Facing Spiritual Attack?

Facing Spiritual Attack?
Stop and Do These 8 Things Right Now
Jessica Brodie
Award-winning Christian Novelist and Journalist
PUBLISHED
April 05, 2024
Facing Spiritual Attack? Stop and Do These 8 Things Right Now
https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/facing-spiritual-attack-stop-and-do-these-8-things-right-now.html??

When I first heard the term “spiritual attack,” I imagined it was like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader going head-to-head with their lightsabers in the movie Star Wars. The enemy, Darth, was visible and obvious, and his red lightsaber and pitch-black cloak and helmet clearly identified him as the “evil one.”

In reality, a spiritual attack isn’t often this way. Usually, the attack isn’t obvious or visible, and it can be difficult to tell who the enemy is just by the color of their clothing or weapon.

Sometimes it can be downright difficult to recognize when you are facing a spiritual attack. Perhaps you think it’s all in your head, or you attribute it to something else — illness, a bad mood, even what might be labeled as “bad luck” as challenging circumstances seem to come your way like a battering ram. Perhaps you think spiritual attacks are only fought in heavenly realms, or that they happen only to people directly involved in the ministry, such as pastors or mission workers. Maybe you think they occurred only in the days of the Bible, as with other things not talked about as much in modern days, such as demon possession.

But make no mistake: Spiritual attacks are very real, and they can happen to any Christian at any stage in their life.

A spiritual attack is when evil forces, whether physical or spiritual, wage battle against Christians. This could look like chronic exhaustion and fatigue; frequent and debilitating migraines; persistent fears, worries, or doubts; increased strife with other people in your world; an onslaught of repeated temptation; obstacles to your spiritual life, such as car troubles that prevent you from getting to church or Bible study, or Internet issues while you’re trying to post your testimony online; difficulty hearing or understanding God’s word; depression; feelings of shame and guilt; heightened feelings of loneliness; and much more.

Here are eight things to do when you think you are facing a spiritual attack.

1. Understand It Is Real
Woman alone in her apartment
If you aren’t accustomed to talking about or even hearing about spiritual attacks or spiritual warfare, it might be tempting at first to downplay the situation or deny it is happening. But that could give evil a foothold and make the problem worse. Recognizing a spiritual attack helps because we can be fully cognizant of the situation, take steps to remedy it, and shift from a defensive position to an offensive one if needed.

Scripture talks a great deal about the very real threat of the evil one and his attacks on God’s people. For example, Ephesians 6:12 explains, “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.”

In 1 Peter 5:8, we’re urged, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

And 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 tells us, “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

2. Call It Out
When we understand we are experiencing a spiritual attack, it’s important to call it out as such. Light drives out the darkness, Scripture tells us (John 1:5). Call it what it is: It’s the devil. It’s warfare. It’s Satan. They can’t hide in the shadows. Let the light of the Lord illuminate the situation.

Jesus modeled how we can do this on a few occasions. In the wilderness when he was tempted for the third time by the devil, he exclaimed, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only’” (Matthew 4:10).

And later, when his own disciple, Peter, protested what Jesus was trying to tell them about his coming death, Jesus said almost the same thing: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns” (Matthew 16:23).

There is power in bringing dark deeds and festering problems to light.

Photo credit: Getty Images Plus/torwai

3. Be Clear about Your Position
Overhead shot of two pairs of shoes on opposite sides of a thick orange line
Spiritual attacks are no time for lukewarm behavior. You are either on “Team God” — or not. And if you’re not on God’s side, you’re on the side of evil. As Jesus said in Matthew 12:30, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

Know that if you belong to the Lord, you have his protection and authority. Psalm 91:1-2 expresses this poetically, noting, “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’”

We alone have no authority over the devil, but God does. And because Christians have the Holy Spirit living within them, then his power is able to defeat forces of evil.

When Jesus sent out the 72 disciples to gather other believers into the fold, they returned exultant, noting that even the demons submitted in Jesus’s name.

