I know firsthand that the spiritual realm is very real. We do have an Enemy, who is not flesh and blood, who is daily seeking to devour and discourage and discredit us (Eph. 6:12).
But that’s not what this particular blog is about.
Because sometimes I think we want to pass the blame for the difficulties in life to the Enemy when it’s not him at all. It’s us. Or maybe even, it’s God.
Hear me out…if you have been a Christian more than five minutes, you have probably heard someone say, “You’re going through hard times? You must be doing something right, and that’s why Satan is coming after you.”
Let me say, with all due respect, that is a load of crap, friends.
Furthermore, when we buy into that thinking, we puff ourselves up and quite possibly miss the actual lesson God wants us to learn from said hard times.
Could our hard times be an attack from the Enemy? Sure, they could. But let’s not start there. If you are going through a difficult circumstance* – the 
loss of a friendship, a job, a plan; physical or emotional pain; unrealized expectations… – first examine yourself. Our hearts are deceitful (Jer. 17:9). We love ourselves so much that we cling to our innocence when we are, in fact, horribly guilty. We need to humble ourselves and ask the tough questions. Maybe you lost that friendship, not because Satan is attacking your poor, innocent self, but because you were a selfish jerk. Maybe your parents grounded you, not because they are the Devil’s minions, but because your rotten attitude called for correction. It’s painful to accept that we are sinful beings, but the fact is that we are! That’s why Jesus had to come. His grace shines the brightest when we realize how dark our sinful natures really are.
It could also be that the Father, who loves us more than we can possibly imagine, is disciplining us. This often happens when we fail to humble ourselves and confess our sins. I experienced this recently. I was having severe neck pain. I went to the doctor, the chiropractor, changed sleeping habits, took supplements…and it still hurt. This went on for months. Those same months, I was fighting God. He was asking me to do something I was refusing to do. I justified my disobedience – not calling it that, of course, or even acknowledging it (because my heart is deceitful). Finally, I broke down and confessed my sin. And my neck pain disappeared**! God was allowing this pain to get my attention – because my spiritual health is FAR more important to Him than my physical health.
Hard times will come, and sometimes, they are purely an attack from the Enemy. But don’t be so quick to pass the blame to him.
*If you are being abused in ANY way – that is completely unacceptable, it is NOT your fault, and you should remove yourself from that situation and get help IMMEDIATELY
**While God used this to get my attention, please know that health problems are not always related to sin. We live in bodies that are dying and a world that is toxic, and sometimes sickness is simply a result of that.
