Real Opposition III

I anticipate that some Christians will find it defeatist to accept that opposing spiritual forces have the power to thwart our Godly efforts. Their preference is to emphasize the opposite: that because we operate in the power of God, there are limitless possibilities. From this perspective, rather than acknowledging barriers, we should simply trust God for outcomes well beyond our own strength. The bigger the dream, the better. (See my previous series on Outcome-Based Faith for more on why this perspective is problematic for me.)

This is usually packaged with stories of remarkable success, presented as though they should be the baseline expectation for everyone. But these stories are rare. The truth is that most efforts to cultivate Kingdom of God outcomes in the workplace yield far less than what was hoped for, and many fail utterly. Instead of inspiring people, this hype can leave them discouraged and disillusioned. If that is how the Christian life is supposed to work, it certainly isn't working for them. Ironically, a perspective meant to promote triumphing through Christ far more often inflicts a deep sense of defeat on those who honestly confront the reality of their daily work.

I want to offer a different perspective—one that fosters perseverance in the face of apparent defeat. To do that, we have to ask: What constitutes defeat in spiritual warfare? Does Satan really win when he thwarts a godly effort in the world? And how do we square this with the promise of God’s ultimate, future victory?

Consider this: Scripture teaches that Satan is permitted to impact our world and our efforts for a limited season. But because his ultimate downfall was decisively guaranteed at the cross, his ability to disrupt a project is not a victory over God. He is simply operating within the temporary boundaries he has been allowed. When we read the book of Job, do we think that Satan is winning when he is able to afflict Job?

Satan does not win if he thwarts our work. Satan only wins if he thwarts our will. He wins if he can convince us to give up. Just like in the book of Job when Satan only wins if Job ends up cursing God.

His target isn't our project; it's our allegiance. His goal is to use frustration to make us relax our standards, grow passive, or completely relinquish our commitment to God’s kingdom. Therefore, whenever we keep serving, keep caring, and keep pursuing righteousness in a broken environment despite poor results, we are actively defeating him.

I am reminded of a C.S. Lewis’s passage in The Screwtape Letters, where the senior demon advises his nephew:

"Do not be deceived, Wormwood. Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemy's will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys."

If I could adapt Lewis’s words for the modern workplace, I would say:

"Our cause is never more in danger than when we have successfully dismantled a human's efforts to promote the Enemy's Kingdom—immersing them in discouraging and disillusioning results—and they determine to stand up and continue their efforts anyway."

How would it change the way that you navigate discouraging results if you looked at it through this lens of spiritual warfare where effective opposition to what is pleasing to God is real? I think that rather than being defeatist, this perspective provides a target for our frustration or anger (not God or other people, but Satan), and a way to hit back. We do not have to be successful to overcome in Spiritual Warfare, we just have to persevere. This is good news because we do not have the ability to control for successful outcomes in any given situation, but we are always able to persevere.