Over the last few years, I have been blessed to spend time with many of our new Christians here at Karns. One of the surprising outcomes of this work is that my belief in Satan has grown stronger. No, I haven’t become a Satanist or anything of that nature, but I am more acutely aware of his destructive work. Why? Many of our new Christians have faced difficult trials and temptations not long after their baptism. Considering that Jesus himself was tempted after his baptism (Mark 1:12–13) and that freshly sown seeds are vulnerable to external influences (Mark 4:16–19), I think we need to be more on guard against Satan’s work.
So what can we do to help new Christians? First, we need to warn them to be “sober-minded” and “watchful” because Satan is prowling around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Pet 5:8). He will try to disrupt their Christian walk by attacking their blessings and health (Book of Job), using tribulation and persecution (Mark 4:17), and using cares of the world and deceitfulness of riches to prevent growth (Mark 4:18–19).
Second, we need to equip and strengthen them to defend themselves by using the armor of God: truth, righteous living, readiness of the gospel, faith, salvation, the Word of God, and prayer (Eph 6:12–18). There are many false prophets who claim to have tools for fighting this war, but their strategies are entirely contrary to the clear teaching of God’s Word.
Third, we need to pray for new Christians and check in on them regularly. They need the “pure spiritual milk” that will enable them grow up in salvation (1 Pet 2:2). In the same way we would not drop a newborn baby in the kitchen to find their own milk, we cannot abandon a new Christian to feed themselves when they don’t even know where the food is!
As a church we often overlook this reality because of an over-reaction to things like charismatics and pentecostals and their false claims about spiritual gifts. This results in us developing an unhealthy anti-supernaturalism that denies the spiritual realities of this world and leaves us more vulnerable because we cannot recognize Satan’s work against us or our brethren. While I am not proposing that we develop a superstitious Christianity, we must realize that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of evil in this world. By knowing this, we can properly defend ourselves and others against the works of darkness.