Spiritual Warfare: Overestimating Ourselves, Underestimating Satan
In the last post of this series, we looked at the danger of underestimating ourselves and overestimating Satan. Today let's look at the reverse: overestimating ourselves and underestimating Satan. (This will be a little scattered because there's several angles I want to look at this from.)
While we shouldn't think Satan has more power than he does, we also shouldn't think he has less. He is the ruler, the "prince," of this world right now and has been given a lot of leeway (by God's permission) to move around and cause trouble. Yes, God is still in control over Satan and has him on a leash, but he's still allowed to cause an enormous amount of pain and damage (just look at the world around us, maybe even your own lives). So may we never be flippant about him or ignorant of his schemes and power.
Here are a handful of verses about Satan/demons (what he's called, what he does, what he's capable of):
Satan is called "the prince of this world" (John 12:31,14:30,16:11), "the ruler of the kingdom of the air" (Eph. 2:2), "the god of this age" (small "g", 2 Cor. 4:4), and "the evil one [whom the whole world is under the control of]" (1 John 5:19).
He is a "murderer from the beginning" and "the father of lies" and has "no truth in him" (John 8:44).
He disguises himself as an "angel of light" (2 Cor. 11:14), can perform "counterfeit miracles, signs, and wonders" to deceive people (2 Thess 2:9), "leads the whole world astray" (Rev. 12:9), and blinds those who don't believe in God so that they cannot understand spiritual truths (2 Cor. 4:4).
There are many people who think things like, "If God is real, why doesn't He prove He's real?"
Well, He did ... it's called Creation."Oh, that's just evolution. It's nature," they say. "But if He's really real, why doesn't He send us a clear message, in black-and-white?"
He did ... it's called the Bible.
"No, no, that was just written by men. An interesting old book, but nothing more. But if He's really, really real, then why doesn't He come down here and show Himself to us physically? Then we'd really believe!"
Romans 1:20: "For since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."
Acts 17:27: "God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us."
I've read about Christians who drive around towns looking for demons to cast out of everything and anything. They'll even say that they cast demons out from whole cities by speaking Jesus's name over it and commanding them to leave. Whole cities. They say they send the demons to the Abyss. (Well, why stop at whole cities, then? Why not command all demons in the world to go to the Abyss? That sure would make this world a better place, wouldn't it?)
Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm skeptical about the biblical-ness of this and its effectiveness. In the Bible, I see Jesus and the disciples casting out the demons they come across, the ones they encounter when demonic people come to them. I don't see them going out looking for a bunch of generic demons to round up and cast out. And if Jesus Himself was reluctant to send the demons to the Abyss (Luke 8:30-33), should we be thinking it's our job to do it? Just wondering. But I don't see these kinds of "rounding up masses of random demons from whole cities to cast into the Abyss" techniques in the Bible.
[Once again, I think the reason Jesus didn't send them all to the Abyss comes back to free-will, to God giving His creation - angels, demons, and people - the right to make real decisions, within boundaries. If He were to eradicate all demons or all bad people or all bad choices right away, it wouldn't really be "free will," would it? It would violate the "free creatures" plan God set in place in the beginning.]
In my opinion, and maybe I'm wrong about this (I'm no expert in spiritual warfare), but I think this is well-meaning Christians getting too carried away with the idea of spiritual warfare, thinking we have more power and reach than we do. It's the opposite of underestimating ourselves, cowering in fear; it's overestimating ourselves, boldly rushing into places we might have no business going.
It kinda reminds me of another story where people overestimated themselves, got a little too cocky, and thought they had more power than they do:
"Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, 'In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.' Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day, the evil spirit answered them, 'Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?' [My note: Right about then, I'd have gotten really worried.] Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and over-powered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding." (Acts 19:13-16)
These Jews were not believers in Jesus, which is evident when they said "Jesus, whom Paul preaches," instead of "Jesus, whom we preach." They themselves did not follow Jesus, but they were trying to use His name to cast out demons, to do wonders.
But Satan knows when we're faking it, when we're really on his side instead of on God's, when we don't have God's power or authority backing us up. We might not realize it ourselves, but Satan knows when he's stronger than us, when he has permission to attack us, when he's got us beat.
In the story above, it's because they weren't believers in Jesus (they wanted the rewards, power, and glory that come with following Jesus, without the commitment, responsibilities, humility, and self-denial that come with following Jesus). But even in the lives of believers, Satan can get permission to attack us when we drift from God, when we try to operate in our own wisdom and power, or when we are disobedient to God or in sin. If we overestimate how "good" and "capable" we are - if we're ignorant of our weaknesses, sins, and vulnerabilities, and of the incredible importance of humbling ourselves before God and relying on Him - then we might end up feeling more protected from evil than we really are, which will actually make us more vulnerable and at risk.
We are most vulnerable when we don't think we're vulnerable. We're most at risk when we feel least at risk. And sometimes our biggest falls come right after our biggest highs, because we were on such a high that we felt invincible, like we could never fall that badly. So beware. Keep your guard up. Be careful how you live and what you set your mind on because you can open a door to evil, giving Satan a foothold in your life, through your choices, actions, attitudes, heart attitudes, and thoughts. And Satan won't usually come at you with big, bold, direct attacks, but with slow, simmering, long-term attacks. He'll get in through one wrong thought or heart attitude or action, and then he'll tighten the noose slowly over time, encouraging that one wrong thing to grow stronger and stronger until it has a greater hold on us. But it happened so slowly, under the surface, below our radar, that we didn't know it was happening at all. The ol' frog in the pot trick.
But the more we live a lifestyle of drawing near to God and staying obedient to Him and living according to His Word, the more God keeps us in His hand, helps us stay on the right track, and backs us up with His power. Jesus gives us the power, wisdom, and protection we need when we are living in line with Him. And when that happens, then even His name is enough to send demons running: "The seventy-two returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.’" (Luke 10:17)
Notice the difference between the disciples' delighted surprise that the demons submitted to them and the Sceva brothers' smug self-assurance that the demons would submit to them. The ones who had no power, protection, or authority from God thought they did, but the ones who did have it were surprised by it when they utilized it.
Satan enjoys and benefits from both of these: from tricking those who are not on Jesus's side, who don't have His power or protection, into thinking that they're okay just the way they are, that they can get through life just fine without committing to Jesus for themselves ... and from tricking those of us who are on Jesus's side into thinking that we're on our own, that we're more vulnerable than we are, keeping us ignorant of the true nature of spiritual warfare and of the spiritual power, authority, and weapons that God gives us to fight our spiritual battles.
Overestimating or underestimating - Satan's good with both. So let us be sober and educated when it comes to spiritual warfare and our standing in Jesus.
In my opinion, one of the riskiest combinations is to be like the Sceva brothers - underestimating Satan (living like he isn't real, highly intelligent, calculating, active, powerful, evil, destructive) and overestimating ourselves (trusting that we'll be able to manage on our own just fine).
This makes us so vulnerable and unprepared. Because if we underestimate Satan then we won't be alert for his schemes or aware of his power/reach, and if we overestimate ourselves then we won't rely on the Lord as we should and we'll try to operate in our own wisdom, power, protection, authority, and methods instead of in His, and this will put us at risk when the attacks that we didn't expect hit us, totally unprepared for what we'll face.
Don't underestimate Jesus or the power/help He gives us to fight our battles, but also don't overestimate your abilities/wisdom or how ready you are to face evil attacks. Don't go on some sort of crusade, seeking out demons to battle. Trust me, they'll find you soon enough.
Your job is just to be prepared ... and when you're prepared, it's to prepare some more, always staying grounded in God through His Word and prayer and obedience, etc., always being alert for and aware of Satan's schemes and temptations, always consciously abiding in Jesus and cleaning up your life as God leads you to, so that you can be fully under His authority and protection and can boldly take your stand when the attacks come. Because you've got Him backing you up.
2 Chronicles 16:9: "For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him."
2 Chronicles 14:11: “Lord, there is no one like You to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O Lord, our God, for we rely on You, and in Your name we have come against this vast army. O Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You.”
