Knowing When to Seek and When to Fight
We want to take care not to confuse the testing of our faith, which God uses to perfect and strengthen us, with the Enemy’s destructive work against us. Although God does allow trials, His purpose is to strengthen our faith and conform us to the image of His Son, while the Enemy, on the other hand, seeks to weaken, discourage, and destroy us.
The Bible makes clear that there are three distinct ways we may experience adversity that has spiritual implications:
- God allows us to experience things greater than we are able to carry or overcome in our own strength, so that we learn to depend upon Him. As we call upon Him, He works on our behalf, demonstrates His power, and strengthens us in Him (II Cor. 1:8-9; 12:9-10). For this, we should seek Him with all our heart and call upon Him with full assurance.
- The Enemy attacks us with the intention of destroying our faith and our lives. But God has given us authority in Jesus’ name to resist the Enemy and stand against his destructive work, so don’t accept that (James 4:7; Luke 10:19). For this, we should stand in battle.
- God disciplines us as His children, but not to bring us pain or loss. His discipline teaches us obedience, holiness, and righteousness, so that we please Him and experience the blessings of walking in that obedience (Hebrews 12:5-11). For this, we should submit and grow into His likeness.
God is a loving heavenly Father who sent His Son to restore us, not to destroy us. Let us never forget that Jesus came to give us life more abundantly; it is the Enemy who comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).
Two common misconceptions:
- The Enemy would like for us to believe that everything that comes against us is from God and that we should simply accept it.
- Some Christians, on the other hand, teach that every point of adversity is from the Enemy.
Both are wrong.
Adversity is always an opportunity to overcome, grow, or learn, but not all adversity is a direct work of the Enemy or a specific trial brought about by God. Those two are distinctly different.
The Holy Spirit helps us discern the difference, so we don’t resist what God wants to strengthen and build up nor accept what the Enemy wants to weaken and destroy.
