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Influence of the satan or desire of the flefsh?

Works of the flesh are often con fused with works of Satan. Flesh‚ or Body‚ does not merely mean our palpable, tangible physique; it is rather our personality tinged with stains of sins. It is called "old self"(Rom 6:6) and "Flesh" (Gal 5:24) in the New Testament. Each one of us has got his share of the disobedient trait‚ as patrimony from our first parents. All those who are born come with these desires of the flesh. Even the saints had these desires. If we live "according to the flesh" (Rom 8:13) we will be in the grip of the devil and we will have spiritual death.

"Just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned" (Rom 5:12). Sin became universal. But Satan has not become universal. Although Satan is at work in the majority of the people who commit sins, he has no power over the rest. Sin and Satan are closely related. If sin had not entered the world, the Satan also would not have entered here. Through sin, Satan started his mischief on this earth.

We all are afraid of cancer. Medical science says that atoms of cancer enter all human beings continually. Healthy bodies with preventive and immunizing propensities ward off the dangerous bacteria and viruses protecting us from their constant onslaught. But if any part of our body is weakened by diseases or some other emotional shock, reducing the immunizing potentialities, cancer enters into that part and soon spreads into the healthy areas. Satan works in a similar fashion. He, another form of cancer, enters the persons who have weakened their defenses through committing sins, through living according to the flesh, as he gets easy access and starts working on them without delay. It is worthy of note that Satan enters us through one or many of our weaknesses or shortcomings.

WHAT SHOULD BE DONE TO OVERCOME DESIRES OF THE FLESH?

The solutions to overcome the works of the flesh and the influences of the devil are quite different. To defeat the desires of the flesh, the right way is crucifixion. "We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed and we might no longer be enslaved to sin" (Rom 6:6). That means we get our release from the propensities of our body to commit sin by crucifying ourselves along with Jesus. That is the way shown by all the saints before us. Through each confession, each member of the Catholic Church experiences this release. The old self is crucified and in its place Christ is formed. "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me" (Gal 2:19-20). When we crucify our sinful nature along with Jesus, we also get the same triumph, the same victory, which he achieved.

A few weeks ago, a sister came to me to share a few of her problems and pray for her. She was convinced that there was some satanic influence on her life. I listened to her narration and then I told her, "There is no Satan in you to drive out. You have to do only one thing: crucify your sinful nature on the cross of Jesus. You will then be released". She could not believe me as she thought she had the possession of devil and only by driving him out of her she would be released. But later she realized that my advice to her was right and she came back to tell me how grateful she felt for my perspective as she got freedom from her problem.

There is a need for us to distinguish between the works of the flesh and satanic influences

TWO TYPES OF SATANIC INFLUENCES

There are two types of satanic influences. They are external and internal. In addition, there is also a stage of complete possession by the devil. But that state is not being discussed now.

EXTERNAL INFLUENCE

This kind affects our external senses and it is less venomous than the other - internal influence. Job of the Old Testament is a good example for this. Satan robs Job of his children, flocks and herds, wealth and even his health. But he could not touch his life. Such persecutions are external. The Devil tries to control man’s external senses.

Looking into the biographies of saints, we see that many of them had been afflicted by such external influences of the devil. All the five senses could be influenced in such a way. If we are alert to such influences, we can easily overcome such things and they do not pose any dire threat.

The devil often tries to influence our eyes. He might give satanic visions at all times - when we are awake, when we are asleep or even when we are at pray. We can see that Jesus sweated blood when he was praying in the garden of Gethsemane. How did he sweat blood? I believe that the Devil might have presented satanic visions before the praying Jesus. The Devil must have questioned the authenticity of the miracles and healings that Jesus had wrought during that moment of internal crisis. He must have found fault with the salvific mission of Jesus, to save a sinful world, during that moment of discussion, prior to his death, with his Father. He must have shown Jesus, the sacrificial victim, the excruciating bitterness and cruelty of the cross and must have found fault with his indiscretion‚ in accepting such a death to take away the sins of the world. This is why Jesus was sweating blood through the pores of his skin. As Jesus was both true God and true man, the Devil tried to influence the human nature of Jesus. But Jesus shattered that influence and overcame it and this is also the way of strength for us. When Jesus submitted his human nature to the will of the Father, the devil was driven away, and angels came down to attend and nurse Jesus and give him strength (Lk 22:39-46). We too might face external troubles and temptations of this kind. It is not always bitter visions that the Satan presents; he is reported to give even pleasurable ones. He is the master of disguise.” And no wonder! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light" (2 Cor 11:14). We must be able to recognize the Satan that comes in the guise of the angel. Satan comes to those good and holy men by infusing into them pride and overconfidence with the explicit purpose of drawing them away from their life of purity and holiness. As can be seen in the biographies of saints like St. John Maria Vianni, St.Jemma Galgani, St. Hilary, St. Anton, St.Catherine of Sienna, St.Rose of Lima and so on, Satan interferes in the lives of the saints by tickling their sense of sight. He does that because he can't just tolerate the situation in which these saints live a life in complete harmony with God.

