Attacks from Our Adversary
Written by Dale Ebel • www.daleebel.org
I welcome Biblical feedback. Consider reading this in small segments.
Ephesians 6:12 (ESV): “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
Our Three-Front Warfare
The Word of God recognizes that we face three unique enemies who seek to defeat the spiritual life of believers. We commonly speak of these three as the world, the flesh, and the devil. Each of these enemies has a unique role to play in the warfare against believers. It is vital to our victory in the Lord Jesus Christ that we understand how each of them seeks to turn us aside from our purchased possession and our position of victory in Christ. It is also important for us to be able to discern what kind of temptation or testing we are facing in each situation.
When a person becomes a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, his relationship to everything in the physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional world undergoes a radical change. He is a new creation, and everything is becoming new (2 Corinthians 5:17). The believer is a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20) and still a citizen of earth (Philippians 1:27). The word translated “conversation” in Philippians 1:27KJV is “politeuoma,” from which our word “politics” originates. We are to live as responsible, contributing citizens on earth. It is our civic responsibility to act appropriately.
When I interact with men, I often say: When we become Christ-followers, we have a target on our backs! It’s normal. Get over it!
Of course, the Biblical success of my responses below is predicated on my obedience!
Our Warfare With Our Sinful Nature—the Flesh
Romans 8:6 (NLT): So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.
Christ-followers accept the reality that, through the fall, man inherits a depraved human nature. This nature is opposed to God, and it is prone to sin. The Word of God uses several different words and phrases to describe this debased, weak, and lowly tendency in mankind. For example, the “old man” describes what a person was like before he received Christ and became a new man (Ephesians 4:22, 24 KJV). The “natural man” describes this fallen condition as opposed to the “spiritual man” (1 Corinthians 2:14–17 NASB).
Notice that the verses below give a fairly comprehensive look at the ways our old man is tempted by evil desires.
Galatians 5:19–21 (NLT): When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
It can be a tendency among followers of Christ either to overemphasize or to underemphasize the presence of demonic influence in our lives. I have found the old adage to be true: “It takes two to tango.” About 90 percent of the time, it is my own lower nature that is the culprit. I simply want to do what is opposed to God, and at times I find that pleasurable. ☹️
Am I the only one? ☺
A remedy I use in combating my sinful nature is found in Romans 6. Out loud and repeatedly, I say: I know, I consider, and I present. I have done this hundreds of times in my walk with Christ.
I KNOW I do not have to sin.
Romans 6:6 (NIV): For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—
I repeatedly CONSIDER, or COUNT, myself dead to sin.
Romans 6:6, 11 (NIV): For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin… In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
I habitually PRESENT and YIELD the members of my body—eyes, ears, hands, feet, and so on—to God.
Romans 6:6, 13 (NIV): For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin… Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.
When I consistently practice and obey these three injunctions, I gain victory over my depraved nature. When I don’t, I yield to my propensity to sin. It is convicting, to say the least! ☹
Our Warfare With the World—the System of Things Opposed to God
Galatians 6:14 (LSB): But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
The flesh comes from within; the world comes from without.
As our enemy, the world is the whole organized system—made up of varying and ever-changing social, economic, materialistic, and religious philosophies that find their expression through human organizations and personalities. This system, in all its varied forms, can be a very real temptation to followers of Christ. In and of themselves, these expressions are not evil; they are amoral. However, when I allow my inner nature to misuse any of them, they become evil.
Examples:
Relationships are fulfilling, but when one covets something or someone that belongs to another, the relationship becomes sinful.
My response: I thank God out loud for blessing that person with the very thing I covet.
Material possessions bring us tremendous benefits, but when I sin through extravagance, consumerism, trying to keep up with others, living beyond my means, or treating them as my security, they become a liability.
My response: I learn to say the two-letter Christian swear word—NO! I thank Christ for what I do have, and I continue to be generous to the Lord’s work and to others.
Power and status, when used to influence others for good—financially, socially, spiritually, educationally, relationally, or politically—are healthy. However, when I seek them because I must have control, or when I dominate others for selfish ends, it is flat-out sin. Many people are addicted to control and power.
My response: When I am tempted to envy another person’s power or influence, I praise God for their success—and I do this verbally, out loud, to others, to myself, and to the Lord. I try to emulate how they became successful rather than envy them.
Psalm 119:36 (AMP): Incline my heart to Your testimonies and not to dishonest gain and envy.
Romans 12:15 (AMP): Rejoice with those who rejoice [sharing others’ joy], and weep with those who weep [sharing others’ grief].
False Ideologies
In the last five to ten years, we have witnessed the rise of modern ideologies that oppose the truth of God’s holy Word. False ideologies have been around a long time—Marxism, humanism, atheism, relativism (the idea that truth is relative), communism, and even socialism. More recently, we have been experiencing the false teachings of the social justice movement. The book Fault Lines, by Voddie Baucham, is excellent in providing clarity on these false doctrines.
