Why Didn't They Fight Back?

One of Satan’s greatest achievements in the 21st century is letting the church believe he doesn’t exist, or else he’s too busy to bother with you. We don’t resist what we can't see.

Pounded by Ignorance

This was once me—pounded by ignorance, rolling over when the enemy assaulted me. I’m surprised by how many Christians, like I used to be, don’t even try to resist. We have the most powerful weapons at our disposal but don’t pick up a single one. Some at least resist the temptation to grumble and complain. Others will blame God for things He gave them authority to crush. This ignorance comes at a high cost. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). Instead of walking in victory, many are being pounded by the enemy. Instead of the garment of praise, there is the spirit of heaviness. Then, there are those who are sober and vigilant, resisting the enemy so he can’t steal, kill, or destroy. These are the overcomers—but what’s their secret?

Two Kingdoms

It is only when we pull back the curtain, that veil over all of mankind, that we see the spiritual battle being waged. Make no mistake, the enemy is real, and he only comes to steal, kill, and destroy, and he will strive to neutralize the threats to his mission.

Jesus came to destroy the works of the evil, and we are to continue His work. Every time a person comes into the kingdom of God, the enemy suffers loss. Every time people repent of their sin, the enemy suffers loss. Every time someone is healed, the enemy suffers loss.

We give credit to the adversary (Satan) when don’t believe in his existence or our own value. That’s his goal. Perhaps he read Sun Tzu’s art of war, to feign weakness when strong or appear strong when weak. He does both of these. He will try to make us believe that he does not exist, and if that fails, he will convince us that he is strong. His greatest work can be done when we don’t believe that he exists, and that God is responsible for the evil being done.

Who would hand their most powerful enemy, a cloak of invisibility? Yet, we do.

The Power of the Word

Just how interested is he in our day-to-day life? In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus explains that "when anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart” (Matthew 13:19). One of the most powerful beings ever created is occupied with snatching the Word of God out of your heart. It is a strange thing when the divinely powerful weapons we have are held in higher regard by our enemy than by the church.

The Weapons of Our Warfare

Jesus fought against the devil with the Word and it should be no surprise that we ought to do the same. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-6). Did you know that not all those thoughts that pop into your mind are yours? When we’re born again, we’re a new creation in Christ Jesus. The trouble starts if we think those thoughts are still our own.

I used to believe that some day, I would eventually beat the carnal man (the old man) into subjection. Some day, he would conform to God’s righteousness. I kept trying hard to be all that God had called me to be. I found that the good things I wanted to do, I couldn’t. The Word became heavy because it kept revealing who the old man was not. I always seemed to carry around the feeling of inadequacy, that I was never good enough, and may never be until Heaven.

The Lord sent me on a journey to visit someone who spent the better part of the week showing me what it is to be a son of God. I am a new creation and the old things have passed away. Everything has become new. It’s all in the Word, plain as day. How could I have missed it for so long? I found a freedom like never before. Those thoughts were not my thoughts, they came from the old man, who by the way is influenced by the adversary. God’s Word shows me who I already am. It’s a mirror.

When the thoughts come that tell me who I once was, I respond with His Word that tells me who I am.

Walk By Faith, Not By Sight

But what if we still sin, does that make God’s Word untrue? Certainly not. But, now ww need to decide if we’re going to continue to believe His Word, or our experience. Faith is believing what we don’t see. Endurance is when we continue to believe even when we don’t see the results. The combination of faith and endurance produces the promises of God in our life (Hebrews 6:12). It is important that we speak what we believe and not what we feel so the Holy Spirit can do miracles.

So how does this look in real life? Let’s say I’m struggling with feelings of rejection and self-worth. As I read through the Word, Ephesians 2:10 jumps out, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.” The Holy Spirit convicts me that I don’t walk this out. I confess, repent, and rejoice—I now see who I am in Christ Jesus. If it were up to me to make it happen, all my past failures would testify against me. I believe by faith that this is who I am. I write the scripture on a card and put it in my pocket so that I can remind myself throughout the day. By 2pm, I’m doing great, and then I mess up something at work, and even though no one has said anything, the waves of rejection start to come. I try to believe who I am, but it seems so far away from where I’m at. These moments of contradiction are what Jesus called the heat of the day. If we have deep roots, we will endure the heat because we know what’s coming. Our promise is coming! In fact, the persecution (contradiction) is more proof that what Jesus said is true. As soon as I can, I go into praise declaring that I am His masterpiece. We need to speak faith so that the Holy Spirit can work.

It might take days, months, or longer at first. It doesn’t need to, but it can. During this time you are preparing deep soil that will make the future victories even faster.

Who Told You That?

I just couldn’t do it. I could not get up out of my car and head into the office. It had been a rough few months at work. I just wanted to drive back home and call in sick. I heard the Spirit say, “Who told you that? Who told you that you don’t feel like working today? I said, “You’re right. I am seated with Jesus in heavenly places, I’m filled with righteousness, peace, and joy.” I got out of my car, and started speaking these words. The Holy Spirit responded to my faith, and filled me up with so much joy that I could not contain the laughter by the time I got to my desk. In less than five minutes, I went from feeling terrible to feeling so loved by my Father. Those are the weapons that we have available to us. They are unrivaled and divinely powerful.