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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Psychological attack	David	Monday, August 6, 2012
Question: Dear Bro. Ignatius Mary, I am writing to ask your advice. I am experiencing a bombardment of horrifying satanic thoughts (principally invocations of the devil and things of this kind), not continously but when they come they are not "thoughts entering the imagination", they are a bombardment. I do not know the source of this; it could be the grave sins against the sixth commandment I have committed in the past; it could be the state of craven scrupulosity I ended up in from July or August 2011 to this April, in which I was terrified of God punishing me if I put one toenail out of line, and I was acting in craven obedience to interior voices which I tended to attribute to God, or at least be afraid that they came from God as they did not seem to come from myself. I am pretty sure they came from the Evil One. He confused my mind and in April I fell into a pit, spiritually, but God delivered me from that pit. While there I was praying, quite sincerely, for bad things to happen to me, since in the state of craven terror I was in, I had got the idea into my head that God's will was frequently whatever was more difficult. Particularly, I am rather reluctant to admit this, but it is true; when praying for physical evils for myself, I prayed (in my head, but sincerely) "that ten thousand devils might enter me". Why I thought that was a good idea, only God knows. On a perhaps equal level of stupidity was making a vow, in my head, "to be a victim." I was dispensed from that, and my spiritual director remarked that my mental state was such that any vows I might have made were not vows and absolutely null. I can hardly believe I went through this; these things seem so totally insane: but there it is. Well, they were insane. It seems I went off the rails some point about a year ago. But for now, I wanted to ask for your prayers and your advice. I am maintaining a steady prayer life, saying the Divine Mercy chaplet each day, and the Divine Office, the Rosary, and Compline from the Little Office of Our Lady I have a rosary that was blessed by Pope John Paul II. I wear the Brown Scapular, though I am not enrolled in it, and the Scapular of Our Lady of Good Counsel, though I am not enrolled in that either. On the 16th July I remade the Consecration to Our Lady (St Louis de Montfort), which I wrote down and signed. The last couple of nights I have worn the rosary around my neck, and the bombardment of evil has gone away and I have been able to sleep better, but I can't wander around wearing a rosary around my neck all the time. Can you give me any advice as to what to do to be rid of this? (Incidentally, thank you for answering a previous question of mine a few years ago, about "the end of Christendom").
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r) Dear David: Well, to put is bluntly, what a stupid thing you did. Usually those those ask for demons will get them and then it is a real chore to get them out. The most difficult demons to cast out are those a person actually invited in. It sounds like you missed the bullet somewhat. Perhaps your mental instability at the time saved you from a serious oppression or even possession as your mental state precluded you from truly making an unimpaired free will decision. God is not so rigid to punish someone if there is "one toenail out of line". God is a loving Father, not a taskmaster. If you sin, He loves us so much that He provided us with the Sacraments of Eucharist and Confession. Receiving the Eucharist with sorrow from our venial sins wipes away those venial sins; Confession absolves mortal sins. Once your sins are forgiven they are forgotten by God, and I believe, that the demons have no access or knowledge of our forgiven sin. The consequences of sin, however, may continue on. This is why I suggest that after coming from the Confessional and doing one's penance, that a Prayer After Confession To Re-Claim Ground Taken By Satan. Since you have a tendency toward Scrupulosity (something that the devil can exploit) you need to "take captive every though in obedience to Christ": (2 Cor 10:5) We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. This means that you must be aware of thinking errors, and smash those thinking errors into oblivion. Remember that God is not a liar, He keeps his promises. Here are some of his promises that you need to remember; type them out and put when on the bathroom mirror and the refrigerator: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Cor 10:13). "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:35, 37-39). All of these promises you can bank on. God keeps his promises. He does not lie. Reflect on these promises anytime you begin to doubt God's and His mercy and forgiveness. I also recommend that you prayer the Litany of Who you Are in Christ (pdf file). In addition, I advise that you follow the *Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance, linked below, and use any of the prayers you need from our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog, linked below, and in your case I especially recommend the following prayer: Breaking Personal Curses and Spells* (you have essentially cursed yourself) Renunciation Of Satan and Claiming the Full Victory Renunciation Ritual Prayer (this ritual helps you to know that forgiven sins are gone) Prayer to St. Michael for Protection Prayer to our Guardian Angel to Watch Over Us Prayer Signatures (These prayers announce to all, including the devil, that you belong to God) Hedge Prayer for Protection of Self Prayer To Control Thoughts Bedtime Protection Prayer Rebuking Particular Spirits (to rebuke any particular evil spirits that bother you. Call these spirits by their attribute, such as the spirit of lust, or anger, or fear, etc.) And after you pray all these, then have Fr. Machado pray over you vicariously by listening to his deliverance prayer. Pray with him asking God for your deliverance: Priestly Prayer of Deliverance If there is no relief after all this, then you may want to contact us for additional help. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Psychological attack

David

Monday, August 6, 2012

Question:

Dear Bro. Ignatius Mary,

I am writing to ask your advice. I am experiencing a bombardment of horrifying satanic thoughts (principally invocations of the devil and things of this kind), not continously but when they come they are not "thoughts entering the imagination", they are a bombardment. I do not know the source of this; it could be the grave sins against the sixth commandment I have committed in the past; it could be the state of craven scrupulosity I ended up in from July or August 2011 to this April, in which I was terrified of God punishing me if I put one toenail out of line, and I was acting in craven obedience to interior voices which I tended to attribute to God, or at least be afraid that they came from God as they did not seem to come from myself.

I am pretty sure they came from the Evil One. He confused my mind and in April I fell into a pit, spiritually, but God delivered me from that pit. While there I was praying, quite sincerely, for bad things to happen to me, since in the state of craven terror I was in, I had got the idea into my head that God's will was frequently whatever was more difficult.

Particularly, I am rather reluctant to admit this, but it is true; when praying for physical evils for myself, I prayed (in my head, but sincerely) "that ten thousand devils might enter me". Why I thought that was a good idea, only God knows. On a perhaps equal level of stupidity was making a vow, in my head, "to be a victim." I was dispensed from that, and my spiritual director remarked that my mental state was such that any vows I might have made were not vows and absolutely null.

I can hardly believe I went through this; these things seem so totally insane: but there it is. Well, they *were* insane. It seems I went off the rails some point about a year ago.

But for now, I wanted to ask for your prayers and your advice. I am maintaining a steady prayer life, saying the Divine Mercy chaplet each day, and the Divine Office, the Rosary, and Compline from the Little Office of Our Lady I have a rosary that was blessed by Pope John Paul II. I wear the Brown Scapular, though I am not enrolled in it, and the Scapular of Our Lady of Good Counsel, though I am not enrolled in that either. On the 16th July I remade the Consecration to Our Lady (St Louis de Montfort), which I wrote down and signed. The last couple of nights I have worn the rosary around my neck, and the bombardment of evil has gone away and I have been able to sleep better, but I can't wander around wearing a rosary around my neck all the time.

Can you give me any advice as to what to do to be rid of this?

(Incidentally, thank you for answering a previous question of mine a few years ago, about "the end of Christendom").

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r)

Dear David:

Well, to put is bluntly, what a stupid thing you did. Usually those those ask for demons will get them and then it is a real chore to get them out. The most difficult demons to cast out are those a person actually invited in.

It sounds like you missed the bullet somewhat. Perhaps your mental instability at the time saved you from a serious oppression or even possession as your mental state precluded you from truly making an unimpaired free will decision.

God is not so rigid to punish someone if there is "one toenail out of line". God is a loving Father, not a taskmaster. If you sin, He loves us so much that He provided us with the Sacraments of Eucharist and Confession. Receiving the Eucharist with sorrow from our venial sins wipes away those venial sins; Confession absolves mortal sins.

Once your sins are forgiven they are forgotten by God, and I believe, that the demons have no access or knowledge of our forgiven sin. The consequences of sin, however, may continue on. This is why I suggest that after coming from the Confessional and doing one's penance, that a Prayer After Confession To Re-Claim Ground Taken By Satan.

Since you have a tendency toward Scrupulosity (something that the devil can exploit) you need to "take captive every though in obedience to Christ":

(2 Cor 10:5) We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

This means that you must be aware of thinking errors, and smash those thinking errors into oblivion. Remember that God is not a liar, He keeps his promises. Here are some of his promises that you need to remember; type them out and put when on the bathroom mirror and the refrigerator:

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

"No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Cor 10:13).

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:35, 37-39).

All of these promises you can bank on. God keeps his promises. He does not lie.

Reflect on these promises anytime you begin to doubt God's and His mercy and forgiveness.

I also recommend that you prayer the Litany of Who you Are in Christ (pdf file).

In addition, I advise that you follow the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance, linked below, and use any of the prayers you need from our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog, linked below, and in your case I especially recommend the following prayer:

Breaking Personal Curses and Spells (you have essentially cursed yourself)

Renunciation Of Satan and Claiming the Full Victory

Renunciation Ritual Prayer (this ritual helps you to know that forgiven sins are gone)

Prayer to St. Michael for Protection

Prayer to our Guardian Angel to Watch Over Us

Prayer Signatures (These prayers announce to all, including the devil, that you belong to God)

Hedge Prayer for Protection of Self

Prayer To Control Thoughts

Bedtime Protection Prayer

Rebuking Particular Spirits (to rebuke any particular evil spirits that bother you. Call these spirits by their attribute, such as the spirit of lust, or anger, or fear, etc.)

And after you pray all these, then have Fr. Machado pray over you vicariously by listening to his deliverance prayer. Pray with him asking God for your deliverance: Priestly Prayer of Deliverance

If there is no relief after all this, then you may want to contact us for additional help.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.