Is Spiritual Warfare Real (Is the Devil Out to Get Me)?
So recently my lovely bride and I have been dealing with some issues. Physical things, occasional impatience with each other (we don’t always agree, but we never fight), some emotional challenges, etc. And as a Jesus follower you can look at these issues a few different ways.
A. That’s just how life works, get used to it.
B. You’re being attacked by the devil.
C. All of the above.
Of course the correct answer is C. Life has challenges, and yet, the devil IS out to get you. Y’all, the devil didn’t just go down to Georgia (note there’s one “dirty” word in the song), he’s in your state too.
This Is Just the Way Life Is
Welcome to life. It’s great! Sometimes it’s less great. Other times it’s downright painful.
“Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in trouble; my eyes are tired from so much crying; I am completely worn out. I am exhausted by sorrow, and weeping has shortened my life. I am weak from all my troubles; even my bones are wasting away.”
-Psalm 31:9-10 GNT
David was having a very rough time. But if you read the whole Psalm there is good at both the beginning and the end. The truth is, we can’t avoid pain in life. As we discussed in answering the question Why is Life So Hard? one of the reasons is that we live in a fallen world. If you’d like the others then just click this link.
God didn’t make the world to have pain, we caused it when we rebelled against Him. And before we go laying all the blame on Eve and Adam, I would not have been surprised to have done the same thing. I mean seriously, I’ve spent my whole life battling sins, why would I think I’d have done better than them?
So sometimes the reason we have difficulties in life are that difficulties are simply inherent in life.
But also, the Devil is Out to Get You
A lot of people don’t like the idea that there really is an entity that we call the devil, and his goal is to drag you to Hell with himself. However, if you’ve read much of the Bible, you can’t deny it.
“Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack. But you must resist the devil and stay strong in your faith. You know that all over the world the Lord's followers are suffering just as you are.”
-1 Peter 5:8-9 CEV
In fact, the devil tried to tempt Jesus Himself to give up worshipping God the Father and to worship him instead. You can read the whole story in Matthew 4:1-11, but here’s the conclusion:
“Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.”
-Matthew 4:8-11 NIV
Truth be told, the concept of spiritual warfare, where we are opposing an enemy we cannot see, freaks out a lot of folks. So, they avoid the topic and assume that their problems in life are just coincidence, or the result of living in the fallen world.
Can I be totally open with you? Until recently I was in that camp. I didn’t take the idea of direct attacks from the enemy seriously.
I do now.
Why Most of Us Ignore Spiritual Warfare
Let me start by saying I’m not a freak. Well, I am a freak, but of the Jesus freak variety. But I’m not a freak expecting that every person who does evil is demon possessed, or that if I commit a sin it’s the result of a demon in me. However, you can’t believe in angels and not believe in demons. The Bible talks a lot about both. The devil is real, demons are real, but they don’t run around with pitchforks. Instead, they work to influence us away from the Lord. And they are very crafty, even to convincing people to follow a false Christ.
“But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.”
-2 Corinthians 11:3-4 NIV
The reason many of us ignore spiritual warfare is simple. A spiritual attack against us can only be revealed by the insight of the Holy Spirit within us. Let me say it this way. Unless we are close to God we cannot hear His voice to warn us of the enemy’s schemes.
There’s also a second reason. Sometimes the devil doesn’t have to bother attacking us. If we’re already making choices to commit frequent sins (and sins are not the same as mistakes) then the devil will just let us keep ourselves far from God. Also, the devil will tend to not attack us if we’re not a threat to His Kingdom. Y’all, this is THE big one.
How Do You Know if You’re Being Attacked by the Devil?
The devil will focus on you when two things are true in your life:
1) You’re close to God and growing closer.
2) You’re taking action to grow God’s Kingdom.
If those two things are true, and you start seeing a series of negative issues in your life, the lives of your loved ones, or your relationships, there’s a good chance it’s a spiritual battle.
At the beginning of this post I mentioned my wonderful wife and I were dealing with some issues. I just thought they were normal life stuff. But then the Lord revealed the truth to me. Right now, I’m reading the book Pray First by Chris Hodges. I HIGHLY recommend it to all Jesus followers! God can use it to revolutionize your prayer life! He’s used it that way for me. But let me share a short passage in it.
“If you’ve received God’s blessing, influence, and presence, then I have some bad news for you: all Hell will try to stop you. That’s why we pray like Jabez and ask God, ‘…keep me from harm (1 Chronicles 4:10 NIV). You may be under attack right now, even as you’re reading the words on this page. You may assume it’s circumstantial, but actually the enemy of your soul is trying to keep you distracted from relying on God and living out your purpose. It is not accidental. It is spiritual.”
-Chris Hodges in Pray First (pg. 116)
Y’all, when I read that it hit me all at once! God opened my mind up to the truth that we were under a spiritual attack! Why?
1) Both of us were growing closer to God than ever before.
2) We were changing all kinds of things in our lives to help expand His Kingdom!
My daily posts on social media, and especially LinkedIn, have been seeing a strong uptick in engagement with people in multiple countries. We are serving our local church and God is using that church to have a HUGE impact. My blog is growing, and I’ve started my first book. All kinds of wonderful God-honoring activities are happening in our lives.
Apparently, the enemy doesn’t appreciate that.
Too Bad for Him
Yep, with the power of God flowing through us, we have really ticked off the devil. I don’t care. And I’m not afraid. I am EXCITED! The devil only gets mad when he’s losing ground. SWEEEEET!
Hear me beloved. The devil is not to be feared. He is to be conquered by the power of the Holy Spirit in you.
“So place yourselves under God’s authority. Resist the devil, and he will run away from you.”
-James 4:7 GW
Oh, I LOVE that translation. Place yourself under God’s authority, other translations say, “give yourselves humbly to God” or “Submit yourselves, then, to God.” Make sure you are fully following God and His will. THEN in His power when you resist the devil, the devil will run away from YOU!
Stop fearing the devil. He’s a liar and he’s also a coward. Do you know what I did when God revealed to me we were under a spiritual attack? I did two things: I started rebuking all the clear evidences of the attack and I told my lovely bride so she was aware and could do the same.
Then we started taking action together to resist in other ways. Once you know the source of the problems, in this case a spiritual attacks, you attack right back! Guess who wins in a battle between a child of the Most High King and the enemy of your soul?
“Since the children, as he calls them, are people of flesh and blood, Jesus himself became like them and shared their human nature. He did this so that through his death he might destroy the Devil, who has the power over death, and in this way set free those who were slaves all their lives because of their fear of death.”
-Hebrews 2:14-15 GNT
We are those children, and alone in our flesh we are indeed weak. But we are not alone. Christ took on our flesh and destroyed the power of the devil by dying for us. Beloved, we are no longer weak, oh no. We have the power of El Shaddai, the Almighty God, inside of us!
The Final Word
Here is the truth. Spiritual warfare is real. Paul made it abundantly clear. But he also made it clear that Jesus followers are the ones who conquer the devil by being clothed in God’s own armor.
“A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”
-Ephesians 6:10-18 NLT
Be aware that the devil is against you, but do not fear. No, Jesus follower, fear not. Instead, draw ever nearer to Jesus, and do everything you can in His will to grow the Kingdom of God!
Love you all!
-Troy
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