If you’re a Christian, you’re a warrior. You might not have known it, but the second you accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, you stepped onto the battlefield of a fight that’s been raging since the Garden of Eden. The war has been won, the eventual outcome has been secured—Jesus’s resurrection has vanquished death, securing eternal life with the Father for those who belong to Him. We know that, as citizens of Heaven who were bought by the blood of Christ, our future is secure.
But, in the meantime? We’re in the middle of a war zone:
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Eph 6:12, ESV)
The enemy knows he’s lost, but he’s not going down easily. He can’t win, but he can sure make things difficult for everyone—after all, we might not be of this world anymore, but we do still live in it. And that means we’re going to face troubles, hardships, slings and arrows. We’re going to be confronted with doubts, roadblocks, and frustrations. We’re going to encounter spiritual battles.
What is a Spiritual Attack?
As members of the body of Christ, believers pose a threat to the enemy. If we’re stepping out, sharing the gospel, living a life that looks different and causes people to consider turning to the Lord, we’re interfering with Satan’s desire to block people from coming to a saving knowledge of Christ, and to reduce the effectiveness and joy of those who already know him.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10, ESV)
Spiritual attacks often happen just when you’re starting to feel like things are going right. Maybe you’ve just become a Christian and are beginning to read your Bible, have spiritual conversations with other believers, and build your relationship with God. Maybe you’ve just gotten a promotion at work that has allowed you to send a little extra money to your favorite Christian charity. They can also sneak in if you’ve let down your guard, neglecting your faith for a while and leaving a chink in your armor.
Suddenly, things are seeming to go wrong all over the place. One thing after another seems to hit, and suddenly you’re questioning whether or not God even cares about your situation. You find doubts suddenly popping up in your head without warning. You feel distant from God. You start to wonder if your friends really are your friends, and you’re struggling with feeling terrible about yourself—your past, your future, your worth.
Spiritual attacks manifest in many ways, but if you pay attention you’ll likely see a sort of pattern emerge—and you’ll be able to tell that you are facing a spiritual battle.
How Do You Fight a Spiritual Attack?
Satan and his armies are joy-thieves, liars, murderers and destroyers. But those who find their strength in Christ are stronger than anything the enemy can throw at them:
“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4, ESV)”
When you are in Christ, you are never alone—you have the strong army of the Lord behind you, you have the full armor of God, and you have the power of the Holy Spirit. No enemy can stand up to these things.
Although spiritual attacks and battles are real, there is no need to be afraid. God has already won, and when you respond to spiritual attack by drawing closer to the Lord, praising Him in the storm, responding to hardship with prayer and thanksgiving, and sharing how God is getting you through hard times with others—you’re doing the exact opposite of what the enemy hopes to accomplish.
The devil would love for you to question the Father’s love for you, His good plan for your life, and your worth as a Christian and child of God. Responding by clinging even more tightly to God’s promises is the best way to fight this.
Put on Your Armor, Pick up Your Sword and Fight
Don’t let a spiritual attack drag you down or stop you in your tracks. Learn to recognize resistance from the enemy, and then respond by shoring up your armor, grabbing the Sword of the Spirit, and fighting back:
“Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Eph 6:11-17).
These verses in Ephesians clearly give us a list of ways to “armor-up” for spiritual battle:
Truth. Know who God is, and who He says you are. Search the Bible for verses about the nature of God and your identity as His child, and write them down as a reminder!
Righteousness. Know that your salvation is secure in Christ, and that God is in control of the situation. Our righteousness does not come from our own actions or abilities; it was bought by the precious blood of Christ and it cannot be taken away. Whatever was in the past and whatever the world might say of you, you are made righteous in Jesus and God sees only that righteousness.
The Gospel. Remember the Word of God, and those who came before you. The gospel of peace is powerful in its ability to save, and when you share it with others you help build the Kingdom of God. This is your foundation, unshakable in the strongest storm.
Faith. Sometimes it’s very hard to have faith that God is in control of a situation, and that He will work it for good. Stand firm in faith, declaring your trust in the Lord even when it feels like everything is falling apart. Cry out to God for help, and ask Him to increase your faith—lean on Him, not on your own understanding of the situation. He won’t let you down! Use faith like a shield, deflecting worry, doubt, fear and lies as they come your way.
Salvation: Remember that you are protected by your salvation. Your fate is sealed—no matter what happens in this world you are secure in the knowledge that you have eternal life! Heaven awaits, and nothing the world can do will ever be able to take that away from you.
The Spirit: The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to separate truth from lies, and the Word of God in our hearts prepares us to see truth and act accordingly:
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12, ESV)
Although it’s important to recognize and address spiritual attacks, there’s no need to be afraid. God is with you, He will fight for you, and with every battle you grow closer to Him. As the Prophet Isaiah wrote:
“No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the Lord.” (Isaiah 54:17, NKJV)
Exactly what I needed today. Facing overwhelming situations but knowing God Is In Control!! I Shall Endure!!!
