Confront an Attack through God's Power

Whitney Hopler

Thousands of people were killed recently in the violent attack on America when terrorists hijacked airplanes to destroy the World Trade Center and smash into the Pentagon. But the devastation goes far beyond the physical carnage. The terrorists attacked and wounded the spirits of many Americans as well.
Although there is much evil in our fallen world - and all of us are vulnerable to it - Christ has overcome evil's power and can redeem any situation in which people turn to Him. Evil, no doubt, motivated the heinous actions of the terrorists, who weren't walking with Christ. But if you have a relationship with Christ, you never need to fall victim to evil's deception, and you always have access to the healing power you need to confront an attack and emerge victorious.
Here are some ways you can break the power of evil in your life by confronting it with God's power:

• Acknowledge the reality of both good and evil in the spiritual realm, and study both God's character and Satan's strategies by reading about them in the Bible. When you understand the nature of the spiritual realities that operate in our world, you'll know what to expect and how to best respond to them.
  
• Pray boldly about an attack. Derive confidence from the knowledge that you have spiritual authority to pray in Christ's name to oppose evil and help good manifest in the world. Know that if you pray fervently in accordance with God's will, your prayers will accomplish much. Ask others to pray for you as well.
  
• Don't allow evil to diminish you physically, mentally, or spiritually. Don't give in to fear, anger, exhaustion, confusion or any other unhealthy result of an attack. Commit to fight it wholeheartedly. Pray for God to protect and strengthen your body, mind and spirit.
  
• Ask the Holy Spirit to keep nourishing you on a regular basis. Remember that if you don't fill your spirit with nourishment from God, by default you'll be vulnerable to attacks from the evil side of the spiritual world. When fighting a spiritual battle, rely on God's strength through the Holy Spirit rather than just your own resources.
  
• Pray frequently and specifically. Trust that God will answer and look forward to seeing how He works in each situation you pray about.
  
• Even though you likely won't feel like doing so at the time of an attack, decide to worship God, since worship will carry you deeper into His presence. An encounter with God is just what you need at a vulnerable time.
  
• Ask God to help you forgive the person or people who perpetrated an attack on you. This isn't possible for you to do yourself; you must access the Holy Spirit's power to do so. But it's vital for you to forgive, since God wants you to have a pure heart free of bitterness that will poison you. Go through the process of forgiving, and leave vengeance to God. He will heal you.
  
• Look beyond an attack to God's faithfulness, and ask God to show you specific ways in which He is at work transforming evil into good according to His purposes.
  

Adapted from How to Survive an Attack, from the collection Breaking Controlling Powers, copyright 2000 by Roberts Liardon. Published by Albury Publishing, Tulsa, Ok., www.alburypublishing.com, 1-800-811-3921.

Roberts Liardon is founder and senior pastor of Embassy Christian Center and Spirit Life Bible College. He has preached in 94 nations, and his books have been translated into more than 33 languages.

In light of the recent attack on America, how are you trying to overcome evil with good through Christ's power? Visit Live It's forum to respond, or read what others have to say. Just click on the link below.