{"id":10873,"date":"2022-12-05T08:00:32","date_gmt":"2022-12-05T13:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trainchurchleaders.com\/practicum\/?p=10873"},"modified":"2025-06-28T10:10:30","modified_gmt":"2025-06-28T14:10:30","slug":"real-enemy-of-church-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trainchurchleaders.com\/practicum\/real-enemy-of-church-safety.htm","title":{"rendered":"The Real Enemy of Church Safety"},"content":{"rendered":"

We’ve seen the news. Some reading this may have experienced it firsthand. Places of worship have been attacked by vandals, thieves, arsonists, and murderers. Christians have encountered haters and persecutors of their faith. Despite the physical dangers for which we must be prepared to handle and the ability to prevent some of it by putting safety measures in place, the people perpetrating these acts aren’t our real enemy.<\/p>\n

We Must Remember Who the Real Enemy Is<\/h2>\n

The real enemy is not those who attack, desecrate, persecute, or abduct. Jesus said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” (Matt. 10:28).<\/p>\n

Satan and his host are the real enemy. — “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Eph. 6:12)<\/em><\/p>\n

Though the devil may not always cause people to do what they do, he will tend to piggy back on our sinfulness and use it against us to try to bring down the work of God in our lives.<\/p>\n

We Must Also Remember the One Who is Greater<\/h2>\n

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\nThough we may have to “walk through the darkest valley”, we can say “I will fear no evil” because God is with us (Ps. 23:4). How can we walk through such darkness without fear?<\/p>\n

“Because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 Jn. 4:4)<\/p>\n

We may not always understand why God allows bad things to happen but when we remember that “the LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth” (Isa. 40:28), we can trust that He not only sees the big picture as our eternal God but also has the power to accomplish His eternal plan which is always right and best. We won’t always comprehend His ways because “his understanding no one can fathom” (Isa. 40:28).<\/p>\n

Why Remembering These Truths is Important<\/h2>\n

If we don’t remember both of these truths, we’ll tend to solely apply human solutions to church safety issues and miss the big picture. This world, and what happens in the here and now, isn’t the end. What we can physically see isn’t all that’s happening. There’s a war raging all around us that requires weaponry with divine power<\/a> (2 Cor. 10:4). To stand against the devil’s schemes, we need to put on the full armor of God. While we may need to implement practical strategies, we ultimately must find our strength and ability to keep standing “in the Lord and in His mighty power” (Eph. 6:10-11).<\/p>\n

Grabbing hold of these truths is important because they will guard our hearts and minds no matter what’s happening around us. We’ll find the perspective we need, the ability to keep our attitudes in check, and the courage to persevere. — “you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes … when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” (Eph. 6:10-13)<\/em><\/p>\n

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