Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?”  Genesis 3:1 HCSB

Here’s where the fall began. This is where the devil enters the picture. This is where temptation comes in and this is the first sin recorded in the Bible. But here early on God shows us that the devil is sneaky. In Matthew 4, Jesus is led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  Jesus not only gave himself up for us on the cross, but he went through temptation just as we go through temptation and he showed us how we should handle it. Each of the three times that the devil tempted Jesus, His response included these three words, “It is written”. Jesus responded with God’s word.  He responded with scripture. Now in James 4:7 it is written, resist the devil and he will flee from you.  James knew this because that’s exactly what happened in Jesus’ case. We are told in Matthew 4:10 that the third time Jesus was tempted he responded with, “Go away Satan! For it is written:  Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him.”  Verse 11 says that the devil left Him immediately angels came and began to serve Him.

Now last week I spoke a lot about having peace and joy in all circumstances. This week we are having revival at our church and it has been a wonderful time of renewing our peace and joy.  But while my spirit is being revived, the devil is working hard to bring me down.  I have had a couple of instances or circumstances that have almost caused me to become angry and lash out. But praise God, the first thing I did was pray.  Through prayer God immediately diffused the situation by making me aware that this was not the people or circumstances in my life making me angry, this was the devil, himself.

When the devil comes against you in an effort to steal your peace and joy, you have two choices.  You can allow him to do just that and you can become really angry and show your bad side or you can remain calm.  You can pray and ask God to guide your response.  Now in every situation I have faced where the devil is using someone to steal my joy and I have prayed, God has done two things for me.  First, He has immediately made me recognize the source of my anger.  It is not the person, it is the devil working through the person.  The devil can even work through our church family at times. Remember He is very crafty and cunning. This is why we have instructions in Matthew 18 which tells us how to handle it when a fellow Christian sins against us.  So, the first thing we need to do is identify the enemy.  Remember in Ephesians 6:12 we are told that we do not battle against flesh and blood but against the world powers of darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.  In the heavens includes where Christians are. When Christians are praising God and worshiping Him even if it’s in their living room, that’s a spiritual realm.  The devil will do his best to enter in. We must take up God’s armor to withstand this intrusion.

Secondly, once the enemy is identified, God directs me in how to handle the situation.  Now, God always gives me words to say.  Sometimes it is scripture but even if it is not, it is always kind without any anger, wrath, shouting, slander or malice. Remember Ephesians 4:31 tells us that we must put away those things. Ephesians 4:32 tells us to be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave us in Christ. When I do this, I have noticed that it immediately diffuses the situation. When I respond as I want to respond it’s like pouring gasoline on a fire.

We are to focus on God and only God.  We are not to be distracted by the evil forces in this world.  We are not to let them stop us from doing what God has called us to do and we are not to let them have power over us or our witness.

The bible tells us that we are to love our enemies and pray for those that persecute us (Matthew 5:44).  When you do this, God will remove all bitterness and anger from your heart. Trust me I have proven this one many times over.

The devil will use loved ones, church members, and so-called friends to come against you without them even realizing what is happening. You must be wise, you must turn to God and allow Him to direct you in handling this situation.  It will be resolved so much quicker if you do and the great thing is that if you do things His way, you are protected and secure. You will see the destruction of the wicked, but it will not come against you. He will give His angels orders to guard you. When we call out to Him, He will rescue us and give us honor (Psalm 91).

Remember that the devil is very sneaky. When he comes against you, you probably won’t see it coming, but have no fear, God’s got this. When we do anything to draw ourselves into closer relationship with God, the devil will come against us. But we are told in Romans 8:31 that if “God is for us, who is against us?”  There is no one or no power in this universe that is stronger than our God.  Know that no force can prevail against Him and no force can prevail against you as long as you trust in Him.

Be aware, the devil is very cunning, put on your armor, resist him and watch him flee.

Have a great day!