The unwholesome embellishments of horror films are usually fiction, but in the Christian experience, the threat of the supernatural is a fact. Christians don't want to think about the things that go bump in the night: demons, devils, spirits, phantoms. Some of the most unbelieving and skeptical people I have ever met were Christians! But the truth of the matter is that the Principalities of Darkness are real and they are dangerous. So what should Christians do when faced with real, present, and dangerous spiritual warfare?
The Lord Jesus Christ is our best example, so let's consider how He handled the Devil in Matthew 4: "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him" (Matthew 4:1-11).
There are three important observations that need to be made about the Devil before any interpretation of the passage can begin: first, the Devil came to Jesus when He was hungry and tired; second, the Devil tugged at the ego (though Jesus had none), 'If thou be the Son of God'; and third, the Devil quoted Scripture. The Devil tempted Jesus in three ways: he tempted Jesus to be gluttonous, he tempted Jesus to test God, and he tempted Jesus to commit idolatry. The Lord Jesus overcame each temptation with Scripture; He overcame His hunger with Scripture, and He overcame the Devil's twisting of Scripture with yet more Scripture. The key to defeating temptation is 'every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God,' that is, the Scriptures.
But what if the supernatural phenomena are not obviously from the Devil? Sometimes our dreams or supernatural experiences are hard to understand. Suppose you are knelt down in prayer, and the crucifix on your wall begins to bleed, or you begin to hear voices, or you begin to see some vision? Let's consider this: "Be rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer" (Romans 12:12). Time and time again, God urges us through the Scriptures to pray, even to pray without ceasing! If the supernatural phenomena that are occurring before you are from God, He means to encourage you in your prayers, but if they are from the Devil, then he means to distract you from your prayers. So whatever the case, whatever supernatural thing happens, always be steadfast in the simple religion of Scripture and prayer. And remember the powerful words of St. James, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7)!
Connor D. Krauss, originally written Feb. 10, 2025.
Published to geth.website on Dec. 31, 2025.
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