Knowing How to Halt Evil that Penetrates and Overtakes the Good Within

I have been given a range of tools to survive. To varying degrees, I excel in using some of them but just as certain, I am deficient in my ability to use others. Evil capitalizes on these deficiencies, amplifies them then uses them against me every chance it gets. As soon as I am caught up in these deficiencies, I am driven to obsession, itself a deficiency. Then I become overwhelmed by a rapid succession of ever increasing crescendos of mental agony, resulting in actions that are exaggerated, unnecessary and later regrettable.

It is critical that I need to recognize my deficiencies immediately every time they start to destroy my inner peace, preventing me from doing good work and disposing me to injury to myself and others. I must STOP what I am doing or thinking immediately and PRAY. Praying to God will arrest the progression of evil and, within moments, end the agony and allow me to be in peace. Will alone is not enough for it had already been captured by evil in its weakened state and immobilized.

Since evil acts without warning but with absolute accuracy every time, preventing it from ever destroying good is not possible because I cannot be continuously vigilant in the same way I cannot be continuously praying. If one could, one would be an even more challenging, tempting and desirable target for evil to destruct and own. I know that God will save me from evil by prayer for every prayer and every moment spent praying strengthens God against evil.

I wrote the previous three paragraphs last night and edited them just now after getting back from Easter Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco. These thought were echoed by Monsignor John Talesfore's sermon today. He said that God is most effective when we are at our weakest and have the humility to accept our weaknesses.