Psalm 1: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yield its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so with the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”
Psalm 7:9-10: “O righteous God, who searches minds and hearts, bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure. My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart.”
Psalm 9:9-10: "The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who hope in Your name will trust in You, for You, O Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You."
Psalm 33:18-22: "The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, who hope in His unfailing love... We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in You."
Psalm 119:9-11: “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”
Psalm 121:1-3,7: “I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip – He who watches over you will not slumber… The Lord will keep you from all harm – He will watch over your life…”
1 Peter 5:8-9: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith..." [Wait a second, go back a couple verses: 1 Peter 5:6-7: "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." Humbling ourselves before God, putting our reliance on Him, comes before being able to resist the devil. (Once again, it's "resist" when the devil attacks you, not "go out and pick a fight with the devil.") It's part of the preparation. We cannot resist the devil if we're wandering through life on our own, trying to handle things in our own power and wisdom. We must be under God's hand, humbly relying on Him. With great humility (reliance on Jesus) comes great ability (to resist the devil).]
Okay now, go back and read those again. Slowly. I know you skimmed it. Do you not realize the power and promises of God's Word? Do you think they are merely lifeless words on a page, something to put on your bookshelf for when you feel like reading or getting a little dose of God? No wonder you're losing your spiritual battles. Do you really not know that Scripture is the "sword of the Spirit," the offensive weapon God gives us in Ephesians 6 to fight evil, especially in close, hand-to-hand combat? We'll cover this more in a future post, but for now, see this sermon from Tony Evans: The Sword of the Spirit. Until we start taking God's Word seriously and stop overestimating our ability to handle the spiritual battles with our own weapons, we'll be losing our battles, vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy.
On a slightly different note: When the pain comes
I once heard a famous Christian (who grew up in a rich, successful, popular family and then went on to become even richer, more successful, and more popular) say that even if God took it all away, they would still praise Him - because it’s not about the money; it’s all about God.
When I first heard this, I bristled. It bothered me. Why? I mean, it's so humble and God-glorifying, right? So why would I have a problem with it? Isn’t that the kind of thing we're supposed to say and do?
Of course, I do think that the person means it, that they know money has no eternal value and that they really want God to be glorified in their life above all (it's evident in the way they live). But after thinking it over, I figured out what bothers me when we say those kinds of statements: It's overestimating our ability to handle pain, to handle it if God took everything away.
I have no problem with the humble, godly response of praising God if everything's taken away (that's only right to do), but I do have a problem with us being flippant about it, thinking it'd be easy for us to do, underestimating the devastating impact it might have on us, on our mind, heart, faith, desire to live, etc. Statements like that, no matter how well-intentioned, come from an underlying level of self-confidence that says “I can handle it. My faith is strong enough. I won’t crack under the pressure and trials. I’m stronger than that. No matter what happens to me, I’ll still be singing God’s praises.”
Easy to say when your bank account and tummies are full.
Easy to say “Even if it was all taken away, I'd still praise God” … until it’s all taken away.
Well, take it from someone who has cracked: This doesn’t really show a strong, unshakeable faith in God (especially if it’s said before crushing trials come) so much as it shows a naïve faith in ourselves, in our ability to maintain a strong, unshakeable faith no matter what.
And I believe Satan will exploit something like this, our misplaced faith and confidence. He will attack us through it somehow. And I think God will let him - because in order to mature our faith, to show us how weak we are and how much we need God, any areas of over-self-confidence and self-sufficiency will need to be exposed and dealt with. Sometimes we don't learn to fully lean on God until God's all we've got left to lean on.
Our hearts can be in the right place while our confidence is in the wrong place. And we can’t really know what’s in our hearts sometimes (the hidden attitudes, fears, doubts, misplaced trust, self-reliance, control issues, over-confidence, etc.) until the painful trials bring them to light, which is one reason why God allows the painful trials to come. He can only heal and fix what we're honest with Him about, what we hand over to Him and let Him deal with.
