Psalm 144:1-2

I remember the first time I heard this psalm.  I fell in love instantly, it seemed to be spoken directly to me.  At a CMF conference, Jesse Romero raise his Rosary as he said these words, “Who trains my hands for battle,my fingers for war”. 

Make no mistake that we are engaged in a deadly battle against the powers of the enemy.  “For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens” Ephesians 6:12 He is hell bent to destroy us, totally.  To deny us the mercy and love of God the Father. This battle seems daunting at the least and overwhelming – the enemy is extremely powerful, much stronger in spirit than we are. So, how can we hope to fight this battle and not be totally destroyed?

The power of Jesus Christ!!  “Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground” Ephesians 6:13  Defend yourself in the power that Christ gives us…in prayer for sure, through His Blessed Mother (she will crush the head of the serpent). Trust that Jesus Christ is God, that HE is all-powerful and that all will bow before Him, even the enemy.  This is confirmed in Philippians 2, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father, Amen”

Take this to the bank!  No matter how grave your sins may be, it doesn’t matter in any way how dark your sins may have been or may be – Jesus Christ is Divine Mercy Incarnate and His Sacred Heart is burning with desire to set you free of all the chains that bind you.  He has the power and overwhelming desire to forgive you. Jesus told St. Faustina, “The loss of each soul plunges Me into mortal sadness.” Paragraph# 1397  Yes even for THAT sin, especially for THAT sin (no matter how many times you repeat it).  The key is simple to the whole vault of His Divine Mercy, ask and you shall receive. 

Jesus told St. Faustina, “Let the greatest sinners place their trust in My Mercy. They have right before others to trust in the abyss of My mercy…..souls that make an appeal to My Mercy delight Me….To such souls I grant even more graces than they ask.  I cannot even punish the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My Compassion…”  Paragraph #1146

This means those blocks you’ve erected in your life, those blocks past generations have constructed against you, those greatest scarlet sins are no match for the power you have over them.  What I mean is that power of you to bend your knee before Jesus in the Sacrament of His Divine Mercy (Reconciliation) and ask God to forgive you. I once went to Confession and confessed a sin of repetition, “Father I am overwhelmed with dread that I have to come again to ask forgiveness for XXX.”  Jesus answered clearly through the priest, “My son, as many times as you ask forgiveness, you glorify My Mercy.  Know you are my beloved and this is forgiven.”

Since, through the Campbell’s “Victory through Spiritual Healing” and Unbound, I’ve learned that one can break the power of these repetitive sins by renouncing them in the power of the Holy Name of Jesus through His Precious Blood.

In the Holy Name of Jesus and by His precious Blood, I renounce(name the sin) and the ties that it may claim over me, past, present or future.

I know I am unable to fight these huge battles against the spiritual realms.  “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me” 2 Corinthians 12:9 .   It is His power that overcomes! But, make no mistake that we have a great power….that of our trust in His Divine Mercy. We exhibit that great power in turning to Jesus Christ and asking (again) for that Divine Mercy to be poured out (one more time and again).

PS. The sin mentioned above and many others like it are gone.  So exciting now to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation and not have to talk about that sin.  Not my power to overcome, but I finally trusted that Jesus not only could overcome its power, but desired strongly to do just that.  He just needed me to let go. I don’t fear now if these should happen to return because I will glorify the Mercy of Jesus without hesitation by asking again for that Mercy.

I spent time in Adoration this afternoon and prayed that the person reading this message today would open their heart to the Mercy and Power of Jesus’s love.

This communication is covered in the Precious Blood of Jesus