Steve Donegan is a retired U.S. Army warrant officer. He joined the Army and made this prophetic statement during his initial training: The Army will either make me an alcoholic or a Christian. Luckily, he chose the latter. His Army career took him into many locations in Europe, to Saudi Arabia and Iraq, and around the United States. In each location he served as a teacher at many levels, counselors in many presidencies, and a student at the feet of many who knew/know more than him. His eternal companion has given him three children on each side of the veil, and they have provided nine grandchildren.

Enter Steve…

As a U.S. Army counterintelligence agent, my mission—everywhere I was stationed and in every situation I was put into—was to prepare U.S. military personnel and Department of Defense (DOD) contractors for the “unseen enemy,” foreign or domestic. This entailed keeping an eye out for: subversion, espionage, terrorism, and the catch-all “practices dangerous to security”.

In three of the wards I was stationed, I was called to be the ward mission leader. As I would speak to full-time, ward, and member missionaries, I would use my experience as an agent to relate how our callings were much the same as my job: keeping people aware of the “unseen enemy.” I still do this today, bolstering the confidence of missionaries as they feel, often, like their voices go unheard.

Well, so did mine, often.

With DOD contractors, my mission entailed getting most of them to spend a million dollars; or more; to decrease their vulnerability to the “unseen enemy.” This was sometimes difficult, but always rewarding. To know the work of these people would not be rendered useless as soon as put into the field brought me much satisfaction.

But what has all of this to do with us as Christians? As Latter-day Saints? Everything.

Recognizing Satan’s Attempts

I recently purchased The Old Testament Study Guide: Start to Finish by Thomas R. Valetta, General Editor. It fulfills my desire as an instructor of having a students who are unafraid to speak up in class. It’s a compilation of many writers on Old Testament topics. As it presents its in-chapter notes, it starts with a question. The question that brought on my writing this article was: Why did Satan use the “serpent” to tempt Eve (Genesis 3:1)? The answer the study guide gives:

“It was Satan who “put it into the heart of the serpent … to beguile Eve, for … he sought to destroy the world” (Moses 4:6). “Lucifer possesses snakelike qualities. He ‘beguiles’ (Moses 4:19), deceives (Rev. 12:9), poisons minds, generates fear, strikes quickly, and brings death with his venom. Further, of all the beasts of the field, he is the most subtle (Moses 4:5). For these and other reasons Satan is known as ‘that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the father of all lies’ (2 Ne. 2:18, D&C 76:28)” (McConkie and Parry, A Guide to Scriptural Symbols, 98).

When Satan tempted Eve, he had to do it through something she could see and hear. When Satan later tempted Cain, he was able to speak to Cain’s mind; but not face-to-face. When Joseph Smith, Jr., went into the grove near his home and began to pray, he

“was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction” (Joseph Smith—History 1:15)

Satan was unseen, but it was God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ that he saw.

The “unseen enemy” is what we all share. And not “all” as in Latter-day Saints or Christians, but “all” as in everyone everywhere. The battle is real.

Welcome to My Foxhole!

In this foxhole we carefully put on the whole armor of God. In this place we notice the rust and blemishes in the armor of others, but do not assume the role of someone who repairs others, just ourselves (as Kurt Francom, Executive Director of Leading Saints, reminds us: teach doctrine, not application.) Or in keeping with our military theme, as General George S. Patton put it:

“Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their ingenuity.”

We keep our weapons loaded and at the ready, but do not place a round in the chamber (for fear we will fire at someone who is already wounded). We are diligent, but not overbearing. We are watchful, but not invasive. We are our “brother’s keeper”, but only out of love.

We are watchmen (and watchwomen) at the gates, who will never hold their peace. We shout by our words and, more importantly, our actions, the Good News of the risen Christ. We do not assume that the most distrusted among us still has in them the Light of Christ; we know it, nothing doubting.

But in all things remembering the “unseen enemy” and staying alert.

So, what are we to do about this beguiler, deceiver, poisoner, fearmonger, quick-and-venemous enemy who can’t be seen?

See him.

The Intended Reality

Obviously, we cannot see him by looking directly at him. We can see his actions though, we just must keep looking, watching, paying attention, being vigilant.

How does this agent/member missionary do it?

I believe in what I call the intended reality. I believe there was a reality Heavenly Father intended His children to live here upon the Earth. Through the ministrations of Satan, the works of his servants, and our own use (misuse) of agency (which is never “free”), we live in an unintended reality. When we come to terms with this, we can make the necessary course corrections to live closer to the reality our Father intended us to live and give Satan less power over us.