[If you're feeling bold, be proactive. Pray that God exposes what's in your heart now and invite Him to deal with it now, so that you don't have to go through as many painful trials to fix it later. Scary, I know. But it might save you a lot of pain later.
Psalm 139:23-24: "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
Psalm 51:10: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”]
When times are good and we feel strong, it’s easy to make naïve, untested, over-confident assumptions about how well we'll do in future painful trials, to convince ourselves that we'll always be singing God's praises with a smile on our face, no matter what. Our hearts may be in the right place, but be careful. Over-confidence in ourselves can become - will become - a target for Satan. It comes from a place of pride, and Satan will try to use it to trip us up.
Don't underestimate the attacks that God might allow Satan to inflict on you, and don't overestimate your ability to handle it. Prepare yourself now by learning more (through God's Word) about who God is, who you are in Him, what your weak spots are, how Satan attacks, and what spiritual warfare is like, so that there are less areas for Satan to attack and so that you are more ready for the attacks, temptations, and painful trials when they do come.
[If you want, for help in getting started, check out my "workbook": "Through the Refining Fire: Your 'Sweetly Broken' Journey". I have no idea if it's helpful or any good, but it's based on the things I went through and learned as I grew through painful trials.]
The added danger of a critical, judgmental spirit
Going off on a small tangent here, speaking of overestimating ourselves: Before we left our church, there were several times (among many others) that I got very angry with the Calvinist pastor for some super stupid things he said, such as (paraphrased) that babies who die will not be saved, that depression is a sin, that child abuse was ordained by God for His glory and to keep you humble, etc. (I think Calvinism has been one of Satan's most effective schemes for getting the evangelical church off-track. See "Things my Calvinist Pastor Said #12: Depression is a Sin, Job was a Dimwit" and "... #11: God ordains Child Abuse" and "Do babies go to heaven if they die? A critique of Calvinism's answer")
But another stupid thing he said, which relates to overestimating ourselves, is when he criticized Job of the Bible, the man who lost everything in a contest between Satan and God. This smug pastor called Job "dimwitted" for the way Job "complained" about it all, saying that Job deserved to be hammered by God when God finally answered him.
I couldn't believe it - this pastor who never went through a monumental, Job-sized amount of incredible pain, suffering, and loss had the smug, judgmental guts to criticize a man who did, the man whom God brought to Satan's attention to test because of how righteous, God-fearing, and God-glorifying he was ... and would still be, no matter what. Oh, how stupid, stupid, stupid! (And I say this knowing that God's never pointed me out to Satan either as a shining example of a God-fearing, God-honoring person, that I'm nowhere near Job of the Bible, that I shatter under trials that are far more mild than what Job went through.)
Sorry, I'm venting here, but it makes me so mad to hear smug, judgmental people who haven't gone through faith-shattering trials criticize those who have and how well they handled it, to hear people condemn the way others struggle through their trials when they themselves never faced those trials. It's like the over-self-confidence of "Even if it was all taken away, I'd still praise God," but it adds a condemning, judgmental level to it: "If I went through the trials you've gone through, I'd do better than you!"
Oh, it makes me mad! May we never think this way or treat other people this way, unless we're volunteering for that kind of testing too.
And I speak from experience. I can't tell you how many times I ended up facing the very things I criticized others about (in my head), that I judged them for. Don't criticize others or act like you can handle their trials better than them; it'll come back around to you. God will surely allow the trials that will be necessary to cut out that kind of pride from your heart.
[Now you might be thinking, "You say 'don't criticize,' but then why do you criticize Calvinists so harshly?"
Answer: For the best reason possible - Calvinism is a cancer in the church that destroys God's character, God's truth, Jesus's sacrifice, the gospel, and people's faith and eternities. And if that's not worth criticizing - if those things aren't worth fighting over, worth protecting - nothing is. If we're criticized (judged) for anything, let it be for how true we stay to God's Word and for how lovingly we help others find eternal life in Jesus.
My heart, my passion, is with helping hurting, broken people and lost sinners find help, healing, wholeness, eternal life in Jesus. But Calvinism declares most people un-save-able. It makes God the cause of all the sin, evil, and unbelief that He commands us not to do ... and then He punishes us for doing it. (A God like that cannot be trusted.)
