When Satan Attacks

by Dr. Ken Matto

 

(Zec 3:1-2 KJV) And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. {2} And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?

 

What do we do when Satan attacks us? How are we to respond? Not is it only a time for response, it is always a time to evaluate. Let’s face it, if you are a true child of God, then satanic attacks are going to come and they will come both subtly and openly, sometimes furiously. Satan will not give up on harassing a child of God. This article is being written after evaluating two circumstances which cropped up in my life in the past. In July of 2000 I was tossed out of my church simply because I chose to stand against the charismatic movement which invaded the little assembly plus the ecumenicalism of an 83 year old man who couldn’t tell you where the book of Genesis is in the Bible but could tell you inning for inning what happened on the game the night before. In August of 2000 I was furiously reviled by members of a Dominion Theology cult.  (1 Pet 4:12 KJV) Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

 

It is a sad commentary on some Christians but if Satan wants to ruin a church or ruin the ministry of someone, he does not need his unbelievers to do it, all he needs is a few willing Christians to do his dirty work and then get them to believe that they are doing God’s work. Tragically there are too many volunteers for this kind of work in the household of faith.

 

(Mat 10:36 KJV) And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.

 

(Luke 21:16 KJV) And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.

 

As we continue to live in the last of the last days, these things are going to become more evident as the return of the Lord Jesus grows ever nearer. The organized church is destroying itself with the allowance of false doctrines and teachings and those who bring the true gospel to these churches will be silenced or escorted out which is the spiritual meaning of being put to death. Those who orchestrate the killing of the believers will be those right in the pews. Normally it is the church leaders themselves who destroy the church since most church leaders are extremely biblically ignorant. We ask how things have gotten so out of hand. There is a passage in Thessalonians which gives us insight into why things have degenerated in the organized church.

 

(2 Th 2:7 KJV) For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

 

The word "letteth" here is an old English word which means restrains. That is also the meaning of the word from the Greek. This means down through the ages the Holy Spirit has been restraining the evils of sin but there is going to come a time when the Holy Spirit is going to take His restraining hand off both the world and the church and this is being done to set the world and the visible church for judgment. (Keep in mind that the true believer, which is the true church, has already been judged in Christ and will never stand for their sins.) This is happening in our day as never before. 50 years ago: Did you ever hear of a woman preacher in a mainline denomination? Did you ever hear of a sodomite being ordained? Did you ever hear of same sex marriages? Did you ever hear of large charismatic churches with their accompanying signs and wonders? Did you ever hear the miracles of Christ being refuted? Sin is running rampant in the churches and is only escalating, not abating.

 

So when the attacks of Satan come, what are we to do. Here is an overriding verse which tells us basically how to endure the attacks of Satan. We need to remain patient when satanic adversity comes our way since it is God who is allowing these things to happen and for some good reasons.

 

(Luke 21:19 KJV) In your patience possess ye your souls.

 

Let me also say at this point that those who are willingly used of Satan, whether saved or unsaved, who try and destroy others or a true ministry will pay the consequences for their actions. This principle is amply laid out in Scripture.

 

(2 Tim 4:14 KJV) Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:

 

Here is Paul telling us of a coppersmith who did something wrong to Paul and he is saying that the Lord will reward him according to his works. The word "according" is an important word because it signifies the fact that in the manner and severity a person doles out an attack, God will reward them according to their inclemency. This will happen to anyone who chooses to try and destroy or oppose God’s work. There are always consequences to wrong actions but there are always results for good actions. He who has ears to hear!

 

(Rom 12:19 KJV) Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.  Ultimately the final vengeance of God will come on judgment day against all the ungodly but this verse is right in the context of dealing with people right here on earth. We are to be at peace with all as much as it lies in us and if the other party refuses to be at peace with you, God will take vengeance on them, our responsibility is to hand it over to Him and not exact our own vengeance, for this doesn’t find favor with God. So what do I do in the midst of a satanic attack?

 

Realize Attacks will Come

(1 Pet 4:12 KJV) Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

 

Notice what the verse says, the fiery trial will "try" you. The word "try" is the word for trial. Every time we go through a satanic attack, it is to put our faith in God through a trial. It is to check our spiritual barometer.

 

(1 Pet 4:1 KJV) Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

 

At the beginning of 1 Peter 4, we see the above verse where we are told to arm ourselves with the realization that we will face suffering for the kingdom of God. That suffering comes in both physical and emotional ways. Satan cannot attack our spirit so he attacks the flesh in hopes to ignite our emotions so they will override our spiritual sobriety. If we mentally prepare ourselves that a satanic attack is imminent, we will be prepared for the onslaught and realize that Satan is just doing his job in trying to get me to disbelieve and distrust God. When we are spiritually adept at identifying a satanic attack, it can be endured with inward joy rather than despair.

 

Satan is Persistent

(Job 2:1 KJV) Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.

