With acts of terrorism in the news and the embassy closings in the past week, it is a little difficult not to be affected in one way or another by the threat of terrorist acts.  This is a random thought, but I wonder how many people terrorists injure and kill in comparison to the other acts of violence that are perpetrated daily?  And yet, the concept of terror is just that—terrifying!  I think the uncertainty involved in these violent acts exacerbate the problem in our thinking and emotions.  What an effective tact of the enemy—to cripple us with fear, isolate us, and damage trust!

I thought I would look at the CIA website to learn a little more about terrorists because satan was the first terrorist and continues to be the spiritual funding behind every act of terrorism and violence.  How do I know that?  Because his purposes are to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).  Have you ever commented is frustration or despair, “I didn’t see that coming”?  One of the enemy’s most effective strategies is to catch us off guard—where we are not looking or expecting an attack.

I find interesting some of the strategies terrorists use (identified on the CIA website under a listing for Global Trends 2015 – Related Excerpts).  They do not want to engage in combat; the enemy prefers to exhaust the will, minimize strength, and exploit weaknesses.   Some areas of target are communications, transportation, financial, and energy networks.

It is no secret that we have an adversary who seeks our destruction—the Bible confirms it in 1 Peter 5:8:  “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour”.   The apostle goes on to instruct, “Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”  We can be assured that there are those amongst our brothers and sisters in Jesus who are experiencing the same trials, suffering, and spiritual attacks as we are—what an amazing opportunity to intercede for other Christians!  The amazing outcome of suffering and trials is that our God of grace will perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle us in Jesus.  The downside for our enemy is that everything he intends for harm, God uses for good!

We make a serious mistake when we do not recognize that the enemy does not fight fair; rather, he fights strategically.  He is a wily character who seeks to attack us in our vulnerable spots, so it is crucial to be prepared for battle and willing to fight—“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11).  Victory lives in our faith; “this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith!”  (1 John 5:4).  The apostle Paul exhorts Timothy to “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12)—we can be guaranteed that the enemy is always going to attempt to undermine our faith.

The enemy also seeks to exhaust our will; however, we are given strange advice, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:2-4).  The apostle Peter also encourages us in his statement, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6, 7).  Again, faith is a key to inner strength:  “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…” (Ephesians 3:14-17).

Our strength begins on the inside with the Holy Spirit dwelling powerfully in our lives—“strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy…He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:11, 13).  Like Paul, we can say with confidence, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

And again we see an upside-down perspective from what may seem logical in the natural realm—“And He [God] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’  Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake.  For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9, 10).

Just as terrorists attack in the physical realm, our enemy also has unseen targets: communication within the church and those outside, transportation–or our spiritual journey, financial aspects of our lives, and our energy source—the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.

Biblical advice on communication:  “But no man can tame the tongue.  It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.  With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.  Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing.  My brethren, these things ought not to be so!” (James 3:8-10) [We can have victory over the words we speak, through Jesus]. “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one” (Colossians 4:6).

In Jesus, we live and move, and have our being (Acts 17:28), and we have a race set before us—“let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1, 2).  We cannot be the least bit surprised that the enemy attacks our identity (in Christ) and our destiny (the race set before us).

One aspect of financial vulnerability to the enemy’s attacks is discontentment; the writer of Hebrews (13:5) cautions us, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have.  For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  However, there are many in this world who have very legitimate concerns about food and clothing.  Jesus speaks these comforting words to those people, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘what shall we eat?’ or ‘what shall we drink?’ or ‘what shall we wear?’…For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:31, 33).  We also have this promise in Philippians 4:6, 7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

The most effective way to combat terror in our lives has everything to do with our energy source, the Holy Spirit—for we receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon us (Acts 1:8).  God’s Spirit gives us gifts and He makes life-changing alterations to our lives—“I say then:  Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.  For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another…the fruit of the Sprit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:16-17, 22-23).

“But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:4-7).

Today is a good day to remember that we have a defeated foe, and we serve a sovereign God!