There is no doubt that Satan is attacking all churches with extreme vigor in this day. He especially hits small or newly formed churches in hopes of wiping them out before they can get well established. Knowing the days are short, he has increased the intensity and frequency of these attacks but The Lord is beginning to show us Satan's battle plans so that we can win the battle. Fighting a spiritual battle is much easier when we can discern and recognize the enemy and know what he is going to do next.

  He may or may not use this particular plan on your church but it is one he uses most often and has since time began. It has been very effective mainly because we have been unaware of his methods.

  We need to discern his tactics, recognize when he is attacking and understand how he operates. He uses the same pattern over and over. His attacks almost always come in three distinct waves with varying amounts of time in between. When we fend off his attack we breath a sigh of relief thinking it is over then he hits us with the second or third wave, sometimes with devastating effect. As we become aware of his methods we are more able to defeat him.

The good news is that when he loses a battle each succeeding wave is less powerful than the preceding one. Each wave of the attack grows weaker. He is forced to use demons with less power than the preceding one because his first line troops failed and he has to send in the second and third string.

  He always shoots his biggest gun first. The idea being to create fear, anger and mistrust so that the sheep scatter. The Pastor is almost always the target and therefore the prime recipient of all this anger, resentment and mistrust. One of his favorite tactics is to get us fighting each other. The result then is we are fighting his battles for him. We unwittingly joined forces with his purposes. He must use people to accomplish his goal he cannot do otherwise.

 If your church has been in existence very long chances are very good you have already experienced the first and most difficult attack and have survived.

  The next demonic attack is usually only half a strong as the first and more easily defeated. The third is almost a joke and can be easily defeated, almost like stepping on a bug, simply because you are now aware, more watchful and more discerning. By now you should be very positive that Eph. 6:12   is absolutely true. Our enemy is not the people causing the problems, but rather the spirit they are allowing to use them. Once this is recognized we learn to use the power of the tongue for blessings, not cursing. We have by now learned that there is creative power in our words whether for good or bad. We now have learned not to speak evil of anyone but to bless them. When this happens, Satan has no ground to stand on. He must leave. As his attacks become weaker, the demons he sends against us less and less powerful. We become stronger and wiser. We recognize him in our own attitudes. We begin to pray for each other, speak blessings to each other, especially our pastor and leaders.

    Those who are discerning among you will feel the attack even before it begins and can gage the strength of it. When we realize we are under attack, we must pray and become determined to speak no evil and to speak blessing, to change our attitudes and to not feel the need to defend our position or our own agendas.

  In his first attack he will blow through the place like a bowling ball knocking people around like bowling pins. Everyone feels shocked, hurt and isolated just like a bunch of bowling pins that have been struck dead center. It seems as if a bomb has been dropped in the middle of our church.

  His purpose is to hurt us so that we get angry and discouraged enough to leave. But we must get up; look around to see if everyone is Ok, began to fill in the crater left by this un-spiritual bomb dropped in our midst and became a little tougher and wiser. Instead of us leaving fuming in anger, the demon will now have to leave fuming and in anger.

  The second attack will indeed be much weaker and easier to defeat. The pattern of this demon is much more clever and sneaky. Like the serpent that deceived eve with subtle question intended to lead them away from Gods intent for their lives, this demons intention is exactly the same-to cause us to question our place and purpose in God. He will give you thoughts that seem to be yours but are in fact implanted to cause you to begin to question everything.  He will say, "Why not give up the struggle?" "Why exert so much energy too maintain a church, why not give up." "It's so much easier elsewhere."" It wasn't this hard in the world." Then he will bring to remembrance some of the things you used to do in the world. While he is causing you to question, he will simultaneously hold up a temptation before you or another place that seems like a greener pasture. He will try to entice you by bringing to mind some favorite sin that you used to enjoy and say "That’s still out there just leave here and go get it" Many think these thoughts are their own and wonder why they are having them. Well they are your thoughts if you accept them but they were originated by a demon. But this one is not nearly as strong as the last and by recognizing him he is even weaker yet. If we will recognize this and not accept his thoughts and rebuke him he will leave disgusted and angry, just what he had hoped to do to us. We want him to leave disgusted and angry not us! 

  He wants your church, your building, and your city but first he has to get Gods people to leave. Otherwise he can't stay. He cannot remain in the same place as the Holy Spirit or where God is being worshipped and obeyed. Obedience to God neutralizes satanic power every time.

