At the Table: Protecting Your Mind and Heart from Spiritual Attacks

Kimberlea Hardy
6 days ago
3 min read

I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I was frustrated because we needed to leave for the party, but I wasn’t ready. I had run to the store that morning to buy a last minute birthday gift, tried to finish all the things on my to-do list, and made sure the kids were dressed.

Frazzled, I plopped down to put my shoes on and growled, “We have to go now!”

Everyone scrambled to the car. We rode in silence, mostly because no one dared to say a word for fear of how I might react. Only a few minutes late, we rushed inside for the party. We looked around, found our friends, I took a deep breath and finally started to relax. The kids ran off to play, and the tension drained from my body.

When we all gathered at the table to sing “Happy Birthday”, you would never have known how stressed my family and I had been. Time together at the table seems to do that for everyone. Whether we’re singing “Happy Birthday” or simply eating a meal together, there always seems to be joy when we sit at the table.

The Last Supper

I imagine the preparation for the Last Supper was daunting. Jesus sent Peter and John, two of His most trusted apostles, to prepare the final meal He would share with them. They had to roast a lamb, set out the unleavened bread and wine, prepare bitter herbs, and make a sauce from dried fruit that was moistened with vinegar and wine combined with spices. This Passover Meal became known as the Last Supper.

Fresh baked bread in a heart shaped basket. fxquadro on Freepik

With the table set and the other apostles arriving, there must have been a mix of camaraderie and seriousness. I can picture the manly hugs, the pats on the back, and some laughter, before they sat at the table. But once seated, the mood grew somber. As they partook of the bread and wine, Jesus told them to do this in remembrance of Him. (1 Corinthians 11: 23-25, ESV) The bread and the wine were symbols of the fulfillment of His death on the cross.

Jesus’s heart was broken, for He knew Judas was about to betray Him. He told the apostles that one of them would turn against Him that very night. (Matthew 26:21) The enemy was sitting at the table with Jesus.

Who is Sitting at your Table?

We have to be careful who we let sit at our table. Even Judas acted as if he would never betray Jesus. The enemy isn’t going to ask if it is okay to sit at your table. He is going to sit down and partake in the meal as if he is your friend. He wants you to be comfortable with him.

When we let our guard down, that is when he will begin to use our thoughts and words against us. He wants nothing more than to steal, kill, and destroy us. This is not a game to him, and we should not treat it like one either.

The first two stanzas from my poem, At the Table says it well:

A party of one

A table set just for me

Oddly enough-

In the presence of my enemies.

The table was set

I had only one regret

The host I had not met.

Jesus chose us to sit at His table.

Which table will you choose?

We may be frazzled when we accept the invitation to sit at the table with Jesus, but we will have a friend who will always be with us even in the darkest and hardest times of our lives. We know this because we will be filled with the Holy Spirit, Immanuel —God with us. He will never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)

If we are not for Jesus, then we are against Him. We must speak boldly of the love our Savior has for us. It is time to rise up and share the good news of Jesus Christ.