Satan and his wicked army often attack Christians and try to get us to believe lies. Sometimes we believe the lies and our lives go downhill in various ways. We stumble into sin, we hurt someone, we go through a period of depression, and the list goes on. What do we do when Satan attacks us with lies and his other strategies? Ed Welch gives some good direction on this topic:
…What happens in our lives when we simply say to Jesus, ‘Yes, I trust you,’ is that we also trust in his power to stand firm against Satan’s attacks.
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Remember you have an enemy. Follow the lead of wise people who begin each day by actually saying, ‘Today, I must be alert that I have an enemy.’ Realize that you are walking where rebels are known to be in the area. Their lives are devoted to your destruction.
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Assume that warfare rages. Don’t even bother looking for signs of warfare. Just assume that you are in the thick of it. …Are you listening to wise counsel and Scripture? …Listening is a mark of humility, and Satan can’t successfully fight against it.
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Don’t think that your case is unique. This popular lie questions God’s care: all sufferers are tempted to believe that their suffering is unique. This lie immediately renders all counsel irrelevant because no one understands and no advice applies. The result is that the aloneness you already experience is now an established fact, and you are given ever more permission to despair.
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Know Christ. Satan’s energies zero in on one point: the truth about Jesus. If you are growing in an accurate knowledge of Jesus Christ, you are winning the battle.
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Humble yourself before the Lord. Humility is different from feeling low. It is lowering ourselves before God, and accepting his sovereign will. Humility says, ‘God owes me nothing.’ ‘He is not my servant; I am his.’ ‘God is God, and he has the right to do anything he wants.’
There is quite a bit more to Welch’s discussion, especially as he relates it to depression in the Christian life. I’ve summarized these points quite a bit, so I recommend reading the entire section for excellent biblical direction in fighting Satan’s attacks, especially when going through a period of depression.
Here’s where you can find it: Ed Welch, Depression: A Stubborn Darkness (Greensboro: New Growth Press, 2004) p. 68-71.
Shane Lems
Hammond, WI, 54015
The Reformed Reader Blog 