We have all heard it said, “the best defense is a good offense.” There is a lot of truth to that in living out our spiritual life. Even though God saved me many years ago, and even though I have preached on the passage several times, there are times that I get taken off guard by spiritual attacks from satan. Paul says in Ephesians 6 to “put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes/attacks) of the devil” (Eph. 6:10). Jesus told His disciples and us that when we focus on loving Him and serving Him, spiritual attacks are going to happen. It is important to realize that attacks come in all different styles. Some are physical attacks, some are interpersonal attacks, but there are also some intrapersonal attacks as well. I believe most people are aware and prepared for physical and interpersonal attacks. But I think the biggest area we are unprepared is when the attack is coming within ourselves. We need to realize that satan will use whatever it takes to get our eyes off of Christ. Some examples of intrapersonal attacks are doubt, discouragement, the blues (mild depression that isn’t all the time), and there are others. So how do we handle these things? The first step in handling any spiritual attack is to pray and talk to God about it. Sometimes God is allowing things in our life because of a sin that He is disciplining us for and wants to remove from our life. Sometimes, however God is allowing the attack in our life to grow up spiritually or to minister and reach out to someone else. Therefore, it is vital that we talk to God and ask, “why is this occurring, what are you trying to teach me or who are you trying to reach through this?” If it is not because of a personal sin, then we want to take it to the next step. The second step is to trust God’s plan and purpose through this trial. It is easy to say it, it is easy to acknowledge it when we are not being spiritually attacked, but sometimes we forget that God is sovereign over all people and all events, at all times. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to “trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” So we need to trust God. Next, we need to take an inventory of our life. Are we being good stewards? Times that we are the most vulnerable to disease is when our body is run down. We are a people and a nation on the go. We don’t eat right, don’t exercise, and don’t get proper sleep. The end result is our body does not perform at peak efficiency opening us up to injury or sickness. In our spiritual life, when we are not praying, studying our Bible, living our life in obedience, it is the same as not eating right, not exercising, or getting proper sleep. We are inviting trouble into our life by doing these things. One of the ways we are most vulnerable to spiritual attacks mentally is when we are not well rested. When we are constantly going, moving from one task to another, we get mentally and physically fatigued. Then we don’t do things with excellence which means we overlook details or do something the wrong way. It is important that each day we have some downtime. It is vital that each week we have a day of rest. We were created this way by God. So when you begin to wrestle with doubt or discouragement or even the blues, it is a good time to ask yourself, am I mentally fatigued or physically tired? Do I need a little extra prayer time and physical rest? Not always, but many times mental attacks can be dealt with by praying to get God’s perspective on the situation, as well as some additional rest to let your body and mind rest. Finally, worship God through it all. I realize when you are under spiritual attack it is more difficult to worship, to be joyful, and thankful. But these are the times we need to do it the most. In the story of Job, he lost his possessions, health, and children in a very short time frame. Dare I say that would have broken most of us? Many people would have been like Job’s wife and said, “Curse God and die.” We would have asked, what did we do to deserve all of this. We would rationalize it by saying, “I am not perfect, but at least I’m not like ________ and do what they do.” Some may have even walked away from trusting God. Yet we see Job do something different. “Then Job arose, and rent (ripped) his mantle (outer shirt), and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshiped, and said, ‘Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.'” The only way Job could do that is to have a godly perspective, which only comes from spending time with God. A contemporary Christian group, Casting Crowns, has a song called “Praise You In This Storm.” The chorus says, “And I’ll praise You in this storm And I will lift my hands For You are who You are No matter where I am And every tear I’ve cried You hold in Your hand You never left my side And though my heart is torn I will praise You in this storm.”
I know going through spiritual attacks isn’t easy, and it takes a lot of you. But just know God never wastes an opportunity in our life. He has a plan for us. Sometimes it is a plan we don’t understand. But it is always the right path for us to get us to Him, or draw us closer to Him. Rest in Christ (trust Him) and get physical rest as well (it is a gift from God), and know He will guide you through this as well.
By His grace and through His strength may we live for Him