www.cukierski.net/spiritualwarfare.shtml - Specializing in Catholic Sacramentals

We must Prepare for the times ahead!
(MANY NEW INFORMATIVE ARTICLES BELOW!!-Scroll down!)

Jesus said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west you say immediately that it is going to rain–and so it does; and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south you say that it is going to be hot–and so it is. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time?" (Luke)

We have added New Sacramentals to this package and increased the quantity of others!

NOW WITH OVER 23 POWERFUL SACRAMENTALS!
This is the most COMPLETE Spiritual Warfare package available!

The following is a listing of the many POWERFUL Sacramentals we will send you - sanctioned by the Church - to aid in YOUR PROTECTION! Your donation helps to cover our costs of making this package available.

NOTE: As a favor to you, we will take certain items to be blessed before we mail them to you as our GIFT. You may request them as they currently are, unblessed.

HOLY WATER w/ exorcism blessing! We will have this blessed with the special exorcism blessing as our GIFT to you! We are experiencing Spiritual Warfare like never before so it is good to have this always on hand!

HOLY WATER "SPRAY" BOTTLE We use this throughout our home. The evil one can not reside anywheres that Holy Water has been sprayed!

ANOINTED ROCKS - SHIELD OF PROTECTION PACKAGE! A special way of marking the four corners of your home, apartment or property with specially anointed rocks (anointed with blessed oil) and other powerful sacramentals

These sacramentals act as "moorings" as you ask in prayer that a spiritual "canopy" of spiritual protection -- a shield against demons -- be erected over your dwelling. You may have seen the powerful article about this on www.spiritdaily.com in the past.

We will include all of the following:

Special anointed rocks (four total, one in each bag to be placed as a "mooring")

St. Michael Holy Card! A full color holy card with special prayer
St. Michael Medal! Imported from Italy

Prayer For Divine Protection! A prayer beseeching the Lord to dispatch the powerful warrior angels to protect us on every side. It also asks the Lord to cloak us spiritually so that we are invisible to the unseen forces that are at war with us. A powerful prayer of Protection to pray for you and those you love!!

Instruction Sheet with special prayer!

GREEN SCAPULAR PACKAGE (cures, conversions, etc).
It is the only Scapular you do not need to wear as it was given for cures and conversions. The only requirement of this scapular is that you must give it in 100% faith to the person you want to be either cured or converted. It is by this faith that Our Blessed Mother will bring about miracles. The other condition is that you must pray the following daily with 100% faith: Immaculate Heart of Mary pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

This package now comes with:

Three Green Scapulars

Explanation/History Sheet

Holy Card

Free Miraculous medal.

ST. MICHAEL CHAPLET! This chaplet was given to a devout servant of God, Antonia d' Astonac, in an apparition by St. Michael. To all who should recite the nine salutations every day, before receiving Holy communion, he promised that an angel of each of the nine choirs would be assigned to accompany them to the Holy Table. He also promised continual assistance during life, and after death, and the deliverance of the souls of they and their relatives from the pains of Purgatory. Now you can see why this is such an important chaplet to pray for yourself as well as those you love! We include A St. Michael prayer card and instruction sheet on how to pray it!

RELIC TEA LIGHT CANDLE. This one of a kind, powerful sacramental has been touched to the first class relics of St. Philomena, St. Lucy, St. Anthony, St. Colette, St. Therese the Little Flower, St. Dominic Savio, Holy House of Loreto, St. Pio, St. Therese of Avila, St. Agatha, St. Barbara, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. Margaret, St. Dorothy and St. Catherine. It comes with a certificate of authenticity.

ST. MICHAEL PRAYER CLOTH! Seeking his intercession during times of trial is very important. He is a wonderful intercessor in time of need.

** Our Exclusive Prayer Cloth (cloth is approx. 18" x 18" - images vary in size) with his powerful image on it!

**Certificate of Authenticity stating that this Prayer Cloth was touched to 15 first class relics (This makes your Prayer Cloth a 3rd class relic!)

