Here are 5 ways that I suggest you use to overcome a spiritual attack when it comes.
Put on the Armor
We are not fighting an enemy we can see and we are no match for Satan and his minions by ourselves, therefore, we need the equipment to fight off an enemy that is more powerful than we are, however, God has not left us to ourselves. We need the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes given by the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Eph 6:14-17). If we understand our standing before God, we should not let the fiery darts of the evil one bother us for we are more than conquerors in Christ (Rom 8:37). We are conquerors, not the conquered. Jesus is the One Who brought us the victory. Until the day of the consummation of the kingdom, we must fight a spiritual battle and this includes the knowledge of our knowing the truth, that we are the righteousness of God in Christ (2nd Cor 5:12), we have the only message of hope in the gospel, we have the faith that can shield us from the enemy, the helmet of salvation is the knowledge that we are secure in Christ (John 6:37, 39), and the Word of God is our offensive weapon that has real power (Rom 1:16). Satan is no match for these any more than he is a match for Christ.
Praying
Near the end of Paul’s admonition to put on the armor of God he ends with perhaps the most important point of all in resisting spiritual attacks and that is to pray. In Ephesians 6:18 he writes that we are to be “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.” Jesus said something very similar when He said “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt 26:41). I can testify to the fact that my flesh is weak…very weak, so prayer is vital to resisting spiritual attacks when they come and they come to all believers. When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray He told them to pray “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matt 6:13) giving evidence that prayer can help deliver us not only from temptation but the evil one himself.
Stay in the Word
When we are consistently in the Word of God, it helps alleviate our fears and our doubts. The gospel is the very power of God unto salvation (Rom 1:16) and we need this power in us. In Jesus resistance of Satan in the wilderness, Jesus quoted the Word of God three times to rebuff the enemy. The Devil loves to take text out of context but Jesus uses the text in the proper context to fight off the attacks of the Devil (Matt 4). Jesus didn’t try to reason with the Devil or try to persuade him; He only used the Word of God as the objective truth and no one can fight the truth for it is always true, no matter how many try to slander it. Jesus said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6) and God’s truth never changes and the Devil can distort it, twist it, or even misquote it but Jesus’ Word is always the true and that truth is found in the Word. Abide in the Word and you’ll abide in Christ (John 15).
Resist the Devil
James wrote that we are to “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (4:7). The first part is often overlooked. When we submit to God we submit to His law. Jesus said “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15) and keeping of His commandments is submitting to Him and His will for our lives. Jesus says that “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them” (John 14:23) because “he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1st John 4:4). If we will submit to God then we will “not give the devil a foothold” (Eph 4:27) and this means having right relationships with others. Peter admonishes us to “Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings” (1st Pet 5:9). Submit and resist and he will have to flee.
Know your Standing
If you want to resist or overcome the spiritual attacks of the enemy, you must realize that you are no longer under condemnation. The Devil cannot condemn those who are justified and the Bible clearly says that there is “now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1). Satan can only harass us and plant seeds of doubt but if we know the Bible well enough, we can understand that we are cleared of all sin and have become the righteousness of Christ as Paul writes in 2nd Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” That’s how God now sees you, not as Satan sees you. He is the accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10) but it’s like the district attorney trying to bring up a case in court before the judge which has already declared you “not guilty.” Know that the truth of your being cleared of all sin and you’ll disarm the slings and arrows of the enemy. He’s got nothing on you anymore.
Conclusion
Paul warns us that “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph 6:12) so we need God’s supernatural help in overcoming these spiritual attacks. This help is available by putting on the armor of God, by praying at all times, by staying in the Word of God on a daily basis, by submitting to God and resisting the Devil, and by knowing where you now stand before God.
Article by Jack Wellman
