Friend, did you know that Satan has a particular hatred towards women? And that it's explained right there in the Bible?
Looking at history and the all ways in which women have been limited and mistreated, that may seem like an obvious statement. Or maybe it doesn't - because how many of us have heard this concept before? Probably not many. I hadn't heard it until just recently. And what I learned was so profound to my identity as a woman, I had to share it will all of you - my sisters in Christ.
In today's episode, I'm going to explain why the Enemy has it out for women so diabolically. Plus, I'll share why this actually frees you from blaming yourself for the bad things that have happened to you - and for believing that you aren't enough. Snuggle up with your favorite beverage, friend, because this may truly rock your world.
Show Notes:
Intro
So back in Episode 9, I shared some mind-blowing, life-altering Biblical truth about the creation of Eve, and women in general, that I learned recently - and just had to share. Because up until reading the book Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge, where I gleaned that Biblical truth, I hadn’t heard anything like it. In fact, I’d only heard the opposite.
One of the other chapters in that book that blew me away was the one entitled “A Special Hatred.” And when I read that chapter, so many things clicked into place for me. I had one of those moments where it feels like all these puzzle pieces that have been laying around for decades suddenly all fit together - and the picture was suddenly clear and made sense.
And, like what I shared in Episode 9, this Biblical truth is highly foundational for us women, when it comes to who we are and how we operate, and so I had to share it. And by the way, I highly recommend buying the book or borrowing it from your library so you can read the entire thing - because it’s just so good. I wish I had found this book decades ago.
But anyway back to today’s topic...Satan and his special hatred for us. There are three reasons why this information is vitally important. One, because what I’m about to share will greatly change how you see part of the creation story and the fall of Lucifer (or Satan as he became known as). Two, because this affects how we fundamentally see ourselves as women. And, three, which I will cover in the next episode, it affects how we look at our choices and the power we have in our own lives.
So first, let’s start by focusing on some truth around our current situation as women:
In Captivating, Stasi says, “Yes, women have fallen from grace. Yes, they have been wounded. But in order to understand the lingering doubts in your own heart regarding your femininity, in order to understand why it is so rare to encounter a truly alive and vibrant woman, you must hear more of the story.” (End quote.)
Now to Stasi’s point, if you carefully listen to any woman’s story, you’ll notice a common theme: an assault on her heart.
It can be obvious - especially if her story includes physical, verbal, or sexual abuse. But, to quote Stasi, “It might be more subtle, the indifference of a world that cares nothing for her but uses her until she is drained. Forty years of being neglected damages a woman’s heart too, dear friends.” (End quote.)
Personally, that last line speaks to the core of me. As I record this podcast, I’m 41 years old. I am a real-life example of Stasi’s words. I grew up with a father that specifically abused me - but not my two sisters. I had a manipulative and abusive ex-husband.
When I got Saved two years into my marriage, the church God called me to was happy to have my graphic design volunteer services for over half a decade. But it didn’t lift women up in the way they should be. I also wasn’t really included in the community - because as someone who had an unbelieving husband, I didn’t really fit in either of the “singles” or “married” boxes. And when I obeyed God and notified the senior pastor that one of the other pastors was doing some very wrong things, two days later they removed my church membership because I wouldn’t go back on my words. With no investigation and, by the senior pastor’s own admission, no prayer over it to seek God’s guidance.
After my marriage ended soon after that, the place where I finally landed a long-term, full-time job was heavily misogynistic. And toxic. They were happy to utilize my skills and expertise to their advantage. But when I directly asked my CIO for a better paying position, after proving myself, it was ignored.
All that to say, I’m 41 years old, and I completely understand what it’s like to live through decades of being controlled, and manipulated, and (to utilize Stasi’s word) used.
We have deep wounds, stemming from childhood into adulthood. And we have instances - at work, in Church, in the culture at large - where we’re up against people and systems who just want us to serve, or work hard, or give all we have without feeding into us in return.
(Begin quote.) “As women, we tend to feel that ‘it must be me.’
