It’s interesting, how the week of Michael the Archangel takes us right into the Halloween and spiritual warfare and Fatima month of October.
Many spiritual dynamics shift.
It is thus the time, and especially the week, we tend to focus more than usual on the demonic and the victory we have over it when we have the Name Jesus.
I bind you, strongman, in the Name of Christ. In the Name of Jesus.”
That does it in many circumstances.
We are presenting some new books along this line, one having to do with the dangers of the Ouija board (Ouija Board Nightmares: Terrifying True Tales and a real fascinating read, Evil Unleashed: True Tales of Spells Gone to Hell and Other Occult Disasters, by a journalist who dedicates the book to the famous exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth. Two worthy books we’ll be commenting upon.
But let’s take a look, in this installment, at another we currently have open at bedside: Haunted Houses, Ghosts, and Demons: What You Can Do About Them.
In it the workings of demons — in our lives and times — is shown in particular detail.
As the author, Roberts Liardon, says in his opening paragraph:
“We are living in a time when supernatural phenomena are everywhere.
“We seem to be obsessed with angels and spirit beings. Bookstores, movies, television shows, and magazines are filled with stories of people who claim to have encountered angels, spirits, and even creatures from other worlds.” (We just had an article about the latter.)
In the news? The movie, IT, based on a Stephen King novel, which has surpassed The Exorcist for biggest horror-movie gross in Hollywood history — in our view, a very dubious milestone (perhaps even a tragic one).
Liardon’s first chapter is entitled: “Demons on the Rampage.”
Let’s get to the popular topic of haunted houses — which are all over the news and TV. Headline just this week “Visit Real Haunted Texas Hotel.”
“I know from experience that they are quite real,” says Liardon. “There are ghostly beings walking our planet today, seemingly appearing and disappearing at will, rattling chains in the deep darkness of the night, and sometimes moaning, groaning, and scaring people half to death.
“At other times, they try to win people over by showing their ‘wisdom’ and ‘love.’ But these are not ghosts or spirits of people who have died. Even though a ‘haunted house’ may be a scary, fascinating place, the real purpose of these ‘creatures of the night’ is even more frightening — something much worse than disembodied spirits.
“In situations like those described above, you are dealing with demons — beings who are bound and determined to further the kingdom of their lord and master, Satan. Intellectuals are wrong — very wrong. Demons do exist, and they are doing everything within their power to destroy as many souls as they possibly can. Demonic forces are on a rampage, because they know they are about to be destroyed forever.”
Haven’t you noticed this — the enhanced demonic activity, side by side with all these events in nature and society at large?
When we ignore demons, says Liardon — who has ministered to thousands of those infested — “we give them free reign to do whatever they want to do. The satanic world has a government, a purpose, and a vision for what it seeks to accomplish. [Satan’s] one desire is to destroy all human beings, including you and me.”
There you have it. There’s more. Much more. There are chilling examples. Our huge advantage: all we have to do is focus on the Lord.
The same was said, recently, by a priest with whom we spoke, Father John Baptist Bashobora from Uganda, who was on his way for an appearance in Medway, Massachusetts, and will be making more than a dozen other appearances.
“The devil is very much at work and strong and humans are placing more faith in God,” this priest — who attracts crowds as large 50,000 in countries as far from home as Poland — said Monday.
“The Kingdom of Jesus is so much stronger. If you are in the Presence of the Lord, Satan cannot defeat you. The Lord supplies the miracles; He always supplies what we need. When we are weak, Jesus is strong in us. “
And when Jesus arrives, the spiritual blinders lift. We see the conflict around us.
Indeed: we can stick our heads in the sand, but when we do, we might encounter the netherworld — the spiritual reality that underlies so many challenges and suffering and so much pain on this battlefield called earth.
[resources: Haunted Houses, Ghosts, and Demons: What You can Do About Them; Ouija Board Nightmares: Terrifying True Tales and Evil Unleashed: True Tales of Spells Gone to Hell and Other Occult Disasters]