As followers of Yeshua all of us go through seasons of increased spiritual attack, which can unsettle us if we don’t know how to respond. Because Satan hates God, he also hates you and me. His hatred manifests through temptations, lies, fear, sickness, division and more. From God’s perspective, He allows these attacks to test us, strengthen us and then leads us to victory so His character and kingdom can be advanced in and through us.
As we approach Yeshua’s return, spiritual warfare will increase to an unprecedented level (Rev 12:7-17), which means we must be watchful and persevering now in preparation. The good news is that together with Yeshua we will have the ultimate victory! In the meantime, when we come under heavy fire from the enemy, doing these six things will help us come through “the valley of the shadow of death” in victory.
- Repent – When we come into agreement with the enemy we empower him to wreak havoc in our lives. By repenting of our sin and breaking agreement with the enemy we seal off access points for demonic attacks. But don’t stop there: repentance leads to forgiveness, and forgiving those who have wronged us cuts off even more of Satan’s access to our lives.
- Stay in Community – In John 10, Satan comes like a wolf to scatter and isolate the sheep. There is safety when we stay submitted and connected to the spiritual family God has placed us in (Heb 10:25). I recently was experiencing intense spiritual attack against my mind and asked two of my leaders to pray with me. Through their prayers I had a breakthrough that I was not able to gain on my own.
- Stay in the Word – Ephesians 6:17 tells us that the word of God is a sword, an offensive weapon. The Roman sword Paul mentions was a short dagger that was not only effective against physical enemies but was also used to remove arrows from wounded soldiers. In other words, we use the word of God to fight and minister to ourselves and others. Meditating in God’s word cleanses us (Eph 5:26), lights our path (Ps 119:105) and guides us in purity (Ps 119:9).
- Speak in Faith – Often it is not enough to internally meditate on God’s word, but in faith we need to speak the truth of it into our circumstances. Words transform the atmosphere around us. We speak the truth to combat the enemy’s lies. In faith we declare what God says about us, has done for us in the past, and is about to do.
- Keep Worshipping – Don’t get distracted by the enemy and make him bigger than he really is. Keep God and His greatness in the center of your attention. When under attack you won’t feel like worshipping, but do the opposite of how you feel! Come to Him with thanksgiving and enter into His presence with praise (Ps 100). Worship your way into the truth. Pray much in the spirit. Laugh your way into the joy of the Lord. Sing, dance, and make a joyful sound unto the Lord.
- Keep Standing – One of the most important scriptures about resisting spiritual attack is Ephesians 6:10-18. We are exhorted to put on our spiritual armor so that we can stand against the attacks of the devil. Standing means we are determined to not give up ground. If we turn and run from the battle not only do we lose ground but also leave our back unprotected from more fiery darts. There will be lulls in the attacks and they will come in different forms, but if we stand steady in the power of the Lord’s might we will win!