Satan can also use our sense of hearing to alienate us from God. The ear is tormented with frightful sounds and shouts, with blasphemy, obscenities, or with voluptuous songs and music that arouse sensuality. Examples can be seen in the lives of St. Margaret of Cortona, St. Rosa of Lima, and St. Maria Vianni. Satan can also use our power of smell to misguide us. These can be enticing and scintillating perfumes, or repulsive and offensive odors. Our sense of taste, our palate, too, can be manipulated by the calculating demon. He can tempt us with scrumptious, sumptuous delicacies or with outlandish intoxicants hitherto untested and untasted. At other times the reverse could be true; he could make our victuals so unpalatable with a bitter twang or he mixes repulsive objects with the food or objects which would be dangerous or impossible to swallow or to digest.

Satan can make use of our sense of touch for his evil machinations. He can manipulate us, as he did in the case of St. Catherine of Sienna and St. Francis Xavier, by giving us terrible, resounding blows on our physique. He can tempt us into the mire of sin by giving us tantalizing touches and voluptuous embraces and caresses.

If we dedicate each of our five senses to God, and anoint them with faith in the precious blood of Jesus on a daily basis, as the saints did, we can also ward off the temptations of the devil to lead us into ways of dissipation and debauchery. On the contrary, if we leave our senses wide open, without limitations and control, to the onslaught of worldly temptations, there is no doubt that Satan will find his way into us. Crucifixion of our external senses of sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste, prayers with fast and abstinence, and daily participation the Holy Mass, will help us, to a large extent, to overcome the influences of Satan.

INTERNAL INFLUENCE

Internal influences of the Satan are longer and more intensive than the external influences. The consequences of internal influences are also terrifying and far-reaching. When the Satan puts pressure on the faculties like wisdom, memory, imagination, emotions and sentiments, things go topsy-turvy and one or many of the following could be the ultimate result: 1. despair, 2. scrupulosity, 3. anger, 4. mental ill health, 5. envy, 6. jealousy, 7. dangerous pity, 8. overly lust, 9. emotions that get out of control, 10. suicidal complex, 11. risky adventurism, 12. tendency to take unnecessary risks, 13. breaking up of marital relations, 14. murderous tendencies, etc.

Desperate thoughts like "Nobody, not even God himself, can save me", "Why should I live?" "I should die, I should commit suicide" etc. constantly come to the minds of the persons who have been afflicted by internal influences of the devil. Through such un-Godly thoughts, Satan tries to control our emotions and imagination. Satan is very active in those people who nurse anger and hatred in their hearts. Even the evil spirit of murder enters their minds. When a driver recklessly accelerates his vehicle into places prone to accidents, risking his and his passengers' lives, he is doing that because of the internal influence of the devil. Lusts of the flesh may be caused by the overtaking of the devil of impurity.

The following are some of the ways in which we can foil the internal influences of Satan

1. Drive away the evil spirits, through the help of priests who have the anointment of the Holy Spirit.
2. Read and meditate the Word of God.
3. Listen to true and genuine proclamations of the Word. You have often seen how the evil spirits bringing thoughts of despair, depression and suicidal tendencies go away from many those who come for retreats.
4. The best and surest way to ward off the internal influences of the devil is a prayerful life.
5. Practice humility before God both from your heart and also lips.
6. Always obey your spiritual advisor.
7. Give complete forgiveness to everybody.
8. Faithfully wash your intellect, thought, imagination, memory and emotions in the precious blood of Jesus.

We all are in a war field. A war is going on in this world, between God and Satan, light and darkness, Mercy and cruelty etc. One of the essential weapons that a person engaged in this kind of spiritual struggle should wear is the Word, the spiritual sword. It is not enough to defensively withstand the thrusts of the devil. We should know that we have the power and the authority to launch offensive onslaughts against him. St,Paul reminds us about the weapons to be used for the spiritual struggle: "Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armour of God". These weapons bring sure success.

