We are at war. Satan, a fallen angel and the leader of demons, is labeled by Christ Himself as "a murderer from the beginning [who] does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him...he is a liar and the father of it [lies]." (John 8:44). He is neither omnipotent nor omnipresent; as he seeks to undo those who love Jesus, he relies on the help of legions of evil spirits, or demons, to do the job for him. A "yes" to Christ is a guarantee that one of these fiends will begin relentless pursuit. Jesus Himself was not exempt: "And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts." (Mark 1:13). There is nothing we experience on earth that Almighty God cannot comprehend.
Note that the enemy's tactics can range from benign to utterly vile. We allow ourselves to be victims every day without even realizing it. Have you ever said anything like, "This is going to sound stupid, but...," or "I need to get it into my thick head that...," or "I must've looked (or sounded) crazy."? Condemnation is not from God; it is from the enemy, no matter how subtle. Mental gymnastics, even if they are over whether or not you really do deserve that late fee added to the water bill, come from the devil. He coaches his demons to drive us nuts, and we unknowingly indulge it. As long as our minds aren't concentrating on Christ, he doesn't care what the distraction is.
Then there are what should be called blatant maneuvers, although we're desensitized. I will tweak them to show how the enemy uses them: temptation to talk about others, pornography at the click of a mouse, one drink over your limit, thinking it's okay to wear revealing clothing, allowing society to steal our common sense about raising children, money spent unwisely, squandering God-given time, self-promotion on social media, convincing ourselves it's okay to "break the rules" over a technicality, copies of Cosmo on the rack screaming at people about better sex, rampant off-color humor, "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff," "God wants to give you a blessing!" from a TV swindler, hustling children to insane amounts of activities, self-esteem in place of self-respect, a glance at someone else's spouse, "Man, I wish I had their house." The enemy is in the world to demolish marriages, convince us to believe lies, pervert the union of husband and wife that God designed, make sex dirty, and pollute everything good. Because he hates us, he hates our children. We are in serious war.
My sister in Christ and I did battle last night against attacks that both our families are experiencing. And for the record: while believers in Christ are indeed tormented, we cannot be demon-possessed. Although this does happen, those who are in Christ are indwelled by the Holy Spirit. While the enemy might attempt to make us think this is the case, it can't be. So, back to fleshing this out in life, my pal and I were on the phone doing battle last night for over an hour. She called and brought darkness caused by the enemy into the light, and I was able to do the same. We are safe havens for each other, image-bearers who understand the enemy's aim.
This is an ideal time to state that we need not be afraid of Satan's tactics. It is everything to seek discernment about them so we can see them in their true light, but there is no attempt by the evil one that Christ's shed blood did not cover. When He drank the cup of God's wrath, he felt the pain of everything. Jesus proclaims, "In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world." (John 16:33). His word is truth, the opposite of Satan's. It is our weapon, "living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword...a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12). It's the job of Scripture, not Satan, to set us straight...and we get to use it to set him straight!
A new way in which I'm learning to combat these lies is to make them known. Shame and pride, by the way, are yet another arrow of the enemy. Surely you don't think anyone else goes through this, or understands what the enemy has put before you (tone dripping with honey-like sarcasm from the devil)? Paul tells the Ephesians, "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them...all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light" (5:11, 13). God is giving me courage to bring darkness into light. I'm over the enemy's destruction and what it does to our hearts, minds, marriages, children, families, and culture. The things we have accepted are far from okay, and it's time to bring this to the surface.
I delighted in doing this last night with my dear friend. We felt Christ delighting in two broken sisters, crying out to Him on behalf of what is sacred, calling the Father of Lies out on the destruction he has wrought upon us. My pal could have easily believed a demon's attempt to convince her that she should be ashamed, that I wouldn't understand, but she valiantly laid her wounds out for us to take up together and place before our Creator whose Name is above all names. Jesus states, "Behold, I give you the authority...over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you" (Luke 10:19).
Please mark that this is not fluffy, feel-good Christianity. Verses on coffee cups will turn into real life. The God of the universe wants to purge us and sharpen us "for His name's sake" (Psalm 23:3), and "no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful" (Hebrews 12:11). Peter says, "Be sober and vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:8). As my counselor-friend says, sooner or later, our heart theology has to meet our head theology. Walking with Christ is more than finishing Chapter 2 of the women's Bible study book. It is imperative that we do battle for our hearts, minds, marriages, children, friends, and culture. I'm beginning to see it as a privilege. I get to fight for the glory and honor of God, for what is good, true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). The enemy is so threatened by true Christ-followers that he deems us worthy of destruction, and it's not an option to lighten up on him.
What this looks like is finding someone, I suggest one or two trusted, godly people, and having the courage to say out loud how the enemy is seeking to destroy you. It can be frightening to reach down and pull darkness into light, but once there, darkness cannot exist. Go into that black room and flip the light switch, and revel in what happens. Confess your fears to a trusted person, and fall on your knees before your Maker who knows all about it. Be unafraid to speak bring lies into the light. The more we engage in this, the more courage abounds, and the fear is shifted to the one who deserves it, the evil one bringing havoc.
This is not an overnight process; lies and/or habits take time to heal. Continuing to proclaim God's truth aloud, and confessing our troubles to each other, clamoring out to the One who formed us, brings about the sanctification that is harrowingly beautiful. When David was struggling, he was able to say, "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!" (Psalm 34:8, my italics). It is only through tasting, or "know[ing] Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings" (Philippians 3:10) that we are able to see, and call ourselves Christ-followers.
Do this battle with me. We have no choice, really: Jesus or Satan. Fight, cry, pray, quote the Word, don't allow the darkness to hide. God's way is worth the fight, and it's worth giving Him the glory.
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