TWIN HEARTS PRAYER CLOTH! Our friend Linny wrote the following: "Not only are the Twin Hearts (Sacred Heart of Jesus & Immaculate Heart of Mary) a wonderful Prayer Cloth for a home altar and/or mantel, but is a tremendous witness to all who enter as well as a powerful blessing and protection for the home!"

** Our Exclusive Prayer Cloth (cloth is approx. 18" x 18" - images vary in size) with the "Twin Hearts" image on it!

**Certificate of Authenticity stating that this Prayer Cloth was touched to 15 first class relics (This makes your Prayer Cloth a 3rd class relic!)

EXORCISM SALT. We will have this salt blessed with the special exorcism blessing as our GIFT to you! These are truly dangerous times, so we felt it necessary to offer this.

OUR LADY OF THE PRAIRIES WHEAT.A good spiritual warfare tool to use...especially in illness. Our Lady of the Prairies (or Notre Dame de Prairie, the title given to Our Lady by the French Canadians) is associated with wheat. In her arms she bears a bundle of wheat and is shown in a field of wheat. Those in need of special favors have sought the intercession of Our Lady of The Prairies. Many cures and favors have been reported since this tradition began. Blessed Wheat is a sacramental and is to be used like Blessed Palm. The prayer of blessing asks Almighty God to ward off diseases and adversity from man and beasts to whoever uses this wheat in the name of Christ. It begs God to let this wheat be a remedy against sickness, pestilence, injuries, spells, poisonous bites, and that it acts as a protection against any actions of the devil wherever the wheat is placed. Carry a bit of this wheat with you in your purse or wallet and keep it around your home. For selling property, many have planted a grain in each corner of the property. Others have placed the wheat in their checkbooks or food pantries asking for sufficiency. Blessed Wheat is not to be used superstitiously. Like any sacramental, it is most efficacious when used in faith. The Code of Canon Law (canon 1166) defines sacramentals as “sacred signs by which spiritual effects especially are signified and are obtained by the intercession of the Church.” This package includes a package of Wheat (that we will have specially Blessed for you as our gift before mailing!) and a History sheet which includes Prayers to Our Lady of the Prairie for Spiritual and Temporal favors.

PRECIOUS BLOOD STAMPS. The Israelites of old marked their dwellings with the blood of the paschal lamb, which was symbolic of the Blood of Christ, the Lamb of God, who sacrificed His life to redeem mankind. The Stamp of the Precious Blood may be used in imitation of the Israelites to implore God’s favor and protection. By placing this stamp at the entrance to your home and perhaps even on objects which you wish preserved from harm or loss, you are manifesting your desire for God’s blessing. We will take these to be blessed for you before mailing...or you may receive them as they currently are, unblessed.

This stamp package comes with 3 Precious Blood Stamps, an explanation sheet, a special gift and a prayer card.

PRECIOUS BLOOD SHIELD!This Powerful Shield/Medal is a symbol of God's protection. This special shield medal has a red cross on the front and a special inscription for protection on the back! We will even take it to be blessed for you (our gift!)

In biblical times, God protected His chosen people from the death of their first born on seeing their door-posts sprinkled with the blood of the paschal lamb. "I shall see the blood, and shall pass over you." (Ex. 12:13). By Its power may we be defended against all our enemies and freed from every ill!

BLESSED INCENSE! Blessed Incense, like any sacramental, is most efficacious when used in faith. Without faith it is ineffective.The Code of Canon Law (canon 1166) defines sacramentals as “sacred signs by which spiritual effects especially are signified and are obtained by the intercession of the Church”. According to Father Gabriele Amorth, chief exorcist of Rome, whoever uses these tools with faith obtains unhoped-for results. This Blessed Incense is very effective for homes. It is suggested that it be burned in each room. Father Amorth also states that Incense has always been considered an antidote against evil spirits, as well as an element used to praise and adore. Liturgical use of incense remains an efficacious element of praise to God and of battle against evil. This sacramental can also mitigate the effects of the tricks that the evil one uses. (We have increased this package to 30!)

TEAK Incense Burner! This Incense Burner is approximately 11" and made from imported Teak wood. It is for use in burning the Frankincense and Myrrh Incense that will be included in this package. We include a Holy Card, too!

