The Devil Attacks Disciple-Makers

When I started making disciples as a freshman in high school, I was unprepared for the spiritual warfare that would accompany it.

At first, making disciples was easy. I met with a group of middle school girls. We did a little Bible study and prayed for each other. But as we began growing in our faith, expanding our meetings, and doing life together, it became more challenging.

I began to have a lot of doubts, insecurities, anxieties, and fears regarding making disciples.

What if my mentees never start discipling people themselves? 

What if one day they become lukewarm Christians?

Am I really a good mentor?

What if I’m not transparent enough with them?

Do they think I’m prideful?

These are some of the thoughts that began to take root in my mind.

At first, I didn’t realize where these thoughts were coming from. To be honest, I didn’t pay much attention to them. However, they became more overwhelming over time. That’s when I realized I was being attacked by the devil.

Now that I thought about it, it made perfect sense. If the one thing Jesus commanded us to do before he ascended into heaven was to go and make disciples (Matt. 20:19), why wouldn’t the devil attack disciple-makers?

After all, the Bible is clear that Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44). He prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).

Spiritual warfare does exist. It presents itself differently to different people. When it comes to making disciples, one of the most common ways it presents itself is fear.

Just like the “what if” statements I introduced above, we all have fears when it comes to making disciples.

What do we do about these thoughts? How do we fight back?

In this article, I’m going to present three steps we can take to fight fear. But first, let’s consider what Scripture says about this topic.

Emotions Aren’t Sin

First off, fear isn’t a sin. Jesus himself, who knew no sin (2 Corinthians 5:21) experienced fear and other emotions. Listen to this story in Matthew 26. This is the passage where Jesus is praying in the garden of Gethsemane. He knows he’s about to be arrested and crucified. 

“Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, ‘Sit here, while I go over there and pray.’ And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, ‘My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.’ And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.’”  ESV

Jesus was troubled, very troubled. 

Other translations expound upon this even more, saying that his soul was, “deeply grieved so that I am almost dying of sorrow.” (AMP) He was, “deeply grieved to the point of death.” (CSB)

Jesus experienced fear, sadness, and anxiety because emotions aren’t sin.

Emotions can most definitely lead to sin if we don’t handle them properly; but in and of themselves, they aren’t sinful.

Yes, it’s a sin if you binge-watch too much TV, and eat a whole pint of ice cream in one serving in response to your emotions.

It’s very tempting to fall into sin when we have fear, that’s why the devil loves to attack us with those classic “what if” statements. 

What if my mentees never start discipling people themselves? 

What if I’m not transparent enough with them?

Now that we understand that fear isn’t sinful, we must learn what to do with our fearful thoughts so we don’t fall into sin. Thankfully, that’s where these three steps come in.

Step 1: Identify The Root Of Your Fear

If we only pray and ask the Lord to remove our fearful thoughts without getting to the root of our fears, our intrusive thoughts will only keep getting worse.

When you have a fearful thought, ask yourself, “What does this fear show that I’m placing my identity in?” and, “What does this fear show that I’m believing about the character of God?”

The answers to these questions are very important because our beliefs about who God is and who we are lead to our behavior. Right beliefs result in the right behavior. Wrong beliefs result in the wrong behavior.

Let’s use one of my own fears as an example, “What if my mentees never turn around and start discipling people themselves?”

This fear shows that I’m placing my identity in my mentees’ performance. It shows that I’m placing hope and joy in something other than Christ. If I’m believing this fear, then I must be believing that God is not sovereign or in control.

That’s the thing about fear; it’s all lies! But God’s Word is the truth. The Bible teaches that God is sovereign and in control (Isaiah 46:9-10). Our identity is in Christ, not in other peoples’ behavior.

Step 2: Confess The Root Of Your Fears To God

After we get to the roots of our fears, we need to confess the lies we believe to God through prayer.

It’s really important to be honest with God. Don’t shy away from telling him about your fears and feelings. Being honest with God opens the door for you to grow closer to him.

Step 3: Speak The Gospel Over Our Fears

After you begin praying by confessing your fears, continue praying by speaking the gospel over them.

Remember that the gospel doesn’t only save us, it also sanctifies us. (1 Cor. 15:1-4). 

We need to remind ourselves of the gospel so we can remember who we belong to (Ephesians 2:19). We need to remember that we were created for a relationship with God (Genesis 1:27) and that no other relationship can fulfill or satisfy us. We need to remember that we used to be defined by our sin (Ephesians 2:1-5) but our Savior died for us so that we could have a new identity (2 Corinthians 5:17), and freedom from our fears (2 Timothy 1:7).

We have been set free from the fearful lies that the devil throws at us. “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)

Because of Christ, we walk in victory, not in defeat. “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37)

Being enslaved to our fears allows the enemy to gain a foothold in our minds, a territory he has no right to claim.

So the next time the devil throws lies at you, identify the root of your fear, confess that root to God, and speak the gospel over your fears. In doing so, the giant of fear will suddenly seem much smaller.

Yes, we’ll experience many different kinds of tribulation in this world. But take heart, disciple maker, our Savior has overcome the world (John 16:33).