Responding Well to Spiritual Attack

Techniques of warfare the enemy of souls uses,

Anything that frustrates, discourages or cavalcades fear,

Anything, more, that might shatter or cause bruises,

We forget too often that God is always near.

The wise one might say, “See what’s going on here!”

He or she that has the insight to see,

The spiritual attack repelled now is cause for cheer,

For heaven’s host comes home to the one who does agree.

***

The spiritual attack within the ever-present spiritual war is easy to see if we’re spiritually aware; it comes by frustrating circumstances, vast discouragement, and unrelenting fear.

But God’s always near.

Whenever we note a calamity as it’s taking place, we can see what the enemy of souls is doing. He disrupts the good that is happening; the more of God’s work that’s succeeding, where God is glorified, the more disruption can be evident – at least until we’re under way and well on the track God determines we travel on.

We repel a spiritual attack by virtue: patience, grace, humility, faithfulness, compassion, gentleness, self-control... the fruit of the Spirit. In such forth are faith and hope and love. These never fail.

But awareness and humility to face the humiliation of circumstances; this is the spiritual poise of retaining calmness in the midst of a storm.

Under spiritual attack we become weaker and our pride resists, making things worse. It would be better to allow the perception of weakness. It takes a wealth of resource of humility to accept weakness when it’s just as tempting to cover up and protect the self in a manner of pride. But pride gets us nowhere – and the enemy of souls wins, because we have compromised.

***

Spiritual warfare is real and never more real than when there is a threat to Satan’s grip on situations. Any time we stand to do a thing that God wills us to do we might best expect to be tested by frustration, discouragement or fear. What we expect might occur prepares us for it and we can counter it.

When we see the tests of life for what they are – not being surprised or angered by their presence – we see them as opportunities with which to please God. The Lord knows we can transcend every test when we rely on his grace. Nothing would inspire us to conquer in Jesus’ name more than to endure tests out of a pure reliance on God’s powerful grace to get us through.

© 2013 S. J. Wickham.