Mental and emotional harassment from the enemy is nothing to fear; it’s a normal part of the Christian life. But when we are remaining close to God through the sacraments and daily prayer, the wolves of the enemy can only threaten and growl, not actually force themselves into our lives.
When we mentor young adults about dealing with harassment from the enemy, we use one of our favorite Bible passages, James 4:7–8a. It’s an easy way to remember some of the most important principles for growing stronger in this area:
James 4:7 “So, submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
James 4:8a “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”
In other words, as we like to put it, “Rely, Resist, Repeat.” While you rely on God, you resist the devil by drawing near to God in times of desolation (any time you’re feeling drawn away from faith, hope, and love). You’ll get better at it and wiser as you repeat this practice for the rest of your life.
How does someone resist the devil? Simple actions can make a big impact.
One sure tool that will never let you down is an immediate prayer from the heart: “Our Father…” or “St. Michael…” or “Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless…”
Good works are also great at getting the enemy to leave you alone. Doing any kindness that is out of the ordinary for you will have an effect.
Finally, powerful elements of Church teaching will put up substantial resistance for you: forgiving, asking forgiveness, demonstrating patience, receiving holy communion.
Betsy uses a little rhyme to make these ideas more memorable:
“James four-seven, from now until heaven. James four-eight, it’s never too late.”
This means that every day of our earthly life (until heaven), we will be relying on God and resisting the devil. However, no matter how badly we fail, it’s never too late to draw near to God. And He will draw near to us.
As recorded in Luke 4:1–13, Satan tempted our Lord in the desert when He was weak, isolated, and hungry. Likewise, the enemy will try to get you to sin or otherwise make poor decisions when you are irritable, hurt, or depressed.
But when this harassment results in an increase of virtue, rather than the vice the enemy was hoping for, the evil spirits leave you alone. Just like Satan finally left Jesus alone in the desert after our Lord resisted him with Scripture and truth.
Of course, the dark wolves always come back, just like Satan didn’t leave Jesus alone forever but was continually watching for another “opportune time.” The next time they come around, however, you’ll find yourself a little stronger, a little less fearful, for having resisted.
