There is an enemy who wants Christians distracted, deceived and spiritually asleep, and Pastor Jack Hibbs says believers had better learn how he operates.
In his message, “We Must Know Our Enemy: Satan and His Schemes,” Hibbs issued a fiery warning about the reality of spiritual warfare and the danger of treating the devil as a religious metaphor rather than the relentless adversary Scripture describes.
According to Hibbs, Christians live in two realities at once: the physical world they can see and an invisible spiritual realm that Scripture says is very real.
“The spiritual dark realm that you and I are up against is absolutely relentless,” Hibbs said.
Pointing to 1 Peter 5:8, Hibbs emphasized the command for believers to remain sober and vigilant because the devil prowls like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
And Hibbs didn’t soften what he believes that means for today’s church.
“Wake up out of your apathy. Wake up out of your lazy spirituality and get absolutely alert,” he said.
This is where spiritual warfare gets uncomfortable.
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Hibbs reminded Christians of Paul’s words in Ephesians 6:12 that the battle is not ultimately against “flesh and blood,” but against principalities, powers and spiritual forces of wickedness.
That means believers cannot expect to fight a spiritual battle with purely natural weapons.
“You take on the devil with your own strength, you’re going to lose,” Hibbs said. “It’s a spiritual war.”
Yet Hibbs warned that Satan’s greatest weapon may not always look obviously evil.
Referencing 2 Corinthians 11:14, he pointed out that Satan can masquerade as an angel of light. Hibbs warned against occult practices such as tarot cards, Ouija boards, psychic readings and channeling, stressing that Christians should never casually play around with spiritual forces Scripture condemns.
“Don’t laugh at it. It’s for real,” Hibbs said.
His safeguard against spiritual deception? The Bible.
“Doctrine matters so much that doctrine judges the message that’s being proclaimed, even if it’s an angel announcing it,” he said.
But this isn’t a message about Christians cowering before demons.
It is about knowing what God has already placed in their hands.
Hibbs turned to the armor of God in Ephesians 6, emphasizing truth, righteousness, faith, salvation, the gospel of peace and the sword of the Spirit.
And that sword—the Word of God—is not supposed to collect dust.
“The ability to fight the spiritual non-human entities in the invisible realm is the Word of God, the Bible,” Hibbs said.
Christians cannot wait for temptation, deception or spiritual attack to arrive before deciding they need Scripture. The Word must already be rooted deeply enough within them to recognize the lie and answer it with truth.
Hibbs ultimately pushed believers away from an obsession with Satan and back toward their identity in Jesus Christ. Christians, he said, are in Christ, children of God, joint heirs with Jesus, forgiven and kept by God’s power.
The enemy may scheme, but he does not get the final word.
Hibbs closed with an urgent prayer that Christians would “grab onto the Word of God and proclaim light where there’s darkness,” warning that “time is running out.”
And then came the challenge that perhaps sums up his entire message:
“May we not return back to any form of sleepy Christianity.”
To watch Pastor Jack Hibbs’ full message, click here.
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the newly released book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
