Under Attack

A friend of mine posted this status update on Facebook, “Typical bickering on the way to church…at least we’re on our way…” 

Due to the commonality of this problem, many of her friends posted comments, including myself. “Our family does that too. I think it’s spiritual attack.”

I’ve thought about these two comments often since we posted them; spiritual warfare seems to be increasing all around us. Perhaps the times in which we live are bringing out worse weapons from Satan’s arsenal.

I wrote an article on recognizing the true enemy in spiritual warfare entitled Who's the Enemy?

Since its publication, however, I have had some more thoughts regarding this important subject.

Size Doesn’t Matter

Spiritual attacks come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. My opening example from Facebook may seem insignificant. However, if Satan can get into our families and cause dissension on Sunday morning, then he quite often is successful in keeping families away from church. Many parents opt to stay home from church rather than deal with the stress of getting everyone in the car and to the building on time. Rather than succumb, this is the perfect time to realize our battle isn’t with our kids or spouse but is with a potent spiritual enemy. That enemy is trying to keep us away from a place where he knows we will grow in our relationship with God.

Who Do Ya’ Know?

My book Everything We Need: God's Path to Know Him Better looks at twelve truths believers need to know because everything we need for life and godliness is through our knowledge of Him (2 Peter 1:3). I realized the other day that none of the lessons say to know Satan so we can fight him more effectively. Sun Tzu’s The Art of War may teach ‘know your enemy,’ but God’s Word doesn’t. I believe we need to know God and His truth; then we will be able to recognize and battle the enemy.

Child Soldiers

The thought of sending a child into battle is horrendous. Although the practice does exist, international agencies work to stop it because no child should be used as a soldier during an armed conflict. Likewise, recognizing and engaging in a spiritual battle is a sign of spiritual maturity. 

Jesus says in Luke 22:31-32, “Simon, Simon [Peter], Satan has asked to sift you (plural) as wheat. But I have prayed for you (singular), Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” First, Satan must ask before he can attack. Second, Jesus prays for us when He allows Satan to do us. However, what I really want to point out is the plurality of the first “you.” Satan desired to attack more than one of the disciples, perhaps all. However, Simon Peter was the only one whom God gave permission to Satan to actually do so. Perhaps this was because Simon Peter was the one strong and mature enough to get through the attack and come out victorious on the other side.

Key Battleground

Ephesians 6 is a well-known passage about putting on the armor of God before we take our stand against Satan’s attacks. Recently, a new point in this familiar passage jumped out at me. We tend to stop reading at verse 17 because it completes the list of required armor. 

Once we are fully armored, from head to toe, we fight the battle. Verse 18 tells us where and how to fight the battle - it is only fought in prayer. “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18).

Barriers to Giving Thanks

Throughout this month, on the Grow Barefoot Facebook page, I've been posting and commenting on verses from the book of Psalms that mention thanksgiving. To mention just a few…

• Honor Him with thanksgiving
• Thank Him repeatedly
• Thank Him for His goodness, His justice, His nearness
• Sing our thanks

These are the ideals.

Reality is that sometimes being thankful is hard, painful, and even impossible. Jerry Tharp, my church pastor, shared some barriers to giving thanks in his sermon this past Sunday. As we proceed through this week of Thanksgiving, I want to pass them along to you with some of my own commentary added to his.

Attitude of entitlement

Pride tells us we deserve what we have. After all, we’ve worked hard and earned it. But James tells us, “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business, and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil” (James 4:13-16).

To Battle this Barrier: Honest self-examination of who we are outside of God’s grace and the benefits we have received because of Him.

Unable to see God’s blessings

Judas walked with Jesus just like the other disciples. He saw the same miracles, heard the same words, and ate the same meals. Yet when the opportunity came, he betrayed Jesus while the other disciples served Him unto death. 

Some people marvel at the wonders of God; others couldn’t care less.

To Battle this Barrier: Genuinely ask God to give you eyes to see Him and the work He does through you and in you.

Heaviness of heart

This one is common in our culture. Death. Disease. Rejection. Disaster. A heavy heart easily overwhelms us in this sin-laden society. “I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears” (Psalm 6:6). Yet later in that same Psalm, “The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer. All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed; they will turn back in sudden disgrace” (Psalm 6:9-10). Psalm author David poured out his sorrows to God; by the end of the Psalm, God had comforted him and restored his joy. 

“Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall” (Psalm 55:22).

To Battle this Barrier: Do what you know is right through prayer and praise. Your emotions will almost always follow. You can control your actions whereas emotions often control you.

Extreme Busyness

Busyness plagues us all this time of year. I know the demands for my time will increase as we enter December. But I’m reminded of Mary and Martha. Martha focused on all of the preparations she had to do for mealtime while Mary sat at the feet of Jesus. Jesus response was “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42).

To Battle this Barrier: Let go of some stuff. Find strength through realizing what is important and what isn’t. Listen to the words of God when He says, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

Envy

Home, car, job, spouse, clothes, whatever. Comparing what we have to what someone else has is a spiritual dead-end. Envy puts the focus on what you don’t have instead of recognizing the blessing of what you do have. Envy denies the truth that God has granted you with all that you need and many more blessings besides.

To Battle this Barrier: Learn to be content and trust in God’s promised provision. Contentment and trust aren’t natural responses; we must learn them through knowledge and experience.

My hope is to help you break down some of these barriers. I pray you experience the freedom and thankfulness God desires for us, not just this weekend but all year long.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Broken Toys: Letting go of the pain

Saturday. The day to clean the bedrooms. Although my girls usually clean their own rooms, sometimes I like to go in and help them do a more thorough cleaning. Together, we go through drawers, toy baskets, and shelves to get everything back in order again. Undoubtedly, we must always deal with broken toys. I used to keep the broken pieces, thinking I could repair or replace the broken part. If it was irreparable, I would still hold onto the toy; surely it could still be enjoyed without the missing pieces.

Awhile back my thinking changed. Now, if a toy is broken beyond repair or missing so many pieces it has been rendered useless, I throw it in the trash bag. I've used this method a few times and noticed their room is starting to be less cluttered and more fun. I even noticed my girls are less stressed taking care of their room as they have less stuff surrounding them. I also thought, after we finished cleaning their room, this method makes more room for new toys.
 

As I stuffed some torn dress-up fairy wings into the trash bag this past Saturday, I wondered how many broken pieces we are holding on to in our own lives.

Overlooked for a job promotion.
 

Criticized by a friend.
 

Can’t relate with your children.
 

Unable to make your house payment.
 

Diagnosed with cancer.
 

Argued with your spouse.
 

I don’t know what broken pieces you have in your life, but I know we all have them because we live in a broken world. We stuff our broken pieces on the shelves of our hearts and minds; we pretend that someday we will repair them or maybe we can still use them as they are.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7-8 NIV).

I threw the broken toys in the trash; likewise, we need to throw our broken emotional pieces. We don't throw them in the trash but at the feet of Jesus. Cast them on Him. We stop thinking we can fix them and trust that He can and will because He cares for us.

Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:4-5 TNIV).

And besides, you never know, God might have something better, something new and fresh, waiting to fill that spot on your shelf once you throw away the broken pieces.

Jesus' Claims: How will you respond to John 14?

I've been studying John 8-16 and noticed something...

Jesus repeatedly makes claims regarding Himself and the hearers have different responses. Simply, non-believers reject His claims whereas the disciples accept His claims. Their unique responses dictate their eternal destinations.

JESUS’ CLAIM: I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

Perhaps one of Jesus most well-known declarations, this statement is a foundational part of Christianity. When Jesus told the disciples they already knew the way to where He was going, again He was referring back to His teachings throughout John 8-12 that explained the way, the truth, and the life.

The response of THE PHARISEES:

They rejected Jesus’ message as truth that had been received from the Father. According to Christ, their rejection revealed them to be children of Satan, the father of lies, rather than children of Abraham (John 8:39-47).

The response of JOHN:

John may have been a little awe-struck and dumbfounded during the Last Supper, as were the rest of the disciples. He eventually figured this all out though because the very first chapter of his later book, First John, outlines that Jesus is the life (1 John 1:1-4), the truth (1 John 1:5-8), and the way (1 John 1:7-10), albeit in reverse order of Jesus declaration.

JESUS’ CLAIM: Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father (John 14:9).

The fact that Jesus is the Son of God and one with God the Father is another foundation of the Christian faith. It is also unique to Christianity.

