How to Stand Strong When You Feel Spiritually Attacked

We’re in a battle in this world – a spiritual warfare battle. We may not see it, we might forget it’s there. Signs of spiritual warfare may include intensified temptation, discouragement, confusion, or opposition, but not every illness, loss, or emotional struggle should automatically be attributed to a spiritual attack. Scripture calls believers to remain discerning, prayerful, and firmly grounded in God’s truth. But the enemy would love nothing more than to fill our minds with discouragement and defeat. If you’re a believer who is living like salt and light in a dark world, you won’t go for long without encountering spiritual warfare through obstacles and attacks he will hurl your direction. And though we can’t stop his cruel attacks, we don’t have to let him win. God reminds us in His word to stay aware of Satan’s schemes, to live alert in this world, and to stay close to Him.❀ ✿✿ ❀Key PointsSpiritual warfare is real, but believers are called to stay focused on God’s truth rather than give fear or the enemy the final word.Possible signs of spiritual warfare include intense temptation, confusion, condemnation, despair, fear, and opposition that pulls us away from God.Not every hardship is a spiritual attack, so Christians need prayerful discernment, wisdom, and care when facing suffering or emotional struggles.God equips believers through the Holy Spirit, the armor of God, prayer, Scripture, praise, obedience, and Christ’s victory.When we belong to Christ, we can stand firm because the battle belongs to the Lord and the enemy does not have the final word.What Is Spiritual Warfare?Spiritual warfare is the unseen conflict in which believers resist Satan’s lies, temptation, accusation, and opposition by standing in God’s truth and relying on His power. God gives specific instructions in his Word, he gives us all we need to stand strong in this life and have victory over the battlefields of our mind, heart, and soul. Yet all too often we race through busy, full days, ill-equipped, unprepared, or simply not aware of what we’re up against, or who the real enemy even is.The forces of darkness don’t wait for us to be ready for their attack. They’re ruthless, determined, and cunning. The devil could not care less if we “feel” prepared or prayed up for our day. In fact, he prefers we’re not.But in a broken, dark world, how can we really know if we’re facing the expected difficulties of life as compared to true spiritual warfare attacks of the enemy? Jesus, Himself told us that in this life we would experience troubles (John 16:33), we know this to be true. And though many times we may not fully know who or what is behind the struggles, we can be assured that God equips us for battle and instructs us to stay alert.Spiritual warfare is not giving the devil more attention or focusing too much on his evil ways. Biblical warfare is becoming more attentive to what God is doing and remembering to stand firm, letting Him fight our fiercest battles. There’s power through His Spirit, His Word, and in prayer, and we can be confident that He is always with us, leading our way and covering us from behind.What Are the Signs of Spiritual Warfare?Photo Credit:  ©Jon Tyson/Unsplash