The devil is real and his temptations are real. He hates you with a pure hate and desires your destruction. This is good to know. But the evil one is also quite shrewd and manipulative and will rarely speak blatant lies to you since he knows this temptation will most likely not convince you. Instead, he seeks to speak confusion to you, identifying things that are partly true and mixing them with subtle lies so as to lead you astray. You may find that you begin to obsess about this thing or that. And you may find that your reasoning might make some sense, but you begin to experience a sadness and confusion as you think. Stop thinking in those moments and run to the Mercy of God. When your thinking is immersed in God, you are left refreshed and light. You begin to have new joy and clarity. But when the evil one begins to have his way with you, the opposite effects are felt in your soul. Be attentive to his sneaky deceptions and pay no attention to them (See Diary 1497-1499).

Reflect, today, upon your thinking process. It is here that the tempter works his worst work. Reflect also upon how you feel as you have tried to figure out this situation or another. Commit yourself to a discernment of spirits by especially looking at the effects of your thinking. The Lord invites you to run to His Mercy every time you find yourself confused or misled. Be attentive to these moments and know that they may be the temptations of the evil one. Trust in the Lord always and continually submit your thoughts to His holy Mercy.

Lord, please always protect me from the lies and snares of the evil one. I rebuke him and his works in Your most holy Name and entrust all my thoughts to You. Come pour forth Your Mercy and truth into my life and dispel all darkness and gloom. I love You, dear Lord. Jesus, I trust in You.

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Featured image above: The temptation of Saint Anthony by Domenico Ghirlandaio, via Wikimedia Commons