Several years ago, I took martial arts lessons from my husband. He was a really good instructor. He taught me, and his other students, such great lessons and the techniques we would need to know in order to back those lessons up. Looking back, he taught us much more than we could have realized at that time.
My husband taught us the things that attackers look for in a victim. Predators tend to prey on the weak–those who walk around with their eyes downcast and who carry themselves in a defeated manner. He also taught us to always be aware of our surroundings–alert…vigilant at all times. Predict trouble before it happens. Be careful to turn wide when approaching blind corners; look under your car as you walk up on it; and check your back seat before attempting to get in. Look for warning signs and approach potentially dangerous situations with caution and a clear plan of attack, should things go awry. As possibilities go through your mind, imagine different scenarios and determine, in advance, what you would do to handle yourself if these situations became a reality. If an attacker grabbed you by the wrist, how would you escape? If they grabbed you from behind, what would you have to do differently to get out of that situation? How would you react if someone pulled a gun on you? For every attack, there is a counter-attack. Mentally preparing for these things in advance can help you to already have a plan in mind if (God forbid) anything ever really happened; having rehearsed the scene in your head beforehand, you would be able to react more quickly.
I thought about all of these “techniques” this morning as I was talking to the Lord, and He showed me how so many of these same principles should be applied to the battles we face in our Christian walk.
The fact of the matter is…there IS a predator who is seeking nothing less than to kill, steal, and destroy. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us that this evil one roams the earth looking for those whom he might devour. I can picture him, lurking in the darkness, sliding his tongue over his jagged teeth, salivating over his wicked plans to bring about our demise. And, if you’re walking around with your spiritual eyes downcast–or, even worse, closed–he’s going to pounce on you like lion on a gazelle.
Attacks WILL come. It’s a fact. If you’re not currently under some kind of attack–well, first of all, you may not be a threat to the devil, and that’s a BIGGER problem!–but I digress. Sooooo…If you’re not currently under some kind of attack, you likely will be soon. But overcoming the attacks is all about how you handle them when they happen.
What can we do when attacks come? To start with, we need to be aware that Satan is out there…waiting. We CANNOT walk around with a victim mentality. We are warriors, and we must hold our heads up and keep our eyes focused confidently on the Lord. We need to prepare our minds and our spirits BEFORE trouble arrives on our doorstep. We need to stay “prayed up” every day, asking God to keep His hand of protection over us. We should nourish ourselves on a steady diet of God’s Word.
We also need to predict trouble before it happens by approaching potentially dangerous situations with caution. If we know we’re weak in a certain area, we need to avoid that thing like the plague. For instance, if you’re an alcoholic, stay away from the bars! Addicted to porn? Stay off the Internet when you’re alone…avoid being alone, if that’s an issue. Maybe you need to change your friends because they people you run with are leading you down the wrong path. The best offense is a good defense. Get in alignment with other spiritually mature, Christian people and form strong accountability relationships so you’re not left fighting all by yourself. It always helps to have someone guarding your blind side.
In a physical battle, you should keep your arms in tight to protect your vital organs. All you need to do is drop your guard for one second and…BAM…your opponent can have you for lunch. Satan is patient and persistent. He’s waiting for you to drop your guard so he can sucker-punch you square in the heart. The Bible tells us to guard our hearts; that means we must be careful about the things we allow grow in them. We mustn’t allow anyone to feed us full of animosity, fear, greed, etc. We cannot let offenses go unchecked. We cannot allow unforgiveness have a place in our hearts. All these things are the spiritual equivalent of dropping your arms in a physical fight and exposing the most vulnerable parts of your body. Take these kinds of issues to the Lord IMMEDIATELY upon recognizing their existence. Don’t let your flesh tell you its okay to hold on to a little bit of your anger, your resentment, your jealousy. That stuff is like the poisonous bite of a puff adder. Get on your face before God, and be honest about the ugliness you find in your heart; then, let God extract the venom out of the bite before it spreads. It may hurt a bit, but it’ll save your life.
Okay, so let’s say you do all that prep work, but there’s one spot you missed. There’s some area where your defenses were weak and he got through and nailed you anyway. What do you do when he’s pummeling away at you? Worship God. Focus on all that the Lord has done for you. Give God thanks for the victory that you don’t even have yet because you trust that He will deliver you from the devourer, and He will bless you–just as He did Job–double for your trouble. Don’t allow anything to shake you from your firm footing in Christ. There is nothing on this earth that should have more power over you than your love of the Lord. Having prepared for this attack in advance, you’ve already got your prayer warrior friends and accountability partners on stand-by. Call them to action, asking them to intercede on your behalf.
We also have to be prepared to talk back to the Devil. We need to let him know we see him for what he is. We know what he’s up to, and we’re not afraid because we serve a mighty King and, right now, an entire army of angels is fighting the battle, on our behalf, in the spiritual realm. We are not afraid because we KNOW God has a good plan for us. We KNOW He will not allow us to be tested beyond our ability to overcome. We KNOW that He is on our side and, if God is for us, then what idiot thinks he can stand against us? The Bible tells us that NO weapon formed against us will prosper. And, speaking of weapons, we have the ULTIMATE weapon…the blood of Jesus Christ…and we can apply it liberally to any situation that arises because God Himself has given us dominion and authority through the birth, death, and resurrection of His Son.
When it’s all said and done, we have to remember…there’s no war that has been fought wherein the front-line soldiers have come out completely unscathed. But you wear those battle scars proud. You use those healed-over wounds to show an up-and-coming warrior how to get through their fights. You come alongside other young Christian people and you share your war-stories to help them learn the strategies they need to employ to help them defeat their enemies. The scars we’re left with, they serve to help us remember where we came from…they serve to help us grow. They’re nothing to be ashamed of. They’re like badges of honor that we should wear with humble pride…never forgetting that we stood strong in the war, but it was God who won it.
Yep. It’s true…for every attack, there is a counter attack. Just make sure you have a plan and that you’re properly dressed for the occasion. Put on your helmet of salvation. Mount that breastplate of righteousness securely over your chest. Cinch up your belt of truth and tie on those shoes of peace. Make sure your Sword of the Spirit is sharp and ready for battle. With all this in place, we have all we need to overcome Satan’s evil plans for us. Don’t let him shake you…He’s just scared ’cause he read the end of the book too. 😛
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