The Enemy

The enemy is after me in a big way this week.  He is fighting hard and it is stemming from an experience I had at a new small church we went to on Sunday.  We’ve been looking for another church because our old church has drifted away from speaking the truth to “fluffy” messages aimed at feel good messages. The pastor there is more concerned with getting more people and even has a marketing strategy to do so. Part of it is doing series after series of feel good messages with a focus on trying to get people to come back to church each Sunday to feel good about themselves and not hear the truths from the Bible.

Anyway, we went to this small church, about 20 people, after being invited by a friend.  The pastor actually was teaching from the bible, which was surprising to me because I expected another “feel good” church. It was refreshing.  After the service was done there was the alter call. I didn’t go up to it for I didn’t think I needed prayer for anything.  Once the alter call was finished the pastors mom, who was helping pray for people, looked directly at me and waved me up. I didn’t move. She did it again and I reluctantly went up to the alter. She immediately stared at me in a concerned deep stare and began speaking in tongues at me.  Then she was speaking Spanish and my wife had to interpret it for me. She said I suffer from great depression (true) and the enemy is using it to keep me away from a full relationship with Jesus.  She said the Lord wants me to get past the depression for he has many plans for me. She said He needs me fully because my depression is a road block to my relationship with him.

She was so right. It is amazing and miraculous how God uses others to give us messages.  I felt my heart sink for she knew my inner weakness and my heart melted because that was something I needed to hear.

So here I am Monday morning.  The enemy is trying his hardest to overcome me, more so than ever before with my depression. He almost won twice in the last two years, but I sought through pray what I should do and twice in one year I was hospitalized in a psychiatric hospital for coming close to suicide. Right now my mind is filled with suicidal ideations and I know it is the enemy trying to take hold of me after my release of this burden yesterday. The thoughts are unending and are bombarding me with feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness of a future. In my heart I know this to be untrue and I keep praying and praying to get these feelings out of my head, but I’m having a real hard time with it. It seems that no matter what I do, these thoughts will creep back into my head.

I rebuked Satan and his intrusive thoughts. I rebuked him and his evil desires for me. I rebuked him in my mind and heart.  I received a prophetic word from a stranger and I hold fast to the words she gave me. I know I will overcome because God said so through her.  Since writing these words, my depression has vaporized and I feel alive again.  Being on the verge of tears and thoughts of harming myself are gone. Here it is Wednesday and I haven’t felt depressed since I battled with Satan on Monday. Glory to God!

I don’t think I’m alone in this.  From responses I get from people, Satan uses our weakness against us and the power of his suggestions can be overpowering.  The power of Satan is great, but the power of Christ is greater.  When faced with Satan and his attempts to lead you away from God, or in my case to harm myself, have strength in Christ to overcome. Take a moment here to rebuke and pray. Over and over again rebuking Satan and the thoughts he is putting in your mind. Knowing that I received the prophetic word on Sunday has caused Satan to try his hardest at getting me to give up. After rebuking him, I felt a peace in my heart and a confidence in my soul that yes, I am not controlled by Satan. I am the child of the Most High. 

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours,” Mark 11:24.

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you,” John 15:7.

I have asked God for a lifting of my depression and a rebuking of Satan, and His answer was immediate.  I’m also asking God what other plans He has for me and I’m patiently waiting for that answer. During the alter call, the prophetic word I got was that God has greater plans for me and greater works for Him. Right now, my ministry is writing these articles and getting into teaching bible studies now.  Yet I patently and excitedly wait the revealing of what God still has in store for me.  I eagerly wait.

I want to talk to you about your stumbling blocks in your life that may be similar to my situation. What road blocks have Satan put in your path preventing you from being fully committed to Christ?  What is it in your life that is holding you back? Is guilt leading to depression? Mine is. Is it a sin you committed that you think you can never be forgiven of? You can be forgiven.  Is it lust for something? You can overcome that.

I had a gentleman write me and said that he is trying to overcome lustful desires. So bad are his actions that he says he can’t look up to the Lord for the shame he is feeling for always giving in to his lustful desires. He feels there is no hope for him or his salvation anymore. This thinking was similar to mine with depression, but like me, he needs to pray and pray and rebuke Satan in that aspect of his weakness and ask forgiveness and then endure. We are to endure this world. We are to endure the hardships and the things Satan uses against us to keep us separated from Christ.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Regardless of what Satan tries to do. Regardless of how he tries to snatch you away from the Lord, know that God does have plans for each and every one of us. This is a promise made to us in Jeremiah. God’s plan for us is to not be defeated by Satan, but to overcome Satan and the world. By doing this we may prosper in the Lord and walk with Him into eternity. 

We may not know what these plans are but part of it is to not harm us but to give us hope. Satan will get you, through your weaknesses, to think otherwise: you aren’t good enough, shame, guilt, hate of self, etc. The Lord, though, has plans to prosper you in your life. This prospering is not material goods, but is spiritual in nature. He wants us to grow in Him. He wants us to seek Him for guidance and truth to live our lives here on this earth in righteousness while seeking eternity with Christ.  So when you think of prosper, don’t think of a bigger house or more material things, but think of your spirit, soul, and the growth you can achieve by seeking and having hope in the Lord.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes,” Ephesians 6:10-11.

Satan is always scheming against us. He never stops. He never ceases. He never sleeps. His goal is to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). He wants to destroy our walk with Jesus. For me, this is through depression.  He has come close but I have endured through prayer and guidance of God to seek help with the right people for treatment.  He didn’t win and won’t win. 

Satan wants you. He wants to destroy you. He wants to steal you from Christ. He wants to kill you and your relationship with Christ.  Don’t give in. Every time thoughts enter your head that you know are trying to sway you away from Christ, remember Satan’s mission to kill, steal, and destroy. Rebuke Satan. Rebuke him to leave you alone. Pray for the strength of Christ to overcome. Overcome Satan and though he will try harder and harder, your strength and hope in Jesus will ensure you overcome him. 

Jesus was tempted with everything we are, will be tempted with, and He overcame. We too can overcome all troubles we face because Christ did.  If we are faced with the schemes of Satan, we can rest assured that Christ already overcame Satan and we can too. What we go through He experienced and if He overcame, so can we.  Christ through his defeating the devil knows what we go through and what we face in the world and He is our advocate and our rest from Satan.

When Satan fights with us, it is a spiritual battle between him and you.  Put on the full armor of God in your battle with him. Ephesians tells us this in Ephesians 6:10-17:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

With the full armor of God, wear it snugly on your heart and mind, knowing that with this armor, you can defeat the principalities that are after you and confront you:  Temptations, trials, hopelessness, depression, etc. With the armor of God you will overcome.  Lean on God’s strength to help you fight and win.  With God all things are possible and He will not allow you to lose if you have faith that He can help you win. With faith and hope in the Lord, all things are possible and defeating Satan is a sure win.

After writing this, I no longer fear my depression, for it has lifted. I no longer fear that Satan is winning in my life for I have the armor of God with me.  I know all things are possible with the Lord and with Christ as my Savior.  Will Satan come after me again? Yes, for he never quits, but I have won this battle and eagerly await the next. I eagerly await the next challenge Satan has for me because every one of my victories brings me closer to Jesus and strengthens my faith in Him and my future.

Those of you that feel like you are losing the battle, don’t lose hope, but get strength from Christ to overcome. Don’t give in to Satan. Once he can crack you, he will do his best to wedge a chasm between you and Christ with his ultimate goal of keeping you from Salvation.  Rebuke him and he will flee. Pray for strength to overcome Satan. Always look up when Satan begins to attack you.

All verses are from the NIV.