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christian counseling today
VOL. 22 NO. 1
69
at times! However, the most damaging
and destructive demons we wrestle with
often reside within us. Here is where
the temptations of our private thoughts
and fantasies, coping mechanisms, and
unmet emotional and relational needs
can wage a stealth attack and subtlety,
but surely, wipe us out. Many leaders
are lonely, vulnerable, do not prioritize
their own needs first (think airplane
oxygen mask) or humble themselves to
be accountable to someone who cares
enough about them to get in their face
when needed.
If any leader ever “had it all,” King
David did. He was handsome, heroic,
and honored. Yet at a crucial time
when he should have been out waging
war against a public enemy, he stayed
home and was nearly destroyed by a
private, sexual encounter—one that
went deathly viral. Peter warned us
that our adversary prowls around like a
roaring lion (I Peter 5:8), but predators
are characteristically patient—they wait
very long times to strategically pounce
on their prey when least expected.
Tragically, David did not humble
himself to Nathan’s accountability until
after several innocent people died.
We are commanded to not be
outwitted by the devil’s evil, cunning
traps (2 Corinthians 2:11). It is essential
to be alert, aware, and advised of his
strategies and schemes. We realize that
he is totally hellbent on hurting God
and His children as much as he can for
as long as he can, yet we also need to be
mindful that although Satan is
opposite
of
God, he is not
equal to
God (I John
4:4). Learning to recognize his strategies
helps us resist him and cause him to flee
(James 4:7).
Try to identify which of these
pronounced, purposeful, and progres-
sively intensifying battle plans and
spiritual warfare tactics the enemy of
your soul activates to hurt you:
n
Distract.
The simplest way
to effectively neutralize one’s
opponent is to keep him/her
preoccupied with something or
someone else. This is the adver-
sary’s most common weapon,
and it saves from having to use
the limited munitions supply
of larger artillery. Whenever
our attention is distracted from
God, His plan, program, and
purpose for our lives, often
our energies are too. We are
called to fix our eyes on Jesus
(Hebrews 12:1-2) so we can
avoid the entanglements of sin.
n
Divert.
Once we are distracted,
it is fairly easy to get us off track
from pursuing and attaining
our goal of living a righteous
life. A commonly used military
strategy is to create a diversion.
After our attention is success-
fully diverted, we are not locked
in on our targets and/or we
can be tempted to drop our
guards. If a bullet or missile is
only a few degrees off, it will
likely miss its intended target,
rendering it ineffective. At best,
when we are detoured in life,
we are inconvenienced and
delayed; at worst, we are vulner-
able to attack and destruction.
Sometimes all it takes for a
martial arts combatant or an
offensive lineman to win is to
slightly redirect their oppo-
nent’s energies and efforts, thus
successfully negating them.
Again, it saves our enemy bullets
when he/she can get us off track
from accomplishing God’s will.
Many times, he/she can “win”
without even firing a shot.
n
Discourage.
Our adversary is
exceptionally evil, yet patiently
persistent, because he desires
to not just win the battles; he
ultimately wants to win the
war. The way he does that with
many Christ-followers, espe-
cially leaders, is to sideline them
with discouragement. When we
are beaten, battered, bloodied,
and bruised, it is natural to
want to retreat from the front
lines to regroup. When we are
shot in the back from friendly
fire, we understandably feel
bad, betrayed, bummed, and
bitter. War hurts. Battles are
scary. Injuries take time to
heal. We become exhausted
and commonly experience
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
from our battle wounds,
which results in feeling down-
trodden, depleted, dejected, and
depressed.
n
Defeat.
Far from being content
with merely taking us out of the
battle emotionally, he wants to
trounce us soundly, demoralize
us, and deliver utter defeat.
He keeps score. He brings up
the past and functions as a
well-informed tour guide for
our guilt trips. He is personi-
fied as the accuser (Revelation
12:10), trying to always make us
feel, act, and end up defeated.
Nevertheless, remember…
there is no more condemnation
for those in Christ (John 3:17;
Romans 8:1-2), and even in
death we are promised victory
(I Corinthians 15:54-58; I John
5:4). We are not the ultimate
losers—our adversary is (Psalm
60:12).
n
Devour.
What just eats
you up… or eats away at
you? Do old hurts or fears
gnaw at you? What nega-
tive or harmful thoughts
... the most damaging and destructive demons
we wrestle with often reside within us.