How To Be Strong When They’re Conspiring Against You
It seems a little silly to talk about here but Rev and I have an enemy that is conspiring against us.
No matter how hard I try or what I do to deter them, we have some squirrels chewing branches off the shrubbery and attempting to build a cozy little den at the top of our front porch.
It’s okay. I know you’re giggling a little. I’d laugh too. But this has turned into an all-out war. I knock down the branches and spray the bushes with a nasty-tasting mixture and after a day or so . . . they’re back and making a mess of things.
People or critters it doesn’t matter—when we know individuals or groups of individuals are conspiring against us . . . we get disturbed, distressed, and yes, we even get angry.
One of my favorite things about studying the Psalms is taking a closer look at the writers’ openness and honesty with God. They didn’t just pray pretty phrases filled with praise. They readily expressed their feelings . . . the good and the not-so-good.
Psalm 64 begins like this…
O God, listen to my complaint.
Psalm 64:1–2
Protect my life from my enemies’ threats.
Hide me from the plots of this evil mob,
from this gang of wrongdoers.
He’s saying . . . Lord, look at this. Hear my grievance. People are conspiring against me and I’m upset.
They sharpen their tongues like swords
Psalm 64:3, 5–6
and aim their bitter words like arrows.
They encourage each other to do evil
and plan how to set their traps in secret.
“Who will ever notice?” they ask.
As they plot their crimes, they say,
“We have devised the perfect plan!”
Yes, the human heart and mind are cunning.
The enemy of our souls is always conspiring against us. He uses problems and people to set traps for us because he believes that he’ll be able to catch us in a weak moment and we’ll give in and sin. And sometimes we do.
So, every night, Rev and I ask God to protect us from the evil one’s efforts against us.
Through our Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught the disciples and all of us to pray…
Don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.Or as most of us learned it…
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Matthew 6:13 NLT & KJV
We need the Spirit’s help to stay strong and not give in when the enemy and those who are doing his bidding conspire against us. We need to run to God in prayer and put on the armor He gives us so that we can fight our spiritual battles with the truth that VICTORY ALREADY BELONGS TO GOD!
Then we can say with confidence…
In my distress I prayed to the Lord,
Psalm 118:5–6
and the Lord answered me and set me free.
The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear.
What can mere people do to me?
Let’s pray…
A Prayer for Strength When They’re Conspiring Against Me
Father, the enemy of souls is conspiring against us. He is constantly working to tempt us and those around us to give in to the sins he knows will make a mess of our lives. He uses our weaknesses and our desires against us as he tempts us to turn our focus away from Your will to his enticements. Please forgive us. Please forgive me.
Please, by the power of Your Spirit, help me put on the armor You have provided for me. May I be wrapped in Your truth. May I be filled with Your peace. May my faith be so strong that it places a shield before me to withstand temptation. May I be fully covered by Your saving grace through Jesus. And may I fight each battle with the power of Your Word.
Please surround me with Your angel warriors and protect my mind and heart. Give me all that I need to fight every spiritual battle and rescue me from the evil one.
I thank you for Jesus who rescued me from satan and I thank you for the Spirit who gives and preserves my faith. Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. I love you, Lord. Amen.
I want to be as strong and faithful against the conspiring of the enemy of my soul as I am determined to fight those frustrating little squirrels. But I know I need help.
You and I need the Lord to help us live in the freedom Jesus won for us. We need Him to shelter us and help us do what is “right.”
And then . . . we will rejoice and praise.
The godly will rejoice in the Lord
Psalm 64:10
and find shelter in Him.
And those who do what is right
will praise Him.
May the Lord bless you and help you stand strong when the enemy conspires against you.
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I can so relate, Deb, to the war with the squirrels! My war is with territorial mocking birds! They light on my mailbox and use as their bathroom! Sooo frustrating!! Every trip to my mailbox, requires spray cleaner and paper towels! I’ve tried bird spikes, metallic ribbon, and even a mailbox cover, to no avail! And yes, it is as the never ending battle I have with satan, trying to frustrate me and consume me with a problem, instead of rejoicing in all the other wonderful blessings God showers me with! Psalm 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: But the Lord delivereth him out of them all.
