Entry Point Number 7: Lies/Denial

No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes. (Psalm 101:7)

As we have discussed in previous posts, sin entered the world through the lens of deceit.  The serpent deceived Eve, Eve passed the deception on to Adam, Adam and Eve then attempted to deceive God by hiding from Him, and then Adam and Eve denied their responsibility by blaming someone else; Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent. It ultimately came down to the false promises of impunity, wisdom, and material sustenance.  The temptation was too much for Eve (and subsequently Adam) to resist.

It works in similar fashion for us.  We are tempted by something desired by our flesh, but ultimately it robs us of what we really need.  It can also open us to spiritual bondage, as explain by Neal Lozano:

“Demons serve only themselves and the devil’s purposes.  Their thoughts are always lies, and these lies are destructive thoughts that obscure the nature of God, drawing us into agreement through sin.  Demons seek always to destroy our destiny by separating us from the life of God and by usurping our authority on Earth.  Evil spirits take advantage of our nature by initiating relationships the same way they did in the Garden.  They present to us a temptation characterized by deception, all for the purpose of gaining control.  Our response to that deception gives demons access to us.  We come into bondage based on our sinful response to the empty promises.  First we entertain the lies and the false images in our minds; then, we believe our emotional response; and finally, we surrender our identity to a lie.”

This identification with the lies often creates a veil of denial that prevents us from seeing the truth of a situation.  Think of the addict that cannot see how his/her actions are impacting their friends and families.  Think about how they are always the victim and cannot see how the addiction puts them in the situations they are in.  Think about the narcissist that can never be wrong.  If they are wrong, it has to be because someone else gave them bad information or made a mistake.  But, the reality is that we all have these spiritual blind spots that hamper our spiritual growth.  These blind spots grow over time, often without giving us any clue to their existence.

To experience the fullness of Christ’s presence in our lives, we must learn to identify where these patterns of deception and denial exists in our lives.  We must learn to see those situations for what they really are as opposed to how we have perceived them to be.  A spiritual director can be an objective partner in talking through different perspectives of a situation, listening to where God is in the situation, and discerning the Light and Truth of Christ in the situation.   In the cases where the situation has deteriorated to spiritual bondage, a spiritual director can help guide through renouncing of the spirits involved and taking authority back over the situation in order to attain true freedom and peace in Christ.

Entry Point Number 6: Rebellion/Disobedience

For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.  (1 Samuel 15:23)

Rebellion and disobedience has been a normal part of the human condition since Adam and Eve first bit into the forbidden fruit.  There is something hardwired into us (pride) that continually frames our response to “I’ll do it my way.”  Too often we make decisions and react to situations with no regard to what God’s will is for us.  Satan can use these moments of disobedience (especially significant episodes) to attack us and put us under spiritual bondage.

As we’re reminded by the St. Padre Pio Center for Deliverance Counseling, “It is the will of God for us to be obedient to parents, to civil government, to the Church, and to the pastors who are over us. We have two biblical responsibilities in regard to these authority figures: 1) Pray for them; and 2) submit to them. The only time God permits us to disobey those in authority over us is when they require of us an act or acquiescence in ways that are contrary to Church Law, Natural Law, or Divine Law.”

That leaves a lot of opportunity for us to be rebellious, even if we don’t realize we are being rebellious.  Perhaps you like to drive faster than the speed limit.  Perhaps you like to push the limit with your employer.  Perhaps you pick and choose what you want to believe relative to what is taught by the Church.  These are all examples of rebellion that can leave yourself open to bondage.

Following the line authority is an act of faith where we must believe the person’s source of authority is God and that they will ultimately be judged by how they used that authority.  But, following the line of authority does not mean you should allow someone to abuse you.  If you feel someone in authority is being abusive, then you will likely need to ensure there are appropriate boundaries and potentially make the decision to end the relationship.  Discussing this matter with a spiritual director can help you frame the situation, understand where God is in the midst of it, find forgiveness and closure, and discern next steps.

A spiritual director can also help you root through any rebellious moments you have had in your past, bring those moments to the Light and Truth of Christ, renounce any spirits that were able to take advantage of those moments, and ultimately help bring healing, closure, and freedom in Christ! 

