Learning the Attack...

May 1, 2009

Danielle Joyner Kelley

“Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLT).

In renewing your mind in God, and keeping your relationship new, Satan will put pressure on you daily, from every angle, to defeat what you are trying to accomplish.

Here in the world, you live alongside your enemy. But there are keys you can use to protect yourself.

FOUR KEYS TO PROTECTION

First, know to Whom you belong: God. “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” 1 John 5:19. And there is no one more powerful than Him. "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.” Isaiah 40:25.

Second, be alert and ready for Satan’s schemes. He is a roaring lion prowling around daily looking for ways to destroy your relationship with God. “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8.

Third, accept victory and be confident. Your enemy has been defeated by the One to whom you belong. “for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” 1 John 5:4. When Jesus was resurrected, Satan was defeated. Before this time, we were separated from God because God cannot sin nor be around sin. But we were reconciled with God through Jesus Christ, which affected the souls that Satan had a lock on because God could not be around sin and we were all sinners. “And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.” Matthew 27:50-53.

Be confident in your God because He is all-powerful. Your enemy is not. Although he may try to fool you, be confident in who your God is. “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” 2 Corinthians 11:14-15. And in the end he will get what He deserves. Through Jesus, God saw to that. Satan will be cast into Hell with everyone else there. “I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” Revelation 1:18.

Fourth, anticipate and recognize where Satan will try to attack you and get defiant, and be humble only to God. You looked over the past actions in your life that allow you to be weak to attack, so change them. Satan will use five main areas to attack you.

FIVE AREAS OF ATTACK

First, he will use the world around you because he knows it is full of sin. “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” 1 John 2:15-17.

Second, Satan uses the flesh against you. Your flesh is your sinful desire. “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21. These desires do not come from God. “But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.” James 3:14-16.

Third, Satan uses himself to tempt you into doing wrong. And he will tempt others to affect you as well. Here look to God. He will provide you with a way out. “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13.

Fourth, Satan will use your falling into temptation, or “sin” against you. He will try to make you feel guilty about sinning, and beat you up over it until you feel unworthy before God, and finally you give up. When this happens, again, look to God. “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” Colossians 2:13-15. Jesus triumphed over your sin. Repent and ask for forgiveness and then refocus on how to not commit the same sin again and again. If you do, and Satan tries to make you give up again start back at the beginning of this paragraph and do it all over.

Fifth, Satan will use the trials you face in life that God is using to strengthen you and attempt to convince you that God is punishing you, not listening to you, and not with you. Once again, look to God. And know His truth. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6. When you are facing a trial tell yourself that God is with you and thank Him for loving you enough to make you stronger. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4.

And God is not only strengthening you, but He is giving you a story to share with others to help them grow their faith by watching you going through a bad time and trusting God. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-7.

Do not let Satan convince you that you don’t have the capacity to thank God for a bad time in your life. If it sounds crazy to you to thank God for a bad time then ask yourself who put that thought into your head? See? Start fighting back.

Say out loud to yourself, “As I grow closer to God things may get harder for me because my enemy is watching, but I will rely on my God to get me through.”

“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.” Romans 16:20.