May God deliver us from all the “uninvited” afflictions that threaten us…
P.S. It gave me a smile to know I wasn’t the only one having a battle with critters! (not only the mocking birds, but deer eating the gardens and cats thinking my barked landscaping is the biggest litter bark ever!) Hoping we can win the war! And as usual, your posts always lightens my heart and soothes my soul! Blessings sweet Deb! You are beautiful inside and out!! As are all the dear friends, I so enjoy sharing your devotions with! Beautiful rainbow blessings to everyone! (It was God’s rainbow first, and I am very offended for the connotation it now represents).
I love critters but whew there are times when they can be challenging. Kathy, I’m so very thankful our Heavenly Father has given us weapons to stand strong when the enemy conspires against us. I often have to claim God’s promises and remind him that he has no power here because God is with me and He has already won the victory. Thank you for your sweet words of encouragement. Blessings and hugs!
I had to chuckle at your post, Deb! But, it is not funny when you are dealing with some of the irritations of nature. We love the songbirds and the hummingbirds. But, alas, we had a big problem with black birds, squirrels and doves. They would take over the bird feeders and it was hard for our other birds to eat. Some of those pests are such bullys. Finally we studied up on it and found that safflower seed was something the black birds and squirrels are not fond of. It worked to rid us of them, but not the doves. I love doves, but not when they come in bunches and bully the other little birds. What can I say? I do hope that you can figure out a way to handle those little pesky squirrels.
Now, down to the problem of people conspiring against us. It saddens me so much that I am dealing with that in a family situation. Especially when things have been fabricated and are untruths. I fianlly, after much prayer and encouragement from you and your dear followers and from people who really know me better, and by God’s grace , am learning to live with it and deal with it better. It hurts when anybody sees us through such “beady, small eyes” and especially when it is family. It hurts, but I will no longer let it rule my life and happiness. I am old and when you are my age, you realize more than ever how short life is. God has blessed me with so many wonderful people in my life and my sweet love of my life. And I will mention again, this website and the great people who comment. Deb, what a true blessing you are to all of us, as I keep telling you. It is heart felt and truly meant!! I am grateful for Kathy F. who has been such a source of encouragement to me as well. Christian friends are the best.
I do hope that you can solve that little squirrel problem.
Love and hugs, blessings to you my dear friend.
Good morning my precious friend! I too love to feed the birds and do not like the bullies at all! And just as you mentioned, there are bullies in life also! I get so mad at all the theft and crime and the bullies that feel entitled to take anything they want from anyone! And oh, the family dynamics that can cause such dissension and heart ache. I think we have all dealt with those kinds of family matters at one time or another. God knows the truth about your situation and I am thankful you are finding peace about it. We can’t control what others do or say or think. I have a sister-n-law that I have extended a sincere friendship to for years. And I am especially close to the brother she is married too. Perhaps it is jealousy, but I have never done anything that I know of, except offer kindness, support and love. I would have been a loyal and trusted and even fun friend, but it was alway rejected. It hurt, but after a time, God gave me peace about it. It is her loss… “A heart can only open up to a heart that opens in return.”
And bless your sweet, enduring heart for me! I never imagined my words being of any value at all! I am in awe that you found encouragement from me…I feel so unworthy so often. Your kind words brought tears to my eyes and touched me so deeply. Have a beautiful day my beautiful friend! My day is truly more beautiful because of you! Sending you a very special hug in return for the much needed spiritual hug you have given to me! ????????????
I am so sorry that you have had this problem with your sister in law. You are right on spot when you say it is her loss! And, it is probably jealousy. I can’t imagine anyone who would not want to be around you. You have so much wisdom and such grace. I am priviledged to be called your friend.
I am told by many that in this family situation it is there loss and not mine. My oldest granddaughter and I are close and she always tells me that. My daughter in law tells me that it is these people that are missing out. It helps to have that kind of encouragement. Family can hurt us deeply, but I have been finding out it is not always our fault. I have a tendancy to put the blame on me, but I am finding out that I am not always right in doing that.
Thank you too for making my day and helping me to see the good in me.
