There’s good news and bad news. Bad news: Gomer is out today, so no fun nicknames. Good news: this episode is all about equipping you for spiritual warfare and fighting the kingdom of evil.
Spiritual warfare and evangelization go hand-in-hand. Turns out the devil doesn’t like it when you try to win souls for Christ. Acknowledging the reality of spiritual warfare is an important first step. Once we realize that we’re fighting battles everyday, we can use these principles to guide the way.
Snippet from the Show
“Spiritual warfare is more than a metaphor for the spiritual life, it’s a reality … We’re all at war with the world, the flesh, and the devil.”
SHOWNOTES
- By his passion and death, Christ won a definitive victory over Satan and the kingdom of darkness and any personal victory we have is a participation in the victory Jesus won and gave to his church.
- The devil and the fallen angels play a mysterious role in the drama of salvation. The battle that they wage against us is a test of God’s elect.
- While powerful, the devil is only a creature and if we stay close to Jesus Christ and his Church we should not fear the actions of evil.
- The way we participate in the victory of Jesus Christ is through personal faith, moral living, and prayer.
- The devil should not be given too much attention but his actions should not be ignored.
- The Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. Michael, and all the saints and angels are our allies in this battle.
- Any spiritual warfare you conduct for others is first won in the battle for your own heart.
- Humble submission to God and the Church is a powerful weapon against evil.
- True holiness as witnessed in the lives of the saints is what destroys the kingdom of darkness.
- The devil despises:
- A sure knowledge of the sonship that comes from baptism
- Knowledge of the abundant mercy of God
- Authentic Christian community
- A clear knowledge of, and courage to speak out about, what is good and evil.
1 Practical Tip
- If you’ve never thought of yourself as a spiritual warrior, take some time to see how you have entered into the spiritual battle.
Resources from the Show
- Go to TheSinnersGuide.com to book Dave!
- Ascension Media – Check out our podcast and view our shownotes for each episode!
Meet Your Hosts
Michael “Gomer” Gormley
Michael has been leading evangelization and ministry efforts for the past ten years, both as a full-time parish staff member and as a speaker and consultant for parishes, dioceses, and Catholic campus ministries.
He is also the founder and creative director of LayEvangelist.com, and the producer and cohost of a Catholic young adult podcast Catching Foxes, which discusses the collision of Faith and Culture.
He is married to his college sweetheart, Shannon. Together they have about 1,000 children and get about 3 hours of sleep a night, which is alright by him.
David “Dave” VanVickle
Dave VanVickle fell in love with the Lord at the age of fourteen. Since then, he has dedicated his life to bringing others into a radical relationship with Christ.
He is a speaker and retreat leader. His programs focuses on proclaiming the universal call to holiness, authentic Catholic spirituality, spiritual warfare and deliverance. Additionally, Dave has over ten years of experience assisting Priests with their ministries of exorcism and deliverance.
Dave resides in Pittsburgh with his wife Amber and their five children: Sam, Max, Judah, Josie and Louisa.
Spiritual warfare is very real. A lot of people think because they can’t see the spiritual realm, it doesn’t exist. But it’s there.
I recently had a deliverance after many years of unknowlingly being involved in the occult. I say unknowingly because I didn’t jump into it with my eyes open. In short, It started with psychic readings and being told I was a medium (which I always kind of knew anyway, but not suppose to practice it). then going to mediumship classes and worked as a medium myself (which people say I was the best). I met other people within that community that introduced me to reiki and other things, and next thing you know I’m completely involved in the occult/new age movement, without even knowing fully what I was involved in.
When I ended up realizing what I’ve gotten myself into, I got myself back into church, which I haven’t been to in many years. I then got a deliverance to cut any ties with my involvement in the occult, and close any doors I might have opened.
Prior to my deliverance I had no symptoms of anything being wrong. As a matter fact, I felt great. Within hours after my deliverance, the evil turned on me. I was being attacked like you wouldn’t believe and I had demons coming out of me like you would not believe. No I am not crazy. It has been seven months and I still battle with the demonic every single day. It would be too much and too intense to describe in the short article, but it is very real. The darkness is always looking for ways to get in and they will get in through open doors. All I can say is keep close to God and Christ and pray. Pray pray pray,. As it says in Ephesians 6:11 put on the full armor of God to protect against the schemes of the devil. Don’t open any doors such as being involved in any kind of Occult/New Age, or living a sinful lifestyle, as you will be welcoming them into your life. And keep close to God and Christ.