attack or be attacked!
“Blessed be the Lord, my Rock, Who trains my hands for battle, my fingers for war.” —Psalm 144:1
Satan wants to keep Christians on the sidelines, to have Christians sit out the spiritual war. Thus, he can readily plunder much property from the Kingdom of God, end millions of lives in surgical and chemical abortions, ruin families and institutions, and gridlock nations without being opposed.
If Satan can’t keep Christians on the sidelines, then he’ll try to ensure that Christians keep playing defense. He does this by attacking and accusing (see Rv 12:10). To lure Christians into taking their eyes off Jesus, their Commander, Satan distracts them with pleasures (1 Jn 2:16), weakens them through sin and in-fighting (1 Cor 3:3-4), and puts them on the defensive. If you’re always defending, you can’t score, and you can’t win.
Satan prefers to attack. He wants us to play defense all our lives. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (1 Jn 3:8). Jesus came to heal us so we could play offense against Satan and the kingdom of darkness, and reclaim what Satan has stolen from the kingdom of God (2 Cor 10:4). Satan fears pure, holy, fearless, humble, obedient, suffering, trusting Christians who fix their eyes on Jesus (Heb 3:1), spend their time on the offense, and attack the gates of hell (Mt 16:18). Repent!
Prayer: Father, purify me so that I will be a zealous, healed, faithful soldier for Your Son Jesus, my Captain.
Promise: “Draw your strength from the Lord and His mighty power.” —Eph 6:10
Praise: Joseph led a weekly neighborhood Bible study for over ten years.
Reference: (This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)
(For a related teaching on Spiritual Warfare, view, download or order our leaflet or listen to, download or order CD 57-3 or DVD 57 on our website.)
Rescript: In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from October 1, 2022, through November 30, 2022. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 3, 2022
The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.