It was not long after setting up camp that the intruder arrived; his presence like that of a thief, set on stealing all we held valuable. Perhaps he was always there and merely hidden in plain sight, but this day he became known to us.

The day started like most others; going through the regular motions with little awareness of our surroundings. But around dusk, as the sun disappeared below the horizon, something just didn’t feel right. It was similar to that feeling of being watched… like we weren’t alone. As the evening unfolded, we could sense ourselves on edge, but shook it off as being tired from the day before us.

The night that followed was restless.

There was a presence that was unfamiliar; a shadow that constantly followed behind us, but could never be seen. The next morning, we searched the surrounding area thoroughly; enraged at the clear violation of our privacy… but nothing could be found.

As the tension boiled, so did our moods, attitude and exchanges with one another. This ghost was causing all sorts of hidden panic, fear and anxiety amongst camp; silently engaging us in a stealth warfare we knew little about… Nor how to defend ourselves.

How many of us can relate to this feeling of an intruder entering our private space; our homes, relationships and even our minds? While we can’t quite identify him, we can most definitely see the effects of his presence in our lives; tension, doubt, fear, the list goes on…

Yet the impact, like the intruder himself, can be hard to see initially; usually a subtle, slow burn that explodes into a raging inferno… near impossible to control.

The encounters are crippling, leaving us with the sense of great threat; like being in an open space at night with no visibility and hearing a deep roar… we are left terrified. Meanwhile when the sun rises, we can not find any signs of him.

It’s as if there is another realm that is unseen through our eyes but felt deep within our hearts. And in this realm, there are ranked officers on either end of the spiritual spectrum that gather in their respective war rooms to strategize total dominion; we seem to merely be the civilians in between the battle of good and evil… a great war for our souls.

Make no doubt, the intruder assigned to us in this war is an expert in his field, who John 10:10 says is looking to ‘steal, kill and destroy‘. 1 Peter 5:8 goes on to say he is ‘like a lion‘ that ‘prowls around looking for someone to devour‘. Men, we must stay alert and be aware of our weak spots that he will certainly target.

Yes, all men have unique weak spots, or triggers that when set off will start an escalation of fear and worry within our minds… taking us into darkness. For some health concerns, for others the unknown future; whatever it may be, it is the obvious and perfect attack point because it creates chaos and panic within, making it difficult to decipher truth from lie. John 8:44 says this intruder ‘hates the truth because there is no truth in him…the father of lies’

For sure, we will fall victim to these attacks countless times, but if we can identify our personal triggers, we can begin recognizing and predicting the attacks… Allowing for defence, instead of the defeat we are all too familiar with. When this happens, suddenly the intruder is exposed for who he truly is.

The truth, like a burning torch being waved in his direction will bring him to his knees, causing him to cower and vanish from our camp like a ghost.

When he inevitably returns, our defence will be stronger because we know we can stand firm against his lies and be triumphant. In time, merely scaring him away will no longer be good enough…no, we will aim to kill him on the spot.

Once put to death, his coat will be laid at our feet and his teeth will hang around our neck; a constant reminder of one amazing reality…

In Courage and Truth, we are Victorious