4 Ways to Fight 'Satan's Favorite Weapon'

By Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor Sunday, July 24, 2016

Jon Bloom, co-founder of DesiringGod, writes that the Holy Spirit flowing through the faith of a disciple of Jesus is the most powerful thing on earth, but believers do have one vulnerability which can weaken and destroy them, and which Satan targets in his attacks. The author also shares how the Spirit helped him in a battle with the devil.

"Nothing is more humanly destructive to the domain of darkness than a faith-filled Christian," Bloom writes in a blog on the DesiringGod website. "Through him, Jesus destroys the devil's works (1 John 3:8). The only thing Satan's forces fear more than the vibrant faith of a Christian is the unified, collaborative, vibrant faith of a community of Christians."

Bloom adds that the one vulnerability believers have is "unbelief."

Satan's primary goal in the thousands of his various attacks on us is to take down our faith, he writes. "His primary goal against the church is to fragment the formidable force of united faith and isolate believers, weakening the church and making individuals more vulnerable."

However, we must not forget that God is far more powerful than Satan, Bloom suggests. "If Satan can weaken our faith, he can immobilize us. If he can destroy our faith, he can destroy us. But if he can't disarm our faith, Jesus will destroy him through it."

This is precisely why the fight of faith and the unity of faith are so hard, he explains, referring to 1 Timothy 6:12 and Ephesians 4:13.

The Holy Spirit used four ways to help him resist Satan's attacks, Bloom tells the readers, talking about a recent battle he had with unbelief.

"I looked to the source of my power," the author writes, as his first point. He says Peter's walk on water has been helpful to him, referring to Matthew 14:28–31. "As long as his faith was focused on Jesus, he was able to do the humanly impossible. When his focus shifted to the wind and waves, he sank."

Two, Bloom continues, "I soaked in the promises that addressed my unbelief."

Hw writes, "I laid aside distractions, repented of my unbelief, and bathed in those particular promises until their comforting power took effect in my soul."

Three, "I continued 'steadfastly in prayer,' Bloom says in the article, referring to Colossians 4:2.

"I turned the promises into requests and didn't stop praying them… since he usually is doing more in us and through us than we are aware of, we must trust him," he explains.

Four, "I remembered that my weaknesses show Christ's strength," Bloom writes, explaining that the Holy Spirit helped him remember that his weaknesses are where Jesus loves to show His strength. He adds that "no matter what unbelief uses against us, even when we give in to sin, there are superpower promises that the Spirit brings to mind to help us escape," referring to 1 Corinthians 10:13.

In the end, the author tells the readers that ferocious battles with demonic unbelief are part of the normal Christian life. "When you feel yourself wilting, take heart. Through the promises of Jesus, the Spirit of Jesus will help you overcome your enemy's most lethal weapon."