Note: On Tuesdays and some Sundays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.
“What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits.” It was the title of an album in my formative years, and the concept still rings so true.
- The vice of wrath in what may seem a perfectly appropriate
situation can become insidious, leading to a habit of bitterness. - The vice of overindulgence in sugar, alcohol, or a million other things in which we overindulge can become overpowering, leading to a habit of focus to the exclusion of all else on our next fix.
- The vice of self-flagellation over something we truly did have control over and messed up royally can erode our self-respect and dignity, leading to a habit in which we set up our ineptitude as a false god.
Sometimes demonic forces come into our lives full grown and powerful, and it is those rare cases that exorcism may be the only solution. But so much of the time, evil starts out small in our live and relatively easy to resist. The more power we give the devil, the more power he is happy to take. Regardless of how much power we cede before we realize what we have done, the New Teaching Authority of Mark 1 (Jesus and the demoniac) is always there to show us His love… and drive them out in the Father’s name. May we have the faith to ask for that help… and to obey as the purification is under way.