 

Another insight we can gain from Scripture, is that Satan is persistent and will not give up until God sees that the result of the test is successful. (Job 42:10 KJV) And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. You may have to endure a test of some length of time before the desired result may be achieved. Sometimes the result God seeks in your life might just be an outward testimony to others of the keeping power of God through hostile circumstances. Sometimes it will seem that right around every corner there is another satanic hindrance to your Christian walk. This need not cause us to walk crookedly in our walk.

 

(Isa 40:4 KJV) Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:

 

Here is a verse which should be precious to every true Christian. If you notice the language here the results of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ will bring stability to every believer. This verse is quoted by John the Baptist in Luke 3:4-5 KJV "As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. {5} Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;" If the valley is raised and the mountain is brought low and the crooked path made straight and the rough ways smooth, this speaks of spiritual stability as part of the inheritance of the true Christian.

 

When Satan comes along with a new theology or some new interpretation from Scripture, that is when a person becomes very unstable in their Christian walk. They run from theology to theology to try and appease their view and then begin to exude evil characteristics such as believe our way or you are going to hell. This is how a cult starts and even cultic characteristics which are prevalent in many churches. Someone comes up with a new theology and immediately, the mountains rise again and the valleys go low again and spiritual instability is thrown into the picture. However, when a person is walking in truth, all the new theology in the world will not move them off the straightened path and this is when the satanic attacks will come. We live in an age when there will be a plethora of aberrant beliefs but if a person stands on truth, they will not move or be moved. Each true Christian will face many new belief systems in their life but the key to evaluating them is not through creeds, conjecture, commentaries, catechisms, and confessions but how do they match up with Scripture. The Bible is the final authority, not what some theologian says.

 

Satanic Attacks will come when you are the most Vulnerable

(Mat 27:39 KJV) And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,

 

When the Lord Jesus was on the cross, the humiliation of the crucifixion was not sufficient for Satan’s people, they continued to revile him verbally while His life’s blood flowed out of His body. A few months before I wrote this article I was tossed out of my church because I refused to embrace the charismatic movement which came into that church. It was a few weeks later when a Christian Reconstructionist cult church began to attack me and one of the ludicrous attacks which was leveled against me was that I refused to submit to any elders and that I was not a member of any church. The person who made that accusation knew the reason why I was tossed out of my church but he avoided truth and made up lies to strengthen his case. Even one of the elders of this cult church e-mailed me and asked me who do I submit to and who are my elders? At a time when I had no church, I was attacked by God's people and Satan’s people. Now if I did not know my position in Christ and was not resting in Calvary, I could have just succumbed to the satanic attack and gave up. I did not include this vignette to glorify myself but as a testimony to the keeping power of God of His saints under satanic adversity. If you stand on Scripture and rest in Calvary, you will never be moved. (Psa 16:8 KJV) I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

 

Always remember, Satan will continually try to take the legitimate circumstances in your life and turn them into an attack upon God’s verity and your Christian character. When the Bible speaks of the right hand, it normally has in view power. So in the above verse, we see that the Lord is at my right hand which means He is my power and strength to overcome anything in this life, even the never ending streams of satanic attacks. (Psa 55:22 KJV) Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Believe me, satanic attacks are a burden and can deplete your strength and this is why God wants us to cast that burden on Him since He knows our strength is inadequate for the job of fighting Satan and even his people.

 

Keeping these three principles in mind that Satan will attack, he is persistent, and he will attack when we are most vulnerable. Let us now move on to the next section on how to respond to satanic attack. Every believer will face this in their life and it is a good time to prepare when the waters are still calm. The only way to respond to satanic attack is to prepare in two ways: Mentally and spiritually. Once our minds begin to think on the line of preparation as a soldier prepares, we will fare better in the battle. The soldier prepares for war in peace time but when war comes, he is ready for the battle because he is trained in the art of warfare. When satanic attacks come, always remember it is spiritual warfare. It is the kingdom of Satan coming against the Kingdom of God.

 

Whenever Satan attacks he is attempting to get you to neutralize your testimony by succumbing to the attack and responding to the attack in an unchristian like manner. Believe me, this has happened to me numerous times. I have gotten caught up into the "fight" mindset and have almost lost my testimony on many occasions. I grew up on the streets and fighting back is the only way to survive on the streets, whether verbally or physically. If Satan can draw you into one of his battles, it could ruin your testimony temporarily or permanently. So how then do I respond when Satan attacks?

 

Respond with Truth

(2 Cor 13:8 KJV) For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.

 

If you have been falsely accused of something, respond confidently with truth. If there is one thing Satan’s people can’t destroy is truth. Truth is a continuum in that truth can never be anything but truth. There is no such a thing as a half truth. Truth is truth, and if you have been attacked with lies, be sure the truth will surface, it may take some time or it may be soon. Never try to embellish the truth with anything since truth stands on its own. Remember, to respond with truth not revile with truth.

 

The Lord rewards evil works

(2 Tim 4:14 KJV) Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:

 

This is why we need not worry about mounting a counter attack against someone who comes against us. We previously looked at this verse but I want to point out a serious detail which should cause anyone to tremble before they decide to attack someone. In this verse we see the Apostle Paul said that this coppersmith did him much evil and that he would be rewarded according to those deeds. The word I want to focus in on is "according."