You are a fine Christian lady. It shows in your comments and your comments to Deb and others and to me. God bless you my dear friend, like He has blessed me with your friendship.
You are just too sweet! And I can also feel that you too are a precious soul with a spirit for God! And having a grand daughter that you are close to, says a lot about you too! I am sure she is crazy about you, and no doubt you are positive Christian influence that will guide her through her entire life! I loved my grand parents, but due to distance never had the opportunity to be with them very often. I lost my mom and dad four months apart in 2001. Mom was only 63 and dad was 67. They were my best friends in the whole world and for awhile I thought I would die without them. I still miss them everyday…I was never blessed to have children, so no grandkids. But God blessed me with nieces and nephews and now great nieces and nephews, and they have filled my life with joy and blessings! And I had the absolute sweetest mother-in-law ever, but I lost her too a couple of years ago. But God gives us grace to keep going and I am so thankful for the memories that keep them close, the influence they had on my life and the wonderful blessings of such fine and wonderful Christian family members that God allowed me to be a part of! And the best blessing is that I will get to be with all of them again someday! So just keep letting the encouragement you get from your grand daughter and your daughter-in-law wash over you! It is indeed the other’s loss! Somethings we may never understand, but God works everything out for the good of those who love Him!! Acts 2:28 Thou has made known to me the ways of life; Thou shalt make me full of joy with Thy countenance.
Have a joyous afternoon and evening my precious and dear friend, in Christ always! You are a true blessing to all of us!
God does give us the strength we need, Kathy. I can’t imagine how it must have felt to you to lose your parents fourn months apart. My Mom died years after my Dad. It was so hard to lose them both. When Mom died, I really felt like an orphan. I know it must have really been a rough time for you. I am just glad that you have God and you found your strength in him.
And as far as children go, it is not always a bad thing to not have any. They can be your biggest joy or your biggest heartache. And believe me when the heartache is there, it is crushing!
You have gained much wisdom from the things you have gone through. A special lady is what you are!!
Hey, Sue. Random critter conspiring is annoying but when those we love are the conspirators it is so hurtful. I’ve been there and I’m sorry you are dealing with it now. We are glad to be here for you. You encourage us and bless us with your words of kindness and faith. Blessings and hugs to you, my sweet friend.
You’ve made a great analogy here, Deb. Our struggles with the natural world sometimes symbolize the spiritual attacks that we are constantly under. We must put on God’s full armor, and be ready to deal with both.
Blessings!
Amen Martha! Your comments are always so wise! I know without a doubt, how truly devoted you are to living life totally dependent on God! Blessings dear friend!
Thanks, Martha! I am so very thankful that God has given us all we need to stand strong when the attacks come. And I’m so thankful for you, dear friend!
I need prayers I am suffering from evil conspiracy moreover during a very difficult separation from my husband after 33 years of an abusive marriage
I’m so sorry, Lillian. We are lifting you up in prayer . . . asking the Lord to comfort you and hold you close. God be with you and bless you!
Thank you Deb for the beautiful words and prayers on how to ask God to protect us from the evil doer’s that are always conspiring to hurt us. God is my Armor and will shield us by then Holy Spirit and will give me grace to forgive those who hurt us.
Have a beautiful evening and May God continue to enlighten us so we can always glorify him. ✝️????
Amen, Ana…Amen.
Isn’t it an awesome blessing to know that God has given us the armor we need to protect us from the enemy and his conspiring attacks, Ana. Thanks for adding this beautiful thoughts to the conversation. God bless you!
I needed this today ???? I don’t want a war with anything or anyone however, we have awful neighbors. Please keep me in prayer. Thank you ????
I am so glad it encouraged you, Joyce. God bless you!
This was much needed today. It’s hard when the enemy uses your friends to conspire against you (or to at least appear as if they are). I thought for sure that in your 40’s and 50’s we would really know how to do friendship with women but I feel as if it’s only gotten uglier and harder. This is when I lean into God and my church family. Thank you for sharing Deb.
I hear you, Melissa. I don’t think we will experience perfect friendships this side of heaven. Praise God, He gives us the help and hope to keep trying and brings sisters in Christ to cross our paths. Thanks so much for visiting and for joining the conversation. Blessings!