Protecting Ourselves from the Enemy

I directed a pro-life crisis pregnancy center for several years. My staff members and I began each morning by praying for our patients by name, some of whom never showed up for their free appointments but went straight to the abortion clinic. Our staff recognized the spiritual warfare taking place. It was an active pursuit by an enemy who wanted to destroy the innocent lives growing inside these women.

We once prayed for a woman we thought would skip her appointment. To our surprise, she walked through the door moments later. Our counselor shared with her the hope only Jesus could give. Agitated, the woman admitted she practiced witchcraft and was uninterested in hearing more about Jesus. She then asked for her free ultrasound, admitting she only came to the center to determine how many weeks she was pregnant before keeping her appointment at an abortion clinic the following day.

The ultrasound tech prayed silently as she began the test. Within moments, the woman gasped as she saw the tiny life in her womb almost dance on the ultrasound screen before her eyes. The little one seemed to look directly at her and wave.

“The baby is waving at me!” the mother exclaimed. After a few moments, she said, “Well, this changes everything. I guess I’m going to be a mom.”

That day, a battle was raging in places we could not see. The apostle Paul described this struggle: “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12).

Who is this powerful enemy? And how can we protect ourselves from his snares?

Knowing Our Enemy
Through several scriptural accounts, we can piece together a clear picture of our adversary, Satan. God created him as an “anointed cherub who covers” (Ezek. 28:14). Many scholars believe he was the chief angel appointed to guard the throne of God.

In that position, he grew proud. God told him, “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground” (v. 17). So, He cast Satan and one-third of the angels (those who rebelled with Satan) out of heaven (Rev. 12:3–4).

God allowed Satan, the Devil, to seize temporary power over this present age (Jn. 12:31; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:2). Satan is more powerful and intelligent than many of us realize, and he will relentlessly pursue followers of Christ to torment them until he is thrown into the Lake of Fire for eternity (Rev. 20:10).

Still, many Christians forget about Satan and his followers—just like he wants. The apostle Peter called him “a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). Like a lion, the Devil wants his prey unaware of his presence.

He can appear as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14), bestowing gifts that seem good but are not. I think of the lie many women who choose abortion believe: I can do anything I want with my body. This lie comes straight from hell. It pretends to be a balm for the soul but denies the truth that our bodies belong to our Creator and that we should “present [our] bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God” (Rom. 12:1).

Interacting With the Spirit World
In the Old Testament, God defined clear boundaries regarding human interaction with the spirit world. As the children of Israel entered the Promised Land, God warned them to avoid the practices of the surrounding nations: “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead” (Dt. 18:10–11).

God does not say these mediums and spiritists are impostors; rather, they interact in places where humans should not be. Disobeying this command is an abomination to the Lord (v. 12).

Today, many people openly worship the prince of darkness. According to National Geographic, 1.5 million Americans identify as pagans, more than 10 times as many as in 2001.

As Judeo-Christian values disappear from the West, Satan’s influence will grow; and he will deceive more and more people as he uses society to accomplish his schemes. As believers in Jesus, we must remain vigilant.

Protecting Ourselves
Even though we continually struggle with sin both inside and around us, we are secure in God’s hand (Jn. 10:28). Yet we should be constantly aware of the internal war against our fleshly sin nature and the external war against spiritual hosts of wickedness.

Christians often fall into one of two traps: living so hyper-aware of Satan and his demons that we become obsessed with them, or ignoring and never thinking of them. We must balance these approaches through the Holy Spirit’s working in our lives.

Paul tells us, “Take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Eph. 6:13). Used here as an active verb, the word stand indicates a moment-by-moment posture, not a one-time action. We war against a master manipulator who wants to destroy us because we serve God.

Satan wants to dismantle our families, marriages, and churches. He seeks to hurt and kill the innocent. But we serve a Savior who triumphantly told His disciples, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (Jn. 16:33).

Jesus also promised to send the Helper, an apt name for the Holy Spirit (v. 7). The Helper supplies us with the proper weapons against the Devil (Eph. 6:13–18), convicts us of sin, leads us to repentance, and empowers us to live blameless and holy lives. When we walk in the Spirit, we can resist the enemy’s attacks.

This is not a trivial, easy war; and no believer in Jesus should fight alone. Christians should stand firm together and encourage, pray with, and confess their sins to one another.
Nineteenth-century English preacher Charles H. Spurgeon said,

Satan always hates Christian fellowship; it is his policy to keep Christians apart. Anything which can divide saints from one another he delights in. He attaches far more importance to godly intercourse than we do. Since union is strength, he does his best to promote separation.¹

Separation makes us vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks. Our job as believers is not to destroy our enemy but to stand against him while we take the beautiful message of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world, making disciples of all nations (Mt. 28:18–20).

There are many ways we can follow Jesus’ command to make disciples: by sharing with our neighbors the hope of Jesus, traveling to a foreign land to tell others about our Savior, supporting such endeavors through prayer and giving—and even by proclaiming the Good News of Jesus in an ultrasound room at a crisis pregnancy center.

While the Lord tarries and believers await His return for His church at the Rapture, Satan will attack us. But the Holy Spirit strengthens us to stand against him and enables our brothers and sisters in Christ to stand beside us. We know the end of the story, and it is glorious. Stand firm.

ENDNOTE

1. 1. 1. “Quote by Charles Spurgeon” (tinyurl.com/5n6razfc).

Sarah Fern is the Media Content Strategist for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. She lives in the Knoxville, TN area with her husband, Martin, and their son.