The response of THE PHARISEES:

As you’ve already seen, the Pharisees’ responses to the claims of Christ are found in John 8-12. The story of Jesus healing a blind man in chapter nine is seemingly out of place in the midst of these chapters. However, at the end of the story, Jesus says, “You have now seen him [the Son of Man]; in fact, he is the one speaking with you…For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind” (John 9:37, 39). The Pharisees defensive response shows they knew His comment was directed towards them. He went on to say, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains” (John 9:41).

The response of PHILIP:

Jesus made this claim in response to Philip’s statement, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us” (John 14:8). Like John, we don’t know how Philip responded to Jesus’ answer at that time but we do know through his later ministry that he did come to know Jesus was the Son of God and one with the Father. Much of Philip’s ministry is recorded in Acts, chapter eight.

• He proclaimed the Christ in Samaria (Acts 8:5).
• He performed miraculous signs, including casting out demons and healing people (Acts 8:6-7, 13).
• He preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 8:12, 40).
• He traveled where God said to travel (Acts 8:26).
• He witnessed to a stranger(Acts 8:27-38).
• He accurately taught the entire Word of God (Acts 8:31-35).
• He baptized believers (Acts 8:36-38).
• He was miraculously transported to a new place(Acts 8:39-40).
• He is next mentioned 20-25 years later, still faithfully preaching the Word of God (Acts 21:8).

What about you? What do you do with these claims of Jesus? Do you, like John, recognize Him as the way, the truth, and the life? Do you, like Philip, see the Father when you see Jesus and accomplish great things for the kingdom? Or, like the Pharisees, are you spiritually blind to the truth of Jesus’ message? The fact that Jesus took on human flesh and came to earth to die and resurrect, thereby conquering death, is the distinguishing fact between Christianity and all other religions. Whatcha gonna do about it?

Jesus' Claims: How will you respond to John 13?, the sister article to this one, focuses on similar claims by Jesus in John, chapter 13.

Who's the Enemy?

The Civil War was by far the bloodiest conflict our country has ever fought. Not only was the death rate the highest of any of our nation’s struggles but it exceeded the sum of the deaths of all other American wars from the Revolutionary War through modern times. Although the methods of warfare contributed to the high death rate, one factor stands alone as the greatest cause of the phenomenal loss of life. Every drop of blood that spilled was American blood. When we count the death toll, there is no “them” and “us.” Whether the uniform was gray or blue, whether the flag was Union or Confederate, as brother fought against brother, they were all American.

Our family visited the site of the Battle of Fredericksburg in Virginia. The story of Richard Kirkland, a 19 year old Confederate sergeant, touched my soul. The Union army had been defeated but many soldiers lay wounded on the battlefield; those who were still alive remained in their battle positions. Sergeant Kirkland couldn't bear the sound of the wounded crying out for aid and relief. Placing his life in danger, he took canteens of water and offered drinks to the hurting men. Union soldiers began firing on him but the firing ceased as they realized his actions were from a heart of compassion rather than malice.

Are we fighting a civil war within the church? The battle is now believer against believer as arguments are made and people are hurt. People leave churches. Believers lose the passion of serving their Savior.

Contemporary music vs. traditional

Programs and activities vs. Bible studies and prayer meetings

Casual dress vs. formal

He said vs. she said

It’s always been done this way vs. new and different

My ministry vs. your ministry

Issues such as these pull us away from the real enemy. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).

We are all wounded soldiers lying on a spiritual battlefield. Shouldn’t we offer drinks of water to our fallen brothers rather than fire fatal shots? After all, fellow believers aren’t the real enemy; by firing another verbal blow or spreading another slanderous story we may find ourselves serving within the ranks of the true enemy.

Contemporary music vs. traditional WORSHIP

Programs and activities vs. Bible studies and prayer meetings LEARN

Casual dress vs. formal ATTEND

He said vs. she said SHARE

It’s always been done this way vs. new and different DO

My ministry vs. your ministry SERVE

“…Whoever is not against us is for us. I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward. And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck” (Mark 9:40-42).

LATER ADDITION: After I wrote this article, I kept thinking about and being exposed to spiritual attacks. Click here to read a follow-up article with some more thoughts on this subject.