The Bible uses the title “Lord of
hosts” (which means “Lord of armies”) to describe God more than any other
title. Similarly, Psalms and Proverbs frequently describe Him using military
language. For example, He is called a fortress, a bulwark, our defense, the One
who encamps around us, and the One who defeats our enemies. Obviously, warfare
is an important aspect of God’s nature.
Since we bear God’s image, warfare is also
an important aspect of our nature. A warrior-like approach to the enemy is
integral to life as a Christian. It is impossible to significantly advance God’s
kingdom without simultaneously displacing Satan’s kingdom, which he always
resists. This is why Jesus gave the disciples authority over the enemy (Luke
10:19) and why Paul taught the Ephesians to use the armor of God (Ephesians
6:10-17).
I had a conversation with a church leader
who basically refused to acknowledge the relevance of spiritual warfare in his
life. He said his own flesh provided enough struggle and he did not need
additional help from the enemy. His statement revealed a dangerous blind spot. It
does not matter whether he needs more help from the enemy – he has
it. The very fact that he considered spiritual warfare irrelevant indicated
that, at least in one area, the enemy was already winning the battle.
The Battleground of Our Lives
After our relationship with the Lord, our
marriage is the enemy’s primary target. This is because our marriage is meant
to be our greatest source of grace and blessing. Satan knows that destroying
our marriage will minimize the fruitfulness of our lives.
Evil spirits are careful, deliberate
planners, which is why Paul exhorted the Corinthians not be ignorant of their
schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11). David portrayed them as strategically laying down
traps and snares (Psalms 124:7, 142:3). Jesus told the disciples to be “shrewd
as serpents” (Matthew 10:16), which means to understand how the enemy
thinks and strategizes.
I believe evil spirits can learn our
weaknesses, wounds, and vulnerabilities. They may know what thoughts to suggest
to our hearts at the right time to incite fear or pain or lust or anger or
bitterness or depression or shame or self-pity or pride or envy or criticism of
others or questioning the goodness of God’s character or the reliability of His
word.
I also believe there are different types
of spiritual attacks. They can feel heavy and oppressive, or they can feel
exhilarating and enlightening, or they can feel like nothing at all, but only
affect our intellectual thought patterns. They can be overt and obvious or they
can be subtle and difficult to discern.
There are many examples and warnings about spiritual
attacks in scripture. For example:
·
1 Chronicles
21:1-8 says Satan moved King David’s heart to sin greatly.
·
Jesus told
the Pharisees in John 8:38-41, “you also do the things which you heard from your father,” referring to Satan.
·
John 13:2 says
the devil “put into the heart” of
Judas to betray Jesus.
·
Acts 5:3 says
Satan “filled” Ananias’ heart to lie about his generosity.
·
In 1 Corinthians
5:5, Paul said of an unrepentant believer who was committing sexual immorality
that he had “decided to deliver [him] to Satan for the destruction of his
flesh.”
·
1 Corinthians 7:5
warns believers that Satan will try to lead them into marital infidelity.
·
2 Corinthians
11:3 warns that Satan will try to lead believers’ minds “away from… devotion
to Christ.”
·
Paul said in Ephesians 4:25-26 that dishonesty and resentment “give the devil an opportunity.”
·
Ephesians 6:16
says believers can expect to be attacked with “flaming arrows of the evil
one.”
·
In 1
Thessalonians 3:5, Paul said he feared Satan may have tempted the Thessalonians
to such an extent that his labor among them might have been “in vain.”
·
Paul said in 1
Timothy 1:19-20 that he “handed over to Satan” Hymenaeus and Alexander
after they “suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.”
·
In 1 Timothy 3:7,
Paul warned that a church overseer without a reputation for strong character
was vulnerable to “the snare of the devil.”
·
Paul said in 1
Timothy 5:13-15 that some who habitually engaged in gossip and improper
conversation had “turned aside to follow
Satan.”
·
Paul said in 2
Timothy 2:23-26 that those who constantly incited quarrels in the church had “been held captive by [Satan] to do his
will.”
·
James 3:6 says
the tongue “is set on fire by hell.”