HOLY RELIC OIL! You may bless yourself, or someone else, with this special Holy Relic oil. You may also wish to place a drop on a physical injury. Some of the greatest miracles are worked through the humble instrument of this Holy oil! An important point to remember is that there must be faith in the person praying and in the person prayed for.

This holy oil has been touched to the 15 first class relics of: St. Philomena, St. Lucy, St. Anthony, St. Colette, St. Therese the Little Flower, St. Dominic Savio, Holy House of Loreto, St. Pio, St. Therese of Avila, St.Agatha, St. Barbara, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. Margaret, St Dorothy & St. Catherine!

A Vial of Holy Relic Oil.

A Holy Relic Card and Prayer

A Holy Oil History Sheet.

100% BEESWAX CANDLE. Our Parish Priest told us the story of how his mother used to burn a blessed beeswax candle during inclement weather. In 1938 there was a raging hurricane and he fully believes that because of the burning blessed candle and prayers, they were spared. Every home should have this wonderful sacramental on hand. For those of you who believe in the possibility of the 3 days of darkness, these are the candles spoken of. As our gift to you, we will have Father bless your candle before we mail them to you!

St. Therese Rose Petal Package !! A unique sacramental for those with a special devotion to herPOWERFUL!

This exclusive package can only be found here! It includes a small bag of dried rose petals that have been touched to St. Therese's 1st class relics! There is also a certificate/sticker stating that this has been done.
This special package also includes her beautiful Holy Card and a St. Therese silver oxidized medal from Italy!

ST. BENEDICT CRUCIFIX PENDANT. Did you know that the letters on the St. Benedict's Medal signify a powerful prayer of exorcism! Wear it for protection.

SPECIAL RELIC MEDAL! Did you know that all relic medals have great spiritual power? The Church has always taught "Where the relics are, there is the saint". As with so many weapons of spiritual warfare, relics are sadly neglected. We will send you a 3rd class relic medal of a Saint. This medal will contain a fine fragment of cloth which was touched to the body of that particular Saint (relics will vary as we never know which ones we will have in supply).

HOLY WATER ARTICLE. An article on the power of Holy Water and all the HOLY spiritual benefits we can derive from it . Did you know that Holy Mother Church strongly urges its use upon her children, especially when dangers threaten, such as fire, storms, sickness and other calamities? When you get this article, feel free to make copies of it for your friends, family and church members!

ST. BENEDICT MEDALS FOR ENTRY WAY. A package of three St. Benedict medals. Each will have the special exorcism blessing! In time of storms, tempests and other dangers it has been found to be protection HANG THEM ABOVE EACH ENTRY WAY!

This newly updated and complete Spiritual Warfare package available for only a ~~$169.00 .~~ $149.00 + FREE SHIPPING - TODAY!
(Shipping is FREE. Can ship to USA and Canada ONLY!
Can NOT be shipped to any other country!)

(Note: Funds from this package go to keep the apostolate's many free programs operating. God bless you!)

The following is just a small sampling of testimonials we have received regarding the above Spiritual Warfare package. It truly is a package of Powerful Sacramentals like no other!

TESTIMONIAL: "I have ordered the Spiritual Warfare Package over the summer and it has brought my family and myself great consolation and healing. My broken marriage has been restored. Blessed Mother please keep The Cukierski Apostolate in your protection and guidance. Amen. NJ"

TESTIMONIAL: "I recently received my Spiritual Warfare package. It is truly worth much more than you charged! Thank you for making it so affordable. May God continue to bless your family with all that you need. Sincerely, Kathleen Tylka"

TESTIMONIAL: "I have recently had a deeper conversion this year and it has opened my eyes to what is really "going on". I have been trying to prepare for the times ahead. Thank you for helping us prepare! Love in Christ, Laura from Illinois."

TESTIMONIAL: "...Thank you for making this New Spiritual Warfare Package available, what a blessing! Believe me, this is a great gift for God's people in these times! Love and Prayers, Theresa N."

