DEFENDING AGAINST SATAN’S ATTACKS

It started a few weeks ago, a loud knocking sound that I couldn’t pinpoint. I was wandering around the house, hoping to find where it was coming from, when suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move. I watched and waited, for what, I wasn’t sure. Within a couple of minutes, my patience was rewarded. Knock, knock, knock. Mystery solved. The knocker was a robin.

As I watched in amazement, he flapped his wings, approached a window head-on, and gave it a few good pecks. I needed to get this on video. So, phone in hand, I stood by the window as the minutes ticked by. Just as I was about to give up, the bird returned, pecking at my window. He repeated the same thing over and over, going from one window to the next, giving me many opportunities to get pictures and videos.

Later, while thinking about the time I had spent, tense and determined to catch the bird in the act, a thought came to mind. I had waited for that bird, with heightened senses, aware of every movement and sound around me. Then this thought struck me: in my Christian life, I don’t give Satan and his attacks as much thought as I gave that bird. The robin couldn’t do any lasting harm, but the enemy could. Because of that, he deserves more of my attention.

Satan’s “Pecks” can Form Cracks

The Bible speaks about Satan as a roaring lion prowling around, waiting for an opportunity to devour us. Because of this, God warns us through the scriptures to be alert. Satan only has opportunities to “devour” us because we don’t pay close enough attention. He’s like the robin, pecking at different areas of our lives, looking for a way in—trying to find where we’re vulnerable.

That angry thought about your boss? Peck. That complaint about your spouse? Peck. The little white lie. Peck. Giving into anger. Peck, peck. Going days or weeks without reading the Bible and praying. Peck, peck, peck. With each selfish thought or action, and each day out of communication with God, we allow more cracks in our spiritual “windows” to form. Believe me, we might not notice the cracks, but the enemy does, and he makes the most of them.

Satan Won’t Give Up, Neither Can We

Satan is relentless, like the robin that I just saw sitting in my tree. He was staring at my house, as if waiting for an opportunity, and then flew straight at my window, giving it his telltale peck, peck, peck. He never gives up, continuing to attack my house every day. Satan attacks every day, too. The question is, are we prepared for his attacks? In my battle with the robin, I’ve found that if I lower my shades and close the blinds, then he pecks less often. With Satan, if we strengthen our “windows”, our spiritual shields, he has a difficult time landing his attacks on us. Defending again Satan’s attacks is a necessity, but how do we do that?

Tools Against Satan’s Attacks

God has provided some tools for our battles against Satan. First, the most powerful weapon we have against him is the Word of God. When Jesus was being tempted by Satan, He responded to each of his attacks with God’s Word. The result? Satan backed down. Do you want Satan to back down and slink away, then make sure you read the Bible, know what it says, and do it.

Defending against Satan’s attacks requires God’s Word, but the real battle begins in the mind. To win the battle with Satan, we must learn to control our thoughts. Sin has its beginning in the mind. We allow ourselves to think about and dwell on negative thoughts and feelings, or on things we desire but shouldn’t. It’s time to reign in our thoughts so they don’t become actions leading us down a path away from God. We’ve all heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” Well, in living the Christian life, you are what you think.

If we rely on the Word of God, studying it and putting it into practice, and if we learn to control our thoughts, a spiritual shield forms around us. Satan will always be on the attack, but with our shield of faith, fortified by the Word of God and a controlled thought life, his “pecking” will be in vain. He can knock as often he likes, but all he’ll get for his trouble is a headache, while we, with God’s help, will win the victory.

For more on this topic, click here.

Some scriptures for study: Matthew 4:1-11; James 1:21-25; Ephesians 6:10-17; James 1:13-15; 2 Corinthians 10:5;

I’d love to hear your comments on this post and / or about some of your victories over Satan’s attacks on your life. Please share in the comments below, and please share this post with others you think will enjoy it.

Used with permission from Linda Condolora. To read more of Linda’s writing visit https://blog.lindacondolora.com/.