And, in fact, the Calvinist gospel cannot save anyone from hell - because the Calvinist elect were born predestined to heaven (never in danger of hell) and the Calvinist non-elect were born predestined for hell (never able to be saved). So what does the gospel really accomplish in Calvinism? Nothing. Saving only the people who were already born saved.
In Calvinism, there is no hope, no help, no healing for the non-elect, for multitudes of broken, hurting people, because Calvi-Jesus never died for them anyway. And so, yes, I will be critical of that, of a horrible, destructive, unbiblical theology that destroys God's truth, the heart of the gospel, the whole goal of creation and history, people's chance for salvation. It's worth the fight! And shame on me if I didn't fight back against something like that.
Okay, I'm done with my rant now.]
When we're doing well, it's easy to be critical of those who struggle, of the ways they fail and stumble along the way, to think less of them because they're not handling things as well as we would. Be careful. This also comes from pride, from self-confidence (and a touch of heartlessness), and it will most definitely become an area Satan will attack or use against us.
In fact, getting us to be critical of others is probably one of Satan's easiest, most effective schemes because it makes us feel so good doing it, right? Every time we criticize someone else for what they're doing wrong, it's a point for us, right? We get to feel better about ourselves in comparison, feeling like we look better than them because we're not doing what they're doing, and we get to feel wise and godly for recognizing the problems/sins in someone else's life. And if we point them out to them (or to others), even better. Because then we get the added bonus of feeling spiritually mature and "bold" enough to call out their sin. It's a win-win-win for us, isn't it?
Yes, it's good to be wise enough to recognize sin and bold enough to point sin out. Yes, we believers need to help others who are in sin. But what spirit are we doing it in? Does our critical spirit come from a desire for the other person's good, or does it come from a desire to elevate ourselves? Are we pointing out what they're doing wrong to help them, or to make ourselves look better and/or score a few points with God and others? In what ways might Satan use our good intentions to trip us up? We need to be careful to address any planks in our eyes first, before pointing out the specks in someone else's eye, so that Satan can't trip us up through our pride, judgmentalism, and tunnel vision.
Never overestimate your ability to handle the trials and struggles that someone else is going through, that you haven't gone through yourself. Because you'll be next in line, volunteering to go through those trials yourself.
To be honest, I'm probably so passionate about this issue - so angry about smug people who criticize others who are struggling through trials they themselves never faced - because I've been there before: smug, judgmental, and overly-self-confident, never walking a day in other people's shoes but criticizing them anyway (in my mind) for how well they're doing in their lives and spiritual walks. Oh, shame on me.
But then life's painful trials knocked me flat on my back, kicked me while I was down, and crushed me to the point of shattering almost completely. In fact, I'm still trying to get over it, still fragile. It's changed me forever. But it taught me important lessons about myself, about my limits, weak areas, vulnerabilities; about how human we all are, how we're all on the same level at the foot of the cross; about how we all need understanding, grace, forgiveness, compassion, a gentle touch, and sometimes a shoulder to cry on; and about how none of us can make it through life on our own, that we all need to throw ourselves on the Lord, to find our strength, hope, and healing in Him alone because nothing else in this life will hold us up and get us through.
I have hardly any self-confidence left anymore, but that's okay. I'm clinging to God with all I've got, and He's enough for me. And if the pain I've gone through is why I have such a heart for hurting people - instead of the smug, critical, self-confident heart I used to have - I don't regret it. It was worth it.
(See "A Defining Moment" or "We'll make it through this together" or "Broken" or "Wrestling with God" or "Just Keep Falling".)
If you're on the receiving end
And if you're on the other end - if you've been hurt by someone who's been critical of you - you've got to be careful of Satan's scheme to use your anger and bitterness against you, to trip you up. This is a big one too. A bitter, angry, unforgiving attitude is just as dangerous as prideful, judgmental, critical attitude.