Jesus acknowledged this, stating, “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you” (Luke 10:19).

That authority isn’t just for those 72 but for all believers. The name of Jesus has great power.

Be clear that you are a follower of Jesus Christ, the son of God and savior of humanity.

As John 3:17 says, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

4. Consider Your Armor
Ephesians 6, after it explains the reality of spiritual warfare, offers some excellent advice about how to protect ourselves from evil and defeat it. Ephesians 6:13 says we are to “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

That armor includes the belt of truth around our waist, the breastplate of righteousness, our feet fitted with the readiness of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (v. 14-17).

God gives us all these when we become believers. His word is living and active (Hebrews 4:12), and our belief and faith in Jesus not only ensures our salvation, but enables the Holy Spirit to live within us. The Spirit is strong and is able to fight all battles for the glory of God.

All of this we have with us at all times. All we must do is understand and believe, then equip ourselves with the tools God already provides.

Photo credit: Getty Images/VitezslavVylicil

5. Pray
Woman praying, with Bible open
Prayer is powerful. In Mark 11:24, Jesus tells us, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

In James 5:16, we’re told, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

Ephesians 6:18 also tells us to pray as both a safeguard and an offensive attack against evil.

When we pray in the name of Jesus, we can trust that God hears us and responds. We’re told that we’re to seek, ask, and knock, and God will provide (Matthew 7:7), that if we have but the faith of a tiny mustard seed, we can move mountains through the power of the Lord (Matthew 17:20-21).

Faith plus prayer equals mighty action.

6. Fast
Fasting isn’t always as common today as in the past, but it can be a powerful way to fight back against a spiritual attack.

Biblical fasting is refraining from something (usually food) for a period of time. During that time, we feed our spirit by intentionally focusing on God and the Bible instead of the body.

When we fast, and particularly when we fast in combination with prayer and Bible reading, we can draw closer to God and deepen our relationship. It also helps us gain better control and power over our physical desires, as well as helps us better focus on the spiritual world. All of this can be immensely helpful in fighting off spiritual attack.

Photo credit: Getty Images/Jacob Wackerhausen

7. Gather with Others
friends having dinner outside at home in backyard
The Spirit moves powerfully when he is within one person, but when a group of people filled with the Spirit gather together — look out!

God created the church to help his people. It’s a gift to us, and he urges us to gather together to cultivate and grow. The apostle Paul describes the church as a body, with Christ as its head. As he wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body — whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free — and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.”

One might be the hand, one the eye, one the heart, and one the foot. But together, fused with the Spirit and led by Christ, we are an unstoppable force of God’s glory. Evil is no match. Spiritual attacks fall easily.

Whether we gather with other Christians to worship, pray, study the Bible, or care for others, it doesn’t matter. Together, we are one in Him.

8. Read God’s Word
Reading God’s word is a powerful act of faith and obedience. When Jesus encountered the devil after fasting for 40 days in the wilderness, he resisted the devil by countering every temptation with Scripture.

We can do the same today. Even if we believe ourselves to be dismal at memorizing Bible verses, when we read the Bible enough times, certain verses sink in and take hold. Then, in the face of evil, we can use them as defensive (or offensive) measures against the evil one.

Spiritual attacks happen every day, and there are forces at work we cannot always see. But if we who are Christians prepare ourselves for battle and stand confidently in the Lord, we know we don’t need to worry about a thing.

As Jesus said in Matthew 10:28, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Amen. Thanks be to God.

Jessica Brodie author photo headshotJessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach and the recipient of the 2018 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award for her novel, The Memory Garden. She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism. Her newest release is an Advent daily devotional for those seeking true closeness with God, which you can find at https://www.jessicabrodie.com/advent. Learn more about Jessica’s fiction and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com. She has a weekly YouTube devotional and podcast. You can also connect with her on Facebook,Twitter, and more. She’s also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed