When Jude warns of the false teachers’ presumed authority in Jude 1:8, it better corresponds with the Jewish exorcists in Acts 19:13 who presumptuously tried to rebuke a demon “by Jesus whom Paul preached” but then were beat up by the demonized man. They failed when rebuking the demon because they were not true believers and could not exercise Christ’s authority. The same was true of the prideful false teachers Jude warned about.

The narrative of humanity’s fall introduces us to the devil, who is also called Satan, and the forces he has brought to the world. These forces were responsible for tempting humankind to stray from God’s will (Genesis 3) and have worked to undermine God’s plans at every turn. In fact, the Bible repeatedly shows that the world is a warzone, and humans find themselves in the middle of an ongoing battle between God and His enemy, Satan. Old emotional wounds from the past are resurfaced. You believed you had dealt with that area of pain in your life, only to find out it is cropping up again in your life. But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” (Matthew 12:22–24, New International Version)

Then Jesus lays out a fundamental truth: There are no sidelines in this war. The kingdom of God has come, and we’re either with Jesus or against Him. There are a million ways to oppose Jesus’ work in the world, but those who are with Him are focused on the same goal: building His kingdom by both knowing and following Him and by helping others to know him too. Battling with feelings of guilt, condemnation, and shame. The difficult feeling like you are not good enough, that you do not do enough, and feel shameful for these things. Because of my previous involvement in the occult practices, along with my ancestor’s involvement with Freemasonry, I am frequently asked for advice about exorcisms. Most people who share their stories with me are certain they need to head straight to the exorcist who is geographically closest to them, but my response is always cautious and intentional. When handling grave matters related to supernatural activity, it’s always best to spend adequate time in prayer and reflection before making impulsive conclusions. Follow the Church’s rules. Follow the exorcist’s directions. Don’t speak to the demons, and don’t respond to the demons. Pray. Blanche, I don’t know if you’ll get this, but I know exactly what you mean. I’ve been going through an exhaustive warfare myself. In fact, it’s been going on for 21 months now today. I’ve battled addiction for at least 20 to 30 years. I was saved young, but fell away. Been sober for these last 21 months! By the grace of God!!! Thank you Lord

Feelings of rejection, belonging and loneliness seem to be heightened. You feel no one truly understands you, and do not feel like you belong anywhere. Spiritual warfare is serious business. That’s why you need to be careful in the way you approach it. You need to be aware that God has an enemy who is committed to making you ineffective by whatever means necessary. The researchers found that over 1 in 10 people, or 11 percent of the general population, will experience the incubus phenomenon in their lifetimes, Blom said. "That means that there is an 11 percent chance for any given individual to experience this [the incubus phenomenon] at least once during their lives," he added.Knowing that I have received rights over all my exterior goods, past, present and future; I relinquish into thy hands, my Heavenly Mother, all rights over my exterior goods, including my health, finances, relationships, possessions, property, my job and my earthly success, and I retain for myself no right of disposing the goods that come to me but leave to thee the entire and full right of disposing of all that belongs to me, without exception, according to thy good pleasure, for the greater glory of God in time and in eternity. The important thing is to focus on human free will and our relationship with God. The demons are not central players here; we give them sway in the world only through our choices. Their job is to tempt us, but we make the decisions to follow those promptings. So, in a sense, they are behind all the evil, but it is we who allow evil to manifest. There are roughly one to four possession cases going in a major city at any time. Most exorcists are doing an exorcism monthly, weekly, or more often. It’s usually best to have sessions weekly for each person.

Jesus tells the Pharisees that what they’re saying doesn’t make any sense. There’s a lot at stake in this conflict, and Satan isn’t playing games. The very fact that Jesus is casting out demons should be seen as a confirmation of His message that the kingdom of God has come. Lastly, Christians need to understand their protection in Christ. Paul writes, "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:11-12).

These spiritual entities are, according to Christian tradition, angels that were cast out of heaven after following their leader, Satan, in rebellion against God. Because of their transgressions, they now roam the earth as they await the final judgment.

In the Bible, the Gospel of Matthew offers a glimpse behind the curtain into the conflict between these two kingdoms: If a spiritual life is your shield, prayer is most decidedly your sword. Don’t be afraid to wield it. In all cases in which a person speculates that his or her troubles are supernatural in origin, it is best to seek out advice from someone who is trained in Catholic deliverance. Of course, it is often difficult to obtain such information, as dioceses are somewhat wary of freely distributing this information, but begin with prayer combined with fasting and Eucharistic Adoration. Ask the Lord to bring a person into your life who is a solid Catholic and will not lead you astray, someone who can provide proper spiritual deliverance. Although the English translation is from the 1999 rite in Latin revised in the wake of Vatican II, it draws from centuries-old rituals.prayer idea: I pray for Your protection as I begin this day. You are my hiding place, and under Your wings I can always find refuge. Protect me from trouble wherever I go, and keep evil far from me. No matter where I am, I will look to You as my Protector, the one who fights for me every day.