WEEK 2
A SATANIC ATTACK
A satanic attack is an experience in which we sense that Satan has launched a major assault against our lives. Now, he is prowling about the edges of our lives at all times, looking for a particular point of entry. His tactic is like that of a pride of lions--to zero in on weakness, divide, and then destroy. When the devil thinks he has an opening, he attacks. We usually have a general awareness that the devil is not far away, but there are times when we are keenly aware that the devil is making a direct move against us. That is a satanic attack.
*In your life, have you had an experience in which you sensed the devil was launching a major attack against you? How did you feel?
ASSURANCE AND WARNING FOR THE BELIEVER IN CHRIST
If you are a believer in Christ Jesus, you should be assured that the devil cannot attack and destroy your relationship with Christ. He cannot cross the blood barrier that Christ purchased on your behalf when Jesus died on the cross at Calvary. In Christ, we have eternal life (John 3:16; 1 John 5:11-13).
Paul wrote that neither principalities nor powers could separate a person from the love of Christ (Rom. 8:38). Principalities and powers describe demonic forces. Paul also said that neither height nor depth could separate a person from Christ (Rom. 8:39). Depth refers in part to Sheol, the place of the dead.
What the devil can do, however, is attack you in the realm of your emotions, your mind, and your body. He moves against you so you no longer have the energy, the health, the drive, or even much of a desire to serve God. Although the devil cannot score a definitive victory over you, he can render you ineffective.
The devil also can and does attack your reputation and your witness. He always is seeking a means of destroying the testimony of a Christian, again in order to render that Christian ineffective for the gospel's sake.
The devil knows that he can't take away the eternal life of a believer. But if he is unable to destroy the believer's spirit, he'll do his best to make the believer useless as an advocate for God's kingdom on earth. In other words, the devil may not be able to keep you from heaven, but he will do his best to make certain you don't take anybody to heaven with you.
*What do the following passages say to you? Rom. 8:35, 38-39 and 1 John 5:11-13
PATIENT AND PERSISTENT
Satan is committed to destroying you at any cost. He is patient, willing to wait for the one opportune moment of weakness that he needs to attack you. He is equally persistent; he will not give up in seeking your destruction.
We are very unwise if we think that we ever have a respite from the devil, or if we think we have conquered him once and for all in our lives, or even in one particular area of our lives. He continues to prowl to wait, to watch, to seek a basis on which to attack us. If he can't influence us directly, he'll attempt to influence others around us in order to divert our attention from Christ or weaken our resolve to maintain the purity of our walk with Christ.
The only way to ensure that Satan does not gain an opportunity in our lives is to remain close to Christ Jesus and to seek to walk daily in the guidance and strength offered to us by the Holy Sprirt. We must keep our resolve to say no to the temptation to sin, and to seek God's forgiveness quickly anytime we fail to keep God's commandments.
*What do the following passages say to you? 1 John 5:18 and Ps. 17:4-5
WHAT SATAN CAN AND CANNOT DO
As powerful and cunning as Satan may be, he is neither omnipotent nor omniscient. Nor is he omnipresent. In fact, the devil bears none of the absolute or everlasting qualities of God.
The devil was originally created by God as Lucifer, one of the archangels of heaven. As a created being, he had a beginning, and according to the book of Revelation, he will have a horrible ending--destruction and torment in a lake of fire and brimstone (Rev. 20:10).
As a creature, the devil can only be in one place at a time. Many people believe they are doing constant battle with Satan. In all likelihood, they have never had a single battle with Satan himself. The force they have battled are Satan's demons, the fallen angels who joined Lucifer in rebelling against God. It is primarily through demons--sometimes called powers, principalities, and authorities in the Bible--that Satan exerts his influence on human beings today.
Demons have the ability to tempt. They have the ability to torment and oppress human beings, including the ability to harass Christians. Paul described demonic activity with Christians as a wrestling match (Eph. 6:11-12).
Satan himelf does not indwell human beings. To do so would greatly limit his power. Demons, however, have the ability to indwell a non-Christian so that the person begins to act the same that Satan would act if he were present on the scene.
The demons are organized and ruled by Satan. They do what he commands. The Bible tell us that the forces of darkness have a hierarchy. Paul decribed this to the Ephesian as "principalities...powers...rulers of the darkness" (Eph. 6:12).
Demonic activity is widespread and constant. In fact, John wrote, "the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one" (1 John 5:19). The devil, the wicked one, exercises his power of influence through his demons.
While Satan and his demonic forcees are powerful and prevalent, they are not sovereign. Only God is sovereign. Only God posesses ultimate authority over His universe. Satan cannot exceed the limits that God has put upon him. Neither can his demons. God may allow Satan an opportunity to tempt or to exert influence in a person's life, but God determines the extent to which He allows Satan to operate. God retains ultimate control--always.
We see this in the life of Job. Satan asked to have access to Job to torment him, and God allowed him to do so. (See Job 1:6-12; 2:1-6). The first time Satan made his request to move against Job, the Lord said, "Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person" (Job1:12). Satan caused the death of Job's sons and daughters, as well as the loss of Job's herds, flocks, and servants, but Job responded by saying, "The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;/Blessed be the name of the LORD" (Job 1:21). He did not blame God for any of his misfortune.
The second time Satan requested of God that he be allowed to tempt Job, the Lord said, "Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life" (Job 2:6).
In both cases two things are important to note: First, Satan is subservient to God. He can bring to God his accusations against a person and he can question God, but he cannot touch the person who fears God and shuns evil unless God gives him permission. (see Job 1:1). Second, God puts limits on what Satan is allowed to do to those who fear God and are seeking to walk before Him with a blameless and upright life. Satan cannot overstep the boundaries that God puts upon him.
At the end of Job's story, God says to Job, "Who then is able to stand against Me? Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him? Everything under heaven is Mine." (Job 41:10-11). "Everything" includes, of course, Satan and his demons. They cannot and will not succeed in their rebellion against God.
Part of the deception that Satan has played upon the minds of men and women is that he is as powerful as God, that he is an equal force to God, and that he holds just as much power for evil as God holds for good. That simply is not true. Satan operates under God's sovereignty. He is a rebel against a higher authority. God alone is the sovereign King of the universe and He has no equal.
*What do the following passages say to you? Job 1:1-2:10 and Job 41:10-11;1 Corinthians 10:13-14; Isaiah 40:25-26,28
THE CHRISTIAN'S RESPONSE: HEALTHY RESPECT, NOT COWERING FEAR
What then should be our respone to the devil once we know his nature? I believe we should have a clear understanding of and healthy repect for the devil's power, but as Christian, we do not need to cower in fear before him. He is a defeated foe; Christ Jesus our Lord is victor over him.
The person who should truly fear the devil is the person who does not have a personal relationship with Christ Jesus--the person who has not accepted what Jesus did on the cross and who has not received God's offer of forgiveness. That person has no shield against the devil. He or she is open prey to the devil's assaults.
If you have not accepted Jeus Christ as your personal Savior and you are not seeking to walk closely with Christ today, I encourage you to own up to your sinful nature and recognize that you are living apart from God, to accept that Jesus died for your sins, to ask the Father to forgive you and transform your sin nature, and to ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit so that you might live a life that is pleasing to Him. Unless you are a Christian, you cannot overcome the enemy of your soul. As long as you are a nonbeliever, you are one of the devil's favorite targets. You are destined to be his victim without any means of recourse as long as you remain in rebellion againt God.
1. What new inights do you have into the nature of the enemy of your eternal spirit?
2. In what ways are you being challenged today in your efforts to overcome the enemy?