“Be Alert. Your enemy, the devil is prowling like a lion, looking for someone to devour” 1 Peter 5:8
You’re forgiven and free…now what?
Now that we’ve celebrated the Feast of Divine Mercy and have been set free of our sins and punishment by the promises of Jesus, what now?
First, you have to be on the defense. The enemy will seek to get you to forget these promises and bind you in your past sins. A saying I had once heard that struck me in this is that ‘Satan knows your name and calls you by your sins, God knows your sins and calls you by your name.’ The enemy can’t see the mercy of God, and certainly doesn’t want us to see it. He would rather make you doubt the mercy of God and question your worthiness of these promises. He’s done this from the beginning, ‘did God really say…’ Genesis 3:1. Once that hook is dangled, he might even go further to call into question that your prior sins could be forgiven. The enemy is a legalist and will try to use this as a weapon against the soul. The conversation might go something like this, “Did God really tell you that your sins would be forgiven? You think a just God could allow the punishment to go away? Look at all the requirements, He doesn’t want to forgive and forget, His requirements are so loose, how can you even know if you did this right?”
Be strong – know without doubt, that is, with total trust that God’s Divine Mercy will forgive ANY sin. Jesus comes as our Merciful Savior, not as Judge. “For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him” John 3:17
The first weapon in our new arsenal against the enemy is trust. God tells us of His mercy throughout the Old Testament, and Jesus tells us through the Gospels, and through St. Faustina’s diary that He will forgive any soul that comes to Him seeking His Mercy with a contrite heart. This message from God has NEVER varied. In fact, one could argue that this is the message that is conveyed throughout the whole of the Bible. God is “Merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness…forgiving inequity and transgression and sin” Exodus 34:6-7
The enemy can see your bright white soul and he will come at you. He despises the soul in the state of grace. When he comes at you, stand strong and rebuke his lies. Don’t argue with him, when he questions this forgiveness with his doubts. Confidently tell him that you are forgiven because you have a Just and Merciful God. Tell him, “I trust My Merciful Savior, “Glory is due to God alone; begone Satan!”’ Then, put your hands up…not to surrender (well, not to the fear or enemy) but to be lifted by the Father. HE is your defense!
“[Let] the greatest sinners place their trust in My mercy. They have the right before others to trust in the abyss of My mercy. My daughter, write about My mercy towards tormented souls. Souls that make an appeal to My mercy delight Me. To such souls I grant even more graces than they ask. I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My compassion, but on the contrary, I justify him in My unfathomable and inscrutable mercy.Write: before I come as a just Judge, I first open wide the door of My mercy.” Divine Mercy in my soul # 1146
“During the night, a soul I had already seen before visited me. However, it did not ask for prayer, but reproached me, saying that I used to be very haughty and vain… “and now you are interceding for others while you yourself still have certain vices.” I answered that I indeed had been vain and haughty, but that I had confessed this and had done penance for my stupidity, and that I trusted in the goodness of my God, and that if I still fell occasionally, this was indeliberate and never premeditated, even in the smallest things. Still, the soul continued to reproach me, saying, “Why are you unwilling to recognize my greatness? Why do you alone not glorify me for my great deeds as all others do?” Then I saw that this was Satan under the assumed appearance of this soul and I said, “Glory is due to God alone; begone Satan!” And in an instant this soul fell into an abyss, horrible beyond all description. And I said to the wretched soul that I would tell the whole Church about this.” Divine Mercy in my soul # 520
Next weapon….see tomorrow’s post