From: inteligencialtda
Father Duarte Lara, an exorcist from Portugal, emphasizes the critical role of faith and grace in combating spiritual battles and achieving inner peace. He shares insights from his work and personal faith journey, highlighting practical steps for spiritual protection and growth.
Understanding Spiritual Struggles
Spiritual struggles manifest in various ways, ranging from ordinary temptations to extraordinary disturbances.
Ordinary vs. Extraordinary Activity [01:19:19]
The devil’s ordinary activity is temptation, leading individuals into sin through suggestion [01:20:25]. Extraordinary activity involves more overt disturbances such as hearing voices, seeing things, fainting, or incorporating other entities [01:39:43]. These extraordinary disturbances are often linked to sins of idolatry, divination, and magic, which involve placing trust in spiritual forces other than God, thereby opening a door to demonic influence [01:01:03].
Symptoms of Extraordinary Disturbances [01:19:53]
Symptoms can be ambiguous, but typical signs that warrant examination include:
- Unexplained physical pain or pathologies: Headaches, stomach pain, heart issues, or back problems with no clinical explanation [01:19:33].
- Unexplained fainting or epileptic seizures: Medical tests reveal no physiological cause [01:59:59].
- Atypical reactions to medication: Individuals remain unaffected by high doses of sedatives [01:22:42].
- Aversion to sacred things: Feeling sick, experiencing pain, vomiting, nausea, or headaches in churches, cemeteries, or during prayer gatherings [01:23:55].
- False spiritual gifts: The ability to guess hidden things or know personal details through diabolical inspiration, used by fortune-tellers to gain trust [01:24:20].
The Devil’s Tactics [02:50:50]
The devil tries to fight and influence those who seek God, particularly through temptation [00:59:56]. He works through lies, division, and fear, often imitating voices, smells, and movements of loved ones to deceive [02:07:09]. He capitalizes on human weaknesses, using material gains or false promises to draw people into pacts [03:10:59].
The devil is described as “father of lies” [02:25:27] and a “master at this” [02:25:34]. He can influence a person to have suicidal thoughts, acting as a “great instigator of sin” through suggestions [02:44:10]. He uses accidents and desires death, as Jesus states he has been a “murderer since the beginning” [02:45:18].
Faith as an Armor against Evil
Faith in God provides protection and strength against spiritual attacks. The core of this protection lies in actively living out one’s faith.
The Importance of God’s Grace
People who are victims of witchcraft are often “good people” but may not be praying or frequenting the sacraments, leaving “gaps in armor” or living in “mortal sin” [03:53:54]. When an individual walks in faith and lives in God’s grace, witchcraft “doesn’t work” [04:38:29]. The “presence of God is what drives the devil away the most” [04:20:00].
Three Pillars of Protection [05:10:01]
Father Lara recommends three essential practices for building an armor of faith:
- Good Confession: Regular confession (at least once a month) is considered “spiritual hygiene” for the soul, washing away sin and restoring one to God’s grace [05:12:20].
- Holy Mass and Communion: Mass is described as “spiritual Red Bull,” offering an “atomic bomb” of God’s word and communion with the body and blood of Jesus [05:16:16]. It is the most powerful prayer and nothing fills one with God more than living it well and taking communion [05:39:49].
- Daily Rosary: Our Lady of Fátima appeared six times, asking the three shepherd children to pray the rosary every day [05:31:00]. Despite its repetitive nature, it is a consistent act of love that feeds one’s relationship with God [05:33:57]. The devil hates the rosary because of its great power [02:49:57].
Prayer and Blessings [05:46:16]
For those experiencing disturbances, a “prayer of deliverance” (a “decaf” version of exorcism) can be effective and is available on his website [05:47:49]. Blessings (such as the blessing of a priest), the Rosary, the Our Father (specifically the petition “deliver us from evil”), and prayers to saints like Saint Michael and Saint Benedict are powerful tools against demonic attacks [02:48:02].
Objects, food, and drinks can be used for harm, but blessings can negate their effects [04:06:32].