 

The easiest way to explain the severity of this word is by illustration. Let us say that you have been going to the store for the local billionaire and when you bring his groceries home he gives you $1 as a tip. You see, he gave out of his wealth but not according to his wealth. Now transfer that principle to the verse. The Lord is going to reward the coppersmith according to his evil works and not out of them. If a person mounts a rancorous hate campaign against another person, they will be rewarded according to their actions and not out of their actions. In other words, the reward for evil is not a percentage of the aggressive act but according to the severity of the act. Think about that next time you want to attack someone, especially one of God’s people.

 

Cut it Off

(Prov 26:20 KJV) Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.

 

If a nasty debate continues, cut it off at the pass. Just refuse to respond anymore to any accusation. If there is one thing Satan’s people cannot do without, it is an audience. They will probably draw others into their tirade because the high majority of them could not debate rationally anyway. Just decline responding to further accusations. After all, it will keep you healthier. Let Satan’s people get sick by stewing in their own hatred.

 

Completely ignore it

You can completely ignore the accusations and lies that may come against you but unfortunately in today’s society an accusation equates to a sentence of guilt so a response is definitely needed. The response does not have to be as loud as the accusations but there needs to be a response. Let us look at some of the responses in Scripture which teach us how to respond to Satan’s accusations:

 

Scriptural Response

(Mat 4:10 KJV) Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

 

You may respond to a person with appropriate Scriptures which may be at the heart of the controversy. Let us say you are debating a person who claims that you can accept Christ and uses John 1:12. Well you can respond to them by asking how they get around John 1:13? In other words, in the Scriptural response the Bible does the talking.

 

Confrontational Response

(Gal 2:11-12 KJV) But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. {12} For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.

 

If possible, this is one of the most effective responses. It forces the accuser to come from behind the "she said-he said" camouflage. Compelling the accuser to come out from under their rock will normally put an instant stop to the accusations and may air and clear any misunderstandings.

 

The Written Response

(3 John 1:9 KJV) I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.

 

Here is an excellent way to respond to a satanic attack. If you write something out make sure you photocopy it or if you e-mail it, cc yourself. A written letter of response cannot be twisted around since the words are written in black and white. If the accuser tries to twist your response, all you need do is show the original writing and you will force them in a corner to explain why they twisted your words. This will reduce their trustworthiness and cause others to suspect them of wrong doing.

 

The Public Response

(Mat 23:1-2 KJV) Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, {2} Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:

 

One of the most effective methods of response is the public response, however this method is not available to everyone. It covers the most ears with the least amount of time. At least when you use this method, if someone did not understand what you said, someone else can fill in the blanks. However, this method can have an unfair advantage over the adversary if they do not have access to a public forum. Preachers must be very careful not to abuse the pulpit in sermons about "self." If a public response to a false accusation is made in a church, it should be short and to the point and have a written statement for the people to take home. Time must never be taken away from the preaching of the Word. If needed, call a congregational meeting and address the issue.

 

The Mediator Response

(1 Cor 1:11 KJV) For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

 

Sometimes a person may ask someone else to be a mediator in the midst of a satanic attack. A mediator may be able to put things in order and say things in a proper manner and gain a new perspective on the situation. Sometimes when we are attacked we may become ruled by our emotions and get to the point that we attack back in an irrational manner thus ruining our own testimony. Remember Satan wants to draw you in so he can diminish your spiritual and physical strength. Satan wants you to commit all your resources to the attack so you will be of no value to the Kingdom of God. We see in the above verse that the household of Chloe brought the situation in the Corinthian Church to the Apostle Paul which resulted in the letter to the Corinthians. It is obvious that these people gave Paul an accurate description of the situation as the letter to the Corinthians is very detailed in its response to the various problems in the Corinthian church.

 

The Cross Response

(Gal 6:14 KJV) But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

 

I have included this as the final response because it is the least sought after option. When someone attacks you, just die to the accusation. As Dr. Robert A. Cook previously said, "If they are right clean up your act, if not don’t worry about it." Sometimes just allowing an accusation to die may be the right approach as it may save you a lot of aggravation. Keep in mind though that if you choose to crucify your response, Satan will probably continue his attack and will no doubt turn people against you, even those who you thought were your friends.

 

Summary

Throughout this article I have focused on the verbal method of Satan’s attacks. This is because his dirty work is done by the tongue. After Job lost his family and possessions, did not his friends add more grief to his plight by their words? This is how Satan works, he uses the willing tongues of believers and unbelievers to try and destroy the Kingdom of God. He does not attempt to accomplish this by a major offensive but one believer at a time. He also attacks one congregation at a time. Response to satanic attack does not need to be a reviling for reviling. It can be a planned, biblical response which would show the one being attacked as having better control over their life than the aggressor. Satanic attack is not fun but remember it will end and God will end it.

 

(Prov 11:27 KJV) He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him.

 

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