Beware, But Take Heart
“Let there never be a day that I don’t rise to give you praise”--a line that Maverick City Music sings in their new song “Be Praised.” As I heard this line and pondered it in my heart, I couldn’t help but be reminded of something my mom would always tell me growing up and still does to this day: the moment I wake up and my feet hit the ground, the devil should flee in fear. The devil should flee from me? Shouldn’t I be afraid of him?As I get older I am starting to realize that what I once thought was a witty statement holds so much more weight. The enemy can’t hurt us, he just has to convince us he can. Satan only has power if we give it to him. Yes, the devil is real. But he can only enter our thoughts, he can only enter our purpose if we open the door. No matter how vehemently the attack of the devil, it doesn’t change the fact that God is still in control, that God has saved us and that God has good plans for you.
I say all this because too often we give the enemy too much power. Too often we allow the devil to steal our joy and our peace. We need to get in the habit of calling the devil out. Call him out on his lies. Call him out on his powerlessness. We need to get into the habit of responding to the devil’s attempts with the promises of God. Ephesians 6 states, “In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all [the] flaming arrows of the evil one.” Notice how it says in all circumstances. Expect the devil to try and attack. I heard Steven Furtick once say, “the birthmark of a believer is a bullseye.” He does not want you to live in the promises of God. He’ll wait at the door of your soul, knocking, sometimes louder than others. And most often he attacks the hardest right before God is about to reveal something big, but he cannot succeed unless you allow him in. Don’t open the door, not even a crack. Hold your faith as a shield.
So, let’s practice calling the devil out. When he starts to speak lies, remind him who he is: powerless and defeated. When you feel his flaming arrows, remind your heart:
Pressure is the perversion of true love
Comparison, the calamity of our souls
Guilt, the grip of the enemy
Excuses, the evasion of purpose
Doubt, the denial of divine providence
Fear, the forgetfulness of our fickle hearts
BEWARE, for
Satan is the swindler of souls,
the jailer of joy
the infuser of insecurity
the corruptor of courage
he is the father of the frightened and his followers are heirs of hopelessness
But, TAKE HEART, for
Jesus is the antidote to annihilation
the granter of grace
the bestower of boldness
the patron of perfect peace
He is the Father of the found, and His follower are heirs of holiness.
Close your eyes. Envision Jesus sitting right next to you. He says, “If only you could see how I see you...If only you could see all the plans i have for you. You don’t need the answers, you just need Me. Trust Me.” We spend too much time being afraid of the devil, when the devil should be afraid of us. You don’t have to be afraid of Him. We know who he is: a liar and the thief of joy. So when you hear Satan’s whisper, proclaim the Savior’s love. Don’t hold onto things Jesus already freed you from on the cross.
Every morning that you rise, make it a habit to let Satan know Whose you are: a beloved child of the Most High--chosen, set apart and loved. We have power and authority in Jesus. As James 4:7 states, “Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”