The Good Fight And What It Looks Like

I’ve never been in a fight before, at least not one that was physical. There have never been any punches thrown, hair pulled, or bloodshed from a fight. I’m not even good with a verbal fight, and I usually beat myself because I later think of things I should have said. However, I feel like there are some things worth fighting for.

The Good Fight

I’m not a combative person. In fact, I will go miles out of my way to avoid confrontation. However, when it comes to my children, you might be poking the bear. If you’ve heard the term “mama bear,” you know our children are not to be messed with. Few things will get a mother riled up more than someone being mean to their child. I’m not going to be happy if someone is mean to my husband, but he is a grown man and can take care of himself.

While it isn’t fun, I’m sure each of us has had a few confrontations with people we know. We can’t go through life without stepping on a few toes or getting our feelings hurt. Sometimes, our words or actions have been a misunderstanding, and we are able to set the record straight. Other times, hurt feelings lead to friendships being severed and never repaired.

I’ve had this happen to me, and I know the pain that it can cause. But what if you are being targeted, and you aren’t even aware of it?

If you are reading this post, you are probably a Christian who believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and our Lord and Savior. That one belief has put a huge target on you, not so much from people, although that can happen. Instead, you are now in the crosshairs of the evil one, the devil, the destroyer.

What It Looks Like

The devil is real. He isn’t a fictional character roaming around in a red suit with horns and a pitchfork. That would be too easy to spot and to avoid. He can use many spiritual tactics against us, and his entire existence revolves around making us miserable. He wants to separate us from God and will use every “trick” he can to accomplish that goal.

While that sounds impossible to fight against, there is some good news. He is not sovereign. He is not God. He can not do anything that God does not allow him to. In other words, he is on a short but powerful leash. The devil’s tricks include attacking our thoughts. He knows that if he can plant a tiny seed of doubt, we will water it until it grows. We first saw him use this trick with Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Genesis 3:1

¹ Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

The devil did not confront Eve by telling her that God didn’t exist; he already knew that God was real. He didn’t tell her that God had not told her what to do. Instead, the devil planted a tiny seed of doubt by asking her if God “really” said what SHE remembered Him saying. He was playing a trick on her by using her memory and desire.

She looked at the fruit and desired it, and the devil’s plan took hold. I’m not sure what went through her mind. Maybe she thought the same thing a lot of us have thought: “Why would a loving God deny me the one thing I want the most?” Maybe she rationed that God loved her, and she must have misunderstood what he meant.

The devil will always use your wants and desires against you. He knows that he can’t tempt you with something you don’t want, so he lures you into sin with the very things you are already asking for. We all have desires, and there isn’t anything wrong with wanting more. It is only a problem when the devil uses our desires against us.

If the Lord doesn’t give us what we want as quickly as we want, the devil has his opening. We become an easy target for the question, ” Did God really…?”

You can examine your life to see how the devil might attack you. Ask the Lord to show you the devil’s tactics so that you can fight them. For me, I think the devil attacks me through my Sunday posts. These posts put a target on my back because I’m publicly saying that God is real, He is sovereign, and He is my Lord and Savior. I am pretty sure the devil hates these posts with a passion.

So, he attacks them in a couple of ways. He uses my insecurity and lack of knowledge of the Bible: “Who do you think you are to write about God? You aren’t qualified, and no one would care if you stopped.” “Why not do a fashion post on Sunday? Those earn money, and your faith posts are not very good anyway.” “People don’t follow you for a faith post; they signed up to hear about fashion. You should stay in your lane and let the professionals handle faith-based posts.”

Another way he attacks me is through comments. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post called God’s Math Doesn’t Add Up – It’s Much Better. One of the comments was from someone who doesn’t follow my blog (I checked) and said, “You’re not that stupid, are you?” The devil isn’t usually so obvious, but that comment made me laugh. Like always, the devil doesn’t exactly lie; he plants doubt. None of the thoughts he put in my head are lies; I am unqualified. The person’s comment didn’t say that God doesn’t exist.

Put up your shield to deflect the devil’s plans. Be vigilant of ways the evil one can use people to attack us or make us doubt our beliefs. And, when under attack, remember all the ways that God has been good and faithful. He will never deceive us, He will never forsake us, and He is our Lord and Savior.

To GOD Goes The Glory!

Have A Blessed Day!