The Power of Forgiveness [04:20:47]
Resentment and other negative feelings hinder God’s grace. Forgiving those who have caused hurt is crucial for inner healing and spiritual progress [04:26:00]. “The secret is to put a big love in everything, even in the things that seem more banal” [02:13:58].
Spiritual Dangers
Certain practices and mindsets open doors to demonic influence.
Occult and Divination [01:00:52]
Practices like magic, divination, and even seemingly harmless activities like horoscopes or yoga are considered dangerous, as they involve seeking spiritual knowledge or help from sources other than God [01:01:08]. These can create a “pact with the devil” and open the door to “extraordinary disturbance” [01:11:11].
- Halloween: Considered the “beginning of the satanic year,” Halloween promotes familiarity with the occult and is often accompanied by increased satanic rituals and even human sacrifices [01:53:30].
- Yoga: While seemingly a physical exercise, yoga is intrinsically linked to Hinduism and its practice can be seen as incompatible with Christian faith due to its religious connotations [02:05:01].
- Healers and Fortune Tellers: Even those who appear Christian or use sacred images can be practicing divination and magic, working with the devil and confusing the faithful [02:04:16].
- Games of Divination: Games like the Ouija board (cup game) are forms of divination that open spiritual doors, often leading to demonic interference [02:03:02].
Sin and Vulnerability [01:00:01]
Sin creates a “gap” in one’s spiritual armor, making them vulnerable to demonic attacks [00:52:06]. Refusing to forgive, harboring resentment, and engaging in habitual sin can prevent God’s grace from entering one’s life [04:30:00].
Exorcism and Deliverance
Exorcism is a specific ministry within the Catholic Church, performed by priests appointed by a bishop, who are expected to be pious, knowledgeable, and prudent [02:21:42].
The Exorcism Process [03:08:05]
During an exorcism, the priest invokes God with faith, and the devil reacts by becoming tired and increasingly weaker until he no longer reacts [03:20:00]. Sessions can last from one to multiple meetings, depending on the severity and the person’s sincerity in conversion [03:54:00]. The goal is complete liberation, which requires the individual to return to a Christian life of prayer and sacraments [04:04:00].
Father Lara emphasizes that exorcists must first understand the “causes” of the disturbance by discussing the person’s history, as the devil reacts violently when the specific cause (e.g., witchcraft against a marriage or career) is named [04:47:00].
The Role of the Exorcist [01:14:55]
An exorcist’s work involves not only expelling demons but also spiritual accompaniment, helping individuals to change their lives, confess, pray, and frequent the sacraments [04:08:08]. They must be cautious in diagnosis, ruling out psychological or medical conditions, and often collaborate with psychologists and psychiatrists [01:21:51].
Living a Life of Holiness and Preparation
Happiness is intrinsically linked to holiness and loving God and others [02:22:47]. Holiness is not about extremes but about putting “great love in everything” one does, even in banal daily activities [02:27:56].
The End Times and Spiritual Preparedness [02:19:00]
Father Lara believes humanity is entering a new era, prophesied in scripture, marked by increasing chaos and a “digital prison” system controlled by global powers [02:23:52]. This system, including a single digital currency and identity, will coerce individuals and test their faith [02:25:32]. The “mark of the beast” is not merely a financial transaction but a system demanding idolatry, a worship of the beast [02:36:29].
- Spiritual Preparation: The most urgent and important step is to “live a life of holiness,” putting God first, praying seriously, and surrendering to Him [02:31:46].
- Material Preparation (if possible): For those with resources, having a “plan B” to survive outside the system, such as living in a community with land and means for sustenance (like “chickens”), is advisable [02:28:47].
- Trust in God’s Intervention: Despite the challenges, God will intervene extraordinarily to defeat evil, and a new era of peace will follow [02:50:00].
Conclusion
The path to overcoming spiritual struggles, whether ordinary temptations or extraordinary demonic attacks, lies in a profound commitment to faith. By embracing confession, daily mass, the rosary, forgiveness, and a life of intentional holiness, individuals can build an impenetrable armor of God’s grace. This spiritual preparedness not only ensures personal peace and salvation but also equips believers to face the challenges of the world with courage and unwavering trust in God’s ultimate victory.