Sounds easy, right? It is not, I am afraid…

If a diamond was only cut once, would it be as beautiful as it would be with many small cuts? No. So it is with our life. In the intended reality there is a snag in the plan, a bump in the road, a collision between your thumb and a hammer, whatever little thing (big thing) that comes up and we understand a loving father is just offering us a way to grow stronger in spirit (spirit = body + mind).

Let us visit with General Patton one last time:

“Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by [people]. It is the spirit of [people] who follow and of the [person] who leads that gains the victory.”

Let us follow our Leader so closely that Satan cannot interfere.

But how? How do we follow our Leader that close? I know, I know. I hear your brain already saying, “Pray, fast, read the scriptures.” Sure, those are the ways, but may I add some perspective from my foxhole that will guide us to our intended reality?

Pray Differently

Pray with the two I’s:

1. Intent and
2. Intensity

Intent: don’t say prayers on our knees, say prayers that will drive us to our knees.

Intensity: talk to (not at) our Father with the intention of receiving those things we need to be an angel of hope to those around us. Intentions for family, friends, ward members, and those we are yet unfamiliar with who will become family, friends, and part of our ward. After all, the world needs hope which will lead it to faith.

Fast Seeking Spiritual Promptings

Fast with a prayer in our heart like that described above. There are too many inspired words of counsel about fasting, so I’ll just add two here:

“Prayer and fasting will allow us to be susceptible to spiritual promptings. Communicating with Heavenly Father while purposefully abstaining from food and drink allows us to “loose the bands of wickedness [and] to undo the heavy burdens.”  Prayer, combined with fasting, will provide so that when we “call, … the Lord shall answer; … [and when we] cry, … he shall say, Here I am.” Elder James B. Martino

“If we want our fasting to be more than just going without eating, we must lift our hearts, our minds, and our voices in communion with our Heavenly Father. Fasting, coupled with mighty prayer, is powerful. It can fill our minds with the revelations of the Spirit. Fasting in the proper spirit and in the Lord’s way will energize us spiritually, strengthen our self-discipline, fill our homes with peace, lighten our hearts with joy, fortify us against temptation, prepare us for times of adversity, and open the windows of heaven.” Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

Scripture Discovery and Application

For “read the scriptures” we need to be a little more specific.

Read. When I open the Merriam-Webster online dictionary and search for the verb, “read,” I immediately find, “(1) to look at and understand the meaning of letters, words, symbols, etc.”

When we read, do we ask ourselves questions as we go, or do we allow the words to just skim across our minds? Sometimes it’s the bit players, those with smaller parts, that tell us the most.  Think of the brother of the prodigal, what do we learn about this brother and how he is a perfect example of a bad example?

Sometimes the choice of words is crucial to our understanding the point of the passage. Ezra Taft Benson teaches us:

“We should constantly ask ourselves, ‘Why did the Lord inspire Mormon (or Moroni or Alma) to include that in his record? What lesson can I learn from that to help me live in this day and age?”

We know what “scripture” is. Latter-day revelation identifies scripture as that which is spoken under the influence of the Holy Ghost. (D&C 68:1–4) Is that definition awfully broad, or has our own definition been too narrow? If I truly trust the members of my ward, my definition has been too narrow. I confess, I haven’t always taken their speech from the podium or in classes as scripture, but maybe I should.

Seeing More Clearly

Praying, fasting and reading the scriptures will keep us close to our Leader, but it will do something more: it will allow us to see more clearly the machinations of the beguiler, deceiver, poisoner, fearmonger, quick-and-venomous enemy. As we read The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, we are surprised how easy it is to move us an inch at a time and find ourselves miles off course, but sometimes the enemy is not as subtle. We need to be vigilant about the subtle and not-so-subtle.

Is it hard? The Lord promised us if we would put on his yoke, we would find rest unto our souls.

Is it easy? Not so much. Putting off the natural man and becoming a saint is not now—nor ever has been—easy.

Is it worth it? Yes! One bite of the fruit of the Tree of Life (please pause here to reread 1 Nephi 8:10-12, my words will wait until you return…) and the “exceedingly great joy” you are filled with will make you whole again.

Stay Close to Our Leader

The “unseen enemy” is real. The battle with him and his legions is real. The Lord is real. The rewards for both fighting and winning are real. You are real. You make a difference whether you feel it or not. Allow yourself two things: to feel the difference you make, and to stay close to our Leader.