The Roman Catholic Church is publishing prayers to combat the “powers of darkness” as interest continues to grow in the rite of exorcism.
Demons and supernatural forces have become a staple of popular culture, and churches are scrambling to keep up as the imagery of evil continues to flood pop culture.
An expert on combating the demonic, Pastor Karl Payne, former chaplain of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, told WND the “message about a Christian’s battle with the world, the flesh and the devil is just as real and relevant today as it was when God originally addressed the subject through the men He inspired to pen the Scripture.”
Payne is the author of “Spiritual Warfare: Christians, Demonization, and Deliverance,” which now is available as an audiobook,
“The reality of demonic warfare in particular has more to do with the delegated authority God has given every true Christian over all of the powers of the enemy than cultural particulars, ethnicity, gender, education or theological training,” he said. “The reality of this enemy, this battle and the delegated authority God has given to Christians over Satan and his minions has not changed.”
Payne said the battle “will continue until the Lord Jesus Christ vanquishes all of His enemies.”
“I believe according to 1 Timothy 4 that the closer we get to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, the more intense this battle is going to become,” he said. “If this is the case, it means that unless Christians want to live like victims rather than victors, they had better do their homework and be willing and able to stand against the powers of darkness rather than ridicule or run from them.”
Payne has been a critic of how pop culture increasingly treats the demonic as something glamorous or appropriate for children.
“The growing fascination North Americans and Europeans seem to have with horror movies, spiritism, supernaturalism, the occult and Satanism is softening up the senses and consciences of the people watching and involving themselves in this nonsense,” he said. “It’s helping prepare them to function as predators or prey when Satan begins his ultimate reign over planet earth through his coming Antichrist and false prophet.
“When two fighters get into the ring, with one thinking the fight is a staged game and the other understanding it is for life or death, the fighter who takes the fight more seriously is generally the fighter who is going to win the fight. Too many Christians seem to think demonic warfare is a game to turn on or off at their convenience, and they are getting their behinds kicked in battles they should be winning rather than losing. READ MORE
