What Is Spiritual Attack?

Now, I usually wouldn’t take spiritual underworld advice from the fictional captain of the Black Pearl in Pirates of the Caribbean…but he could be onto something. Whether it’s a panic attack or a flat tire, what is the cause behind seemingly inexplicable disruption in our lives? Is it random happenstance, or are there invisible forces that throw haymakers at us?

Spiritual Attack - What Is It?

Spiritual attack is when an evil spiritual force influences, tempts, or oppresses you in any way. It’s also called spiritual warfare, demonic oppression, possession, and spiritual battles, among other things.

What might this look like? It could be an overwhelming feeling of allurement toward a sinful desire, being struck with paranoia or anxiety surrounding your relationship with God, or even being physically afflicted (read the Book of Job and see one’s worst day play out).

But does that mean anything that goes wrong in life is a spiritual attack? I don’t think so—sometimes life is hard, and we must deal with the reality of living in a broken world as Jesus said: “In the world you will have trouble…(John 16:33).

So, how do we determine what’s spiritual attack and what’s not? And when under attack, can we do anything to fight back—or perhaps prevent it ahead of time? There’s so much more to this than a two-sentence definition, so let’s start with some basic points Scripture makes about it all.

The Bible on the Spiritual Realm

There’s a spiritual realm. And we’re part of it. The Bible doesn’t have a simple line: “Hey, you guys, we got spiritual and physical realms.” That’s because everybody in biblical times had a worldview that assumed both spiritual and physical elements—whether they were following God or not. Rather than one verse, you see it woven into the whole Bible. But this line from the New Testament puts it succinctly:

He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:15-16)

We are spiritual beings AND physical beings. The Apostle Paul, a leader in the early Church, described humans as having both physical and spiritual parts. It’s all over the Bible. We aren’t just walking meat sacks; we are also eternal spiritual beings.

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

We’re in the middle of a cosmic battle. Once again, prolific Paul lays out the invisible spiritual battle that surrounds all of us. And he makes it clear that this is the true battle we’re fighting. It’s not the physical enemies that really matter, but the spiritual ones.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)

The Root of Spiritual Attack

OK—those are the basics. So let’s answer some questions.

Are there signs of spiritual attack? How do we know when it’s happening? The short answer is that it’s not always easy to tell because we can’t tangibly see this spiritual realm surrounding us, so the signs of spiritual attack may not be clear. If we look at the Bible, we see it’s not evil that causes suffering sometimes. Jesus met a blind man, and his disciples basically asked, “Whose spiritual fault is it?” And Jesus gave a surprising answer.

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (John 9:1-3)

It wasn’t a spiritual attack in this man’s case. It was to show how good and powerful God was because then Jesus went on to heal him. That’s confusing, right? It is to me, at least. I’ve been following Jesus for over 30 years, and I feel like I haven’t even begun to sort out all the rules of this cosmic game.

If it’s not a spiritual attack, what is it? The Bible lists three basic enemies that we fight: the devil, the flesh, and the world—and all waging war. All three are real, and all have their own tactics.

The devil is an actual spiritual being trying to kill you spiritually—meaning keep you away from God in this life and in eternity. The flesh is our own brokenness, our bad habits, tendencies, and shortcomings. And the world is the culture we live in that feeds us its own selfish agenda.

If you want to read more than an article, I highly recommend John Mark Comer’s book Live No Lies. He goes deep into all three enemies and how to beat them.

I’m not going to read a whole book. Not a question, but I appreciate the honesty.

Can I prevent a spiritual attack? It’d be nice to check a few boxes of going to church, reading our Bible every hour, and helping old ladies across the street to prevent spiritual attacks, right? No matter our efforts, sadly, we can’t prevent spiritual attacks from happening, and Scripture is littered with proof.

Job, who God called ‘a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil’, had his entire life wrecked by Satan. John the Baptist, dubbed by Jesus as ‘the greatest man to ever live,’ was imprisoned and beheaded by an evil ruler. King David, named by God ‘a man after God’s own heart,’ was oppressed by anxious and depressed thoughts. Even Jesus, God himself, was tempted!

We are indeed in the midst of a cosmic battle. Seemingly random troubles in life and spiritual attacks are inevitable, and our good deeds can’t prevent them. What we can control, though, no matter the circumstance or cause, is our response.

How Can I Fight a Spiritual Attack?

This question deserves a slew of answers. Whether it’s any kind of affliction (spiritually, mentally, physically), here are a few tactics God gives us in scripture to wage invisible war in the spiritual realm:

Resist the devil. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

The Bible talks about the devil as a prowling lion (1 Peter 5:8), seeking to kill us (not just physically, but spiritually). This attack can come in the form of many kinds of temptations (James 1:13-15), such as judgment, lust, envy, greed, or whatever it is that draws you away from God.

The more we give in, the more power we give the devil to attack and weigh us down. The more we resist, the more peace and freedom we find in Jesus from the burden of the attack.

Pray in the name of Jesus and rely on the truth of Scripture. In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. (Psalm 18:6)

Scripture says that we can do all things…but only through God that gives us strength (Philippians 4:13). By calling upon the power of God, the King of the universe, we can seek refuge and comfort no matter the circumstance. Asking God for help and praying his realities over yourself and your situation can bring comfort and healing in our time of need. Here are some examples of truths to pray and remind yourself of in times of feeling spiritually attacked (and in your regular life):

“Though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me and you comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)

“I cast all my anxieties on you, Lord, because you care for me.” (1 Peter 5:7)

“Jesus, you have overcome the world. You are alive forever and have the keys to death. Nothing can separate me from your love.” (John 16:33, Revelation 1:18, Romans 8:39)

Know your story and what God has done for you. “…the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” (Revelation 12:10-11)

The accuser (the devil) is out to remind us of our sinful, broken nature constantly. But we have the tools to conquer a spiritual attack on the mind—consistently telling ourselves what Jesus did on the cross (the blood of the lamb) that gave us our God story (the word of your testimony).

Write down your story of your walk with God. Make note of the lifestyle, thoughts, and actions he rescued you from and the peace and full life he has brought you into. Make it a habit to share this story with friends and hear theirs.

God Won (and Still Wins)

While I believe this spiritual realm talk is all real and should be taken seriously, I don’t believe demons are necessarily hiding in every shadow or that we need to go to bed clutching our Bibles out of terror. Through Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, God conquered death, sin, and all that has ever opposed him. By faith in Him, through his grace, we are secured in his love for eternity, no matter what happens to us in this lifetime.

It’s the finishing touch to the verse in John we mentioned earlier:

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Any kind of spiritual attack can feel burdensome and torturous. But we have the God-given tools to combat any scheme the devil, world, and our flesh may throw at us. We don’t need to panic next time we begin to feel a battle brewing; we can simply remind ourselves of the one that has conquered all:

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

Still have questions? We also made this guide, just for you, on how to navigate the spiritual realm.

Disclaimer: This article is 100% human-generated.

Reflections to share? Got an idea for an article? Email us at articles@crossroads.net

At Crossroads, we major on the majors and minor on the minors. We welcome a diverse community of people who all agree that Jesus is Lord and Savior, even if they view minor theological and faith topics in different ways based on their unique experiences. Our various authors embody that principle, and we approach you, our reader, in the same fashion. You don’t have to agree with every detail of any article you see here to be part of this community or pursue faith. Chances are even our whole staff doesn’t even agree with every detail of what you just read. We are okay with that tension. And we think God is okay with that, too. The foundation of everything we do is a conviction that the Bible is true and that accepting Jesus is who he said he is leads to a healthy life of purpose and adventure—and eternal life with God.