Colleen Orchanian

The Perfect Storm is a movie from 2000 that tells the true story of a fishing boat that encountered three dangerous weather fronts that unexpectedly collided to produce the worst storm in modern history. One weather front might have been manageable, or even two, but with all three, the storm was so fierce that the boat sank and all the crew members were lost.

The perfect storm in a spiritual battle is when multiple related people are each attacked at the same time, and the individual attacks are coordinated to bring maximum damage. Every person is under attack every day—you, me, your neighbors, your family, your pastor, even the nicest person you know. Any group of people who have a connection can experience a perfect storm attack when each person is under attack differently, but at the same time. If I am fighting a spiritual battle, I need my community to help me. And I'll reach out for that help. But what if the others in the group are also under attack?

Let's look at some examples to see how that works. Imagine a family. Mom is feeling discouraged because the house is a disaster, and she hasn't begun to figure out what's for dinner. She thinks she is a failure as a wife and mother. Dad comes home from work after a tense meeting where he was pressured to make an unethical decision. He wants to quit, but can't afford to be out of work. He feels trapped. The teenage daughter is annoyed with her little brother, but is actually hurt because a friend ignored her today. She wants to be alone. Little brother wants someone to play with, but everyone is in a bad mood, and he begins to pitch a fit. This is the perfect storm.

Each family member is under spiritual attack. Mom has forgotten her identity as a beloved child of God. Dad doesn't trust God to provide for his family. The teenager doesn't realize that isolation will bring her more sadness. Each person is under attack, and because they all live together, the effect of their individual attacks is magnified. It's like Mentos and Coke. Separately, they are fine. But put them together and you have a volcano.

In a family, if one person is having a bad day, other family members can be supportive and help them recover their peace and joy. But if we are ALL having a bad day, nobody has the spiritual energy to be compassionate to another. Each needs that compassion for themselves. They have nothing left to give, or so it seems. With a little perspective, they may be able to withstand the storm and come out stronger. The key is to recognize what's going on.

Here is another example. Imagine a church group. Someone comments on a problem, and the leader goes off. "I am so sick of this. I get complaints from you, from the parents. Fr. just chewed me out. And now this." Someone in the meeting gets frustrated because they didn't want to be here anyway, and now there's drama. They have a sick kid at home and feel like a bad parent for not skipping the meeting. Somebody else has a hidden agenda unrelated to the meeting objective and is getting off topic. She's frustrated because nobody listens to her and is ready to quit. That's a perfect storm.

In both the family example and the meeting example, there is no voice of reason. It's a compound attack. Everyone is feeling it, but nobody has the presence of mind to respond and fight the devil. He is the source of all the conflict.

What is the solution?

1. The first step is always to recognize that you are being attacked. How do I know I'm being attacked? It doesn't feel good. I'm not at peace. I am angry, resentful, easily annoyed, depressed, anxious, and stubborn. Those emotions are signs that I am under attack because those emotions are not from God.

2. Notice that others are also under attack, maybe not in the same way, but they are in the heat of the battle, and it appears that they (and you) are losing. This step requires looking outside of ourselves. That's especially hard when we are under attack, but it is necessary. And it is possible.

3. Stop. Stop talking and try to get others to do the same. Not by telling them to shut up, but more like a "time out." Walk away if you need to. Get a change of scenery. Once, when I was fuming about a situation, my husband told me to go see my pastor. He knew I needed to get out of the situation and find perspective.

4. Pray! God help me. This is not right. I can't take it anymore. Help us!

5. Name what's happening to the others in the group, not with accusations, but by sharing how you are being attacked and your needs. I know I am under spiritual attack because of something I had to deal with earlier today. Maybe some of you are, too. We need to pray. What's happening is not from God.

6. Then lead the group in prayer or ask someone else to do it. Speak from your heart about what's happening. Ask God to help you find peace together. Pray the St. Michael prayer to fight the spiritual attack.

7. If appropriate, each person can share what they came in with that triggered their reaction. Not in a way to blame. That will make the attack more successful. And not to get sympathy. The purpose is to share vulnerably so you can understand each other better and resist the spiritual attacks you are each facing. You can invite people to share how they feel about themselves (their self-image) and God. You might say, I'm not mad at you. I'm just feeling like a failure right now, and that stinks. Or I feel so far from God right now and don't know if He even cares about this mess we're in.

This process will thwart the devil's plan, because what you're doing is rejecting the lies that create the drama and conflict and instead drawing closer together. The devil's goal is to separate, but responding in this way does the opposite.

Maybe you're thinking, That's a great process. I could never do it. Even that is a spiritual attack. The first time you try it might be a failure. But the more you do it, the easier it becomes. And you are calling on the Holy Spirit to help you through the storm. You are not doing this alone. It's not your strength that will help you fight this attack. It is the power of God.

Pray in advance that you don't have a perfect storm, but if you do, that God will guide you through it. When you know you are being attacked before you enter into conversation with others, pray for God to help you so your attack doesn't compound the attacks others are experiencing. Each evening, review your day, looking for compound attacks that you missed. Pray in repentance for your faults in the situation and ask for God's help tomorrow. If you need to, ask others for forgiveness for any harsh words you said. When you make this a daily practice, you will become more aware over time, which makes it easier to spot an attack and resist it.

Satan desires to destroy relationships. Don't let him win. With God's help, you can survive even the perfect storm.

Questions for prayer:

1. Reflect on a "perfect storm" moment. What did you bring into the moment that allowed the devil entry to the group? How did that moment affect the relationships?

2. What group of people or community is most likely to be targeted for the perfect storm in your life (family, ministry, work, friend)? What might the devil's strategy be? How is God calling you to respond when things get tense?