Do you believe that there is a war for your soul? Do you believe that “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”? (Ephesians 6:12)
Sound like something from a horror movie? Yes it does, but this is real. Satan does not want us to succeed in advancing the Kingdom of God. He will attack you while on a mission trip, so just expect it and put on your spiritual armor to defend yourself against it.
Satan does so love the sneak attack. We can put in place safeguards to protect ourselves from the obvious attack, and we should. We may get vaccinated to prevent disease and drink only bottled water and we never travel alone. These are good things and offer physical protection, but Satan will sneak in and attack where we are not prepared.
One of his favorite things to attack is team unity. He will detect and zero in on areas of rivalry, jealousy, discontent, discomfort, and bad habits. Let me give a real life example.
The first mission trip I ever took was to Romania in 1999. Our mission was to plant a church in a tiny town that had been praying for 50 years for a building to worship in. The trip was planned out expertly and every detail in place.
As the team worked, it became more and more obvious to me that an enmity had developed between two members, a man and a woman. Actually, It would be more accurate to say the enmity was totally one sided. The man had no idea why the woman was treating him so rudely. It was very uncomfortable and distracting for us all.
Satan, seeing this, ran with it. Soon there were two women treating this man and all who would act friendly towards him, rudely. Does this sound childish? Absolutely and there is no room for it in kingdom work, at home or abroad. Was it embarrassing? Absolutely.
So how do we fight this attack? Here are three practical things to do.
Know your enemy
As the Bible tells us, our fight is not against flesh and blood. It is in the spiritual realm and it is against Satan. He merely uses us against ourselves. The best way to recognize Satan is to know God and His character. Then you will recognize what is not of God.
Dress for Battle
God has given us the spiritual armor that we need, both defensive and offensive. We have the breastplate of righteousness to protect our heart. With the belt of truth we can discern truth from the lies that will be hurled at us. We have the shield of faith to deflect fiery darts and the helmet of salvation to guard our minds. Our feet are fitted with the readiness to serve. And best of all, we wield the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
Fight back
Fight back by praising God. On another trip I took when team unity was threatened, we gathered the team together for deliberate praise and worship, and a miracle happened. As we sang and prayed, division became unity, strife became harmony, and the entire place was flooded with peace. Everything changed. I will never forget it and still today I call on that time to remind me of God’s faithfulness and power.
So anytime you are working for God, expect an attack. Be prepared and fight back. You have the Book and know how the story ends. Jesus wins.
Armor photo by wili_hybrid
Dragon photo by Gaetan Lee
Sword photo by jamesdale10
