HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED JUST HOW THE DEVIL ATTACKS CHRISTIANS…???
I’ve heard a ton of sermons on spiritual warfare. And I’ve read a lot of books on the same subject. But rarely have I heard, or read, just “how” the devil attacks the people of God.
Permit me to show you how he comes after us (and will probably do so before this day is over).
1 Peter 5:8 tells us that our adversary, the devil, “roams about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” This verse was written to Christian people; thus, we can see in this passage that the devil can do great harm to God’s people. He doesn’t have as much trouble doing that to the unbeliever, simply due to the fact that he already “owns” them. But, it’s the believer he wants to destroy. And in this passage we are told how he does it…
Notice again what it says: he roams about, seeking someone to …DEVOUR. The word “devour” means to “gulp down entirely.” Just how does a lion devour its prey? What BODY PART does he use? The same body part you use when you “devour” your food: your MOUTH.
The devil knows he cannot take possession of God’s people, however, that does not slow him down in his attempt to “devour” us. He devours us by the use of his mouth… his WORDS. He devours - TALKS TO US - by injecting thoughts into our mind. He wants to “gulp us down” by the power of his words, with the intent of destroying our life.
In Ephesians 6:16 the devil’s “words” are referred to as “flaming arrows.” When Paul wrote this, he was using the analogy of the Roman soldier’s weapon. The arrows the Romans shot at their enemies were often set afire before they were launched. The arrows would not only draw blood once they penetrated the skin, but also burn. Obviously, the goal was to completely destroy their enemies. And this is the same goal of our adversary.
When the dark side tries to “devour” you, they will utilize the power of words that will FORM THOUGHTS IN YOUR MIND. If you receive and act on those words, they may well “take you out” - or BURN you.
This is how the devil attacked Jesus. He did NOT physically attack Jesus. What he did was TALK to Jesus: he simply made suggestions.
Luke chapter 4 records the temptation of Jesus when he ventured into the wilderness. Three times in that chapter it states the devil “SAID to Him…” That’s how the devil tried to “devour” Jesus: he SAID “stuff” to him.
The temptation of Jesus was merely the devil TALKING to Jesus, suggesting that he take a course contrary to what his Father wanted.
Dear fellow believer, the devil cannot take possession of your life: you are in the hands of Jesus and NO ONE (Satan included) can take you from His hands. However, he CAN approach you, TALK to you, and GIVE YOU AN IDEA of something to do that could lead to your destruction.
This is the method of demons. They “talk.”
And devils know WHAT to say and … W-H-E-N to say it.
Remember what Peter said in our verse above: “he roams about….LOOKING for someone to devour” (someone to “talk to”). Satan is an opportunist. He knows WHEN to offer you an idea.
For instance, sir, when he sees you at home alone – the wife and kids gone – he knows it’s a good time to suggest that you look at porn. He knows that when we are ALONE it is always a good time to give us an idea on what to do - and his ideas are destructive.
King David was ALONE when he saw the beautiful and NAKED Bathsheba taking a bath. And you know how that turned out.
A few months ago I drove from Texas to North Carolina for one of our Sheepdog Seminars. Along the way, I spent the night at a hotel in Montgomery, Alabama. As I stood outside my car gathering my belongings, a vehicle pulled up and parked next to me. The driver, a male, exited and rushed across the street to another hotel, while two females remained in the car. One of them struck up a conversation with me…
Sir, are you just passing through…?
Yes.
Are you alone?
“Yes, I am,” (not realizing that I was being set up).
“Would you like some company?”
That’s when the truth of this situation got through my thick skull: I was being propositioned by a prostitute!
I smiled and looked at her, and shot back: “I’m a happily married man of 42 years. I don’t think my wife would like that.”
“Oh well,” she sighed, and then added: “I just hate to see a good-looking man be all alone.”
So, not only was she a prostitute, but a “lying prostitute!”
I rushed to my hotel room and called my wife.
“Honey, guess what?”
“What?”
“I’m good-looking. I know that because a whore just told me so!”
I stayed in my room until she was gone.