·
1 Peter 5:8 warns
believers that our “adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion,
seeking someone to devour.”
Spiritual attacks can be dealt with in different ways.
In some cases, a direct rebuke using the name and authority of Jesus in prayer
will cause the enemy to flee. Paul did this in Acts 16, as did Jesus on several
occasions (Mark 1:25, 9:25, Luke 4:35, 9:42). In those instances, evil spirits
were manifesting overtly, but the same principle can apply when their presence
is more subtle.
In other cases, an attack is being allowed by God to
refine us. It doesn’t help to rebuke the enemy in those cases because God is
allowing him to remain. We can ask God to remove him, which He may or may not
do, but one thing we should definitely ask for is grace to persevere for as
long as the attack persists.
We see examples of this in scripture. Jesus
was “led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil”
in Matthew 4:1. A “messenger of Satan” tormented Paul for a time and God
refused to take it away in 2 Corinthians 12:7-9. God prepared a table before
David “in the presence of his enemies” in Psalm 23:5. Ephesians 6:16 says
believers can expect to be attacked with “flaming arrows of the evil one.” God allowed Satan to tempt Adam and Eve in the
Garden of Eden in Genesis 3.
When God allows the enemy to test us as part of our
maturing process, it is similar to how a good parent shelters a child from evil
influences while she is young, but gradually allows a measure of exposure as
she matures. Then, when she becomes an adult, she will not be godly only
because she was never exposed to any other alternative, but because she is
aware of the nature of sin and has grown to hate sin and love righteousness.
God
sometimes does this in our marriages. He allows us to be tested and attacked,
to an extent, so we learn to choose righteousness and our marriage grows
stronger. During one season of my marriage, the devil suggested a lie to me
that I struggled against every day. When I began asking the Lord how long He
would allow the enemy to continue doing this, I felt He replied that He wasn’t
going to make it stop because He wanted me to mature to the point where the lie
no longer had any power over me.
In other cases, the enemy has a right to continue
attacking us because we are living in agreement with him. Somewhere in our
lives there is an open door that we may or may not be consciously aware of. If
we are unsure where the door is, we can ask the Lord and He will reveal it to
us. Then we can close it through repentance. Sometimes we are completely blind
to an area where the enemy is manipulating us, but God has given our spouse
discernment. If we are willing, our spouse may be the instrument God uses to
deliver us.
When Peter declared that he would never fall away even
if all the other disciples did (Matthew 26:33), there was pride and
self-reliance in his heart, which Satan had a right to exploit. This is why
Satan “demanded permission” to sift him like wheat (Luke 22:31), which
resulted in Peter soon denying that he even knew Jesus. However, Jesus knew
that Peter would eventually repent and close the door through which the enemy
entered his life, which is why Jesus preemptively said to him, “…I have
prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have
turned again, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:32)
Likewise, the apostle James confronted a group of
believers concerning their lust, envy, selfish motives, and adultery with the
world. However, he also assured them that if they turned back to God and
repented, Satan would lose his grip on their lives and be forced to “flee”
from them (James 4:1-10).
In other cases, we may be threatening the enemy’s
territory so he defends and counterattacks. For example, if we minister to
someone or help lead them out of bondage, we may experience opposition. When
Paul repeatedly tried to minister in person to the church in Thessalonica, he
was unable because “Satan hindered” him (1 Thessalonians
2:18).
One way of combating lies from the enemy is to
proclaim and act in the knowledge that the opposite of what he says is true.
For example, when Satan tried to incite Job to curse God, Job fell to the
ground and worshiped God (Job 1). If the enemy suggests God has abandoned us,
we should immediately begin thanking Him for His faithfulness. If the enemy
suggests thoughts of criticism or envy toward someone we know, we should
immediately thank God for them and pray for God to bless them.
Sometimes the situations in our lives can be
complicated and it is unclear how or whether the enemy is involved and how to
respond. However, God can reveal these things to us if we seek Him. The Bible
promises in James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who
gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” Likewise,
2 Corinthians 2:14 promises that if we allow God to lead us, He “always
leads us in triumph in Christ.”