TESTIMONIAL: "I received my Spiritual Warfare Package today and am thrilled. I have already emailed many friends with the link to your website. Blessings to the Family and Apostolate. Love, Larry Miller, DE"

TESTIMONIAL: "The Spiritual Warfare Package was stunning...My family is receiving blessings and change in spiritual heart! God bless you all. Diane S., NJ"

TESTIMONIAL: "I received the complete Spiritual Warfare Package the day after Thanksgiving - there is more PEACE in our home, more GRACES at Mass, more LOVE for Jesus and more FAITH in my family for my parent's healings...Michelle A., Oklahoma"

A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it. —Proverbs 22:3

A friend recently sent me an article that really sums up my feelings on the NEED to PREPARE in order to SURVIVE the times that loom ahead. The following is an excerpt. Not everyone will agree with my "feelings" that the way of life we have become accustomed to is going to change. Nonetheless..I felt the obligation to share this with all of you.

We live in times that call for careful discernment and swift yet careful action. The foundations of Christian civilization are crumbling as the barbarians have breached the walls, entered the palace and are now wielding the scepters of power in our culture.

When nations fall, most of the population are taken by surprise. No one wants to believe that his way of life is coming to an end. When the Bolsheviks were coming to power in Russia (1910-1917) and the Nazis in Germany (1930s) the vast majority of the people continued to regard the times as normal and did not prepare for the coming crisis

Christians, too, are usually taken by surprise along with the rest of a nation in crisis. We of all people, however, ought to have the wisdom to see the handwriting on the wall and realize that momentous changes are ahead. We should anticipate the judgment of God upon a nation such as ours.

Our nation is teetering on the brink of disaster on two related fronts. First is the moral front. Since we as a people have increasingly tolerated adultery, divorce, abortion, sodomy, materialism, willful debt, etc.; since our leaders have written immorality into law and have removed God and his Word from public life; we deserve and should expect the hand of God's judgment.

Second is the economic front. To fulfill the wishes of the voters our politicians have been spending us into oblivion. Other reasons for judgment aside, the economy itself is a time bomb. Our nation is currently trillions of dollars in debt. The ruling class in Washington (of both parties) has no intention to stop adding to the debt, much less to pay it off. Most likely the near future will be a very grim time in our country.

"When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (Psalm 11:3) They can keep on being righteous! They can return even more closely to the path of blessing and peace revealed in God's Word. They can be sure they are not sharing in the sins that will bring God's righteous wrath on the nation. They can take refuge as best they are able (Proverbs 22:3) and entrust themselves to a merciful Father.

The Remnant will adjust its living patterns now so that it not only survives the crisis but also is prepared to lead on the other side of the crisis.
How can you prepare for the coming crisis and the days that follow it?

1) On a personal level, live in a spirit of repentance, quickly dealing with sin by means of a good confession. Daily Mass (if possible) and Daily Scripture reading, memorization, and meditation; daily fervent prayer and intercession.

2) Read and study your Catholic Faith. Really Learn your Catholic Faith so you can pass it on.

3) Make your family your highest priority: teach your children God's Word and life skills; de-clutter your schedule; learn to worship, work, and minister together; pray for vocations or godly spouses for your children.

5) Get out of debt, period, as soon as possible. Debt will make you a slave in the coming "economic earthquake."

7) Pray for, vote for, and work for a return to godly principles of civil government, starting at the local level. This years elections are PIVOTAL! VERY PIVOTAL!!!!

8) Give serious consideration to obtaining the "Spiritual Warfare Package" up above! It contains over many POWERFUL sacramentals that will serve as powerful spiritual protection for you and your family! We must prepare for the times ahead.

Though dark days are surely ahead, the godly man or woman need not be afraid. Once you have done all you can (see the steps above) you should trust the rest to the Lord and His Blessed Mother!

We encourage you to SHARE THIS Page with those you care about! May God bless you all!

Email from Loci Lenar: The anointed rocks are very powerful. The image appearing on our fence with a bright cross--shielding our property, is a testament to God's providence from your wonderful work! I believe the image of the cross that appeared on my backyard fence is a sign from God of His shield of protection for my family.

My wife Teresa and daughter Lauren checked windows and rooms for reflections and found none. The interesting point is that the sun was behind the fence in the east, while the image appears in the front, as if the sun is shining onto the fence from the west!

