If it seems like everyone's getting hit with something these days, that's because everyone is. Darkness, and too often ill fortune, surround us.

Thank goodness, there has been an input of late of books concerning spiritual protection. There has been Curse Breaking, a truly fresh, in-depth look at generational healing and breaking curses in general. There is People, Pigs, and Principalities.

Here comes another, and it's every bit as worth having:

Freedom Through Deliverance, by Father Carl Schmidt.

It's a book that contains useful information for both priests and laity on handling an evil onslaught.

Emphasized in this book is the power of "binding" demons:

Praying in such a way that evil spirits are immobilized.

Often we forget to do that.

Often, we forget to "recharge" our spiritual batteries.

Often, we simply forget to pray.

The enemy knows and takes advantage of that.

This book has a number of prayers, including the especially important "Prayer to Take Authority" -- important because "there is no greater Name, nor power, in Heaven, on earth, nor in hell" than that of Jesus (Philippians 2:9-10).

How often we forget that!

Father Schmidt relates the account of a woman who used that authority to prevent harm from coming upon an errant son -- who was involved with drugs and about to be attacked during an incident as she prayed for his protection, not knowing about the attack, but covering him with regular supplication. Her routine: "In the authority prayer, I pray for Mother Mary's protection and intercession with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, for us and our families. I pray that we are surrounded with her mantle of love to discourage the enemy. Then I pray for St. Michael and our guardian angels to come and defend us and our families in battle against all the evil ones that roam the earth. I believe wholeheartedly that the prayer protected my son."

Father Schmidt believes that when our spiritual batteries are empty after spiritual combat, attending Mass brings those "batteries" back to at least half strength.

Other prayers top it off.

We can even "recharge" during the night.

"Here's a tip I have found very helpful especially when one is involved in full-time ministry or ministers on a daily basis," writes Father Schmidt. "Before you go to sleep pray:

"In the Name of Jesus, I command my soul-spirit to praise and worship You Lord, from midnight to midnight."

"The advantage of this prayer is that even while sleeping, prayer power increases as we praise and worship the Lord."

Of course, on awaking we need to maintain our regular anointing.

Anyway, it is a book with a number of very useful points -- including the three major types of evil spirits that can affect us (those that hover, those that attach, and those that infest). In these times, your family needs special protection. Look at how crazy things are! We also highly recommend that new book, Curse Breaking.

Father Schmidt includes a fascinating quote from Saint John Paul II.

As it turns out, this great Pope, at the end of his Angelus message in St. Peter's Square, on April 24, 1994, had urged Catholics to return to the mighty invocation of the Archangel Michael. "St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle..."

Said Saint John Paul II: "The prayer can fortify us for that spiritual battle about which the Letter to the Ephesians speaks [of]: 'Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from His mighty Power' (Ephesians 6:10). And to this same battle that the Book of the Apocalypse refers to, recalling in front of our eyes the image of St. Michael the Archangel. Surely, this scene was very present to Pope Leo XIII, when, at the end of the previous century, he introduced to the entire Church a special prayer to St. Michael: 'St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil...'

"Even today," said the new saint, "this prayer is no longer recited at the end of the Eucharistic celebration, I invite all to not forget it, but to recite it in order to obtain help in the battle against the forces of darkness and the spirit of this world."

[resources: Freedom Through Deliverance and Curse Breaking]

[Note also: Michael Brown retreats: Connecticut!]

[Michael Brown's books]