Amen! Praying for you, Betty. God’s got this.
Praise God this has made my day in reminding me, I am the temple of God, the holy ghost strengthen n comforts me, and No weapon formed against me shall prosper!!, so after reading this, I PICKED UP MY SWORD AND PUT ON MY BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND WENT TO BATTLE AGAIN,
JUST WHEN I FELT SO ALONE AND WEARY ,TIRED, I WANTED TO RUN FAR AWAY, THANK YOU MY FATHERS WORD IS A POWERFUL TOOL, AND I WILL NOT FALL INTO DOUBT Or FEAR, LONELINESS, EVER AGAIN!!!??♀️?I LOVE YOU LORD JESUS❤FATHER GOD, HOLY SPIRIT,……
Thank you, Linda! Preach it!
Thank you for this message. And yes I have to put on my full amour to tackle everyday issues. But I also realize I’m a child of God and I’m covered by the blood of Jesus. Amen!
Yes, so true…the Father always has His loving, protective eyes on us.
AMEN!!!
I am so grateful for this message. My heart’s desire is not to be an emotional wimp
during a storm and let the enemy wear me down. But God…..he is equipping me through his word and how to stand, forming my foundation firm and unshakable. Don’t get me wrong, it has been a long time to get where I am today. The last three years I have encountered major attacks. To the point I thought the enemy was winning “But God” this warrior on the battle field never questioned God’s love. The main problem was I didn’t know how to stand during a storm and my foundation was cracked.
My visual of myself, is seeing a warrior rising up from major attacks to “Standing Up” and saying to the enemy, My God is Greater……
Amen, Sue! It can be so helpful to visualize that armor and sword…and to know that the Lord is fighting for us always. Yes, our God is Greater!
God always sends just the right encouragement along when it is most needed. This blog is one such encouragement. Thank you.
Thank you for your words of encouragement, they are a blessing!
Today I awake, help me Lord through this day. Help me Lord in all I say. Help me Lord and show the way. Help me Lord is
what i pray.
Thank you Jesus for this day.
Amen!
I know I’ve been being attacked but I also know I feel God is with me My mom passed and God gave me peace inside I still Mourn and miss her but I’m at peace Glory to God. There are other things I’ve been hacked I can even guess how many times I’ve lost my savings and had to change my card a dozen times but God has never forgotten me He keeps me safe and makes sure I have what I need. He’s so Great
Nancy, so sorry for your loss and for the struggles you’ve been through. God is so good to get us through those hard times and draw us closer to Him in the process.
Thank you!
What a good reminder for today. May we quickly recognize the lies and exchange them for truth.
Amen!
My life is very difficult and full of anxiety and disappointments right now, but my faith is unbreakable
Praying for you…may the Lord be with you and bring you peace and joy.
Thank you so much for this word of encouragement. It was exactly what i needed this morning. I thank God for brothers and sis ters like you who care for others brothers, or maybe moreso for God’s family which os also a good thing, I will look forward to more messages lie this one. Just know you arean encouragement to many.
Robin, thank you so much for the encouragement. All glory to the Father! It is such a blessing the way that the Lord knits us together as family!
This is so uplifting, as I am in the midst of a terrible battle with the devil !!! I am living my life for God, but the devil is trying to destroy me by turning loved ones against me !! I praise God , that even through this heartbreaking situation, I KNOW that He is with me, and I will cling to Him every day of my life, and KNOW that I will be in Paradise when it is done !!! ?❤️?
Lord, please be with Shirley and help her fight the lies of the enemy and cling to You. Bring her peace and comfort…amen.
Please send me more in spiritual attack thank you
Corlis, we will work on getting some more articles together on that subject.
Yes jesus you got this my faith is all in you you are my father and God fight for me for kidney health in this I pray cover me with your mighty blood the enemy isnt wanted her I open my arms for you jesus God the father protect me always love you
Amen!
this is great. Forwarded to several people.
Thank you, Ann!
Jesus spoke to me with this message. Just what I needed to hear right now. I will read this over and over to remind me that God is in control when I go through spiritual warfare. Thank you for this message.
Amen, Blanca. He is with us when we’re struggling, and when we are weak He is strong.
AMEN ! AMEN ! And AMEN !!!
Thank you! This is exactly what we need on social media today!
Thankyou for this reading…I truly needed it right now in my life more than ever…Praise the Lord and Thankyou Jesus ? Bless each and everyone of you…
Trust and believe.❤️???
Thanks for this encouraging article, so good to read such balanced words. Blessings to you all