Entry Point Number 5: Involvement in the Occult

He immolated his child by fire. He practiced soothsaying and divination, and reintroduced the consulting of ghosts and spirits.  He did much evil in the LORD’s sight and provoked him to anger. (2 Kings 21:6).

Sensationalized movies like Ouija and common place novelty items like horoscopes tend to desensitize us to the dangers present in the occult.  But, the reality is that anything that seeks knowledge or power (including favors and wishes) outside of the Holy Spirit could potentially be deemed of the occult, and therefore of Satan.  To make matters worse, our culture has ingrained so many occult practices into our daily lives that we have often assimilated many of them into habitual activities before we were old enough to even spell occult. 

At what age were you when you first made a wish on a falling star, looked for a four-leaf clover, carried a rabbit’s foot, or even blew out birthday cake candles?  These are all examples of traps set by the evil one to desensitize us to the difference between luck and grace.  This desensitization (and related relativism) works to open the door to spiritual bondage and puts us at risk of inadvertently worshipping him (Satan) through these superstitions as opposed to worshipping the one almighty God.

The World Apostolate of Fatima published a chilling thought on the topic:

“Many people live in sin and have false peace, because their conscience has been formed, not by the Gospel, but by the spirit of this age.  They may be leading very respectable lives, be law-abiding citizens, and in the estimation of people, leading good lives. But if they are not living according to the Ten Commandments, the Gospel, and the moral teaching of the Church, even in just one area that concerns serious sin, they are probably living in the Kingdom of Darkness.”

If you have been involved in the occult, it is important that you repent of the activity as soon as possible.  For Catholics, the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist are especially powerful weapons Jesus gave us to overcome this.  Non-Catholics should repent to the Lord, admit to another person their involvement (see entry point 1), and pray for spiritual communion with the Lord.

It is often necessary to renounce evil spirits involved in the occult and to renounce occult itself.  A spiritual director familiar with spiritual bondage can help with this discernment of spirits and help guide through the appropriate renunciations.  Furthermore, a spiritual director can help be a level of accountability as one begins to distance themselves from the familiar ways of the occult to the Way of Jesus Christ. 

Entry Point Number 4: Family Sin

I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their ancestors’ wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation (Exudos 20:5).

The subject of family sin and generational curses is an extremely complex topic that we will likely discuss in future posts.  Having said that, there are relational experiences evil spirits can use as an entry point for demonic oppression.  In particular, this is a common occurrence in codependent relationships.

According to Yozefu B. Ssemakula,  Satan uses circumstances of life, behaviors, and disease to stick bondage into our families.  In these, we can generally see the behaviors, attitudes, sins or habits that Satan can exploit.  If it shows up twice in a family, there is a high chance that it is a case of family bondage.  Take the case of alcoholic brothers.  Even if their parents do not drink, it is likely that grandparents and/or other ancestors had the same struggles.  It is also likely that descendants will have the same struggle unless the bondage is broken and healing brought to the family. 

Think about the patient in-take form you complete at the physician.  There are a number of questions on the in-take for regarding your family health history; yet, there is very little scientific proof to support a true genetic connection to these patterns.  However, if you think about it in terms of this subject, it starts to make sense.  All of us have had ancestors that committed serious sins against God.  Regardless of whether they repented before the Lord, there is still consequences for the sin that must be settled (2 Sam 12:13-14).  Too often, the descendants are left to deal with the consequences.

How are we to respond to these situations in our family?  The invitation is to turn it over to God and allow His mercy to wipe away the consequences and to break the family bondage that may exist between generations.  Too often, however, we try to maintain control of these aspects of our lives.  Therefore, the consequences continue to challenge us and never seem to improve.

A spiritual director can help sort through the various behaviors, attitudes, sins and habits in order to discern where a family bondage situation may exist.  They can also be a guide in learning to accept the consequences for what they are, mentor in how to surrender the situation to the Lord, and provide a level of accountability when attempting to take control back. The spiritual director can then assist in renouncing spirits, renouncing breaking unhealthy relationship spiritual connections, and praying for family/generational healing.