I have a tendency to worry. Satan does not need to work too hard to steal my peace, and I still have a long way to go when it comes to training my mind in godliness. And yet, in those very moments, when I am most troubled, I have an opportunity to stand on God’s Word.

 

I went through a season of personal difficulty recently. In his providence, the Holy Spirit brought a verse of Scripture to mind for me to hold on to, so that when the lies and accusations came, I had already anchored myself in the truth of the Word.

 

The challenge was not to budge when Satan incessantly and cunningly whispered all his fear-mongering doubts in the dark, when it was quiet and my nervous system was on high alert. Into that vacuum, he whispered all kinds of treachery.

 

His age-old wiles are not surprising; he goes for the jugular when we are feeling our most vulnerable. Yet, we need to be able to say, “It is written …" as modelled to us by our Saviour when he was tempted in the wilderness. 

 

The Bible teaches that we must submit to God, resist the devil, and then he will flee as recorded in James 4:7. The trick is that you first need to submit to God and resist the devil before he flees, and like he did with our Lord, he comes back at an opportune time to try to browbeat us into submission through his skulduggery.

 

We know the devil has schemes; he will lie to us and use the tactic of accusation. He maligns God and distorts our view of ourselves. It is thus imperative that we know the truth about God and how he views us.

 

In those critical moments, we have a choice: give in to Satan – or stand on the Word and watch. Sometimes, just standing in prayer, dependent on God’s Word, is good enough to send that ancient Serpent scurrying off.

 

Until the next time, of course, but by then, we have become that little tougher and can stand that bit longer. It is incremental. Who knows what we can do for God if we stand unflinchingly on his Word. 

 

Prayer: Lord, we praise and thank you for suffering for us. We are so grateful that you overcame darkness, Satan and death. Amen.