When the Enemy Strikes

That is the title of a new book by Charles Stanley. I just picked it up this morning and started reading it. It's amazing sometimes. I ordered the book a few weeks ago and had it in my "to read" section of my home library. Then, this blog was verbally attacked yesterday by someone
who spewed so much hate towards my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
I deleted the posts, then, unfortunately, found them (plus many more REALLY disgusting diatribes) on another blog of a new Christian acquaintance.

I immediately noticed that this happened the day after I posted the previous blog topic and mentioned satan as the "liar who comes to
steal, to kill and to destroy". Those who are under his thumb love to attack Christians.

In fact, Stanley states on the book jacket that, "every Christian experiences satanic attack. When the enemy strikes, he targets the
mind, the seat of the will and emotion. His unrelenting assaults
against the people of God are a fact of life, confirmed by God's Word.
So the question is not how to avoid them but how to overcome them. "

Stanley tells us that the answer is not so much to fight, but to resist.
To STAND. What do we need to stand on? The Lord himself and His Word. The victory begins with trusting the Lord Jesus Christ and
trusting in HIS victory which has already made satan a defeated foe.

God has not left us defenseless. "Greater is He who is in you than he
who is in the world," said Jesus. God has given us everything we need: guidance, wisdom, and insight from the Bible. We also have the armor and weapons in the Spirit. Our main offensive weapon is Scripture! It
is crucial that Christians know what the Bible says about spiritual warfare. Satan will attempt ANYTHING to discourage our walk with Christ, rob our lives and destroy what is good. Though he is a powerful adversary and should never be taken lightly, he is NOT omnipotent.

There are struggles common to every human. Fear, discouragement, loneliness, anger, temptation, to name a few. Some people may think
that such circumstances or negative emotions originate from within or only from others around them. I think this is a huge mistake. They COULD be the result of a willful, coordinated assault of satan. Two of
his best tools are deception and perpetuating the belief that he isn't
real.

Stanley's book lists some of the tactics used by satan to taunt, confuse, slander, and harm. He states, " Your adversary wants to crush your
will, delay your promise, hinder your destiny, destroy your
relationships, and lead you into sin."

Wow. That last one is a big one. Sometimes his deceptions are so
strong that people who are in the throes of a sinful lifestyle completely deny that this is so!

Stanley goes on to say, "The most important component of warfare is
the supremacy of God - both His sovereignty and His power. Practically, this means the battle you face are ultimately allowed by God to bring
you to a place of greater reliance on Him. HIS STRENGTH crushes the enemy.

That is precisely why we need to call on Jesus Christ in times of
spiritual battle. I called on Jesus yesterday after being attacked on this blog. I deleted the blasphemous posts. I pray that the person who did
this is bound up by Christ and sent away! However, if he returns, I will call upon the power of Jesus Christ again.

Stanley states, "This is a world of conflict between good and evil, of powers beyond the merely human. The battle is unavoidable, but take heart! God has given me (and you!) the strength to stand."