Rejecting Satan 

   “Prayer and contemplation shut out the temptations of the devil.” (St. Vincent Ferrer)

   Wherever I go, whatever I do, there is Satan.  Temptation is everywhere and growing more and more prevalent as our society continues to devolve into an immoral society.  When sin is the predominant activity in a culture, those who want to avoid sin find it more and more difficult.

   The surest way to thwart Satan and his temptations is to occupy myself with God and His ways, and the best way to do that is through prayer and contemplation.  I once wrote that Satan cringes when we pray, and I believe that to be true.  With my heart and my mind focused on the Lord there is no place left for Satan, he is effectively shut out.

   The problem becomes maintaining that level of involvement with God.  There are so many distractions, so many temptations in life, most originating from the evil one in his effort to draw our attention away from God.  A mind filled with concern about the day-to-day chaos of humanity makes focusing on God much more difficult.

   The devil never rests, so it is up to us to take whatever measures are most effective in our efforts to resist him.  I’ve found that prayer is the best defense when temptation strikes.  It doesn’t take much, a simple “Lord, help me”, or as my Pastor likes to encourage, “Jesus, I love You, possess me” works quite well.

   God wants to make us holy, but we must cooperate with Him.  Resisting temptation, offering all we do as a prayerful gift to God can lead us to the sainthood he desires for each of us.

Temptation is everywhere.

Satan never sleeps.

Give me strength Lord.

Protect me from evil. 

Amen