Spiritual attack can be a heavy and uncomfortable subject. Some don't entirely acknowledge its existence. Others don't question its reality, but they fail to recognize its presence in their own lives. And some may be all too aware of its shadow, having fought through periods of discouragement and unbelievable weariness in counteraction to spiritual assaults on their faith.
The truth of the matter is spiritual warfare is very real. There is Scriptural evidence of its existence as well as an account of successful methods of resistance. Yes, you don't have to sit there and allow the Enemy to beat you to a miserable pulp. There are ways to repel, to refuse, to strike back in the power of the Holy Spirit. I know there have been times where I have been tempted to allow the beatings to continue, when I have failed to trust in God as my help, when I sank into resignation and agonizing desolation. And while the Lord allowed those trials into my life for a good reason, while He did grow me and strengthen me, creating beauty from ashes, it doesn't mean that He wants me to allow myself to be wounded by the Enemy continually until my death. God encourages us through Scripture to fight back; He even gives me access to a crash course in spiritual warfare. And who better to learn from than the King Himself? We're going to dive into the report of Christ's own encounter with spiritual attack in order to expose the strategies of the Enemy as well as the tactics our Lord exemplifies for our benefit and use.
Full Passage:
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
and
“‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. (Matthew 4:1-11 ESV)
v.2 "And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry."
Jesus fasted beforehand. Fasting may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of spiritual defense; it never really occurred to me until this week, but maybe it's something I've been to quick to brush over and ignore. Fasting is a commandment, not a suggestion, and it may be done at any time (no, it's not just for Lent). Fasting can allow you to focus on God (thank you again to my friend at Joyfullheartt for pointing this out in her podcast), and a focus on the Father is essential for successful spiritual defense. We need to be rooted in the truth of our God, because it is this exact truth that the Enemy seeks to blind us to; the devil does not want us to recognize our God, to have intimacy with our God, to love our God, to serve our God, to remember our God. Because when we receive that recognition and intimacy, not only is God glorified, but we thrive and receive fullness of joy- and that's not great news for the demons that want to see us miserable for eternity. Notice that fasting also had a tangible effect upon Jesus' physical strength. By the end of it, His body was weakened, necessitating even greater reliance upon God's strength for the upcoming battle. Fasting can remind us to lean on God for strength both during and after the fast, just as we must lean on God when we defend ourselves against doubts and lies. Of course, we can't always predict when spiritual attack may occur, and so we can't always prepare a fast beforehand. However, incorporating this spiritual discipline into your walk with Christ will prepare you for the backlash of the Enemy, who seeks to impede your sanctification and obstruct your intimacy and peace in Jesus.
v. 3"'If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.'"
The Enemy always prefaces an assumption of your identity in God with "if"; he wants you to question your identity and binds your identity definitively to your works. That "if" is conditional when you allow the Enemy to contextualize your perception of self in this way; he's saying you're only a child of God in Christ if you don't fail, if you can dig yourself out of that hole, if you can finally master that spiritual discipline. And if you buy into this false foundation, you will feel that your entire identity is compromised whenever you fall short. However, we know we were not saved by works nor did we acquire our identity as a saved son or daughter of God in Christ through any merit of our own; it was gained through the actions and love of Christ, therefore we will not and cannot lose our secured identity because the cross and the resurrection cannot be undone.
v.5-7 The back and forth between Satan and Jesus in their quotations of Scripture
Jesus responds with correct Scripture, and correct context when the Enemy tries to put his own spin on God's words. The Enemy will often cause us to misinterpret God's messages for us, so it's importance to know Scripture inside out not just for the sake of knowing it word for word (though this is essential in discerning truth from false configurations of truth) but also for the sake of understanding its very essence as well as its proper context. More than this, Jesus quotes Scripture that carried messages of "shall" and "shall not"; while our identity is secure in Christ apart from our works, we must acknowledge that it is because of our new identities that we will be sanctified and become obedient, following the commands of "shall" and "shall not" from God in defiance of the Enemy.
v.8-9 "All the kingdoms of the world and their glory..."
The devil gives empty promises that fall short of God's inheritance for us. The devil tries to offer Jesus the kingdoms of the world and worldly glory, when in reality Jesus as the Son of God is entitled to all the glory of the universe and His is the kingdom of God, which spans Earth and heaven. One must also acknowledge that the Enemy had no authority to bestow glory and could not truly fulfill the false promises. In The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, a classic C.S. Lewis novel, the White Witch tempts Edmund not only with the immediate satisfaction of Turkish Delight, but she claims that one day she will make him a prince, and later on a king. However, we know that the White Witch lacks the political legitimacy needed to name a true successor as she is not a true queen of Narnia; it is only Aslan, the Son of the Emperor-Over-the-Sea, who has the authority to bestow kingship. Not only this, but the White Witch's offer is again contingent upon Edmund's full obedience to her requests and commands. Aslan bestows kingship to Edmund even after his greatest failure, the betrayal of his family. God, like Aslan, has the rightful authority to actually complete His promises and prophecies for the children of the kingdom, and He gives the free gift of grace and newfound identity freely despite our inability to perfectly perform.
v.10 "'Be gone, Satan!...'"
Jesus directly exercises His authority, based on His identity, and commands Satan to be gone. He speaks with power and the authority of His father, and practices active resistance to the Enemy. James 4:7 reflects the example of Jesus in encouraging believers to submit to God and resist the devil; this passage states that when we resist the devil, he will flee from us. "Resist" is an active verb, but this resistance can come in many forms. It may involve directly speaking against evil spirits and powers as Jesus did. It may involve quoting Scripture and proclaiming truth as Jesus did. It may involve us crying out to God in our time of need, acknowledging His ability to save us and His heart to scoop us and be our help in times of trouble. It may consist of being still before the Lord, waiting in faith for Him to silence our accusers (yes, being still is still "active" if accompanied by faith). Resistance could even manifest in refusing the lies and negative thoughts of the Enemy and singing a worship song instead, filling our minds with truth and thanksgiving. We must call upon the Holy Spirit to be our aid no matter how our battle looks like, for in all things we are to rely on God's strength and not our own.
It is important to recognize that in practice the Enemy's attacks may come in various shapes and forms. These confrontations may come in the form of headaches, intense physical and/or emotional pain, inability to remember or speak or think in moments when we are to share God's truth, etc. But at the heart of every battle is this:
The Enemy seeks to frustrate and hinder our intimacy with God, distort our perception of Him. In response, we must cling even closer to the Lord, trusting that He has already won the war, and victory is already God's. Be courageous, and do not fear the Enemy.
"From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides You, Who acts for those who wait for Him." Isaiah 64:4
"No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord." Isaiah 54:17
*Proper judgment comes only from the Lord, is inspired only by the Lord. So if the Enemy rises up in judgment against you, refute it. Plead Christ, your Advocate. Stand firm in the salvation and identity He gave you. Stand firm in the promise of unconditional love, of sanctification.
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