Lies the Devil Told Me: Unrelenting

Ephesians 6:16 “Besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one.”

One tactic I have observed in my life and from the descriptions of other Christians is that the evil one uses intimidation against us. Intimidation could come in the form of fear, confusion, unrelenting pressure, and more.

In my own life, I had noticed that when my heart was drawn to God and I began to pursue Him, the evil one also chose to harass me with negative thoughts and troubling dreams. My own wife on her own journey to learn more about the Lord was also being intimidated by the evil one with similar experiences. As we had both been atheists before and never had this happen prior to seeking the Lord, then the lie was offered to us that we should back down from seeking the Lord and then the negativity would stop. Life would go back to the way it was. The logic seemed to check out, but the truth of the matter did not.

I saw the unusual, dark, intrusive thoughts and dreams as something trying to deter us from the Lord, to hold us in its clutches. It was almost as if this negativity was a positive affirmation of the existence of a spiritual realm to us atheists because something did not want us seeking the Lord. So we pressed on and the darkness did subside shortly thereafter, praise be to God!

Other people have shared similar experiences where the temptation to sin is greater when they are actively trying not to sin. Worse than it was before. They then start to ponder if they yield to sin, then the unrelenting pressure will ease up. Again, this is an affirmation of something spiritual actively working against our attempts to stop sinning and seek the Lord.

Do not believe this lie of the devil. He will shoot flaming darts at us repeatedly in the hopes of beating us down into giving up, turning back, or into sinning. If we hold up the shield of faith, submit to God and resist the devil, the evil one will flee from us. Just when we think we can’t go on, know that peace and consolation are around the corner. If you are feeling overwhelmed, reach out to your pastor or priest, your brother or sister in Christ, and confide in them. I had to reach out to Christian family members about our struggle and they lifted us up in their prayers. Reach out to someone if you need support. They will hold up your arms like Aaron and Hur held up the the arms of Moses so that the Israelites and Joshua could fight the good fight and overcome the enemies (Exodus 17).