The scene is puzzling and eye opening.

The angels of the Lord came to present themselves before the Throne, and Satan came with them. He was there with a purpose and God knew it. He had been “roaming about on the earth.” He had seen Job and his devotion to Yahweh and became convinced that the only reason he worshiped God was because of how much he had been blessed.

So, in Job 1:9-11, he bargained with the Almighty (pardon my interpretation):

“Of course he blesses You! You put a hedge about him and his house and on all that he has, on every side. You have blessed the works of his hands, and made him the richest man in the land. Let me touch his life. Let me strip him off of every blessing you bestowed upon him. Then let’s see if he still worships you.”

You know the story. God gave the green light for Lucifer’s attacks.

And all hell broke loose in one of the bloodiest, darkest stories in the bible.

Sometimes, spiritual attacks are hardly detectable.

They may come in the form of that tempting situation where we have to make a decision…

Or through words that are thrown at us by someone we love dearly.

They may come through dark thoughts of hopelessness and fear…

Or through bad dreams that taunt us, all of a sudden.

Other times, spiritual attacks are so fearlessly evident, that we can even sense the presence of evil in our homes, jobs, or when we are around certain people.

Truth is, spiritual attacks are as real as God’s blessings are.

I have recently been the victim of intense spiritual attack. As I was praying, putting on the Armor of God as Paul calls us to do in Ephesians 6, the Holy Spirit gave me insight into five things that we all must know about spiritual attacks.

I would like to share them with you.

#1 – Satan has ONE objective: DESTRUCTION!

When Lucifer asked God to allow him to touch Job’s life, God’s objective for allowing it was to strengthen and prove Job’s faith. He knew the outcome, but His desire was to make Job aware of the depth of his love for God.

Satan’s objective, however, was only one: To completely destroy Job’s life.

When Satan attacks, he doesn’t mean to simply weaken you. He wants destruction.

He attacks your marriage to destroy your family, which in turn will impact each member’s testimony and effectiveness for God’s Kingdom.

He attacks your finances in order to destroy your peace and make you question God’s  faithful provision.

He attacks your children so that the blessings of God will not pass on to the next generation. He wants salvation to stop with your life.

DESTROY, he says. Not hurt or touch, but DESTROY.

#2 – He uses those you love the most.

Let’s look at Job once again: His wife (Job 2:9) and closest friends (Job 4-23) were used by the devil to get him to question and deny God.

He will do the same to you. He will use your husband, parents or children to provoke you to sin and deny God with your actions.

Remember that sometimes love is the greatest weapon. Pray for them, and CHOOSE to respond in LOVE. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

# 3 – He wants you to ignore that you’re under spiritual attack.

There’s such a division among Christians regarding spiritual attack. There are many Christians who are part of denominations which act as if  Satan is behind everything. Indeed, I’ve known some Christians who talk more about the devil than about God! However, on the other hand, there are certain denominations which almost completely disregard the devil as a present force in this world, and therefore never equip the saints to understands how he operates. What a tragedy!

He would love nothing more than to be ignored!

Because, if and when we do, much as soldiers caught by surprise, we are ambushed and become spiritually defeated.

# 4 – He HATES the BLOOD

“And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die” Revelations 12:11

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” – Philippians 2:9-10

Death and Hades will be cast in the lake of fire because of His sacrifice. (Revelations 20:14)

The blood of Jesus, which covered our sins and defeated Satan’s dominion over our lives has incredible power.

And that same blood covers you and me. We have been purchased by His precious blood. When we are under spiritual attack, we must stand on that truth: Because of redemption, “no weapon formed against us shall prevail.”

# 5 – If You Stand Firm, There’s Great Reward

“The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold.” Job 42:10

I believe it. I do.

I have walked through many valleys, where spiritual attacks were real and they were meant to destroy my life and testimony. I’m going through one right now as my husband’s job was eliminated in early January. God is proving our faith and steadfastness by fire. Once again…

and the devil has been trying to fiercely attack us.

But as I look back at the many years I have walked with Christ, and the valleys we have walked hand in hand… valleys of physical, emotional and even spiritual darkness, I can boldly testify, that each one was meant to strengthen me, never destroy me.

All God asks of me is that I stand firm, resist the devil, and watch him flee from my presence. (James 4:7)

Are you under spiritual attack today, my friend?

Welcome to the team of those selected to be strengthened, refined… victorious in battle!

Open your spiritual eyes.

Take up your Sword.

Stand Firm.

Remember: The battle is not yours.

All you have to do is get dressed for it . Resist.

And watch as the enemy flees.

PS: I created the frame to the right containing Scriptures to be used as you stand strong against the enemy. There is one scripture for each of the 5 things I listed on this post. Print it, share it, memorize them.

They’re powerful in battle!