When someone becomes devoted to and espouses a false system of ideas that opposes the truths of Scripture, that person is opposing the God of the Bible. It is that simple: non-Christians and professing (so-called) Christians alike are expressing a form of idolatry. It is a clear indication that their loyalty is to the god of this world—even though this kind of professing Christian would never consider that to be true. Yet, according to the Third Commandment, “You shall not falsely carry the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not clear (forgive) the one who falsely carries (swears by) His name” (Exodus 20:7, JPS).
No matter how intelligent, articulate, culturally acceptable, convincing, or sophisticated they may be, we must not resort to a compartmentalized faith in which one professes Christ and yet believes doctrines that are contrary to sound teaching. This is incongruent and incompatible with the Word of God, and with one’s Biblical profession and practice of faith.
Since the emergence of the false ideologies of the social justice movement in particular, far too many evangelical pastors are failing to equip their congregations, because they avoid these doctrinal errors that hide behind catchy titles such as Black Lives Matter, identity politics, and gender identity, to name a few. (See my ten articles on pages 7–8 of my blog, www.daleebel.org.)
If pastors are shepherds, they must protect the people the Lord God has placed under their care.
Acts 20:28–30 (NLT): So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders. I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following.
My response.
Confront false teachings.
2 Corinthians 10:5 (ESV): We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.
The primary teaching of this verse is that we are to address and attack false doctrine by clarifying the false teaching and countering it with Biblical truth.
Confront false teachers.
Titus 3:10 (AMP): After a first and second warning reject a divisive man [who promotes heresy and causes dissension—ban him from your fellowship and have nothing more to do with him].
I have addressed some of these teachers personally and have attempted to persuade them to explain their heresies and to clarify Biblical truth.
Sexual drives. In many ways, sexual sins could be placed under the attack of the flesh. However, a person of the opposite sex—or the same sex—can be a significant attraction for both men and women. The Greek word “porneia” is the broadest category of sexual sin, meaning any illicit sexual act. It covers adultery, fornication (which includes sex prior to marriage), homosexuality, lesbianism, incest, sex with an unlawfully divorced man or woman, and sexual intercourse with animals.
My responses.
Flee immorality (Genesis 39:7, 10, 12).
Circle the words or phrases in the verses below that incline your will toward obedience.
Genesis 39:6–8, 10, 12 (NIV): So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he refused… He told her, “My master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care…” And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.
1 Corinthians 6:18 (ESV): Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.
2 Timothy 2:22 (ESV): So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
Replace evil with doing good; strengthen your will to do right.
We can actually change the physical chemistry of our minds to shape our actions for good or for ill. Every time I discipline my mind to do righteousness, my will is also reinforced to do what is morally acceptable to our Lord God. Addiction to pornography, specifically, begins in the mind—with what we allow to enter through the gate of our thinking and through our eyes. Years of receptive thinking reinforce the will and reshape the physical brain, so that, left unchecked, it can become a “stronghold.”
Immerse yourself in the Word of God.
Psalm 119:9–11 (NASB95): How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.
Our Warfare With the Devil
1 Peter 5:8 (KJV): Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
Satan is a personal spirit being who is just as real as you and me. He controls a vast and highly structured kingdom of personal spirit beings (demons) who share his wicked intent and purpose in opposing God’s will and God’s plans. This vast kingdom of darkness centers its strategy against mankind.
The source of our attacks ultimately lies with Satan, and he uses the world system and our lower nature to accomplish his destructive aims (John 10:10). He is the instigator of all the evil in the world, manifested through individuals, governments, and nations.
The difference between condemnation and conviction.
Revelation 12:10 (AMP): Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom (dominion, reign) of our God, and the authority of His Christ have come; for the accuser of our [believing] brothers and sisters has been thrown down [at last], he who accuses them and keeps bringing charges [of sinful behavior] against them before our God day and night.”
Condemnation from Satan paralyzes us as believers, with constant accusations when we sin. The Holy Spirit’s conviction—His pointing out of our guilt—can be a motivation to change our ways. Christ never merely paralyzes us. We always have a choice to do what is right, and of course that is what He is waiting for.
The seasons of life when Satan seems to attack us with fierceness.
Over the span of my Christian life, there have clearly been times when it seemed there was an all-out attack from the enemy. Linda and I have experienced this with our children and their sicknesses. Sometimes it is manifested in relational challenges; other times in financial difficulties, in inordinate episodes of fear or confusion, in overwhelming ministry obstacles, or through challenging family members.
Many times, we have been driven to our knees, praying warfare prayers and rebuking the satanic forces of evil in the name of Jesus Christ. We have experienced the power of the Holy Spirit released in these situations to bring redemptive outcomes for the glory of God and for the good reputation of Jesus Christ.
Possible Actions to Take in View of This Teaching
- Identify one area where temptation is strong for you. What are you doing to gain victory?
- From the Scriptures listed above, jot down instructive notes in your Bible next to each one.
- Is there someone in your life who might benefit from this teaching?
Fighting with you…
In Christ,
Dale