1. Girding your loins with truth
2. Wearing the armour of righteousness
3. The footwear of the Gospel of Peace
4. The shield of faith
5. The helmet of salvation
6. sword of Spirit, which is the Word

Amongst the six articles of our defensive and offensive armament, the Word, the Spiritual Sword, is the sole offensive weapon that comes handy in our thrust against the devil. There is no other weapon as powerful as the Word - the Spiritual Sword - in our fight against Satan. Victory does not automatically come to the soldiers merely because they have gone into the arena of the battle wearing the belt, armour, shield and shoes. He also needs powerful offensive weapons, like the sword or gun, to drive the enemy away. To nullify the machinations of the devil, the Christian warrior always should carry with him the Word - the spiritual sword - in his heart and hands.

WHAT IS THE WORD?

    It will help us to know better about the Word, if we get to know the meanings of two Greek words which are often used to imply 'the Word'.

1. Logos: This is the written word of God. Logos is the collective name given to the written verses of the Bible which was given to the people. The verses were written through divine inspiration (1 Tim 3:16; 1 Pet 1: 10-11).

2. Rhema: This is the spoken word of God. Rhema is the collective name given to the spoken verses. Even today these verses, Rhema, continue to speak to us. For example if we are in the midst of some tumultuous, insurmountable problems, we quietly, coolly consult the Bible. Then the Word speaks to the situation we are in. In this way, the part of the Bible turns into Rhema - words from God.

When we are attacked by the devil, put our faith in the Rhema and recite it and then the devil will flee - flee far from us. St. Paul uses Rhema - the word of God - in Eph 6:17).

WORD THAT TRANSFORMS INTO SWORD

    The Word from the lips of God is a double-edged sword. It is through the word that he created the world. When the word came out of his mouth it became spirit, and life-breath. The psalmist says, "By the word of the Lord the heavens are made..he commanded, and it stood firm" (Ps 33:6, 9).

    The sword for the fight is the word of God. The One with the double-edged sword does not mince words when he cautions: "Repent then. If not, I will come to you soon and make war against them with the sword of my mouth" (Rev 2:16). The sword of his mouth is the Word. "From his mouth comes a sharp sword" (Rev 19:15). Not only this, "Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Heb 4:12).

    It is when the Christian warrior uses the double-edged sword of God - the Word - with the power of the Holy Spirit that he is crowned with victory. We can use it as both a defensive weapon and also an offensive weapon. "He made my mouth like a sharp sword" (Is 49:2). If we want to get to this state, where the Word will work through us as the potent double-edged sword, we have to do certain things.

1. Study some verses carefully and know them deeply.

    In the Old Testament, Goliath is represented as a symbol of vices. To use against this monster, David chose some stones and kept them ready in his bag. David used these stones at the right time to vanquish Goliath (1 Sam 17:40). In a like manner, we too have to select a few verses of the Word and carry them in the bag of our heart. Then they, the verses, will turn into sharp swords when we plan to attack the devil.

    We should know the loopholes, our weak spots, where the devil is likely to unleash his forces. So we should know the verses that we can use on such occasions. When we use this double-edged sword, we ought to know how it is deployed and from where it is taken. That is why we have to read and study the Bible. Reading the Bible not only familiarizes us with the verses of the Word, but it also fortifies our faith. We should do the following things for proper results.

1. should be a constant hunger and thirst for the Word.
2. Make it a point to read the Bible everyday.
3. It is better to read the Bible in a systematic way. Instead of reading at random, read it in an organized manner just like we take a balanced diet.
4. Keep some verses handy in the memory. It would be a good idea to write them down in your diary with the appropriate quotation.

    To get immediate and powerful effect, one should use the Word in an emphatic and clear manner. One should be "rightly explaining the word of truth" (2 Tim 2:15; Heb 5:13-14). If one misquotes the Word, or if he uses it in inappropriate situations or uses it in casual manner, it will have the opposite effect.

3. Against the fallacious arguments of the devil, we should keep the answers, supported by the Word, in our hearts.

    We know that before the awesome might of Goliath, the worldly armament of Saul did not prove effective at all. But David was able to use the stones he had carried with him in his bag to gain his victory over Goliath. David had become dexterous in the use stones as a shepherd boy.

    For example, Satan often tells this lie to people: "Oh, there is no problem if you commit this small sin. Just do it and if there is a need repent it later, that is all." Let the Word talk in such circumstances: "Whoever keeps the law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it" (Jas 2:10). "Nobody can serve two masters" (Mt 6:24). Keep in your heart such ready answers for all the obnoxious lies in the quiver of the devil.

4. Find Out The Significance Of The Word Of God.

    Have a burning desire for the word of God. Know that we are heirs to all the promises made by God through the Word. "If you belong to Christ, .you are .heirs according to the promise" (Gal 3:29). Have faith and hope in the Word as David had it when he asserted, "I hope in your word: (Ps 119:114).

5. Constantly Examinine Our Life And Heart In The Light Of The Word

    This is one of the things that we must do to use the world of God in an effective manner. The devil knows our vulnerable spots and he will concentrate his attack there. We should let the light of the word go into our heart and, like an X-ray, it can, then, detect any cankerous blemishes there. With a clean heart, God will definitely grant us victory over our adversary, the devil. "How can young people keep their way pure? By guarding it according to your word" (Ps 119:9). If we preserve the word in our heart, we will not commit sin. Not only that, the psalmist shares his experience "I treasure your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against you" (Ps 119:11). So let us pray like this, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Ps 139:23-24)./*

6. When the attacks, trials and temptations from the devil come, each time you use the Word you have mastered.

    Pray to the Holy Spirit to give you the memory to remember the selected verses. In fact it is the duty of the Holy Spirit to remind us about the Word (Jn 14:26).

7. Never Doubt The Word Of God.

    The greatest strategy of the devil is to try to cover God and his word in a cloud of doubt and skepticism. That is precisely what he did in the Garden of Eden. He asks the gullible Eve, "Did God say like that?" He is still at this nefarious, heinous strategy. Wherever you look you see the devil and his cohorts misinterpreting the Word, giving it perverse and tantalizing twists, to trap the credulous and the gullible. Many have fallen to the strategic use of contrived miracles and healings that are theatrically performed by these confidence tricksters. Impressive miracles, imaginary healings, and mesmerizing signs are perpetrated by these pseudo-spiritualists, who simply play to the gallery with a view to cheap propaganda. At times we see people falling down, convulsing and writhing, at the mere touch on their heads. At other times we see people going to paroxysms of frenzy, trembling all over or gyrating like spinning tops. These visible extravaganzas sometimes mislead the awe-stricken spectators. So never accept the pseudo truths propagated by misguided and misinformed outfits that trade in faith. Only the Church can interpret the Bible and not any Tom, Dick and Harry.

IN THE LIFE OF JESUS AND HIS APOSTLES

    Soon after the start of the public life of Jesus on this earth, Satan tried his techniques of misinformation and misguidance on Jesus. But Jesus drives him away using the sword of the spirit. The Devil was quoting the Bible to achieve his dastardly plan, but Jesus annihilated his arguments also by quoting the Bible. The selected quotations from the Bible were appropriate used by Jesus to answer each and every lie of Satan. In Mt 4:8-11, we read, "Then the devil left him." Before the sharp sword of the Word, the devil has no existence.

    We can also make deft and dexterous use of the divine Word. Matthew points out that during many of his services, Jesus used the Word to drive away the devil (Mt 8:16). St. John envisions the glorious Jesus, brandishing this sword. "I was in the spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice..Then I turned to see whose voice it was.I saw one like the Son of Man.and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword" (Rev 1:10,12,13,16). The weapon of the Christian warrior is the same two-edged sword that John saw in the mouth of Jesus. "On that day the Lord with his cruel and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan, the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will kill the dragon that is in the sea" (Ps 27:1). We can drive away Satan suing the two-edged-sword of the Word.

    The Apostles prayed for the courage to use the Word (Acts 4:24-31). We should also pray in their manner. We read that God responded to their prayers promptly. "When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness" (Acts 4:31). They responded to the adversaries using the word of God (Acts 13:46-48). They proclaimed the word of God (Acts 13:38-43). They prayed and sang hymns to God (Acts 16:25-34).

THE SWORD AS WORD AS WELL AS DEED

    Jesus said, "You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you" (Jn 15:3). The Holy Spirit uses the Word to cleanse the stains of sin, and to give transformation and purity to the children of God. In other words, the Word is the sword of the Spirit.

    The Word is the sword of the Holy Spirit. But it would be better to say that the Word is the sword that has been made for us, for our use against the enemy, by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not use the Word. It is we who use it. Just like the blacksmith manufactures tools and weapons in his workplace, the Holy Spirit makes the sword of the Word ready for us. Use the Word-sword. First accept the Word in your heart. Then use it deftly and dexterously by words as well as deeds.