what to do when you feel under attack
As Christians, we wish that once we accepted Jesus Christ equally our Lord and Savior, everything would immediately become well in our lives. However, if you lot've walked with Christ for more than 24 hours, you probably already know that is simply not the case. We tin feel true peace, joy, and promise with Christ; all the same, living on this side of eternity doesn't necessarily become easier.
In fact, there is one thing that may intensify when we choose to follow Christ, and that's spiritual attack.
Spiritual attack is opposition from the enemy in your life to prevent you from living out your faith in Christ. Once you are saved the enemy can't dissever you from God but he'll exercise his very best to discourage you from living out the abundant life Christ promises to believers (John 10:x) and being a witness to the goodness of Christ to others.
Nosotros know this to be true because we run across spiritual attack throughout the Bible.
Examples of Spiritual Assault in the Bible
- In the book of Daniel, we read that an angel appeared to Daniel to answer his prayer. The angle also shared that information technology took him so long to reach Daniel because he starting time had to overcome spiritual warfare (Daniel 10:13-14).
- In the book of Task, the enemy asked God if he could harm Job to test his religion (Job 1:11-12). The enemy took his property, his children, and his wellness.
- In Genesis chapter three, the enemy deceived Adam and Eve to eat fruit from the tree God told them non to eat (Genesis 3:1-6).
- Even Jesus was tempted past Satan in the wilderness three times (Matthew four:1-11). If Jesus, who is God in the flesh, was not exempt from spiritual attack, and so certainly we aren't either.
I don't desire this truth to affright you like it once frightened me. Once you gain a better understanding of spiritual set on and who y'all are in Christ, you realize it's the enemy who should be afraid. 1 John iv:4 encourages the states:
"Fiddling children, y'all are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." (one John iv:iv ESV)
No matter the attack, God has equipped all believers with everything we demand to experience victory even in the face up of spiritual set on.
"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may exist able to stand confronting the schemes of the devil." (Ephesians 6:11 ESV)
We can best use our armor when nosotros know how the enemy attacks. To make this clear, here are five ways to know if you lot're under spiritual attack.
ane. You are being deceived or tempted to sin.
The enemy can't force you to sin, just he sure volition encourage you to exercise so. As we learned, even Jesus was tempted. This was the enemies' attempt to prevent Jesus from fulfilling His ministry. Not every temptation is a spiritual attack. Nosotros tin be led abroad by our own evil desires (James 1:xiv), but the enemy will apply those desires against u.s.a. to try to end us from living the purposeful lives God desires of us.
Ultimately, any temptation from the enemy seeks to convince and deceive united states into thinking that the things of this earth are improve than God. We combat temptation by seeking God to fill our desires. When nosotros are filled with God, we lose the desire to be filled by any lower thing. Information technology'due south God's Spirit in us that helps united states of america to overcome temptation. Jesus tells us:
"Sentinel and pray that you lot may non enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, merely the mankind is weak." (Matthew 26:41 ESV)
As we submit to God, the enemy has no pick but to flee.
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will abscond from you." (James 4:vii ESV)
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2. Y'all are distracted from God.
The enemy may not be able to cause y'all to fall into temptation, so instead, he may distract you. He doesn't need yous to sin to get you lot off grade. He simply may become you to focus on something other than Christ. Information technology doesn't have to be a sin as long every bit the focus of your attention is anything simply God. Information technology can be watching excessive amounts of television, reading gossip blogs, or constant texting. These things are non sins, only they and annihilation else for that matter, tin can go distractions. How practice we avoid these distractions? We keep our optics focused on Christ. Proverbs 4:25 tells u.s.a. to:
"Let your optics expect directly forrad, and your gaze be straight before you." (Proverbs 4:25 ESV)
Keep looking to Jesus, and that'south the direction you will become. If you kickoff looking to the right or left, you are certain to get off runway from the path God has prepared for your life.
3. You are discouraged.
Encouragement may sound like a fluffy term, but it simply means to give support, confidence, or hope. Before leading the Israelites into the Promised Land, God allowable Joshua not to exist discouraged (Joshua 1:9). Courage is a very of import fuel for the believer to live out Gods purpose for their lives, and the enemy knows this. So he will do everything to discourage us and take abroad our hope. When the Psalmist became discouraged, he wrote:
"Why are you lot cast down, O my soul, and why are yous in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation." (Psalm 42:5 ESV)
Instead of listening to negative thoughts and being led by toxic emotions, the psalmist speaks to himself, reminding himself to identify his hope in God. He chooses to praise God no matter his feelings considering God is always worthy of praise, no matter our circumstance.
We fight back against discouragement by placing our hope in God, remaining thankful for all God has done in our lives, and remembering who we are in Him.
4. Yous are having human relationship issues.
Whether information technology's at home, piece of work, or church, the enemy wants to divide you from those you honey and those who love you lot. To do this, he'll encourage bitterness, resentfulness, hate, acrimony, selfishness, and more to cause distance and discord betwixt you and other people. In these cases, nosotros must realize they are not our real enemy.
"For nosotros practice not wrestle against mankind and claret, simply against the rulers, confronting the government, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12 ESV)
Other people are non our enemy, and if y'all want to be victorious against spiritual assault, you must fight the right enemy. How do nosotros do this? We continue to be kind, gracious, and forgiving, even when others are not. Not for their sake, simply for the God we serve. We will so exist enabled to proceed to be light for God's goodness and celebrity.
five. All the above.
If the enemy can overwhelm you, he volition. He'll attack you from all sides and in every area of your life if he has the adventure. His tactic is to run you empty with set on after attack and make you feel there is no way you can overcome. What he won't tell you lot is that it's all an illusion. Not only tin you lot win, merely through Christ, you already have. Jesus has already defeated the enemy, and the enemy knows his days are numbered. In Christ, yet, the victory is already yours.
The ultimate goal of every attack from the enemy is to stifle your faith because religion in God is his greatest weakness. Religion moves mountains and can overcome any attack. The only matter that impressed Jesus during his ministry here on earth was non someone'south status or wealth but their faith.
"For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the earth. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our religion." (1 John 5:4 ESV)
No matter how great the assail, never forget your God is greater. Keep hoping, keep believing, and keep the religion.
Photo Credit: Unsplash/Guille Pozzi
Source: https://www.ibelieve.com/faith/how-to-know-if-you-re-under-spiritual-attack.html
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