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There is a lot of talk today about the reality of a global system of organized evil that controls the governments and social politics of the world. There are many different attitudes, from thinking this is silly to being consumed with anxiety and stress. Those who pay little attention to the news have learned that ignoring negativity calms them. However, just because someone puts their head in the sand does not mean the problems are not real. For those who carry the heavy burden of worrying about the future and their safety, fear can take a devastating physical, emotional, and spiritual toll on our well-being.

In psychology, we know subconscious reflexes cause us to reject information that challenges our worldviews. When certain information is too overwhelming, we can build barriers to prevent knowledge from intruding into our thought processes and develop a familiar internal security system that allows us to feel contentment by concluding it’s not true. In other words, hiding our heads in the sands of denial is the easy way to avoid dealing with uncomfortable knowledge. On the other hand, truth seekers embrace all opinions because they want to research as much as possible to discover what is right and wrong, even if it’s painful.

As Christians, the empowerment of being indwelt with God’s presence and the opportunity to renew our minds can completely transform our attitude. Instead of thinking about how weak we are and submitting to the imagination that we are going to be devoured, Christians must realize they are in covenant with the God of all creation, and as a part of His family, nothing is more devastating to the forces of evil than His authority. Those shaking in their boots never confront or cast out the darkness in our daily lives. Faith is having confidence in who God is and who we are in Him.

When the Bible says the enemy roars like a lion, it means he likes to make a lot of noise, but if we study this closely, he uses a scare tactic to make people believe he is stronger and more fierce than he actually is. This is a common strategy used in the animal kingdom where certain species will puff themselves up, spread their feathers, or do a lot of screaming to make their opponent afraid. The old saying that a dog’s bark is worse than his bite applies here. As we pray for spiritual wisdom and discernment, we understand the devil is not a carnivorous beast looking to eat humans. He is trying to persuade and deceive someone who does not comprehend spiritual truth, and because of a lack of understanding, he will harass and bully them until they learn how to stop him in the name of Jesus.

When we realize that Satan is a faker and underneath the mask is a sniveling coward, we can walk in the revelation of spiritual victory. God says, “My people perish from the lack of knowledge,” which explains the foundation of spiritual warfare. The devil is sneaky and can throw obstacles in our path, he can make things difficult by launching ambush attacks, but the dark side cannot separate us from the love of God or stop us from accomplishing God’s will. The enemy is trying to convince us that we are a failure, our mission is impossible, no one cares about us, and we might as well give up.

Of course, this is a lie and does not affect anyone “until” someone believes it. It’s true that mountains are moved by positive faith, but negative faith can also steal our joy and crush us under the weight of pessimism and doubt. Believing is the genuine acceptance of something we accept as true and releases power into whatever we agree with. Why is this important? The attitude of our conscience forms the basis of who we are and who we will become. Today, I encourage you to guard your thoughts and words and remember that God never fails. When a room is dark, and you turn on the light, what happens? Darkness runs and hides. God is omnipotent and evil will always bow down to Him.

Dr. Billy Holland is an ordained Christian minister, community chaplain, and author. Discover more about the Christian life and his new book about miracles, “Receiving Our Healing” at billyhollandministries.com.