I gave several prints of the image to Father Richard of Saint Mary's Church, Denville, New Jersey. I've known Father Richard for over a decade. Email from: Loci Lenar, Mine Hill, New Jersey

NOT CONVINCED YOU NEED SPIRITUAL PROTECTION?

“When I am asked how many demons there are, I answer with the words that the demon himself spoke through a demonic: ‘We are so many that, if we were visible, we would darken the sun.”
Quote From: An Exorcist Tells His Story by Father Gabrielle Amorth, Roman Catholic Priest, Chief Exorcist of the Vatican, Rome, Italy

“No one wants to believe in evil, really, above all, not in an evil being, an evil spirit. Everyone wants to abolish the idea. To admit the existence of evil means a responsibility, and no one wants that responsibility. That is the opening through which the evil spirit crawls, stilling all suspicions, making everything seem normal and natural. This is the “thought,” the unwariness of the ordinary human being which amounts to a disinclination to believe in evil. And if you do not believe in evil, how can you believe in or ever know what good is?”

Directly From the Catechism of the Catholic Church
VII. OUR FATHER PRAYER - "BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL"

2851 In this petition, evil is not an abstraction, but refers to a person, Satan, the Evil One, the angel who opposes God. The devil (diabolos) is the one who "throws himself across" God's plan and his work of salvation accomplished in Christ.

2852 "A murderer from the beginning, . . . a liar and the father of lies," Satan is "the deceiver of the whole world." ... We know that we are of God, and the whole world is in the power of the evil one.

"'Spiritual combat' is another element of life which needs to be taught anew and proposed once more to all Christians today. It is a secret and interior art, an invisible struggle in which (we) engage every day against the temptations, the evil suggestions that the demon tries to plant in (our) hearts." -Pope John Paul II- May 2002

The DEVIL EXISTS! EVIL EXISTS! We must not be left "unarmed"!

'HOME INVASIONS' SPUR FEARS OF A FUTURE THAT WITHOUT PRAYER WILL YIELD ANARCHY
by Michael Brown

Our society has grown cold. Have you noticed the spirit? There is a prevailing wind. There is "attitude." A proud spirit moves, and we feel the chill in the way we conduct ourselves. Perhaps it is because everyone has money. One calls an airline and goes through five minutes of impersonal recorded messages before waiting another ten minutes for an actual human who clearly doesn't want to deal with you.

That impersonality has coupled with decades of violence on television (and at the movies) to generate truly unnerving prospects.

Kids are assaulting kids. Teens kill at the drop of the hat. The other day, a boy from a town not so far from us murdered his grandmother for less than $200 in drug money while another assaulted someone with a spiked bat.

How often we look for signs of the times on the global stage and ignore the signs in our own culture and neighborhoods.

Will there be a time of chaos? Will there be a period of anarchy? Are we seeing the glimmerings?

There are those who have had visions of a societal breakdown in which natural or economic turbulence leads to a dismantling of the infrastructure -- and people fighting over a gallon of gas.

Might there come a time when there is an eruption of civil conflicts -- when various groups in various regions wage war on each other, or when a breakdown leads have-nots to invade the homes of those who have temporarily adequate resources?

It may tend toward the "paranoiac" and yet we do see disarming cases of home invasion.

Increasingly, vandals and robbers are entering residences while the owners are inside -- a level of boldness that marks a change in behavioral patterns. Consider that:

Last Sunday, in Daytona Beach, a grandmother was dragged from her own home at ten in the morning (as her son helplessly watched), forced to withdraw money from an ATM, and murdered brutally for a pittance.

In a town to the west, several young people were slain in a home over a CD player and other minor possessions two years before.

In November, three men who broke into homes in the Albuquerque, New Mexico, area and were shot dead by homeowners.

In December, in Tucson, an eighty-year-old had to grab a gun and confront intruders -- again, during broad daylight, in the morning.

In Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, another man celebrating the birth of his son was fatally wounded in a drive-by shooting after showing off pictures of the newborn at a friend's house.

In Denver, a pro football star was killed in another "drive-by." The cases go on: doors that are jimmied when homeowners are home, masked men at the back door, abductions, carjackings.

