C. S. Lewis’s book series The Chronicles of Narnia transports us to far away places and portrays the spiritual battles we face in life. In The Magician’s Nephew, a beautiful and cruel witch eavesdrops on two children, Digory and Polly, and learns Digory’s heartbreak—his mother is dying.
This is just the ammunition the witch needs to coerce him to become her pawn and disobey Aslan, the great lion and Christ-figure. She approaches Digory with the promise she has the knowledge to make him happy for the rest of his life. If he will take his magical apple to his mother instead of to Aslan, “Soon she will be well again. All will be well again.”[1]
Digory gasps as if he’s been struck. What a terrible choice he must make. The witch pushes harder. “And what would your Mother think if she knew that you could have taken her pain away and given her back her life and saved your Father’s heart from being broken, and that you wouldn’t—that you’d rather run messages for a wild animal in a strange world that is no business of yours?”[2]
The sad reality is that there is no vacation from spiritual warfare. Just like Digory, we must always be on guard, for we live in a spiritually hostile territory. Like our nation’s peace-keepers, we must diligently guard our minds from the tormenting thoughts and emotions that try to manipulate and oppress us.
Our struggle is not against a physical foe but against a hierarchy of spiritual opponents. In our case, Jesus has already won the battle. We must not let the enemy trick us into giving up what He’s won for us. If we fail to resist him, Satan will rob us blind.
We resist the devil by standing firm in our faith, not by focusing on the devil. If you value physical health, you practice good health habits. You eat nutritious food, get adequate rest, bathe, and exercise. To be germ-focused creates paranoia, not health.
On the other hand, if I ignore healthy precautions, I’ll eventually suffer the consequences. To not wash after handling raw chicken foolishly increases the risk of illness and contamination.
This principle relates to spiritual health too. We focus on Jesus and feed our faith, but we must be aware of the devil’s schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11). He exists; to pretend he doesn’t puts us at risk of being manipulated by him. To enter God’s rest we must know how to fight.
Spiritual Warfare Tactics that WIN:
- Against the World: Renew your minds. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2 ESV).
- Against the Flesh: Flee. “Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22 NASB). Avoid (Matthew 6:13). Make no provision for it (Romans 13:14). Walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16).
- Against the Devil: Stand and resist (Ephesians 6:10-20, James 4:7-10).
Satan is heartless. He pounces on our most vulnerable spots. Spiritual attacks are personal attacks. That is why we must always be on guard and ready to stand against his schemes. He isn’t content to ping you; he wants to “steal, kill, and destroy”(John 10:10). Are you equipped to win?
Digory came to his senses and rushed to Aslan, who explained the misery he had narrowly escaped. He then granted Digory the desires of his heart—and so much more. Jesus will do the same for you!
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Blessings,
Debbie W. Wilson
Linking to: #Reflectlinkup, #TestimonyTuesday, #RaRaLinkup, #w2wwordfilledwednesday, #Wedded Wednesday, #Women with Intention, #WordswithWinter
[1] C. S. Lewis, The Magician’s Nephew (New York, Collier Books, 1955, 1970), p. 162
[2] Ibid
Hi Debbie,
What a good reminder that we do always need to keep our minds and heart on guard. How easy it can be to lose focus of that with the many things we all have going on in our life and all of these external ‘things’ are what can create that opening for the devil to influence. Thank you for the encouragement!
Thank you, Susan. God bless.
Thanks, Debbie. Satan keeps attacking me through my daughter, Laurie. He knows that is my most vulnerable spot. I really needed what you had to say. Thanks again.
Beth, he does know our vulnerable spots. I think C. S. Lewis did a magnificent job of portraying that in The Magician’s Nephew. His distractions over occupy our minds and we forget to focus on our great Lord and Savior. 1 Peter 5: 7-8.
Sister Debbie,Great Word for Tuesday and the other 364!
Love,
Sara & Earle
Debbie,
Great word for Tuesday and the other 364 as well.
Love,
Sara & Earle
Thanks so much, Earle and Sara! Love hearing from you.
I am so glad we are neighbors today for Testimony Tuesday! What a great post… and so full of truth! So thankful that Jesus, like Aslan, covers us and gives us the desires of our hearts. Aslan is on the move!
Amen! Thanks, Karrilee.
How easy it is to let our guard down, especially when things seem to be going well! What a wonderful reminder that until Jesus comes again, we must be aware of the devil’s schemes and focus on the Author and Finisher of our faith!
Yes, Ann. I’m glad He is to be our focus and not the devil!
Debbie, I needed that reminder today. As I have said many times, if only Satan did not sound like me when he attacks my mind. But, he does and then I am torn on what to do.
Thanks for reminding me of his favorite scheme.
Sandi, you bring up a good point. That is another reason why we must renew our minds. The better we know Jesus, the easier it becomes to recognize taunts and temptations that don’t line up with His humble and gentle character.
Great encouraging words, Debbie
Thanks so much, Cindy.
Thanks for this excellent reminder, Debbie! It reminds me of the value of taking every thought captive from II Cor. 10 given the tendency for our thoughts to be key enemy targets. I am glad I discovered your blog via the #Raralinkup today! I enjoy your writing style.
Pam, that verse perfectly applies to this topic. Thank you so much for sharing it. I hope you’ll come back!
What a beautiful site you have! I love the name-Refreshing Faith also. My niece and nephews turned me on the Narnia years ago. What an amazing story! I am striving each day to prepare for spiritual warfare. I just wrote a post last month based on the Armor of God. I will definitely be back here. Thank you for sharing your faith. I was definitely encouraged. May God bless you and yours.!
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Thank you, Horace. I love the Narnia tales. I now listen to them on audio. These stories make truths resonate and stick. Saying evil is cruel is one thing. Listening to the exchange between the witch and Digory kicks you in the gut. I’ll look for your article. Thanks again.
Hi Debbie, I’m your neighbour at Women with Intention today, nice to meet you.
This is a great starter into being prepared for the spiritual battles we will continually face.
Sandra, thank you for visiting. Yes, there is much to know on this subject. I recently realized that at about half of my study, Give Yourself a Break, deals with some aspect of protecting ourselves from the world, the flesh, and the devil. There is no rest if we don’t know how to stand against these influences.
This was such an encouraging post. I think a lot of times we start to feel defeated during spiritual battles because we have taken our focus off the one who helps us through them. I think what helps is constantly renewing our mind and meditating on the the Word. If we would put Joshua 1:8 into practice we would know how to approach and handle our spiritual battles.
Joshua 1:8
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Tona, ” we start to feel defeated during spiritual battles because we have taken our focus off the one who helps us through them.” I couldn’t have said it better. It happens so quickly. Like Peter walking on the water to Jesus and then starting to sink when he looks at his surroundings instead of Jesus. Thanks so much!
I’ve never read the Chronicles of Narnia, though I saw the movie and I don’t think this issue was covered there. It truly depicts what we are up against each day, Debbie. The fact that Satan can bend the truth and manipulate us with guilt or fear is crucial to understand. Thanks for this inspiring post, my friend. I’ll be sharing it on Twitter!
Thank you, Beth. I always appreciate sharing! I have an account with audible.com. I enjoy listening to books like The Chronicles of Narnia when I’m driving, dusting, or preparing supper. Makes mundane chores an adventure!