For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every though captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience when your obedience is complete. 1 Corinthians 10:5 ESV
We face a problem with the devil any time we try to do things the right way. The devil will tell us all kinds of lies to convince us we don’t really need to do what is right. If we insist, he will try to tell us we can be halfway obedient. He begins by putting these thoughts in our head.
He may tell us we can get a pass just this one time. God didn’t really mean it, or He meant it for others, but not for us. The devil is very crafty. In Genesis 3:1 he was described as being craftier than any other beast of the field the LORD God has made.
What is most important for us to remember is the devil is a liar. We are told in John 8:44 the devil was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Jesus goes on to say when he lies, he speaks out of his own character because he is a liar and the father of lies.
The first time we see the devil enter the picture is in Genesis 3 as the serpent. He lied to Eve by causing her to question what God had really said. When Eve told him they were not to eat of tree in the middle of the garden lest they die, Satan said, “You surely will not die. God knows that when you eat of this tree you will be like Him knowing good and evil.”
Liar, liar! They didn’t die a physical death, but they died a spiritual death which is even worse. They were cast out of the garden. Adam would have to work and toil to get food to grow where before it had been freely given. He was simply the overseer and didn’t have to worry about weeds and such. I get angry every time I have to weed my flower bed.
Women would have pain during childbirth. There were other curses placed on man in Genesis 3. Adam and Eve also suffered the loss of a son when their son Cain killed their son Abel out of jealousy. When sin came into existence it brought nothing but physical pain and heartache.
It’s the same when it comes into our lives. The devil promises our sin will bring about good for us and it may for a brief time, but it won’t last long. The misery will soon follow.
This is why we must drown out the devil when he speaks to us. We must not listen to him. To do so, we must stay in God’s word through daily Bible study and prayer. We must seek God and keep our focus on Him.
Most importantly we must avoid the devil’s distractions. The devil can use all kinds of things to distract us. He can use our cell phones, our social media accounts, the television, relationships, jobs. There are many things here on planet earth to serve as distractions.
We have to work and take care of our families, but we must not allow these things to get in the way of our serving God. We must not let these things distract our focus from God. We must trust in Him and love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind.
Serve God and focus on Him. Don’t listen to the devil and his lies. Grow deeper in love with Jesus by reading God’s word. Pray continually to keep an open line of communication with Him.
Focusing on God can help us to drown out the lies of the devil. In these end times, it is crucial that we do this.
Sin starts with a thought. This is why we must destroy every opinion or argument that goes against God’s word. We must take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ. The best way to not sin is to stop thinking about sinful things and focus on our Lord and Savior. We are in a spiritual war and refusing to listen to the devil is the only way to win. Obey Jesus and drown out the devil.
Have a great day!