How do we protect our homes?
(NOTE: the following is why the above Spiritual Warfare package is so needed!!!)

There are the obvious ways, of course (good locks, an alarm system), and then the not-so-obvious. Many are the accounts of menacing strangers kept at bay because the person they targeted was in prayer -- and seemed to be protected by an actual force, sometimes in the form of an angel.

That protection is heightened through sacramentals (medals, crucifixes throughout the home, statues of the Archangel Michael, Holy Water, Blessed Salt on the property). One expert at deliverance covers his property with a special blessing. (NOTE: available in the package at top of page!)

"In the same way the strong man marked out the four corners of his property with stone towers, I increase the perimeter of protection surrounding my home with four rocks," says this Catholic lay minister, Robert Abel. "I have anointed the rocks with oil and placed one in every corner of my yard. In the spiritual realm the canopy looks like a bullet-proof dome."

Strange as it may seem, those of an evil bent are actually repelled in the presence of something that is holy.

There is power when we pray and power when we are surrounded by blessed objects.

Such especially comes through the Blessed Mother -- who has said that with prayer and fasting we could even stop wars, never mind local violence. "No weapon fashioned against me will stand," says Isaiah 54:17. "Greater is He Who is in me than he who is in the world," adds 1 John 4:4.

It is to be remembered that an atheistic professor from northern Kentucky named Howard Storm once wrote about a dramatic near-death brush during which he claimed he not only became convinced that God and eternity exist but also was shown the future by what he described as angels.

He has told his account on many national shows, including Today, and his testimony helped convert famed writer Anne Rice, who once wrote about vampires but now writes (if controversially) about Jesus.

Whatever the merits of that, it was Dr. Storm's assertion that the future he glimpsed included a breakdown in America and a civil uprising that led to anarchy. This is the end result of materialism. It is the end result of an obsession with money. It is the end result of putting life on earth before life with God in Heaven.

Today, a strange paradox exits. What looks like the fulfillment of prophecy is everywhere; unrest in the Middle East, the rise of a European Superstate, the alignment of Gog and Magog, forming of a national ID and gateways through biotechnology that could unleash upon earth pestilence of biblical proportions. People from all three of the world’s great religions see these developments as potential omens of an ‘End Times’ scenario leading to the Apocalypse.

Yet many believers in God, especially in America, are indifferent to the need to prepare for the unexpected.

An article by Mimi Hall in USA TODAY this week said, "Most Americans haven't taken steps to prepare for a natural disaster, terrorist attack or other emergency, according to a new study on preparedness, and only about a third have made plans with family members about how they would communicate with each other during a crisis."

Part of the reason for this may be that we are well off in the United States, and we trust in our bank accounts to sustain us. Unfortunately, money sitting in savings and investments are useless if you become stuck in a storm or other crisis.

Another disarming reason I witnessed during my 25 years of pastoring for why people of faith neglect preparedness has to do with an odd defeatism that says, "If current events are prophesied to happen, then there’s nothing we can do about it anyway."

The notion that calamity is unavoidable if it is divinely predicted is even sanctioned by some expositors who miss the pattern for preparedness in the Bible. While it is true that famine was prophesied for Egypt, it is also a fact that God led Joseph to prepare for it, and, as a result, he saved his family and the nations around about.

Proverbs 22:3 tells us that a prudent person will foresee such difficulties and prepare for them, while a simpleton will go blindly on and suffer the consequences. This is good advice not only for religious folks, but also people of any persuasion.

A third and perhaps the greatest reason why some people, including religious people never plan for disaster, is that they view the need to prepare for the unexpected as too complicated and costly. They imagine the back yard being dug up for construction of a massive bomb shelter and the basement crammed with row after row of dry grains and large containers filled with backup water.

The truth is, survival preparation is modestly affordable. Under most circumstances, the ability for individuals to remain mobile for a few days to a week or so by simply grabbing an inexpensive "survival bag" and heading out is more important than silos filled with long term storage foods.

