Sorry, it’s been a spell since the last newsletter! 

Since the season is changing, this week (and continuing intermittently for awhile), let’s delve into some basics of spiritual warfare. This subject is something we can all relate to—both believers and non-believers. Why? Because the enemy is obviously quite real. Just look around you. Only the most foolish denials can attempt to wipe away the evil that exists in this world. The enemy is destructive. As I see it, the enemy is primarily a hacker.

Let’s start off with what C.S. Lewis once said about the world of the demonic: “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.”

Now, then. What do I mean by Satan and his demons being hackers? Let me point out an incredibly powerful passage which affirms that God is more powerful than our enemies in the dark realm:  1 John 4:4 … “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” 

The truth is, the battle for power between God and Satan isn’t even close. When you examine perhaps the most under-discussed element of the bible—which is the power of its numerous fulfilled prophecies—Christians can stand with enormous confidence that the prophecies of Revelation will come true one day and evil will be defeated for good. After all, the bible has a one-thousand batting average. With that in mind, we can see Satan’s final defeat and humanity’s return to an Eden-like existence on the new earth (see Revelation 21:1-4).  

Back to the hacker thing. It appears to me that Satan has his efforts divided into two primary specialties:  (1) Attack those who haven’t surrendered their life to Jesus Christ and keep them from everlasting life with God; and (2) Attempt to mitigate the effectiveness of those who have Jesus as their savior. In both cases, this is where the hacking comes in.

Think about what a hacker does. They generally try to wreak havoc by attacking databases and websites, etc. They are a cowardly enemy who appear to have great power, but they really don’t. Yes, hackers can cause enormous harm, but they do this largely with information, not power. A hacker knows precisely how, when, and where to hit its enemy’s vulnerabilities. A hacker may appear to be more powerful than they actually are, but that’s because they know abundantly well how to use laser, pinpoint attacks against it’s target. In the same sense, demonic hackers do everything they can to throw a smoke screen between it’s target (humans) and their Lord—whether someone is a believer or not. Demons are good at this. They’ve been at it for a long time now. However, we can defeat them. In fact, we must defeat them through the power of Jesus Christ, not our own. 

We must always remind our self that God has the power. Never, ever forget that. We’ll start to dig into the details of the devil’s specific hacking tactics in several areas as we move forward. In the meantime, Pray for God’s protection over everything you have and do. The hackers are watching….

Have a great week!
Wade