Standing Strong Against the Devil’s Attacks

Just as I predicted, my previous blog brought in some angry comments that were immediately removed and names were blocked from all of my social media pages. My page is not a place for negativity, violence, or anger — period. My page is a place for me to share my insights, positivity, love, God’s glory, and my story of how I got to where I am at today with God’s love, forgiveness and peace.  My posts are vulnerable but authentic. What you read is real. 

With that said, let me share some of the comments I got. Christians get attacked quite often, and it’s because we are authentic that Satan works through these attacks. I refuse to allow violence, bullying, or any type of threat that are targeted to my children or myself.

“You call yourself a Christian the way you treat people that loves you?”

I am not sure who you are referring to however, if you are referring to the ones who sexually abused me as a child—that isn’t love. I have forgiven them, but that does not mean I must tolerate their angry cycle of destruction, slander, and pure cruelty. This is a generational cycle that has continued through many generations, and I have chosen to break that cycle through the love of the Lord in my household.

“You use your kids as a leverage to hurt your mother.”

I love my parents, and always will because they are my parents who gave me life. That’s probably what hurts the most. Even if I have forgiven them and am no longer angry at them after so long, I do not want to follow in their footsteps. It’s probably the only lifestyle they know given their difficult childhoods and lives. But their stories are theirs to share, not mine.

What I will share is my story. I have peace today because I have the Lord in me giving me the strength to move forward. I want to protect my children from the destructive cycle passed from generation to generation until me — where it stops. My children, who are older, and I share the desire to obey Christ and live lives free of name-calling, slander, negativity, drama, and anger. We choose to obey Jesus and live our lives with pure joy, His love and peace.

“You are nothing but a hypocrite and a fraud.”

If I allowed others to pull me into their drama and anger, that’d be hypocritical of me because, as dictated by God, I choose to turn the other cheek. If that makes me a fraud or hypocrite, I welcome it because I strive to be a true Christian and follow God’s word.

“You are the worst Christian!”

That’s not for you to decide. It is between God and me.

“Holding onto anger, you are sick in the head and need help!”

As I have shared in my testimonies, I will never be perfect. Only Jesus is perfect. Have I carried anger? Of course! When I became a born-again Christian, I became embarrassed by the amount of anger and resentment I carried all these years. When I drew closer to God and read the Bible every single day, I knew I needed to change and stop carrying my anger.  When I made the choice to be a true Christian, I released the rope I was hanging myself with. I surrendered it all to God; only He can do whatever is necessary.

As He works on people filled with hatred, anger, and unforgiveness, I’m making the best life God has provided for me. I have started a new generation filled with His love, peace and joy.

The more we draw near to God, the more the enemy wants and will attack us, hoping we fall into temptation.  It’s the choice we have to make: do we want to fall back into that cycle, or do we want what God can offer to us if we follow him?  I choose the latter.

How to Stand Strong through the Devil’s Attacks

It’s easy to feel weary as the Devil attacks us. But there are things we can do to stand strong.

Be strong in the Lord.

Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. — Ephesians 6:10.

This verse literally means to strengthen yourselves in the Lord. The first thing we must realize is that in our own strength, the devil is no match for us. He is a powerful spiritual being that we must not try to engage on our own. Instead, we must recognize that Satan’s goal is to get between our souls and God, because God is our power-base. Satan tries to separate man’s heart from God and inspire man’s confidence in Satan instead.

Remember God’s love for you.

When you are being tested, you should remember the words of Jesus: My Father. . .is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. — John 10:29.

Absolutely nothing—nothing—can ever separate us from the love of God. — Romans 8:38–39.

Remember Christ’s victory over Satan at the cross.

For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. — 1 John 3:8.

The devil does not want you to remember that he was soundly defeated at the cross. Jesus broke Satan’s stranglehold on humanity when He died on the cross (Colossians 2:14; John 12:31–32).

We are not fighting for our victory; we are fighting from His victory!

This is the Lord’s battle, not our own. We are simply individual soldiers in a vast army who are to obey the directions given to us by the captain of our salvation. Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, recognized this when greatly outnumbered by his enemy. He prayed, “O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what do to, but our eyes are upon You” (2 Chronicles 20:12). God then answered King Jehoshaphat’s prayer through a prophet, saying, “The battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15).

Resist the devil.

Resist the devil and he will flee from you. — James 4:7.

We should keep as much distance between us and the devil as possible. We do this by avoiding things that will drag us down spiritually. Disobedience and persistent waywardness provide the enemy grounds from which he can attack and influence the Christian. This is why Scripture reminds us to not give the devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:27).

You will never win this spiritual battle in your own strength. You will only be successful when you draw your strength from the power base, God Himself. There you will find the strength and stamina to “stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11).

Be strong and do not give the devil a foothold.