Pursuing Partnership: Moving Mountains of Strongholds – Stronghold #1

Stronghold #1 – Satan Hates Women

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This article is part of the series Pursuing Partnership: Men and Women in Ministry.

In this series of blogs, Leslie and Chad identify spiritual strongholds that need to be unearthed and removed so that godly men and women can partner well together for the completion of the Great Commission. Pray with us into these mountains, and by faith may these tectonic plates move in Jesus’ name!

Satan hates women.

On a recent Zoom call with East Asians, we asked, “Who is more often abused physically in your culture – women or men?” Immediately they responded, “Women.” A few months ago, we taught in a female prison in Tennessee. We asked the ladies, “Who is usually hurt sexually more in the U.S. – men or women?” Without hesitation, they answered, “Women.”

Around the world, women are targeted, and the onslaught of this vicious attack on women is inspired by the hatred of the Enemy. God said that there will be “enmity between you [deceitful serpent] and the woman and between your offspring and hers” (Gen. 3:15).

The enemy wants women to be neglected, abused, hindered, erased, and dead. He loves it when they are aborted in utero, undereducated as children, and abandoned when elderly. He wants their feet bound, their bodies exposed, their minds disregarded. The enemy wants them burned alive with their dead husbands (sati). He loves to conceal them in black cloth shadows their entire lives. He wants them murdered for “family honor,” or sexually violated as a shame-producing weapon of war.

Satan wants women to either obsess over men or abhor them. Satan wants women’s gifts to be disregarded by the Church and for Christian women to feel unable, unwanted, and invisible in the local church.

Satan wants women to devalue themselves and never know their true worth. He loves it when they talk badly about themselves or slice others with their words. The enemy wants them erased from the record books of high achievement. Satan laughs when nations confuse women’s empowerment with women’s exploitation.

So, from a place of direct or indirect oppression, Satan’s hatred for women weaves a world of destruction, inferiority, and dishonoring. Will the Church pray up, stand up, speak up to this demonic stronghold of direct spiritual and physical onslaught? Note that there is no corresponding Bible verse that says directly, “Satan hates men.” Satan of course hates men, but the Bible directly indicates the hatred Satan has for women. This is why the Church needs to be alert to this scheme so that brothers and sisters within the Church do not fall into Satan’s traps. May we resist acting like non-Christian culture, in the ways they devalue or dishonor women. May we in the Church bless and encourage women, not covertly attack them with layers of sweet talk, or overtly attack them by saying their gender limits them. May we fight the enemies’ schemes whether they come physically or spiritually, directly or indirectly.

It’s way past time for Jesus’ Bride to identify this ancient demonic stronghold against women and work with God to push back the vicious onslaught.

Consider 1 John 3:8. “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” Wow! Did you know that Jesus came to destroy… the enemy! We pray that this picture of Warrior Jesus, fits well with your image of sweet, baby Jesus lying in a manger, because they are the same Person. Jesus came as a tiny, helpless baby in order to stop the onslaught, to utterly demolish the rebellious and vicious kingdom of darkness. Jesus came to destroy the destroyer. Revelation 9:11 says, “They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).” Destroyer is the identity of the enemy, and that is the exact work that the Son of God came to destroy.

Why do you suppose there is direct enmity outlined in Scripture of Satan against women? If women were not a threat to his rule, Satan would not care about women. Yet, Satan hates them.Therefore, a simple conclusion… women must be a threat to his kingdom. (Selah!)

God has a staggering, mountain-moving plan for women. God created women to fill the earth and share dominion of the world alongside men (but not independent of men)! God blessed women with the incredible ability to carry life within them and to feed another human from their own body. That is a crazy, super-power! Women protect and provide life and Satan wants to steal, kill, and destroy life. Jesus the Messiah chose to enter the world through a woman! But women are not defined or limited by their biological function. God the Holy Spirit, fully dwells inside women who follow Christ, empowering them for any task that God desires. God has empowered women to have a relationship with God and within that relationship to be used by God to change the world.

Satan fears women because he knows the power that male and female image-bearers possess when they work together in unity. Of course, Satan wants women to have NO spiritual access or inheritance or impact. He wants them to NOT evangelize, worship, lead, influence, or serve. He wants local churches worldwide to ignore them and devalue their contributions.

Let’s be men and women who humbly rise in the face of such large demonic opposition towards females. Such a vicious enemy gives an obvious opportunity for the Church to shine! This humble and powerful partnership terrifies the hater of women!

Pray churches will open their eyes to see how they can intentionally value, build up, and benefit the women in their midst as they serve in God’s mission alongside their brothers.

This article is submitted by Wendy Wilson of Missio Nexus and of Women’s Development Track.  Women’s Development Track is a Missio Nexus member.  Member organizations can provide content to the Missio Nexus website. See how by clicking here.