September 1, 2021

The Devil’s Tactic

“Remember, son, Grandma is on the battlefield for her Lord.”

adapted from From Broken to Beloved, an upcoming book by Terry Wardle

Grandma Della Saunders was a woman who had a profound impact upon my spiritual life. She always said, “Remember, son, Grandma is on the battlefield for her Lord.” She realized something every believer needs to know: every morning you place your feet on a battle- field in a war with unseen spiritual forces. Four tactics of the enemy stand out—places where he loves to attack us:

1. YOUR IDENTITY

The first attack is ground zero—your identity as a child of GOOD

God. Satan works tirelessly to convince you that you’re not enough, defining you as broken and irreparable. He attacks your thoughts, uses the words of others against you, and characterizes God as angry and displeased. Satan does not want you to awaken to how secure and cherished you are as God’s child.

Jesus was weak and vulnerable after spending 40 days fasting and praying alone in a wasteland (see Luke 4:1–13). Satan had been watching Jesus, waiting for the moment when weakness gave room to dismantle everything the Father declared to be true. When the time was right, Satan struck and aimed precisely at the Lord’s identity. What he tried with Jesus he most certainly will do with you. If he can get you to question your security as a child of God, he can lure you into all kinds of destructive behaviors.

2. YOUR UNHEALED EMOTIONAL WOUNDS

Satan capitalizes upon every vulnerability you have, not the least of which are unresolved emotional wounds of the past. What remains unhealed within you becomes the terrain Satan attacks to bring despair and heartache to your life. Satan wants you bitter, angry, exhausted, and hanging on by an emotional thread. If he can keep you focused on the pain, you will never discover the strength of Christ.

3. YOUR UNMET LONGINGS AND DISORDERED DESIRES

God created you with a longing for love, safety, belonging, security, purpose, and understanding, and He wants to be the source of satisfying those desires. Unfortunately, if Satan senses an unmet longing, he will try to lure you into behaviors that promise satisfaction but in the end break you. Desire turned away from God brings bondage.

4. YOUR CONCEPT OF GOD AS LOVING AND GOOD

The evil one trades in deception, working to get people to question the goodness and love of God. When possible, he enlists the Lord’s own people to characterize God as capricious and withholding, far more generous with wrath than mercy. Worst of all, he tries to take advantage of every loss and disappointment, whispering into the minds of the grieving that God is ruthless, cruel, and uncaring. The evil one knows that questioning the character of God makes a person easy prey, so he’s relentless.

Identity insecurity, emotional wounds, unmet core longings, and distortions about God are prime targets for the evil one. Knowing that is a great first step. What you need now are action steps that will help you resist the devil and draw near to God in this great battle.

You are more than a conqueror because of the love of Christ (see Romans 8:37). God is on your side, and He is far greater than the one who is against you (see 1 John 4:4). These two truths provide a rock-solid foundation for you to stand against the evil one.

You are a force to be reckoned with. God knows it and welcomes you to a new Kingdom awakening, the unleashing of the wonder of you. Every act of Kingdom love brings light into this dark world. Satan knows it too and will do anything to keep you in bondage. Where there is light, the evil one is powerless. Say yes to the Lord and bring more light! Stand against darkness in the power of Christ your Lord.

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