Under Attack?

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

1 Peter 5:8

Sometimes I feel like I am being bombarded from all sides. I feel overwhelmed and stressed out. I get beat down and lose hope. Do you ever feel the same? I'm not the only one, right? I believe this is one of the enemy's tactics against me. The enemy wants us to believe the lies that hold us back.

What are your thoughts about spiritual warfare? Scary? Strange? Or far-fetched? Some have dwelled TOO much on warfare, while others have neglected it entirely. I have to say that I have fallen in the latter group. Let's have a balanced, Biblical view of spiritual warfare. A good resource I have recently read is A Parents' Guide to Spiritual Warfare by Leslie Montgomery. This book is full of solid, Biblical guidance in this area.

So what is spiritual warfare? Leslie Mongomery writes, "Spiritual warfare involves both prayer and intercession but is more spiritually aggressive in nature because it involves a supernatural encounter in which God's power is accessed by the believer through faith. Unlike prayer and intercession, spiritual warfare involves using weapons in order to demolish strongholds, arguments, and any other pretension that sets itself against us (2 Corinthians 10:3-5) and also involves wearing or using the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18).

How do I know if I am being attacked? Mongomery states, "When Satan attacks believers, it most commonly includes confusion, accusations, feelings of rejection, condemnation, discouragement, and hopelessness. . . His attacks are also often persistent, giving the assaulted believer no choice but to accept the attack or stand against it in the name of Jesus."

Our own flesh can also get in our way, and it is important to understand that every challenge is not the evil one. And we must understand that God does not condemn us. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).

Let's face our enemy. After all, he is a defeated foe.

Lord, allow us to be discerning of the tactics of the enemy. Show us this week how to use the armor you have provided. Thank you, Jesus that You are on our side.

Julie