All The Thoughts in Your Head

Not all of the thoughts in your head are yours. Some of them could be from the devil and if they’re not directly from him, they might be influenced by the devil. Understanding how to deal effectively with this can help you overcome anxiety, discouragement, sadness, agitation and more.

If you’re trying to live in a way that’s pleasing to God, avoiding sin and attempting to grow in virtue, then agitation, anxiety, discouragement and such most likely are not from God. In fact, Jesus tells us,

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid (John 14:27).

Ancient Monastic Wisdom for Spiritual Warfare

The devil wants to disrupt your peace of mind, to take you out of the sacrament of the present moment. If he succeeds, he’s distracted you from the graces that only were available in that moment. The ancient monastics and hermits knew this. They engaged in battle with demons routinely. So, when the enemy of human nature starts to create havoc, we can learn a thing or two from them. Following, we consider some of these ancient monastics and their advice.

St. Anthony the Great (3^rd – 4^th Centuries)

Some of St. Anthony’s wisdom regarding spiritual warfare includes the following:

If, then, [demons] see that all Christians…work hard and advance, their first attempt is to put offences in their way. These offences are bad thoughts. But we are not to fear their suggestions. They are foiled at once by prayers and fasting and faith in our Lord. But when foiled, they do not rest. Again, they make crafty and deceitful approaches…They are venturesome and very shameless. For if they be also conquered in this, they try another way, and pretend to prophesy, and to foretell things about to happen…(Emphasis added)

The demons put bad thoughts in our heads. They’ll pretend to foretell future events–to take us out of the sacrament of the present moment by worrying about the future–over things we can do nothing about. St. Anthony further makes it a point to tell us that the good spirit gives us a sense of peace and joy. The evil spirit leaves us with agitation and disturbance.

Evagrius of Pontus (4^th Century)

In his work, Talking Back, Evagrius addresses the means for dealing with spiritual attacks faced by his brother monks. In particular, he discusses spiritual attacks that influence one’s thoughts and thinking. These attacks range from temptations to discouragement, sadness, fear and everything in between. Evagrius suggests the use of carefully selected Scripture passages to rebut the lies of the demons and the sinful habits of the individual, as well as to petition God for help or encourage others in their battles. Here’s one of his suggestions:

Against the evil spirit that opposes my soul, introduces and displays to me sins of the past, and tries to cast sadness into it [my soul]: Do not rejoice over me, my enemy, because I have fallen. I shall rise up, for if I sit in darkness, the Lord serves as a light for me (Mic 7:8).

In this example, Evagrius speaks against the demons that try to take us out of the sacrament of the present moment by obsessing about the past–our “woulda, coulda, shouldas.” Evagrius has compiled hundreds of such passages, sorted into categories based on the capital sins. He counsels us to quote the truth of Scripture to counter the lies of the devil, following Our Lord’s example when the devil tempted Him in the desert.

John Cassian (4th – 5th Centuries)

John Cassian, who was influenced by Evagrius, is known for bringing Eastern monasticism to the West. He wrote his Institutes for monks, based on the Egyptian monastic practices. In Chapter 37 of the fourth book, Cassian tells his readers:

For the wily serpent is ever at our heels—that is, he lies in wait for our end, and he seeks even to the close of our life to overthrow us…you must always be on the watch for his heads—that is, the beginnings of your thoughts—and bring them at once to your elder…(Emphasis added)

This piece of advice is significant in that it exhorts us to bring the lies of the devil out into the light of the truth by talking with an “elder.” That person likely is someone experienced in spiritual warfare with the wisdom to help point the monk in the right direction.

St. Basil the Great (4^th Century)

St. Basil the Great developed the first widely followed monastic rule in Eastern Orthodox Christianity. In it, he writes:

…the enemy, as we are taught by the book of the Prophet Job, roams about and walks like a mad dog, trying to find someone to devour…hasten to learn about him, learning the art of combat from the Holy Scriptures, so as not to be defeated by him…

…during the hours of prayer, the demons usually push us to leave, by using a supposedly plausible excuse, so as to snatch us especially from salvific prayer. Do not find excuses saying: ‘oh, my head hurts! Or oh, my stomach hurts’ … (Emphasis added)

St. Basil not only encourages his brother monks to learn the art of spiritual warfare from the Holy Scriptures. He also talks to them about the kind of spiritual desolation that they, or you, may face before or during prayer.

