6 Signs That You Are Being Attacked Spiritually

Here are 6 clear signs that you are under spiritual attack.

Feelings of Condemnation

Many people go through times of depression or feelings of low self-esteem and this is perfectly normal.  What isn’t normal is to stay there.  Some Christians may begin to have feelings of condemnation and clearly, that is not from God.  There is a huge difference between condemnation and conviction.  Condemnation makes a person feel hopelessly condemned and heading for the judgment of God.   There is fear and trepidation about the future.  They might feel that they can’t possibly be saved.  Conviction on the other hand drives us to repentance and directs us away from sin.  Conviction is good; condemnation is not.  They are certainly not the same.  The believer must remember what is written in Romans 8:1 where Paul says “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  To be in Jesus Christ means that you have had a time in your life where you were broken over your sins and you repented (turned away and forsook your sins) and then placed your trust in Christ.  For those who have trusted in Him, they will not be ashamed at the return of Christ for He took the punishment of the wrath of God that we deserved which He didn’t.  That’s why there is no more condemnation for believers.  If you are feeling condemnation right now, you are either not saved and can be saved right now or you are mixing up the convicting work of the Holy Spirit over your sin verses the condemnation that the enemy is sending you.  That could be a spiritual attack from the enemy.  Don’t believe your feelings because feelings are the shallowest part of the human psyche.  Believe what God says, not what you feel.

Loss of Spiritual Appetite

When we are under spiritual attack the last thing we feel like doing is reading our Bible or hearing biblical messages or preaching but at the very time we lose our spiritual appetite is the exact time that we need it most.  Dive into Romans chapter 8, John chapter 6 and 10 or the Book of Philippians (the so-called “joy epistle”).  The best remedy for starving from spiritual food is to indulge on the Word of God.  When you don’t feel like reading the Bible, read it anyway.  When you get into the Word of God the Word of God gets into you because the Word has effectual power to change your mind and your mood. This could well be a sign that you’re going through a spiritual attack. Satan and his minions hate the Word of God because they know the end of the story for them. When Satan reminds you of your past, remind him of his future (Rev 20:10)!  Feast on the Word of God and get your spiritual appetite back.

Prayers hit the Ceiling

We might think that our prayers are hitting the ceiling and then falling back to earth but that is certainly not the case at all.  The Book of Hebrews says “we have a great high priest” (Heb 4:14) and do you think this High Priest, Jesus Christ, will fail to intercede for us?  Name a time when Jesus Christ ever failed.  That number would be zero!  The fact is that “Jesus has entered on our behalf [as] He has become a high priest forever” (Heb 6:20) for us and this High Priest “sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven” (Heb 8:1) so He has direct access to the Father.  This means that “he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence” (Heb 9:24).  If you feel your prayers are hitting the ceiling, confess any known sin and then go to the High Priest and know your prayers will be hand delivered by the King of kings.  Don’t trust your feelings…it could be the enemy shooting fiery darts of doubt at you.

Feelings of Overwhelming Helplessness

This happens to me a lot; I feel so overburdened and overwhelmed that I feel that there isn’t any hope. I feel completely hopeless.  Now stop and read that first sentence of mine to identify the problem.  It is “I feel” and “I feel” and “I feel” repeated three times.  Once more, I am putting too much stock in feelings when they are the most undependable of all human belief and emotions.  Feelings are not trustworthy at all.  I must rely on God and His Word which tells me time and time again that “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Rom 8:37).  This verse says that we are already conquerors…in fact more than conquerors.  We are victors. Trust God’s Word not your feelings, no matter how overwhelming life gets.  This could be the enemy trying to convince you that you’re done; stick a fork in you, but that’s a lie straight out of the pit of hell.

Isolation

If you are pulling away from your friends, particularly your godly friends, and you have stopped going to church and have no desire to be with the saints of God in the Body of Christ, that is a bad place to be my friend.  Let me tell you why.  Peter writes “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1st Pet 5:8) so just like in the wild, the lion will seek out those who are wounded and hurt which have strayed from the pack.  The stragglers are the most vulnerable to attacks from the enemy.  When you feel like you want to stay isolated, get back into the Body of Christ; into the sheepfold where Jesus is the Great Shepherd.  There is safety in numbers.  It’s very likely the enemy.

Increasing Patterns of Sin

Experiencing increasing patterns of sin is a big issue for many Christians. I know quite a few Christians who claim to be saved yet their lifestyle looks nothing like that of a believer but that’s a different issue.  If know you’re saved but you find yourself slipping back into the sinful patterns and habits that you had been avoiding you might be getting hit by the enemy.  We really have three enemies to fight; the flesh, the world, and the enemy and his demons.   If you are falling into an increasing pattern of sin, seek prayer from others, get back into the Word daily, and pray, pray, and then pray some more.  Ask God to put new desires in your heart and to help you avoid areas of your life and places you might go that offer temptation.  When I got saved years ago I had to leave many of my friends because they were doing things that I no longer wanted to do.  I had no desire to do drugs, drink alcohol, or watch pornography or violent movies anymore.  Stop, pray, read, and get away from the places or the people that drag you back into those sins.  The enemy wants you back; don’t go there.

Conclusion

If you have been experiencing condemnation, have lost your spiritual appetite, believe that your prayers just bounce off the ceiling, have overwhelming feelings of helplessness, are becoming more and more isolated from other Christians, and are falling into increasing patterns of sin, it’s time to put on the spiritual armor of God (Eph 6:10-18) and prepare for battle for he wants to have you back but you were already bought with a price (1st Cor 6:20) and that price was the precious blood of the Lamb of God and you are not your own anymore (1st Cor 6:19).  You belong to Christ so Satan, “hands off!”

Article by Pastor Jack Wellman