Prayer for Spiritual Warfare

aint Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all the other evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

St. Michael performs four offices:
1) He fights against Satan
2) He rescues the souls of the faithful from the power of the enemy, especially at the hour of death
3) He is the champion of God’s people and the patron of the Church
4) He attends the dying and brings their souls to the judgment

Hold fast to this spiritual weapon—pray it daily!

So why do this? Well, because prayer is so important during spiritual warfare!
As Fr. Mark Goring of of St. Mary’s Parish states, “We are in a spiritual battle,” and “The devil wants us to despair–to feel no hope. “When we find ourselves under attack or under oppression…we need to know how to respond based on God’s word,” he explains. “These prayers need to be prayed with confidence”

1) The Jesus Prayer
“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
2) The Prayer Of Trust
Fr. Goring suggests ways to say this prayer:
“Jesus, I trust in You.”
“Wounds of Christ, I trust in You.”
“Heart that was pierced for me, I trust in You.”
He continues, explaining that “this calling on the name of Jesus will burn the demons. They will flee.”
3) “Father, Thy Will Be Done”
Fr. Goring says that the prayer, “Father, Thy Will be done,” fights the demons “trying to impose their will.”
“When the demons try to impose their diabolical will on us, we can respond, ‘Abba, Father. Thy Will Be Done!”

And also Fr. Robert J. Carr who wrote “Everyday Spiritual Warfare” asks if we ever think of ourselves as engaged in spiritual warfare? In reality fighting temptation and living the gospel are themselves forms of spiritual warfare. Therefore, believe it or not we actually engage in this battle everyday. Further, don’t want to forget the prize of this battle, our soul. Our own and those of others.
Are there rules of spiritual warfare? Sure there are, in fact St. Paul has a famous passage where he describes the tools to fight this battle. He reminds us in the sixth chapter of his letter to the Ephesians that our battle is not against human forces, but against principalities and powers the evil spirits in regions above.
This is an important distinction because whenever we are in battle, it is important to define our enemy. This is no less true in spiritual warfare. If we do not do this, then our response may appear to lead us to victory when, in fact, it leads us to defeat. Because if we fight the wrong enemy, they win.
Therefore, here are three steps in engaging in spiritual warfare that are important in order to be successful.
1) Define the enemy
2) Determine the desires of the enemy
3) Do the opposite

It may sound easier than it actually is. Just remember keep focused on being open to God’s will and pray constantly. And it helps if you use the most powerful weapon of all the Holy Rosary.

Prayers - ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL (stmichaelmonroe.com)
St. Michael, His Prayer, And The Version You've Never Seen - Good Catholic
“Burn the Demons”: Priest Reveals 3 Powerful Prayers for Spiritual Battle – EWTN Global Catholic Television Network
Everyday Spiritual Warfare - Featured Today - Catholic Online