St. Benedict of Nursia (6^th Century)

St. Benedict based his rule for monastics partly on St. Basil’s rule. It’s no coincidence that St. Benedict counsels his monks to guard their thoughts against the wiles of the enemy:

“But let us ask the Lord, with the Prophet, ‘Lord, who shall dwell in Your tent’…It is he who, under any temptation from the malicious devil, has brought him to naught by casting him and his temptation from the sight of his heart; and who has laid hold of his thoughts while they were still young and dashed them against Christ…” (Emphasis added)

St. Benedict and the others mentioned above had a lot more to say about spiritual warfare than the few quotes included here. Suffice it to say, though, that a common theme exists in these writings: We must take our thoughts captive. We must take custody of them, and not admit any that come from the devil. Those that come from the enemy we are to dash against Christ.

Fast Forward to the 16^th Century

About a thousand years after St. Benedict wrote his rule, St. Ignatius of Loyola developed his rules for discernment of spirits. And those rules address what these ancient monastics had been practicing all this time. St. Ignatius tells us to:

• Be aware of what’s going on inside of us—thoughts emotions, movements of the heart;
• Understand where those thoughts, feelings, movements are coming from—from the devil or from God
• Take action—if they’re from the devil cast them out; if they’re from God, keep them, relish them.

As well, within his fourteen rules, he describes the impact of the devil’s actions. This includes spiritual desolation and what it looks like–anxiety, discouragement, etc. In his rules, St. Ignatius explains the tactics of the enemy and how to counter them successfully. For one thing, he advises sharing with a director, confessor or other spiritually wise person what’s going on when we encounter desolation from the enemy. For another, he tells us to respond quickly when we determine we’re under attack. And, he reminds us that, with God’s grace, we can push back the darkness.

Reject, Rebuke and Renounce Thoughts from the Enemy

Do you feel agitated, and perhaps harbor uncharitable thoughts, words or deeds, when you encounter some member of your parish? How about anxiety over the results from a recent medical evaluation? Or nagging doubts about your ability to serve in your ministry, even though you receive continually positive feedback? Reject, rebuke and renounce the agitation, the anxiety, the doubts and discouragement! Bind them up and cast them out!

When you believe you’re being tormented by the enemy, consider using an approach similar to the following, adapted from various sources, including the Avila Institute, among others:

1. In the name of Jesus, I reject, rebuke and renounce the spirits of [anxiety, discouragement, whatever it is you’re facing].
2. In the name of Jesus, I take authority over these spirits I’ve rejected, rebuked and renounced. I bind them up, and I dash them against the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ for Him to deal with as He wills.
3. In the name of Jesus, I accept and reaffirm the truth… [Here, you recite appropriate Scripture passage(s) addressing what you’ve rejected, countering the lies with the truth]. Some suggest praying this sequence (of rejecting, rebuking, renouncing, binding, and reaffirming) three times because the enemy disrespects the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Do not omit the phrase, “in the name of Jesus.” He’s the One with the power here. You’re invoking His power through His Holy Name. Recognize that you can only do this with His grace and assistance, and be confident of His strength in your weakness.

You can pray this for you and for your spouse and minor children. Do not pray this way for anyone else, though. You only have authority over yourself, your spouse and your minor children. Demons are legalistic, and if you step outside the boundaries, you can get in trouble.

This approach, including the third step—reaffirming the truth through recitation of Holy Scripture—comes right out of the playbooks of the ancient monks. It worked for them; it will work for you. Write down and memorize Scripture passages that work for you in your circumstances. Don’t let the evil one push you around. Jesus has won the battle. He in His grace will help you win your skirmishes with the enemy.

In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world. (John 16:33)