How the Enemy Fights Dirty

Let me be straight with you about how this works. The enemy doesn't fight fair, especially when you're dealing with loss. He's got a playbook, and once you know his moves, you can see them coming.

Move #1: Isolation He'll whisper things like, "Nobody wants to be around someone this broken" or "You're bringing everyone down." Before you know it, you're avoiding church, skipping family dinners, and pushing away the very people who could help carry you through this.

Move #2: Guilt and Blame "If only you had..." "You should have seen the signs..." "This is your fault..." "You didn't fight hard enough..." He loves to pile guilt on top of loss. It's like adding rocks to someone who's already drowning.

Move #3: Despair This one's his favorite. He takes your very real pain and magnifies it, telling you it will never get better, that hope is foolish, that you might as well give up. "This is as good as it gets now."

Move #4: Anger at God He'll try to convince you that God either caused this or could have prevented it and chose not to. He wants to turn your loss into a wedge between you and the only One who can truly comfort and restore you.

Move #5: Loss of Identity "Who are you now without..." "Your best days are behind you." "You'll never be the same." He wants to convince you that you lost yourself along with whatever else you lost.

Move #6: Fear of Future Loss "Don't get attached to anything again." "It's not safe to hope." "Everything good gets taken away." He wants to paralyze you with fear of losing again.

Here's the thing – recognizing these tactics doesn't make the pain go away. But it does help you know what you're really fighting against. When you can identify the enemy's voice, you can choose not to listen.

Let's Talk to God: God, help me recognize when the enemy is using my loss against me. Give me wisdom to know the difference between processing my pain and being attacked by lies. I don't want to give him any ground in my life.

Think About This: Which of these tactics has hit you the hardest? How can you prepare to fight back when you recognize them?