How Do I Defeat Satan?
“Get out of here, Satan.” ~Jesus
See Matthew 4:10
“YOU’RE A LOSER!”
“YOU’LL NEVER AMOUNT TO ANYTHING!”
“YOU’RE A DRUNK!”
“YOU’RE A CHEAT!”
“YOU’RE A DRUG ADDICT!”
“YOU’RE THE SAME AS YOU’VE ALWAY BEEN!”
“YOU’RE A PHONEY!”
“YOU’RE A BAD PARENT!”
“NOBODY LOVES YOU!”
“YOU’RE A HOT HEAD!”
“YOU’RE AN IDIOT!”
“YOU’RE GETTING WHAT YOU DESERVE!”
“YOU’RE A TERRIBLE CHRISTIAN!”
…These are common phrases from Satan. Sometimes these words come as thoughts, and at other times they come from people who are heavily influenced by Satan. So what should we do about it?
WE MUST RECOGNIZE HIS VOICE AND SPEAK BACK! DO NOT AGREE WITH HIM!
I was on a morning jog the other day, and all of a sudden I had a really bad thought which came out of nowhere. It was totally out of character so I said to myself, “Where is this coming from?” Almost immediately the Holy Spirit spoke up and said, “That’s not coming from you. That thought is coming from the enemy. Ignore it.”
I was like, “Yep! You don’t stand a chance devil, get lost. I’m not going there,” and I kept on running. I had made the correct choice by agreeing with Christ in me, and disagreeing with the thought that the devil had placed in my mind. I could have easily agreed with it, and then chased it down for the rest of the day–but nope! Instead, I spoke back with the truth!
Trespassing into our thought life is not a new strategy for our enemy. He even tried the same barrage on Jesus in Matthew chapter 4. However, each time he lied to Jesus, Jesus spoke back! Notice that Jesus didn’t argue with him, but instead, He spoke the truth to this trouble-making idiot. The devil hates the truth. He will attempt to use everyone around you–especially those who want nothing to do with Jesus–to try to get you to believe his lies.
What are his lies? Any thought that makes you feel worthless, not good enough, furious, depressed, anxious, used, overlooked, self-righteous, better-than, stuck in your past, fearful, greedy, lazy, jealous, condemned, unloved, unliked, hated, resented, codependent, addicted, or not completely forgiven–these are the lies from our enemy or from one of the demons who do his bidding.
There is a spiritual world, just the same as there is a physical world. As a Christian, you must realize this.
Right now, as human beings, we are in the middle of both the spiritual world and the physical world because we are both spirit and body. The devil is doing everything he possibly can do, in order to lure you into doing things his way. He is evil! And sometimes he makes his evil look like a great option. In addition, he wants to compound his evil by baiting you into reacting with even more evil.
Paul knew this about Satan and that’s why he told the Roman Christians to “overcome evil with good” (see Romans 12:21). For me, this was life-changing.
“What?! You mean I’m supposed to be kind to them?! Are you serious?! How could you ask this of me when you know what they’ve done?! God, how could you possibly expect me to put up with such pain and not attack them back?!
He replied, “Look to the Cross, and stay focused on what Jesus did for you.”
“BUT IT’S NOT FAIR! I DON’T DESERVE THIS! IT HURTS SO MUCH!”
“I know it does. You’ll be fine, just give it time. I’m strengthening you through this. You have all you need to pass these tests, my grace is sufficient for you.”
Friend, as we allow this maturity to happen, eventually we begin to understand our value as well as the value of others. So we don’t fight with gossip or hurtful retaliations. Instead, we fight like this: “I love you, but I’m no longer putting up with this as normal. Your choices are not okay. A change must happen in your actions and attitudes because you are impacting my life and the lives of others, very negatively. Healthy changes will happen or our relationship will not be the same.”
This is just one example of how to overcome evil with good, and as you can see, this style is so much better than us throwing a sinful fit as we attempt to force healthy changes in the actions and attitudes of others. Confrontations are coming, so expect them and don’t back down.
As you confront, simply allow the Holy Spirit to guide your thoughts and words during those confrontations. If you feel yourself starting to react in an immature way–stop. Just be quiet. Nothing good will come at that point. Let your emotions die down and cool off. Regroup, stop confronting.
But remember: Plan on confronting again later. And next time, allow the Spirit to guide you into that confrontation deeper. He is with you, so listen for Him. But more than anything, never stop confronting the unacceptable behavior of others which impacts your life negatively. Jesus confronted people all the time–out of love–and they too didn’t always like it.
So as you learn how to confront people with respect, you’ll begin to notice yourself organically bearing the fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (see Galatians 5:22-23). From that point on, as you walk in God’s grace, you’ll understand that Satan has already been defeated (see Colossians 2:15).
A prayer for you: Father, I want to thank you for the gift of Christ’s power within me. Satan knows his days on earth are numbered and that’s why he lies so much. Right now, I lift up all who are reading this, directly to you. Help them begin to recognize those lies and strengthen them with the truth! In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
This devotional is from 60 Days for Jesus, Volume 1. Get your copy here!