Even when we envision a worse case scenario – such as a terrorist nuke or ICBM exchange – low-cost shelters, that can be built at home and combined with a minimal amount of Potassium Iodide, would help keep as much as 99 percent of the population alive according to one synopsis by the Department of Homeland Security. Designs for building such family shelters are available free online at places like www.SurvivorMall.com.

While having to try to endure radioactive fallout is a growing possibility, the fact is that most people are more likely to face disaster as a result of things like nature.

A few weeks ago a journalist became lost in a snowstorm in Oregon and died from the exposure to freezing temperatures. If his car had been equipped with a survival kit, he would have had an excellent chance of survival.

During Hurricane Katrina, one woman had an emergency supplies kit in her attic that kept her and her two cats alive for days until help arrived. Another man, a doctor who had read "Dare to Prepare" by Holly Deyo and followed its instructions, was prepared with equipment and supplies. His house became a gathering place for people displaced by the storm.

For reasons such as these, my wife and I recently provided each of our children with a "walk out" kit for the trunks of their cars. These emergency bags contain enough food, water, shelter, first aid, lighting and communication supplies to keep them alive for days in the case of a vehicle malfunction or other situation where they would need to abandon their car.

Many of the items vital for a good survival kit can be found at your local shopping center: an inexpensive poncho, a basic first aid assortment, nylon cord, canvas for temporary shelter, duck tape, a whistle. Other items are a bit trickier to find and may need to be acquired from one of many online emergency preparedness companies. These include five-year-shelf-life food bars, five-year-shelf-life water boxes or pouches, paper-thin thermal blankets designed by NASA to retain body heat, special hand-crank combination flashlights with radios and emergency signals built in, and so on. My personal favorite is the "Transformer 4 in 1 Radio Flashlight," which requires no maintenance, no batteries, no bulb replacements, and can even power your cell phone.

Pre-made emergency kits containing items such as those above can be acquired online at costs from $30.00 and up, depending on the number of people and the number of days they are designed to sustain.

Why then, given how affordable disaster preparedness is, are so many people unprepared for an emergency?

Within "faith communities," part of the problem goes back to western dispensational fatalism that fails to see God’s instructions about the future and the responsibility He gives concerning preparation. Church authorities may speak of the hidden shelter that God provides His followers during a storm, yet often fail to see the believer’s responsibility cast throughout the Bible where we are to care for our families and communities by readying for the unknown.

Some teachers also erroneously believe that emergency preparedness reflects a lack of faith in God.

The opposite is true. The Book of James measures faith by personal action, and Hebrews 11:7 describes true faith this way: "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear and prepared an ark to the saving of his house."

God told Noah that He would destroy the earth by a flood. He gave Noah instructions on how to be prepared so that he and his family could survive. Noah didn’t know when the flood would come, only that it was prophesied, and he prepared for it. When the Flood arrived, he was ready. His faith in and obedience to God’s word, his survival instincts, and ultimately his preparedness actions saved his family and preserved the human race.

The parallel between Noah and today is astounding. "As it was in the days of Noah," says Luke 17:26-27 concerning the last days. Noah's actions should define the modern believer's responsibility, including the need for spiritual and physical preparedness.

Of course there are other places in the Bible that provide lessons about preparedness, including principles in the Books of Psalms and Proverbs, the parable of the faithful and evil servants (Matthew 24:45-51) and the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). But 1 Timothy 5:8 goes even further, saying that a person who does not provide for the survival of their relatives has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Given these instructions and the belief held by many today that we are living in "the last days" or at a minimum a time of unusual earth changes, leaders of religious institutions urgently need to educate their followers about taking personal responsibility for preparedness in an age of growing uncertainty. Dramatic lessons over the last few years have proven that we cannot depend on government agencies such as FEMA to save us if we need them. In fact, a report last month found that five years after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the government still isn't fully prepared to respond to a major public health emergency such as bioterrorism or a pandemic flu outbreak.

This is the good news. Hundreds of pages from reports and booklets on how to perform first aid, prepare temporary shelters, build bomb shelters, defend against terrorism and chemical contamination, shield against nuclear fallout, survive earthquakes, storms, floods, and dozens of other emergency situations are available free at places like www.SurvivorMall.com.

