Then Jesus told him, “Go away Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.”
Then the Devil left Him, and immediately the angels came and began to serve Him.  Matthew 4:10-11 HCSB

I attend church with a young lady who is beautiful inside and out and wise beyond her years. I’ve often heard her say, “Not today Satan!”, when things were not going well for her. We could learn from her. We are told in 1Peter 5:8 that we must be serious and be alert for our adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for anyone he can devour.  James 4:7 tells us to resist the devil and he will flee from you.

We see those that are clearly walking with the devil. Others are a little more sneaky about it. These are the very ones that the devil can use, sometimes without them evening knowing it, to try to ruin our day.

Some of us are trying our best to walk with the Lord. Those of us that are committed to the Lord and doing their best to serve Him are the ones that the Devil likes to attack. You see, those walking with the devil are safe from the devil’s attack because he already has them in his pocket. Those straddling the fence may be trying to fool themselves and others, but the Devil knows where their hearts are and is not so worried about them. He’s got them right where he wants them.

When we try to serve the Lord, we anger the Devil. He will do all he possibly can to distract us from serving God. He wants us to fail. He wants to destroy our witness. We are told in John 10:10 that the thief comes only to kill, steal, and destroy. When we love the Lord and want to work and serve Him, the Devil wants to kill our enthusiasm.

We have peace and joy in our lives when we focus on God. The devil wants to encourage us to do those things that the world says will make us happy and live like we are in a beer commercial. This brings temporary happiness which only leads to sadness in the end. The devil loves to steal our joy.

When we love the Lord, it shows. People see a change in us. They see someone who is experiencing joy despite bad circumstances. We can witness to others through the way we live. The Devil wants to destroy our witness. He will convince us that we need to fit in. He will convince us that we must talk the way others talk and walk the way they walk. But you must remember, in doing so he is only trying to destroy your witness.

The other thing we must remember is that the devil will use scripture to try to convince you to do things his way. Our scripture passage comes when Jesus is being tempted by the Devil after spending forty days in the wilderness fasting. Jesus is hungry and lonely and tired. I would imagine at this point, He is even getting a little angry with the Devil. The Devil tells him that He can jump from this mountain and quotes one of my favorite passages of scripture to Him. Psalm 91:11-12 which says, God will give His angels orders concerning us to protect us in all our ways. They will support us with their hands so that we will not strike our foot against a stone. Jesus responds with our scripture passage for today telling the Devil that it is also written that we are to worship the Lord our God and serve Him only (Deuteronomy 6:13).

Each time the Devil tempted Jesus, Jesus responded with scripture. Jesus was ready for whatever the devil threw His way. This is why we need to study our Bible. This is God’s word, the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17). It is the only offensive weapon mentioned in Ephesians 6. God gives us this weapon to protect us from the Devil. Don’t be afraid to come out swinging. But remember, this weapon is useless if you don’t know and understand God’s word. This is why it is so important for us to not only read, but study our Bibles. We also need to pray. Prayer is our communication with God.

The important thing to remember about our scripture passage today is that it ends with the Devil leaving Jesus alone. We must be able to stand firm against the Devil. We must be able to say, “Not today Satan!” and mean it. If the devil is wreaking havoc on your life, know that if you align yourself with your Lord and Savior you win. The Devil cannot defeat you. So stand firm and let the Devil know that you are not going to put up with his shenanigans today or any day for that matter. Remind him that when he messes with you He’s going to make your Father very angry and he does not want to do that.

Have a great day!