We are continuing uncovering the five truths about our enemy from “What My Enemy Does” in Spiritual Warfare for Women: Winning the Battle for Your Home, Family, and Friends. 

In 1 Samuel 17:4-11 we see how intimated the Israelites were by Goliath. Not only were they intimated by his appearance, but also his words. Day after day Goliath shouted. He didn’t hit anyone, he didn’t even shove them. The mere thought of what he might be capable of doing was enough to send the Israelite army into a frenzy.

The devil loves to intimidate us with words (and thoughts). Beth Moore says, “Satan plays make-believe. He can only pretend because he lost all rights to presume authority over the believer’s life when Christ: “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Colossians 2:15)

After hearing Goliath heckle his for 40 days, even King Saul was convinced Goliath couldn’t be defeated. “Saul replied, ‘You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.'” (1 Sam. 17:33) Like Goliath, the devil intimidates us with our thinking.

Satan has an agenda. His chief aim is to profane the name of the Lord. He does this by targeting God’s children for attack. He wants to steal our joy and kill our testimonies. He wants to make a mockery of God, and in his perilous pursuit, he has no regard for the wasted lives he leaves in his wake.

Our chief aim is to proclaim the name of the Lord. We exist to make His name known among the nations and to demonstrate His glory and share His love with others. We do this by overcoming the giants the enemy sets in our paths: marital strife, struggling relationships, adultery, addictions, and divorce.

We face bronze-clad warriors called cancer, financial stress, wayward children, and anger in our homes. The shield bearers for these giants march ahead of them delivering depression, panic attacks, unresolved conflicts from our past, and hopelessness in regard to our future.

We face Goliaths in the form of parents with Alzheimer’s, our own health issues, broken dreams, friends who disappoint, those who gossip, and even our own insatiable desire for material possessions. Satan uses these to intimidate us, distract us and to cause us to forget who we are in Christ.

If the enemy is trying to intimidate you, remind him that Jesus Christ has brought you to fullness! “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.” (Col. 2:9-10) The best way to overcome the enemy’s use of intimidation is through God’s Word.