That’s the effect of our early wounds. ‘Something is fundamentally wrong with me.’ So many women feel that way. (Why are we working so hard to improve ourselves? Or why do we keep so busy that the issues of our hearts never have to come to the surface?) We also feel that we are essentially alone. And that somehow the two are related. We believe we are alone because we are not the women we should be.”
“We don’t feel worthy of pursuit. So we hang a Do Not Disturb sign on our personalities, send a “back off” message to the world. Or we desperately seek pursuit, losing all self-respect in an emotional and physical promiscuity. We don’t feel that we are irreplaceable, so we try to make ourselves useful. We don’t believe we are beautiful, so we work hard to be outwardly beautiful or we “let ourselves go” and hide behind a persona that has no allure. We try so hard, and in so many ways, to protect our hearts from further pain.” (End quote.)
Stasi then goes on to point out that the treatment of women throughout history hasn’t been all that great. For example, we have things such as:
Rape being a common occurence, and even an accepted practice in some cases, during wars and hostile takeovers
Women being considered property with no legal rights - including in Jewish history
Female babies being left to die in certain cultures because they were considered less desirable than males
Denying education to women
Rampant sexual assault
Even now, in the United States, women are not considered equal. We’re still fighting for equal wages; etc.
The list never ends…
So what’s going on?
Ephesians 6:12 (NIV) says, “For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.”
So here’s the thing, ladies. The assault on women is tied directly to the spiritual forces of evil. Men and women, and their sin, also affect women. But it's the spiritual forces of evil that are integral here.
When we look back at the garden and the fall, who does Satan go after? He goes after Eve, right? Why do you think that is?
Unfortunately, a common theme that a lot of us have heard is that Eve was the target because she was the weaker sex. (By the way, in case this isn’t something you’ve heard before, the scripture plainly says that Adam was right there with Eve. So he isn’t without blame. Eve sinned by commission - doing something she shouldn’t have. Eating the apple. And Adam sinned by omission - not doing anything to stop this from happening.)
Anyway, the truth is that Satan goes to Eve - and not Adam - for another reason.
Here’s the thing… Satan was initially Lucifer - or the Son of Morning. To quote Stasi, “It infers a glory, a brightness or radiance unique to him. In the days of his former glory, he was appointed a guardian angel. Many believe he was the captain of the angel armies of God. The guardian of the glory of God.” (End quote.)
Ezek 28:12-14 says: “You were the model of perfection; full of wisdom and perfect in beauty; You were in Eden; the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you; ruby, topaz, and emerald; chrysolite, onyx, and jasper; sapphire, turquoise, and beryl; Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared; You were anointed as a guardian cherub; for so I ordained you; You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones.”
In other words, Lucifer was beautiful and gorgeous. And decked out like a fairytale character with jewels and gold abound. And that was ultimately his downfall, right? Lucifer became prideful and wanted to be worshipped like God. What he was, and what he had, wasn’t enough anymore.
Verse 17 says: “Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor.”
The gist of it is this, ladies: Satan fell because of his beauty. And to quote Stasi in Captivating, “Now his heart for revenge is to assault beauty. He destroys it in the natural world whenever he can. Strip mines, oil spills, fires, pollution, Chernobyl. He wreaks destruction on the glory of God in the earth like a psychopath committed to destroying great works of art.
“But most especially, he hates Eve.
“Because she is captivating, uniquely glorious, and he cannot be. She is the incarnation of the Beauty of God. More than anything else in all creation, she embodies the glory of God. She allures the world to God. He hates it with a jealousy we can only imagine.
“And there is more. The Evil One hates Eve because she gives life. Women give birth, not men. Women nourish life. And they also bring life into the world soulfully, relationally, spiritually - in everything they touch. Satan was a murderer from the beginning. He brings death. His is a kingdom of death. Ritual sacrficies, genocide, the Holocaust, abortion - those are his ideas. And thus Eve is his greatest threat, for she brings life. She is a lifesaver and a life giver. Eve means ‘life’ or ‘life producer.’ Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.
“Put those two things together - that Eve incarnates the Beauty of God and gives life to the world. Satan’s bitter heart cannot bear it. He assaults her with a special hatred. History removes any doubt about this.” (End quote.)
