When You're Under Attack
Life can feel overwhelming. Between managing our homes, raising our children, and keeping up with endless responsibilities, many of us feel like we're constantly under attack. But what if the battles we're fighting aren't the real war? What if we've been distracted by fake threats while a real enemy wages war against us and our families?
The Blair Witch Deception
Sometimes we can be tricked into believing there's danger where there isn't any, while missing the real threat entirely. Just like a high school prank that made someone believe the Blair Witch was real, Satan uses the same tactic on us. He deceives us into thinking we need to be afraid of things that aren't really there, getting us worked up over ridiculous things that aren't real threats while he wages actual war on us and our families.
We're distracted by so many things - decorating our homes to keep up with trends, battling with clothes that don't fit right, trying to get our kids into the right activities with the right friends. We spend our energy on Easter outfits and perfect holiday meals instead of focusing on what really matters. We're distracted planning trips and making memories while trying to figure out how to afford it all.
Are We Really at War?
The reality is that women today are struggling more than ever. Research shows that at least one in four women will be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder - and that's just those who actually seek help. Depression in women has increased 60% in the last decade. The US Surgeon General declared a loneliness epidemic in 2023. Women are burned out, struggling with identity, and stuck in comparison through social media.
Our homes are under attack too. Marriage as an institution has eroded, families don't attend church regularly, and children are questioning basic truths about their identity. If you're a mom who loves Jesus, you have a target on your back because you're working to fulfill the Great Commission by making disciples in your home. That makes you a threat to the enemy.
Who Is the Real Enemy?
Before we can fight effectively, we need to identify the real enemy. It's not the person who cut you off in traffic or the coworker who makes your job harder. It's not your children, even when they feel like the enemy of your sleep, your budget, or your peace. It's not even your husband, even when he's scrolling on his phone while you're in the kitchen making dinner and helping with homework.
Ephesians 6:12 makes this clear: "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."
Just because Satan is invisible doesn't mean he's fictional. The visible people in your life are not your enemy. If you can see them, touch them, hear them, or feel them, they cannot be your enemy. The real enemy resides in spiritual forces in heavenly realms.
Satan's Three-Pronged Attack Strategy
Like the three enemy groups that united against Jehoshaphat in the Old Testament, Satan uses three main schemes against women today:
Satisfaction
We're consumed with trying to find satisfaction in this world. We focus our energy on creating comfortable lives where our kids excel by cultural standards. American culture emphasizes image and achievement, and without realizing it, we've bowed to worldly standards, fixing our attention on checking boxes for a well-styled, easy, Instagram-worthy life.
Screens
Everyone knows screens are an issue, but do we actually want to do anything about it? Screens have become integral to our lives. Most of us go to sleep looking at a screen and wake up looking at one. We don't know how to be bored anymore. Screens are affecting our brains and our children's brains. Where families once gathered around one TV, now everyone has their own screen, literally leaving our children to their own devices.
Secrecy
Satan loves making women feel shame about what they're going through. Like Eve's first response after sinning was to hide, we do the same. When things get hard, our immediate response is self-blame: "I let this happen," "This happened on my watch," "If I had only done this better." This shame keeps us isolated, afraid to reach out for help because we fear judgment.
Learning from Jehoshaphat's Victory
In 2 Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat faced a three-pronged attack from the Moabites, Ammonites, and Edomites. This "great horde" was only 25 miles away - an imminent threat. But Jehoshaphat's response teaches us how to fight spiritual battles.
What Jehoshaphat Could Have Done
He could have gone into action mode, rallying his army and weapons. He could have panicked, losing his cool completely. He could have fallen into self-pity, questioning why God would allow this attack after his faithfulness.
What Jehoshaphat Actually Did
"Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah" (2 Chronicles 20:3). Even this mighty man of God felt afraid, but he didn't stop there. He set his face to seek the Lord and called his people to join him in fasting and prayer.
Jehoshaphat's Prayer Strategy
His prayer in 2 Chronicles 20:6-12 provides a model for us: - He remembered who God is - He remembered what God has done - He gave the issue to God - He ended with: "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you"
Where Are Your Eyes?
Where our eyes are when we hit hard times has incredible impact on how we handle the battle. In defensive driving, instructors teach that if you get into a skid, you should put your eyes on where you want to go - your body will naturally steer you out of the skid. Similarly, when we hit a spiritual skid, if we fix our eyes on Jesus, He will steer us out of it.
As Lisa TerKeurst says, "We steer where we stare."
God's Battle Plan
God sent a prophet who told Jehoshaphat's people: "Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours, but God's... You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf" (2 Chronicles 20:15-17).
The next morning, Jehoshaphat put the praise team on the front lines. They walked toward battle singing: "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His steadfast love endures forever."
When they reached the battlefield, God had already caused the enemy armies to destroy each other. The people of Judah spent three days collecting plunder - the very things their enemies planned to use against them became their treasures.
Three Key Truths for Today's Battles
1. You Have a Real Enemy
His name is Satan, and he's looking for ways to destroy you. The schemes may look different, but don't be fooled into thinking he doesn't have a strategic attack planned for you.
2. We Don't Fight for Victory, But From It
Romans 8 tells us we are more than conquerors because of Him who loved us. The victory is already ours.
3. God Can Turn Your Battles Into Treasures
The very things Satan wants to use to destroy you can become your greatest treasures as God uses them for good.
Life Application
When you receive difficult news - a diagnosis, job loss, betrayal, addiction, or a child struggling with anxiety, depression, or other issues - fight like Jehoshaphat. Fix your eyes on Jesus, gather your community, and walk into battle praising God.
This week, identify which of Satan's three schemes (satisfaction, screens, or secrecy) is most affecting you. Then take practical steps to combat it:
- If it's satisfaction, refocus on eternal rather than worldly achievements
- If it's screens, implement boundaries and sabbath times
- If it's secrecy, reach out to trusted friends for prayer and support
Remember: you are not fighting alone, and the battle is not yours - it's God's.
Questions for Reflection:
- Which of Satan's three schemes (satisfaction, screens, secrecy) do you struggle with most?
- When facing battles, do you typically go into action, panic, or pity mode instead of seeking God first?
- What would it look like for you to "set your face to seek the Lord" in your current circumstances?
- Who in your community can you reach out to for prayer and support instead of fighting alone?