Hi all,
Did you know there are only 5 areas in which the Adversary can attack us?
The Only 5 Ways Satan can Attack
In Mark 4 Jesus told the Parable of the Sower, then begins to explain it to them in v13, making this statement: “Don’t you understand this parable? How then can you understand any parable?” THIS parable is key to understanding all Jesus’ parables. Let Jesus’ statement sink in. If you don’t understand this parable you won’t understand any of His parables. This parable holds the key to interpret all parables in the gospels, and even a few things in the Old Testament that we understand through the eyes of the New Testament. This is because it outlines what Satan can do, how he does it, and how the kingdom of God grows within us.
The parable is about a farmer who plants seed in the earth, the kind of soil, and what happens to the seed.
In v14 He says the farmer plants the Word. Now remember, there is no New Testament written yet. What did the disciples understand the Word to be? Remember John 1: 1 and 14? “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word was God…The Word became flesh and lived among us.” When they heard ‘the Word’ in the parable, they knew Jesus was talking about Himself. We need to make that adjustment as well. The Word is planted in a person’s heart – they are born again, Christ in them the hope of glory.
Satan Tries to Steal Jesus and His Work From our Heart
Jesus reveals all 5 ways he attacks: “The Word (Christ Jesus) is planted on stony ground, so the Word (Christ Jesus) springs up for a time, but because they have no root in themselves, they stumble when affliction (circumstances) or persecution (people’s opinions) arise for the Word’s sake.
Notice the pressure of circumstances and the opinions of others (persecution) come to steal the Word (Christ) and His efforts in our lives. It isn’t about you, it is about Christ in you. But the open door is internal: ‘…because they have no root in themselves.’ The Bible interprets the Bible, so we find in Ephesians 3: 17-18 that if we are ‘rooted and grounded in (agape’) love…we will be able to comprehend the love of Christ…which is beyond mere head knowledge.’
People who have had in their upbringing and current life, a lack of unconditional love, have an internal weakness resisting the pressure of circumstances and the opinions of others. The lack of unconditional love in a child leads to an internal insecurity that makes them stumble in life when the pressures of life or opinions of others come against them.
Maybe some readers also had or have a lack of unconditional love, no rooting and grounding in that, which causes them to weaken in difficult circumstances or when people come against them – Satan sees that insecurity and lack of love, and brings fear, insecurity, worry, confusion and more to such a person – all due to not knowing the unconditional love of Christ. Mentally you know the Father and Jesus love you (or maybe you know Jesus does but you are afraid of the Father due to a cruel male figure?) – becoming secure in the Father by getting to know Him takes time.
Jesus then Lists 3 External Things Satan Uses, but Still, an Internal Issue
“And some seed (Christ in the heart) is planted in the midst of thorns…” Remember, the earth is the human heart, which has good and desirable plants growing out of it – those plants are our lives, job, family, friends, etc. The thorns or weeds are there in the person’s heart as well. The person allows these weeds to grow right next to the Word as they go through life. Jesus goes on to explain:
“…among thorns. But the cares of this world (caring for the world), the deceitfulness of riches, and lusts for other things, enter into their lives and choke off the Word that had been sown into their hearts, and it becomes unfruitful.”
These 3 have nothing to do with an internal lack of love: They may be rooted and grounded in love. But alongside of Christ in them, they allow the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches and lusts for things to grow up right alongside Christ in their hearts, and slowly these weeds choke off the life of God in them. They want Jesus – but they also love the world so want and seek the things of the world.
So there you have it: Circumstances, opinions, cares of the world, deception related to money, lusting for things.
Those are the 5. Every attack you experience in life from the enemy, will fall into one of those categories.
What I see is 2 solutions. One is get yourself rooted and grounded in the Father’s unconditional love. Do this by talking to Him conversationally, switching your focus to your spirit, and sit and listen to His presence inside. Wake up saying ‘Thank you Father’ and continue through the day with any good or unexpected thing that comes your way. For the negative ask what He wants you to learn. You will over time become rooted and grounded in that love, and as Ephesians 3: 15-17 says, you will be strengthened with might by His Spirit in your inner man. You will know the Father loves you, knows you, communicates to your spirit with His presence and peace.
Second, uproot the desires in your heart for the things of this world, desires for riches and status, and get rid of lusts for things. Instead of your life revolving around the world and its appearance and desires, and you just add Jesus to your life, rearrange your heart to by all about the Father and Jesus, and arrange your life around seeking and growing in Christ.
If you deal with these 2 core issues in your heart, you will shut the door on the devil. He can still attack, but it will be from a distance, or through others, as he can’t get up close to you because you’ve shut the doors of your heart and mind in these things.
How does one repent and retreat from caring for this world, the riches in it, and desires for things? Like Moses, who it says in Hebrews 11: 25-27, “esteemed the reproach of Christ as greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he remembered/valued the reward (heaven).” This is a simple repentance in the heart, then an applied discipline to live within one’s means, to back away from pride and ego, and that is done by a greater revelation of Him. Once you truly know Him, all else fades.
We will close it out next week. Until then, blessings,
John Fenn