Spiritual leaders can download these booklets and reports, print them out and place them on a table in a church foyer, hand them to neighbors, give them out during classes, or better yet teach a class on preparedness and tie it in with the mandates of Scripture. If nothing else, everybody can forward this article to the people they know with a recommendation that they do what is right to protect themselves as well as those God has placed under their care.

As a veteran of more than 30 years of church ministry, I call on pastors and other religious leaders to stand at the forefront of this issue and to make disaster preparedness some part of their ministry. This doesn’t need to define what you or your fellowship is about, but this can and must be part of the wise counsel you offer those you have responsibility for. You could literally save a believer’s life!

Deuteronomy 30:19 says, "Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live!"

Together as people of faith, we should face the future with confidence and take the lead in disaster preparedness.

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SPIRITUAL PREPARATION FIRST (that is whey we provide and recommend the Spiritual Warfare Package up top!)

PHYSICAL PREPARATION SECOND! Both must be done if we are to be faithful (see Timothy 5:8)!

Are laymen allowed to assist at exorcisms? What role does the laity have in deliverance? Should they cast out demons themselves?

To an extent, says Rome's official exorcist, Father Gabriel Amorth, the answer to each of those queries is a surprising -- to some, even a shocking -- "yes."

This is an area that deserves great caution, and let us note immediately that a full-scale exorcism can only be conducted by a priest with the permission of a local bishop. In severe cases, the Church should immediately be consulted; the stole of the priest is a tremendous protection. Without it, there can be danger. But that doesn't exclude the laity from active spiritual deliverance, according to Father Amorth, the world's most famous exorcist.

"A lay person who prays for deliverance from demons offers a private prayer, calling upon the common priesthood of the faithful and the power granted by Christ to all believers," says Father Amorth. "The priest who prays for the same purpose also recites a private prayer. Everything being equal, it is more efficacious than the first, because he calls upon his ministerial priesthood and his mandate to bless. When an exorcist administers an exorcism, the efficacy is greater still, because he is practicing a sacramental, which is a public prayer, invoking the intercessory power of the entire Church.

"However," adds Amorth, "let us be clear on this: The Lord takes faith into account. Therefore, a simple prayer of a lay person, even though it is private, could be more efficacious than the prayer of anyone else."

Father Amorth cites the example of Saint Catherine of Siena: When an exorcist could not liberate a demoniac, he would send the afflicted person to her. "Then the saint would pray and obtain liberation," writes Amorth. "Her prayer was not an exorcism; she was neither an exorcist nor a priest. But she was a saint!"

As Father Amorth notes, it all comes down to faith: Christ Himself admonished His followers to cast out spirits, but He also pointed to a lack of faith as the reason they weren't always able to succeed. It is faith that is our shield. It is our faith that unlocks the power of God -- which readily overcomes all evil.

Efficacy differs in degrees, says Amorth -- but the aim is the same: deliverance from an evil presence, manifestation, or influence. "Canon Law speaks of exorcism relative to those who are possessed (CIC 1172), in other words, those who are victims of a true demonic possession," the famous priest writes in An Exorcist: More Stories. "While there is nothing to forbid the use of exorcism for all other forms of evil influence, and all exorcists do so, there are other types of interventions for minor or less severe circumstances, such as deliverance prayers."

Amorth has criticized changes to the official exorcism rituals that he says has weakened them. He also has criticized bishops for not paying more heed to evil infestations, fretting that many dioceses do not even use the services of an exorcist despite the rise of evil around us. He especially warns about witchcraft. "It has been practiced throughout human history and by all civilizations. Still today many fall into its clutches. Many priests underestimate the danger of witchcraft. While they rightly trust in the salvific powers of Jesus, Who died to free us from Satan's bonds, they forget that the Lord never told us to underestimate the devil's power; he never told us to defy him or to stop fighting him. Instead God gave us the power to expel demons."

Father Amorth, who has worked with the Pope himself in exorcisms, also points to the Eucharist in cases where evil seems to be present. Sacraments themselves offer relief from evil spirits. "The usual means to obtain grace -- prayer, sacraments, fasting, charitable works, and so on -- may be sufficient," he notes. "Confession and Communion are worth more than a strong exorcism."