Last week we talked about using Scripture to renew our minds. Today I want to show how I used Scripture to help me with my own project which is making a list each day and actually following it.
Usually I just use whatever Scripture I’m studying at the moment, but this time I went looking for passages that talk about spiritual attack because I was feeling oppressed and thought I might be
going through some attack.
I put the information in chart form because it seemed like an easier way to organize it. In the first column I recorded what the Bible said; in the second column I summarized the concept, and in the third column I made it personal. If you’d rather do this study on your own, I’ve posted a blank chart on my other blog.
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Who is Satan? |
How does he operate? |
How will this affect your project? |
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| Genesis 3:1-6 | God’s opponent. | He gets us to question God and make sin look attractive and reasonable. | He’ll try to make me think playing around on the internet would be a far better occupation than doing the next thing on my list and that maybe I don’t really need a list after all. * |
| Luke 4:1-13 | The tempter | He tempts me with things that look good, feel good, and appeal to my pride. | He’ll remind me of the lemon bars in the freezer, the blogs I could check out on the internet (rather than writing my own), and he’ll tell me not to write my own blog because it will look so bad compared to all those others and that would be embarrassing. |
| John 8:44 | A liar, a murderer, the father of lies | He lies | He’ll have a good lie cooked up for every item on my list – some good reason not to do it. He’ll tailor the lie to my own personal weaknesses. ** |
| 1 Peter 5:8, Luke 4:13 | My adversary | He prowls around looking for opportune times to attack people. | It’s not surprising I’m being attacked right now. Satan looks for opportune times. The beginning of a project is an opportune time because I’m weak. |
| Revelations 12:9-10 | The accuser of the brethren. | He deceives the whole world, and he accuses the brethren. (Interesting.) | He will try to tell me I’m a loser and that I’ll never get over this so why bother? |
* I’m not implying here that it’s a sin to live life without a list or to play around on the internet. But because I tend to be a self-indulgent, let’s-have-fun sort of person, it’s easy for me to waste a lot of time. What I’m working towards is a life where I ask God each morning what He wants me to do that day (including how He wants me to love Him and others), then write it on the list, and actually do it. I’ll never reach this goal unless I continue to renew my mind every time I don’t feel like doing my list. (Note: If I were a different type of person, I might have to make a goal of being willing to interrupt my list each day to what God wanted me to do.)
** When I looked at this passage, I actually listed all the lies I thought Satan was telling me and wrote the truth to go along with those lies (basically it was a truth journal with the list method).
Question: Can you tell when you’re being spiritually attacked? What do you do when you’re attacked?
In answer to your question, I would say “usually” and/or “eventually.” Most of the time, I can tell when Satan is attacking my life, but I just don’t always see it right away. Eventually I do, but I usually end up kicking myself for not seeing it sooner. I also say “usually” because attacks are not always Satan. In other words, I do not want to give him too much credit either, because I’m pretty good at making my life difficult without his help. Just in case though, I will rebuke him in the name of Jesus anyway. Can’t hurt, and I’m sure he’s up to something anyway.
Kari, I like the usually and/or eventually. I guess that about says it. If we continue to pursue God, eventually we’ll be attacked. I can’t tell for sure if I’m being attacked either, but when I focus on the truth and keep replacing lies with truth, I start feeling better regardless.
You hit on another key… focus on the truth. We have been studying 1, 2 & 3 John in our adult class, and one of the main focuses of these books are to know the truth. Don’t worry about learning false (there’s too much out there anyway). Focus on the truth of God’s Word, and you’ll know lies when they hit you.
So true, Kari. I’m reading your words of wisdom again today. Up in the middle of the night going through this study again for myself and will also go back to the Isaiah verse you mentioned above. Thanks!
Sometimes I can tell when I’m spiritually attacked. My particular vulnerability (or at least the one I’m aware of) is discouragement. So I have to counter that one occasionally.
But I love how you’re seeing spiritual attack even in the seemingly mundane details of your life like to-do lists. So often, people have this mistaken impression that spiritual attack is some dramatic thing.
I also struggle with discouragement. I have to constantly keep coming back to the Word to see life from God’s perspective. Today I was reading an interesting passage that talked about discouragement – Ezra 3 and 4, particularly Ezra 4:1-4.
For me, the book of Isaiah always pulls me out of discouragement. I just read through the many verses I have highlighted and always feel better afterward. My favorite is 43:18-19.
Thanks, Kari, that’s a great one.
Barb, you have excellent teaching here. So glad you resisted the enemy and posted it here. I needed to read this today!
Thanks, Melanie. I’ve been needing this lately, too. Also, I’ve been meaning to tell you – I love the worktodo app you suggested. It’s really helping me with my list!