Once upon a time, people who were suffering from a heart attack had little chance of survival because he or she didn’t know what was happening. As a result of their not knowing, they ignored the symptoms until it was too late.
As medical advancements began to teach about the warning signs of heart attacks, such as discomfort and pressure in the center of the chest, pain on one or both arms, and shortness of breath, people became more aware of when they needed medical interventions. Because of getting early medical help through knowing about the warning signs, the survival rate for heart attack victims has increased throughout the years.
Like physical heart attacks, there are also attacks of the heart in our Christian walk. These spiritual attacks typically take us by surprise and like a physical heart attack, we need to know about the warning signs to increase “survival.” The following are some of the clues that tells us we should seek some help, or intervention, if you will.
1. Wavering prayer life. Spiritual attacks have one goal…turn you away from God. And that is accomplished when we stop communicating with Him. One sign that you are under spiritual attack is when your prayer life starts to waiver. Perhaps you aren’t making time for praying, or when you do have time you pray superficial prayers. In Matthew 26:40-41, the Lord tells his disciples to “…watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation…” Prayer assists with keeping us focused on the Lord.
2. Becoming Overwhelmed. I’m the first to admit that I’ve been feeling completely overwhelmed lately…at work, at home, and even at church. This could be a sign that you’re under a spiritual attack. This often happens when it feels like the circumstances all around you are leaving you with a feeling of hopelessness. If Satan can get us to lose our hope, then he can prevent our living in faith. Proverbs 13:12 reminds us that hope which is deferred will make the heart sick. Therefore, it becomes imperative that we not lose hope…even if we’re feeling overwhelmed.
3. Resurfacing of old habits. This is a very clear sign you are under attack. Why would our habits or lifestyles prior to become a Christian become prevalent? Easy, the enemy is once again trying to distract us from our current walk with Jesus. When under attack with this warning sign, remember to rely on the convictions of the Holy Spirit to align your life Biblically.
4. You pull away from Godly relationships. There are times when under attack, where we don’t want to be held accountable within our Godly relationships. So we pull aways from the ones who may be best able to help us through an attack. Satan is smart…he wants to separate us from those who are our support and will assist with getting us back on track.
Well, what should we do if we’re having attacks of the heart?
-Let’s not forsake a time and place for prayer. There are two items that are imperative for a strong prayer life; the place and time for prayer.
-We should not forget the power of a place. This could be your church, your prayer closet, or your heart…those places you feel close to God are important.
-Collectively, we should not forget the power of relationship. Partnerships in Jesus, provide us with wise counsel and strong support.
-We need to rely on our Christian leaders. Our Church leadership and specifically our Pastors are a provision by God to assist us with spiritual attacks.
Before medical advancements, many did not survive heart attacks because of lack of knowledge of the signs and symptoms of heart issues. As Christians we need to know about spiritual attacks so that we are able to better identify them and survive…all in order to walk with Jesus, share the Gospel, and become more Christ-like.
~Emily
Iron Porch 