Who's the Villain in Your Story?

I’m so mad! I’m mad, and disappointed, sad, and confused, discouraged, and overwhelmed.  I feel like I’ve ridden the Tower of Emotional Terror over the last month as I’ve watched people I love experience one blow after another.  I’ve called out to the Lord on their behalf, and I’ve wept for them.  It’s so hard to understand.  It feels like there are fiery darts being thrown in every direction. What is happening?!?!

Can you relate?  Do you feel like you’re in the middle of a battle, or do you have a front row seat to your loved ones being pounded right now?  This isn’t how it’s supposed to be!  These people are good people!!!  Why are they being attacked so aggressively?

After wrestling with my emotions, God made some things clear to me.  I don’t have it all figured out, but God is teaching me a lot through these raging wars and I want to share it with you.

It’s Not for Me to Understand

I want to understand the why.  I want to figure it all out.  I’m not sure if it’s my innate curiosity or pure nosiness… but I want to know all the ins and outs.  However, this has only led me down a path of distraction, frustration, and discontentment.  I had to confess one morning to my husband, Bryan, that I wasn’t ok.  My mind was full of unanswered questions, sorrow, and emotional wreckage.  I also had to confess to my Heavenly Father that I needed help.  I was consumed by these battles all around me and convicted by my emotions.  I was cycling through so many different emotions and I was scared that those emotions and thoughts were not aligning with God.  

In laying it all out before God, He showed me that it’s not for me to figure out.  He showed me that He wanted me to keep my eyes on Him and he would take care of the confusion and chaos all around me.  He reminded me that He loves these people more than I do and He wants the absolute best for them.  There’s no one who can take care of them better than Him.  He reminded me to trust.  

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Isaiah 26:3

God showed me that I needed to return my mind to Him for that perfect peace He continues to gift to us.

The Battle is Not Against Flesh and Blood.

Second, He reminded me of Ephesians 6:12.  It just started playing in my mind on repeat.  I really like the International Children’s Bible version:

 “Our fight is not against people on earth. We are fighting against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness. We are fighting against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly world.”  

I found myself angry with people… people who were causing my people pain and misery.  But God reminded me that my battle is not against people.  The battle is against Satan.  He’s the true enemy.  He’s the one who comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).  

A great mentor of mine shared an impactful book with me about recognizing Satan’s schemes:  Jon Gordon’s The Garden: A spiritual fable about ways to overcome fear, anxiety, and stress.  In this quick and easy read, Gordon spells out Satan’s schemes with The Five D’s: Doubt, Distortion, Discouragement, Distractions, and Division. Those are the tools he uses to separate us from God and from each other.  

In each of these battles I’m watching unfold, I can clearly see Satan’s 5 D’s at work.  But I first had to shift my perspective from “flesh and blood” to “spiritual powers of evil.”  None of us are immune to Satan. Scripture is very clear that we should be expecting his attacks:

"Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour" 1 Peter 5:8 NLT

Peter wasn’t writing this to the rebellious heathens of his time.  He was writing to believers.  We all need to be aware of Satan’s goals to cause doubt, distortion, discouragement, distraction, and division.  All it takes is a tiny foothold for Satan to sink his claws in and cause destruction.

We Need to Armor Up

So if we know Satan is prowling around, how do we prepare ourselves?  How can we proactively be prepared for battle?  The answer can be found in Ephesians 6:

 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then, after the battle, you will still be standing firm.  Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.  For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.   In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.   Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. Ephesians 6:13-16

These battles we are facing are not new.  Satan has been working to separate us from God all the way back to Adam and Eve’s era.  He’s using old, worn-out tricks, and we’ve been warned he’s lurking around, ready to pounce.  If we’re not prepared, it’s our fault!

I wouldn’t think about going to work without clothes on, would you?  I don’t miss a morning of brushing my teeth or taking my medicine.  I make sure I fuel my body with food every day.  These are things I do to take care of my physical body.  But how much more important is it that we take care of our spiritual body?

Spiritual warfare is real, and we are warned to armor up.  Starting our day in God’s Word should be as habitual as getting dressed in the morning.  Spending time in prayer should be as routine as eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Please know that I’m not writing in a finger-pointing tone.  I’m speaking to myself here!  There are mornings I hit snooze too many times and miss my appointment with God in His word.  This means I’ve left the sword of the Spirit, God’s Word, in its sheath, and I am not prepared for the battle against the enemy!  I need to do better!

Ready for War

Scripture doesn’t lie.  Satan is prowling.  I started this post by asking who the villain is in your story.  Things aren’t always as they seem.  My anger at the beginning of each of these wars all around me was directed at people.  BUT GOD has opened my eyes to the true villain- Satan!  I’m still mad!  I’m mad that he’s hurting people I love.  I’m mad that he’s taking advantage of people in their weakness, in their stress, and in their despair.  

But I’m not just mad.  I’m motivated- motivated to armor up; motivated to tell and encourage others to ready themselves for war!  I’m motivated to fight back!  Satan will not win.  In Christ, we fight from a place of victory behind a mighty Commander!  Let’s be on the lookout for Satan’s schemes and let’s start each morning with a mindset of a warrior ready for battle- HIS battle.  In the words of Phil Wickham “Oh, God, the battle belongs to you!” 

Stay Tuned…

There’s more God is showing me, but it’s too much for one blog post.  Be on the lookout for the next weapon for our spiritual battles.