  Two things we must realize is that if we leave disillusioned and discouraged we will not be happy where ever we go because we will just take the disillusionment and discouragement with us and loose it on them. Also we must realize that we have to fight this battle and defeat this enemy at some point we might as well do it here and now. Win the battle then we will be clearer as to what is Gods will for us and we will know without a doubt where we are supposed to be whether it be here or somewhere else. We will be free to do whatever His will is for us.

    The third demonic attack will be almost laughable, he will be like a little boy whose dad and mom have said no and he is whining " Aw, common mom let me do it, it won't hurt, I won't get hurt-whatever etc.". This little demon or imp will say "Oh come on just give it up." "It won't hurt, just let it go so you don't have to fight so hard and so I don't in trouble with Satan". "He sent me and if I go back defeated he'll get angry with me, help me a little on this one huh" This one we will laugh at and defeat him quickly.

  God allows us to go through these battles so we will become tougher, stronger and will be able to recognize when Satan attacks again and will know how to defeat him the next time. It not only gives us experience it builds confidence.

  Most churches more than a year old have already won the first and the toughest battle. The one you are presently fighting or the next one is very easily won with a little old-fashioned will power and common sense.

  The third will be just a slight bump on the road toward the things God has waiting for you. When we look back a year from now we will be saying, " I'm so glad I didn't listen to Satan. I'm glad I'm here and a part of what God is doing. If you can't say that one year from now, then go in peace, to where ever He leads you. Do this and you will win. Satan will not win. All glory be to God.

                      Part Two

  When a church finds itself in a place of dissatisfaction, the cause may not always be a satanic attack. It may be that God is prodding the church in a new direction. It may simply be that as it was in Exodus, when the cloud moves it's time for us to move. Time for us to find where God is leading and move with Him. Even a third factor may be at work. God Himself may be calling for a change.

God is trying to destroy the shell that keeps us from Him.The shell that we place ourselves in so that we don't get bruised or hurt when we get involved. It doesn't matter how we have church it's how we have a relationship with God that matters.

God has called each church out for a specific purpose and we must consecrate ourselves to Him before we cross our Jordan. We cannot go into the promise land in our own strength. We must have God, His direction and His purpose. He must be satisfied that He can trust us with the keys to the kingdom before He gives us the power that goes with the authority. If we cannot make the commitment we can be replaced but if anyone makes that choice it is doubtful they will ever be truly happy or fulfilled.

The real issue that we must realize and deal with is that God is making us dissatisfied with everything that we do until we learn to draw closer to Him and look to Him for everything; for all. We are learning that no man can seek God for us we must do it ourselves. He wants and desires a more intimate relationship with us. He is calling His sheep - we are hearing His voice we just are not following the sound of His voice to where He is. We are circling in confusion that's why we are prime targets for demonic attack-confused bleating of sheep attracts wolves. Until we enter that intimate relationship, we will be dissatisfied.

The changes that need to be made are not a change of location. We just take our problems with us to a place that has problems of its own and then we have more problems than we had before. We simply compound our problems. The changes that needs to be made is not to put the chairs in a circle or sit at tables or on the floor or home church or cell groups. The change that needs to be made is in our own hearts; it is to seek God more to draw closer to Him to have amore intimate relationship with Him individually, then when we come together corporately it will not matter how we do it or whether or not we have preaching. When God is the focus, when Jesus is lifted up He will draw all men to Him.

  It begins with our repenting for being rebellious and stiff-necked and humbling ourselves before God and asking for His presence in our individual lives. He is calling us to a relationship like Jesus had with the father when he was in an earthly body. That's what Jesus was trying to show us -that we too could have that relationship and the power and authority that go along with it. We will need it to do the things He is calling us to do.

  We are not going to the church so we can be fed, we have to go to the Father to be fed. Only He can feed us. No man, no church can satisfy our hunger for more of God, even though many try. Men can only lead. The function of the church is not to feed but rather to be a place where we function together and worship God together. We feed babes in a nursery. The church should not be a nursery but a facility for promoting growth in the saints, growth through functioning in their gifts and callings, teaching to help them and preaching to encourage them in this quest. Ultimately satisfaction is found only in our relationship to Him.

                                         Ray Cleghorn