This is the way our enemy attacks. He knew I was alone, tired, and all by myself. It was the “perfect storm.” Thankfully, Grace was given to me and I was spared what would have otherwise been a disastrous outcome.
You have to train yourself to respond to his words – and suggestions - the way Jesus did. Jesus simply did not put up with it. Once when Jesus was in a synagogue, a man with an evil spirit began to act out. Luke 4:35 is quite clear on Jesus’ response: “…Jesus rebuked him and said, ‘Be silent…’”
And this is what you and I must do. We must be quick in our response lest we give him ground. The more we debate with him, the closer to defeat we come. We must quickly respond to the enemy and his suggestions with a good old-fashion, “Shut up!”
When Peter told Jesus that he should not die on a cross, Jesus responded quickly: “Get behind me Satan.” Jesus knew full well that it was not Peter who was suggesting that he avoid the cross: it was the devil speaking though Peter. Satan merely put that idea into Peter’s mind - and then it came out of his mouth.
I wonder how many things people say to us every day that have their origin in the mind of the devil? Those who utter these words to us have no idea they are the mouthpiece of Satan!
Your boss may have told you that you’re the most worthless employee he has. But that is NOT your boss talking. It is the enemy who put that thought in his head, and then it came out of his mouth. As soon as possible, you must recognize this, and, slipping away to a quiet place, make it known to the enemy that you reject what he has said through your boss.
Your husband may constantly berate you, leaving you to feel inadequate and inferior. Determined to improve, you try your hardest to be a better wife. But that may NOT be the real issue. It could be that your husband is actually the mouthpiece of hell, and his slanderous words come from the “father of lies” (see John 8).
The enemy loves to humiliate and shame us. He knows that when we hear these lies of his, we are prone to discouragement, despair, and sometimes even depression. They affect us this way because we believe them to be the truth - but they are not!
You must train yourself to do what Jesus did when Satan talked to him: TALK BACK! When Satan spoke to Jesus and offered his suggestions, Jesus responded by “shooting back!” How did he do that? With what did he “shoot back” with? With the WORD OF GOD!
And you will only be able to do this if you have armed yourself with the Word. That means you are going to have to meditate on the Word - commit it to memory. This is how you “load your weapon.”
Many years ago, while serving as a police officer in Oklahoma, I had a harrowing experience one night. After we got off duty, a few of us (all of whom were officers) went to a local convenient store and played video games. We were all still in uniform as we did so. As I played, a fellow officer was standing behind me.
“Jimmy, are you aware that there are NO bullets in your gun?”
I gulped and turned red. I slowly looked down at my .357 and lo and behold: the cylinder was empty!
I had forgotten to load my gun before I came to work that day. I had gone the entire shift with no ammo in my gun! I shudder to think of what would have happened had I gotten in a shootout that day. I was not prepared to defend myself, my fellow officers, or the public. I was a “dead man walking.”
And that is the spiritual condition of many of us. Our guns are UNLOADED! We have nothing with which to “shoot back” when the enemy starts talking at us.
There are countless illustrations of how the enemy talks to us. Be more discerning and you will see them. Train yourself to respond to the enemy when he starts TALKING TO YOU.
Submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you (see James 4:7).
We hear it all the time, but it is worth repeating: We Are At War!
OKLAHOMA - HERE WE COME
Next Monday, November 18, we begin our Oklahoma Church Safety Tour (all across the state). We start in OKLAHOMA CITY. Click here for more info.
Want to host a Sheepdog Seminar next year? Text “2020 Seminar” to 817.437.9693 and we will respond ASAP.
He entered the church sanctuary and shouted, “This is War!”
Have you seen our movie Faith Under Fire? HeartStone Pictures and the incredible Sondra Hicks produced this movie. It is the story of one of the first massacres that ever occurred in a church. An angry gunman entered the sanctuary on a Sunday morning, shouted “This is War,” and then shot 15 worshipers - killing five. Click here to purchase your copy (at the same site our entire Sheepdog Seminar can be purchased and downloaded).
“I’ve seen three movies that made the hair on the back of my head stand up: Saving Private Ryan, American Sniper, and Faith Under Fire” - Arkansas Police Officer.
