An Attraction...

An Attraction for all Things Good

Theology in the Trenches

by Kathleen Kjolhaug

 

Anderson: “Wouldn’t it make sense that we truly worship that which we most fear?”

 

McCoy: “Yes, it does make sense. Our fear drives us to adjust our behavior so that we honor the object of our fear.”

 

Anderson:  “Many Christians fear satan more than God…and, that which you fear most becomes a god to you.”

 

McCoy: “I was guilty of allowing my fear to drive me to worship a lesser god.”

 

Anderson, Dr. Neil, is a worldwide best-selling author on spiritual warfare.

McCoy, Leighann, has written “Spiritual Warfare for Women: Winning the Battle for Your Home, Family, and Friends.”

The book has been organized into four parts: 1) McCoy desires to help us discover the inexhaustible love of God. 2) She exposes the enemy for who he is. This may not seem like a pretty package at first glance, but it will prove to be a useful tool. 3) She looks more in-depth at the specific areas of a woman’s life that is targeted for attack: marriage, children, friends, health, and church. And finally, part 4) is where she shows us how God has already equipped us to live triumphantly while doing some serious damage to the spiritual forces which come our way.

Beginning with a verse and ending with prayer, each chapter equips us in areas we like to pretend do not exist. Blessing us with powerful insight, the author writes, “Jesus called Satan a liar. Satan is the worst kind of liar. He doesn’t merely lie; he deceives by twisting and contaminating truth.  Your best defense against the lies is the Word of God. When Jesus prayed for His disciples, He prayed, ‘My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one…Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth’” (John 17:15, 17).

The author’s prayer is that as you read, you will unwrap a powerful understanding of how much God loves you. “Perfect love casts out fear” (1John 4:18). She explains that spiritual warfare is really all about love. The warfare, the battle, the victories, and the defeats; they are all driven by God’s relentless pursuit…fueled by His uncompromising love. God loves you. And in His love, He has invited you to face your fear, for there is another who “loves you not.”

“God loved us, Satan didn’t like it. In fact, you wouldn’t even be reading this if God didn’t initiate a love relationship with you. You are reading this right now because ‘He first loved us’” (1John 4:19).

“As you learn to identify and embrace God’s love, you will then be ready to learn more about your ‘enemy’s’ ways. In fact, you do not have to be an excellent student of evil in order to avoid it. You simply need to develop an attraction for all things good. For when you do that, the mere hint of evil will become apparent (and disgusting) to you.  The best place to anchor your understanding of spiritual warfare is in the firm foundation of God’s constant love. And God loved us first when He created us. So we will begin our discussion of God’s love ‘in the beginning.’”

Thus begins the journey of reading, Leighann McCoy’s, “Spiritual Warfare for Women: Winning the Battle for Your Home, Family, and Friends.”  I pray you join me in doing so…Amen.