Colleen Orchanian

I had friends over for dinner to get input on my next book about spiritual warfare. Spiritual warfare is the daily battle we fight to grow in holiness and save souls – ours and those of the people we love. The battle part comes from the devil trying to prevent that from happening.

In our dinner conversation, we talked about the different perspectives of people regarding spiritual warfare. There are three:

• The Blind. They don't realize that they are under attack and don't believe in anything supernatural – God or demons – just the material world. If you talk about spiritual warfare, they don't know what you mean and deny that it is real.

• The Ignorant. They have heard the term but don't understand it in a practical way. They believe in God and the devil, but it's more theoretical.

• The Warriors. They know the battle is real and are fighting the good fight.

Every soul living on this earth is in a spiritual battle. The devil and his demons are trying to keep us from finding new life in Jesus Christ. He wants to steal our peace. He wants to lead us into sin. He wants to damage our relationships with others. He wants to destroy families and friendships.

How does he do that? There are many tactics, and sometimes multiple tactics are used in a given situation. Here are eight you will surely recognize from your own life.

Lies. Jesus said that Satan is the father of lies. He tells lies to break us down, to make us feel worthless and unloveable. He tells lies to puff us up and stoke our pride. He tells lies to discourage us so we don't follow through on a good intention. He tells lies about God with the intention of fostering false images of God that make it difficult for us to trust Him. He lies about the meaning of life – telling us that it HAS no meaning.

The thing about lies is that they often hold a little truth. For example, I might think (by the prompting of the devil) "I have sinned so bad that God can't possibly love me." What's true: maybe I have lived a life of sin. I can acknowledge that without buying into the second part – that God can't love me. That is a lie about God. God is love. He loves me not because of me but because of Him. The enemy uses this lie to break me down so I give up on God and myself.

Fear. We fear what others might think. We worry about the future. We fear failure. We fear death. We fear the direction of our country and the world. We might even fear living completely and radically for God. But 1 John 4:18 tells us that perfect love casts out fear. Lies come into play here as well. We might think we are helpless and abandoned. Who will save us? The answer, of course, is God. We are never without help. That's not to say that nothing bad will ever happen. That would be heaven, but we aren't there yet. So we suffer in this life, but never alone. God is with us.

Temptation. Paul wondered why he does what he doesn't want, and doesn't do what he wants. That's the devil and temptation. Look at this fruit. Isn't it beautiful? Why don't you taste it? It's good for you. You can hear the lie in the temptation. When we recognize it, we are better able to say NO.

Distractions and diversions. I want to spend time in prayer or spiritual reading or serving my neighbor, but I get caught up in a TV show or scrolling on the phone. I don't expect to waste two hours, but before I know it, the time is gone. Then I feel bad and beat myself up for wasting time on something stupid. The lie I'm hearing is, You don't love God. You're not good enough."

Division and conflict. The devil wants to destroy relationships: marriages, families, church communities. Any group that will bring you or someone else closer to God needs to go. Often the conflict stems from lies and judgments about others. We know what they are thinking. We know their motivation. We can read their mind. Those are lies.

Isolation. A person gets divorced and stops going to church because it's too embarrassing. People talk and look and ask inappropriate questions. Nobody understands so it's easier to hide away and avoid others. People also tend to isolate when they are depressed. They don't want to face anyone, even though that is the best remedy. Isolation deepens depression. When you stay isolated, you believe the lie that nobody cares, you are all alone, and no one understands.

Confusion and darkness. Satan likes to distort God's Holy Word. When Satan tempted Jesus in the desert, he used Scripture. We can be confused, and how we respond to that confusion is the key to winning the battle. I can think it's too hard to understand and give up, or through prayer and mentoring, gain clarity.

Emotional attacks. This is when our emotions run the show. Bitterness, resentment, anger, hatred, despair, suspicion, guilt and shame. None of these emotions are from God. They are not the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Often they close our hearts to others and to God, which is why the devil likes to stoke our emotions. One lie is that your emotions are authentic, justified, and necessary to protect yourself. God, on the other hand, asks us to let down our defenses and open our hearts and minds to Him, to find our strength in Him. Emotions are not bad, they are natural. It's the fostering and feeding of negative emotions that is the problem.

Maybe you recognized some of those attacks in your life. And maybe you're wondering – what do I do with that knowledge?

Step 1. Recognize the attack. You may not know what specific attack is happening, but you know you're under attack. That knowledge will make you stop and think. You and your husband are arguing. This is an attack. It's always an attack.

Step 2. Define the attack. What is the lie? There is always a lie. It's likely one that targets your identity as a beloved child of God. Be curious about why you are being attacked in that way. What is the devil trying to prevent? What might God be trying to do that the devil doesn't like?

Step 3. Take action. Reject the lie and replace it with the truth. If a Bible verse comes to mind, that's great. Jesus responded to Satan in the desert with Scripture. That's why it's so important for us to know the Word and to read it every day. You may want to ask others to pray for you when you are under attack. I talked to my Mom recently and she heard the stress in my voice. She asked, Do you need prayer? I said YES! Please! Don't let the devil isolate you when you're under attack. We have an army with us – our friends, prayer warriors, guardian angels, and the saints in heaven. We never have to fight alone.

We know Jesus has already won the war, but we'll be fighting until our last breath. So fight well. You are a warrior. Stand tall, put on the armor of God, and fight fight fight.

Questions for prayer:

• What lies do you hear and what might the enemy's goal be with each of those lies?

• Where/In what part of your life, are you facing the greatest attacks?

• Who can help you fight the battle? Who will you ask to fight with you?