Yesterday, as I was leading worship at church, I had another familiar experience.  It started with my left eye feeling itchy and scratchy. There was no pain, but it was just annoying and distracting. Within a minute, I break a string on my guitar.  Been there done that many times before. And when it’s the only instrument, it’s quite noticeable.  Over the years, I’ve learned to keep going and move on. None the less, it’s annoying and distracting.  Then I start the next song, and I kid you not, a fly begins buzzing my face. At this point, we are just a few minutes into the service, and this stupid fly just keeps slapping me in the face over and over and over again.  Talk about annoying and distracting!  I knew quickly that it wasn’t bad luck. I knew it wasn’t something physical. And even though I am an unperfect man who sins, this wasn’t about my sin.  It was a spiritual battle.

That morning, I was standing at the point where the spiritual world pierces the veil into the physical world. Don’t we beg for the spiritual to come, engage, influence, or even alter our physical world, whether it is protecting us from a dangerous situation, healing our mortal body, or meeting a number of our needs in ways we don’t understand?  As Christians, we look for ways to see Jesus in our lives every day.  When we slow down long enough to look around, we can see His fingerprints all around us.  And imagine all the things that He does for us we don’t even see!

But what do we do when it’s Satan that shows up? The Bible clearly warns us about having to deal with him.
1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

In the beginning, Adam and Eve were only influenced by their creator.  He would come and visit them in the cool of the afternoon.  Meaning, He came to fellowship and teach them how they should live. They were perfect, innocent, and free of sin, until Satan came and deceived them through lies and temptation.  Job was a righteous man, and yet it was Satan who said it was only because God blessed him with riches.  So, God told Satan he could test Job to see if that were true.  Even Jesus encountered Satan in the wilderness after he was baptized to be tempted three times. And later on, after Jesus tells his disciples that He will be crucified, Peter responded in disbelief by telling Christ how that wouldn’t happen.  Christ responded, “Get thee behind me Satan.”

I am no expert and will never claim to be an expert in the study of spiritual warfare.  I am not the person to consult if you want to perform exorcisms.  That is above my pay grade. However, my belief is simple: If God created us knowing we would encounter these things, He created us with tools to combat them.  First, we have to know how Satan works in order to recognize that we are under attack. He is a deceiver. The Bible says he appears as an angel of light.  He appeals to the desires of the flesh. He will even use things that seem so natural that we dismiss them, and that is what happened Sunday.  His main goal is to separate us from Christ.  He tries to confuse and distract us to where we live in fear and doubt.  When we feel or sense these things, especially fear, rest assured he is at work.

Next is knowing how to respond once you recognize him.  The response is how Christ responded to him in the presence of Peter and the disciples.  Get thee behind me.  We have to rebuke him in the name of Christ to leave.  It is crucial to use His name.  My name means nothing to Satan.  I have no authority, but Christ does. An example is, I rebuke you Satan in the name of Jesus, and I demand you leave.  Don’t be afraid to say it more than once.  He will test our resolve. Remember the Christian Walk is a battleground, not a playground. Ephesians 6:10-18 lays out perfectly the tools He has given us when it instructs us to put on the whole armor of God.  Truth, righteousness, faith, salvation, prayer and knowing the Word of God are what shines in the midst of the darkness that is like a lighthouse to us when we are in rough waters.

Also, after we have rebuked him, focus on Christ: pray, meditate, listen to worship music, read the Bible.  Do something that redirects our attention to the Lord.  Colossians 3:2 says, “ Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”  The more we can do this, the more we can live in the love, joy, and peace of God.  These earthly things usually exacerbate the worry, stress, and anxiety that Satan wants to destroy us with.

Finally, I believe it is important that we prepare ourselves and our families to limit these encounters as much as possible.  One of the easiest solutions is by not putting our families in bad spots.  Know and educate yourselves on what your kids are engaged in. Know and educate yourselves on the things to avoid.  Know and educate yourselves on the things of God.  Focus on that relationship every day.   When we know who God is and the things God does, it is easier to know the things that aren’t of Him.

These battles are raging on all across our nation. Satan has his grip far and wide. It’s not just in the Satanic churches. It’s everywhere. Look at the witchcraft and rituals performed on stages by popular mainstream music artists. Look at the mockery of Christians at the Olympic games.  Look at the child mutilation taking place when it is decided they were born the wrong gender. Look at how there is no longer any truth or fact to be found or reported on. The statistics of pornography use and addiction INSIDE the church are startling! These are not social justice issues. This is a direct attack to distract, confuse, isolate, and tear down the body of Christ.  I personally don’t see the enemy letting up, slacking off, or giving us a pass.  I think these attacks will not only continue but intensify.  I could have easily ignored it on Sunday. Had I not confronted it immediately, I also would have taken my eyes off the prize, which is Christ.  If I had focused on natural things, I would have missed the opportunity to experience Christ.  So be prepared. Don’t be shaken when Satan shows up!

– Lee

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