If you’ve ever tried to do something truly good—something that draws you closer to God or helps someone else do the same—chances are, you’ve felt resistance. That’s not a coincidence.

It’s spiritual warfare.

The closer we get to God, the more the enemy pushes back. He hates everything good, pure, and Godly, so he opposes all of it. Sometimes it’s a full-frontal assault: temptation, addiction, shame, fear. Other times, it’s more insidious—quiet division, distorted assumptions, or whispers of doubt disguised as discernment. Tragically, this is often how he slithers into even the strongest churches and relationships.

A Tragic Example

Sadly, I’ve recently watched this play out in a heartbreaking way.

Before we moved to Florida, we attended a large church in Colorado Springs. Long before we arrived, the church had already endured more than its share of storms. Years ago, they brought in a new lead pastor to help steady the ship. The church was deeply in debt, and not long after he started, a violent tragedy took place on the campus—claiming the lives of two teenage girls.

But through it all, the church endured—and even flourished—largely because of this pastor’s Spirit-led leadership. Under his guidance, the church became a beacon of hope. They launched ministries like one that provides housing and support for single moms working to get back on their feet. I was there the night he felt prompted to take up an offering to buy protective gear for many members of the local sheriff’s department—gear the county couldn’t afford to provide. And the church stepped up. They filled in the gaps.

This was someone who modeled Christlike leadership. Someone who gave hurting people a place to encounter healing and grace.

Recently, however, a situation surfaced involving events from decades ago—events that didn’t directly involve this pastor, but had occurred at a previous church where he once served in a leadership role. A senior pastor at that church had engaged in inappropriate behavior 25 years prior. It’s unclear what was known by whom and when, but when it came to light in a newspaper recently, he addressed it openly in a Sunday message, sharing what he knew and acknowledging uncomfortable truths.

From everything I’ve seen, his character is unimpeachable. His humility, deep faith, and transparency never once caused me to doubt his integrity.

But a couple of weeks later, an elder at the church read a statement. It said, in essence, that because the elders did not believe all of his statements had been truthful, they had asked for his resignation—and he complied.

I don’t know all the facts. I’m not claiming to. But from the outside looking in, it seems devastating that a pastor who had so faithfully led the church through crisis after crisis would not be given the benefit of the doubt—especially over events from more than two decades ago.

It breaks my heart.

And yet, it feels all too familiar. When evil cannot find a weakness in the light, it tries to twist the shadows. If it can’t tear someone down with sin, it will try to do it with suspicion.

This, I believe, is what spiritual opposition looks like.

What Do We Do with This?

So what should we do when we find ourselves under attack—when temptation floods in, when doubts creep up, or when we’re unfairly criticized or doubted?

We turn to the One who has already won.

Scripture encourages us to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17). And in particularly fierce spiritual battles, Jesus tells us that some victories require not just prayer, but prayer and fasting (Mark 9:29 (NKJV). These aren’t just religious rituals—they’re lifelines.

We don’t fight spiritual battles in our own strength. If we do, we will lose.

We fight them by clinging to the One who already conquered the grave.

And here’s the strange truth: opposition is often a compliment. If the enemy is coming after you hard, it likely means you’re already doing good for the Kingdom—or he sees the potential in you to do so.

As the old saying goes:

If you’ve never felt under spiritual attack, it might be because you’re not a threat.

That’s not meant to shame or scare. It’s meant to remind us: we were made for more. And as we press into God’s purpose, we should expect resistance.

But we should never face it alone.

God Redeems What the Enemy Tries to Ruin

We need to remember that even when evil seems to win a round, it never gets the final word. God is still in control. He is still good. And He is still at work—even in the heartbreak, the confusion, and the fallout.

The outcome may not always look the way we think it should. I don’t see a way that the pastor I described above will return to that church. But even in the aftermath, it already seems like God is opening other doors for him. I’m reaching out to the pastor at our new church in Florida to see if we can bring him in as a guest pastor to speak to us at our new church home.

The evil one may have tried to use this moment to silence a faithful leader, but God has a history of turning disruption into deeper dependence, wounds into witness, and loss into something life-giving.

God rarely causes painful events—but He is always in the business of redeeming them. His power doesn’t just overcome evil; it transforms it into something useful for His purposes.

Final Thoughts

If you feel like you’re being opposed right now—emotionally, spiritually, relationally—it might not just be coincidence or bad luck. It might be that you’re nearing holy ground. That you’re on the verge of something God-ordained. And the enemy hates that.

So don’t give up.
Don’t back down.
Keep fighting.
Pray.
Fast.
Link arms with trusted believers.
Cling to Scripture and the Loving Creator it points to.
Rest in the victory of Jesus.

And remember:

Good is worth fighting for.
And every good thing is worth protecting—because every good thing is opposed.