This explains a lot, right? At the beginning of this episode, remember how I said when I read this chapter, so many things suddenly made sense?
Stasi goes on to point out, “It is not meant to scare you. Actually, it will shed so much light on your life’s story, if you will let it. Most of you thought the things that have happened to you were somehow your fault - that you deserved it. If only you had been prettier or smarter or done more or pleased them, somehow it wouldn’t have happened. You would have been loved. They wouldn’t have hurt you.
“And most of you are living with the guilt that somehow it’s your fault that you aren’t deeply pursued now. That you do not have an essential role in a great adventure. That you have no beauty to unveil. The message of our wounds nearly always is, ‘This is because of you. This is what you deserve.’ It changes things to realize that, no, it is because you are glorious that these things happened. It is because you are powerful. It is because you are a major threat to the kingdom of darkness. Because you uniquely carry the glory of God to the world.
“You are hated because of your beauty and power.” (End quote.)
Ladies, when I read this, three things came into my head.
First, it brought context to how women, throughout history, have suffered in all the ways we’ve mentioned here - and more. To this day. Because it’s true: women deal with an enormous amount of suffering - because we’re special targets of Satan. Because of our unique beauty in the way God made us.
Second, if I may be so bold as to inject some poignant levity, I thought to myself, “So, essentially, Satan is a pissed off former pretty boy.” His downfall wasn’t just about pride - which is the only aspect I had ever heard referenced until this book. He’s that one character we see in movies and TV shows, that is so pretty and stylish that he’s almost feminine in likeness, and then becomes such a jerk once he loses it or he’s threatened in some way.
I don’t mean to gloss over Satan's power - he can obviously do a lot more damage than your typical human. But that image of the pissed off former pretty boy helped put things into perspective for me.
Third, it confirmed what I’ve felt since I was a young child. If you’ve read my story on my website, RelateEscape.com, or heard me reference it in other episodes, I was targeted by Satan from day one. And throughout my entire childhood, even as a kid, I could feel and see how I was specifically targeted. Plus, every time there seemed to be a sliver of hope or help for me, it got closed or taken away. Every. Single. Time.
Looking back, I think this is why God tried to save me as a young child - before I understood what Christianity was or what the church was. One of my earliest memories, at a really young age, was me looking at one of my childhood books. I don’t remember the name. I just remember that I loved the inside cover because it was purple and had images of royalty. And I can remember feeling God speaking to my heart and saying, “You’re a princess.” And somehow that got etched on my heart because when I got Saved decades later in my early 20s, while I didn’t understand what a heavenly father was, I had no problem seeing myself as princess and God as the King.
God also tried to Save me in my pre-teens, I think it was. I didn’t understand it at the time; but He was communicating with me directly to my heart. He did things like arranging a gorgeous sunset just for me. Attempts to get my attention and lean on Him. But at the time, I just didn’t get it.
And until I read Captivating, this book, I struggled. Because I have an inherent sensitivity to a lot of things - including the spiritual and supernatural. In fact, my testimony is literally spiritual warfare that was going on for my life and soul. No joke.
But anyway, for years, until reading this book, I struggled. Because I think in my gut, I recognized that the Enemy had been targeting me since as long as I can remember. And still is, right? But at the same time, I would doubt that because spiritual warfare in general isn’t something a lot of Churches talk about; which can make it seem like you’re blaming Satan for things that you shouldn’t be.
But as it turns out, especially for us women, yeah, it’s probably Satan.
And in my case, I think Satan recognized my unique beauty - being such a jubilant, encouraging, creative child - and how God was pursuing me as a little child - and immediately started doing everything he could to squash things. Who I was, how I was loved (or not loved), how I felt safe (or not safe), all the things.
Ladies, there are so many important, mind-blowing, life-altering takeaways from all of this. And in the next episode, I’m going to dive deeper into what this means for us as far as how we see ourselves and our power.
But for right now, I want you to remember these truths:
Whatever you’ve experienced was not your fault.
It’s not about you not being enough. It is about you being more than enough. Because that’s how God created us.
And that’s why Satan hates us so much.
Because we’re the pinnacle of beauty - and Satan is a former pissed off pretty boy.