Years ago, I was bothered for days because someone was sharing something about me with others that was a misrepresentation, and they were delighting in this misrepresentation. But they would not listen to me when I tried to correct them. Well, I was really bothered by this, but I had no recourse. So I complained in my head about it for days. And it was eating me up inside, making me bitter and miserable.
But what finally put a stop to it is when I realized that, in God’s eyes, my critical, harsh thoughts and my bitter, unforgiving attitude were probably “more” sinful than what this person was guilty of. And I found myself saying, “Yes, Lord, what they did wasn’t right, but I am guilty of pride, unforgiveness, and a harsh, critical attitude. And this is a sin against You. Forgive me.”
We all know the importance of moving from “Look at the wrongs they have done to me” to “Lord, forgive them for they don’t know what they’ve been doing.” But do we realize it's equally important to move from “Lord, forgive them for they don’t know what they’ve been doing” to “Lord, forgive me for I don’t know what I have been doing”? (We'll cover the importance of "forgiveness" - for others and for ourselves - more in another post.)
[And one thing I want to point out about Job, for those of us who hurt too. Yes, Job got "hammered" by God. He got lectured by God for chapter and chapter, reminded of who God is and who Job was.
But don't fail to see the point, the amazing part here: Even though Job poured out his pain and doubts to God, unvarnished, impolite, improper, raw, real ... God talked to Job. For chapter after chapter.
But the friends who criticized how well Job was doing in his trial, who gave Job lectures about God and lofty advice they thought was so wise and godly? God barely even looked at them, but He asked Job to pray that He'd forgive them for the foolish things they said about Him.
We might not face our trials perfectly, polished, with a smile on our faces. But that doesn't matter as much as that we face them with God, that we pour out to Him our honest pain, our real doubts and fears, drawing near to Him in a raw and authentic way, even if it might seem improper and impolite to some "holier than thou" people out there. Don't worry so much about the judgmental criticisms of other people; worry more about drawing near to God. He'll handle the people who give you trouble. (And if I may add, Matthew 5:44: "But I tell you: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you".)
Don't underestimate God's care for you, His love of you, or His ability to handle your pain, your honesty. God can handle real and raw, but He does not want fake and polished. He can't heal our hurting hearts if we won't fully open up our hurting hearts to Him. And even if He has to correct us - to remind us who He is and who we are - that's okay. Because if we care enough to talk to Him, to draw near to Him in our pain, then He'll care enough to talk to us, to pull us close and hold us tight while we cry.
Psalm 34:17-18: “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”]
In conclusion
Be prepared. Be on guard. Think soberly of yourself, your abilities, limitations, vulnerabilities, and weak spots, the areas where Satan might attack. (Pray and ask God to show you which areas you need to work on.)
Don't overestimate yourself, but also don't underestimate who you are in Christ.
Don't overestimate what Satan can do, thinking he has more power/reach than he does, but also don't underestimate him, thinking he has less, that he's not really a threat.
Don't underestimate God's power and protection, but also don't overestimate ... wait ... we can't overestimate God's power and protection. And if we're living our lives aligned with Him, we'll have all the power and protection we need.
Don't fail to take the spiritual world/warfare seriously, but also don't focus too much on Satan or on emotional/dramatic spiritual experiences. Focus more on God, on basic spiritual disciples like praying and reading/memorizing/quoting the Word, and on what He says about how to live, how to think, what the truth is, and how to fight the spiritual battles.
Don't put faith in yourself and your own power, wisdom, authority, or ideas (on your own, you will fail), but put your faith in Jesus and in the power, wisdom, authority, and spiritual weapons He provides, in His Word and through the Holy Spirit.
And think graciously and compassionately of others. Be gentle with them. Watch your mouth. Don't think you can handle their trials better than them. You haven't been in their shoes. And you don't want to crush the heart of someone who's struggling. Things may be going great for you right now, but someday it'll be your turn to struggle. How would you want to be treated? How do you want people to come alongside you to help when you're hurting?
Romans 12:3: "... Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment..."
Philippians 2:3-4: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."
Ephesians 4:2: "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."
Ephesians 4:29: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
