With a title like the one above it is important to remember that all Satan’s attacks, from the world the flesh, occur under God’s sovereign control.
Romans 8:28 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
To be clear, Satan is given a lot of rope, under God’s sovereignty to carry out his counter attacks on God’s kingdom. It is for this reason we are warned in scripture to “be sober be vigilant; because your adversary, the Devil, walks about, like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (I Peter 5:8-10).
We are then called to “Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world”.
Why the line about “knowing these same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world”?
This line is used because being ambushed by Satan, as a lion ambushes a herd of animals, is a confusing, disorienting circumstance, which causes us to forget we are not the only ones suffering.
Remember, a lioness hunting looks for stragglers from a herd who are young, old, or injured. All three scenarios scream limited movement and, in chaos, isolation. This is why Satan ambushes us, but let’s use another analogy, if you will permit me: that of being sucker punched.
For the person who gets sucker punched, there is an automatic disorientation, which after the fact, when the injury lingers from the traumatic moment, we would say, why me, and/or why didn’t someone warn me or protect me, or stop the attack before it occurred.
A satanic ambush, whether it be an attack from the lost world or from inside the church of Jesus Christ, is a vulgar display of power that can leave us disorientated, confused, and if it lingers, forgetful about God’s character, nearness to us, and sovereignty over the attack ultimately. In this forgetfulness, we can begin to doubt God is with us. We may even question what we did to deserve such righteousness and evil against us.
From the outset, let us always pray we do not forget that even if we suffer a satanic sucker punch, believing we are being treated unfairly is a zero-sum gain.
In the first place, let us remember that if we are doing well, in Christ, that does not mean we get a life of bliss or even relative peace. For anyone seeking to love the Lord with all heart, soul, and strength, they are guaranteed to suffer persecution (John 15:18-6-4, 33; II Timothy 3:12).
Secondly, brethren, we never get what we deserve, because of Christ. Remember, by birth we are children of wrath deserving of eternal separation from God. Therefore, the suffering we face now has no comparison to what God freely gives us, in Christ, as the redeemed of the Lord.
This leads to a very practical necessity, where the LORD uses Satanic attack for the purpose of our sanctification.
Hebrews 12:3-6 3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. 4 You have not yet resisted bloodshed, striving against sin. 5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6 for whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.”
All that being said, the reality is no one likes getting ambushed by the enemy, where you are hit with a devasting, disorientating, confusing sucker punch, which leads to our forgetting the goodness of God, His nearness to us, or His true disposition of loving care as we deal with the fall out.
Recently, I have been led to meditate on my own response to the many varied satanic attacks against me and my family over the years. I do not believe every undesirable circumstance is generated by the Devil, but a number of them have been, from a life of 28 years, seeking to follow Christ. Below are my findings.
WHAT SATANIC SUCKER PUNCHES HAVE ATTEMPTED TO MAKE ME FORGET
- That our God and Father is always present, whether I am able to experience His presence or not.
Scripture is clear, that even for the those outside of Christ that God is very near to humanity. In Acts 17 Paul begins to address the pagan population at the Athenian Areopagus, where he reveals a wonderful truth about God’s character and nearness to all humanity.
Acts 17:23-28 Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: 24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and have our being…
Even prior to our being saved, we must admit that God is near to all humanity, waiting for them to receive the gospel through repentance and faith; as stated in Acts 17. How much closer is God to those who follow His Son in faith? Especially when we are in the midst of Satanic sucker punches and demonic ambushes. Paul says as much in Philippians 3.
Philippians 3:10-11 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Adversity stirs up impurities, negative patterns of thinking (strongholds), which can cloud your memory and sensitivity to the Lord present with us and in us, through the presence of the Holy Spirit. David, from and Old Testament reveal the awareness we are to have concerning God’s presence and our sin.
Psalms 51:4 “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight”
Hopefully, our awareness of God being with us, will aid in dying to self and refusing to take the bait of temptation. More important is the realization that God is always near to us, because we are His children, through Christ’s finished work, as we are saved by grace through faith.
Despite this reality we must fight not to forget this truth when our circumstances explode from Satanic attacks.
Before I was saved, on two occasions I experienced the reality of Acts 17:27-28. While I was tormented by demonic thoughts pushing me to take another person’s life, the Lord spoke to me “Put that knife away”, which I responded to.
After an extended period of time, those demonic voices switched their sucker punch tactics, knowing I would not take another person’s life. For months they penetrated my thoughts with suicidal thoughts. The oppression was life crippling. On the day I could not longer take hold back, in the moment I was going kill myself, God spoke again “If you kill yourself, you will meet God, as a murderer”.
It was God who was right with me, even before I knew He was, that was reaching out, calling me to obey His word “Thou shall not kill”, in the middle of chaos.
As a follower of Jesus Christ, this communication is consistent, from the Holy Spirit in us, in relation to God being “Abba, Father”.
Romans 8:14-16 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God
Romans 8:26-28 26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
The passages above are often divided from one another and the context of Romans 8. That context is living through persecution and difficulty, in the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11); times of Satanic ambush. Therefore we must fight for the truth concerning the Lord and His faithfulness, His relationship to us at all times, and who we are in Christ.
We must remember that Satanic ambushes are meant to invoke forgetfulness concerning our faith in the Lord. God’s word, should we hide it in our hearts and recite it to ourselves when trouble comes, aids us in remembering.
Psalms 40:11-13 11 Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O LORD; let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me. 12 For innumerable evils have surrounded me; my iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; They are more than the hairs of my head; therefore my heart fails me. 13 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; O LORD, make haste to help me!
HE WILL FOR SURE!!!
Psalms 9:9-10 9The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble. 10And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
Psalms 103:6 6The LORD executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.
Psalms 34:15-16 15The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry. 16The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
God’s nearness to those who are seeking Him, those who trust Him by faith, is the cornerstone of the blessing of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Isaiah 61:1-3 1 “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”
In my next post, we will look into another truth we often forget in the midst of Satanic sucker punches.
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