Desiring God co-founder Jon Bloom writes that Satan has a favorite weapon to attack believers: Unbelief.
Bloom says, “If Satan can weaken our faith, he can immobilize us. If he can destroy our faith, he can destroy us.”
How does Satan steal our faith? He tempts us, discourages us, makes us doubt God’s goodness, distracts us, and divides us. These things cause little cracks in our armor of God (Ephesians 6:11). When we wear weakened armor, Satan finds a way in.
Bloom says that Satan’s primary goal against the church is to fragment the formidable force of united faith and isolate believers, weakening the church and making individuals more vulnerable. His forces are hell-bent on these strategic objectives.
“The faith of a Christian is God’s chosen channel to bring his saving, sanctifying, strengthening, healing, and delivering grace to the world. If Satan can weaken our faith, he can immobilize us. If he can destroy our faith, he can destroy us. But if he can’t disarm our faith, Jesus will destroy him through it.”
Bloom writes that unbelief is a Christian’s Kryptonite.
“Superman can’t fight Kryptonite on his own. He needs someone to help him escape its power. When it comes to unbelief, so do I. And that helper is the Holy Spirit. Through the word of God, often mediated through another believer, the Holy Spirit seeks to focus my faith on Jesus’s truth and away from Satan’s lies. When this happens faith ignites and unbelief evaporates.”
Since unbelief is so dangerous to us, when we suffer its effects, we must take urgent steps to receive the Spirit’s help. In a recent battle with unbelief, the Spirit used the four following means to help me.
I look to the source of my power : Peter’s walk on water is frequently helpful to me (Matthew 14:28–31). As long as his faith was focused on Jesus, he was able to do the humanly impossible. When his focus shifted to the wind and waves, he sank. When I find myself sinking, it’s always evidence of unbelief.
I continue “steadfastly in prayer” (Colossians 4:2) : I turned the promises into requests and didn’t stop praying them. Jesus says that when we abide in him and his word abides in us, we can ask whatever we wish and it will be done for us (John 15:7). I have always found this promise true, but I’ve also learned not to lean on my own understanding regarding his timing and ways (Proverbs 3:5).
Ferocious battles with demonic unbelief are part of the normal Christian life. This is war. If the fighting doesn’t get fierce, we are likely not engaged or doing anything threatening to Satan. But if Satan is fighting us with the Kryptonite of unbelief, he perceives a threat. When you feel yourself wilting, take heart. Through the promises of Jesus, the Spirit of Jesus will help you overcome your enemy’s most lethal weapon (John 16:33).
