“The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he does not exist.”
The devil is a master at masquerading as The Light and filtering his voice to sound like your own. One of the greatest lies we believe is that every time the devil comes knocking his identity is going to be obvious, but that just isn’t the case.
Someone who likes to remain hidden isn’t going to reveal themselves. They’re going to use every trick they can to stay anonymous. They’re going to veil themselves with lies. They’re going to change their name and give a false impression of their abilities.
I would know. I’m not an expert in the enemy’s schemes (nor do I claim to be), but I did just experience spiritual warfare against myself for the first time a couple weeks ago.
I was very unprepared.
It started as anxiety, which is not something I’ve ever experienced, and I haven’t experienced it since the day the enemy’s hardest attacks really stopped.
It escalated to a series of anxiety attacks, then doubts.
Doubts that were not my own, but the devil masquerading as my voice. The enemy knew the only reason he hadn’t truly hurt me was my connection to God and my identity in Christ Jesus. So naturally, he started against my relationship with God.
I can confidently say those few days were the scariest days I have ever experienced. They were different than the first anxiety-filled ones. They left me feeling very vulnerable and unprotected. Without feeling God right there, I thought my wall was gone. It never was though. I had just tried to build my own wall, which could not and can never stand against any attack.
God definitely taught me some very important lessons through that time, and I will forever be grateful, and they could only have been made clear by God’s guidance in a difficult time.
There are definitely some things I wish I would have known beforehand though, and I want to share them with you because they might be exactly what you need right now or two days from now. I don’t know, but God’s wisdom is always profitable. And if I can help one person through being vulnerable, it’s all worth it.
#1- You cannot build walls, a foundation, or anything that will not break under pressure.
As I briefly talked about earlier, one of my problems was that I tried to rely on my own strength to keep standing. Partly because I thought that was being strong, but real strength is trusting in God for strength and defense, even if everything else is telling you not to.
Our world is full of messages reminding us of our strength, and although we do become stronger through circumstances, that strength is from God alone, not ourselves.
Just as God is the source of love, He is also the source of strength.
Isaiah 26:1 says, “We have a strong city; He sets us salvation as walls and bulwarks.”
A bulwark is a defensive wall that surrounds a city or whatever is being protected. Our salvation is a defensive wall that surrounds us.
Whenever I thought I finally had it all under control and that I could stand against the enemy, that’s when I would fall the hardest.
My mom pointed out that instead of saying, “I’ve got this,” I should say, “God’s got this.”
The power that comes from the cross is what protects us in all circumstances and gives us the victory, so let us walk in the confidence of that and not how well we can “fight.”
#2- Do not have a conversation with the devil.
As harsh as this might sound, you are not even close to strong enough to stand against the enemy on your own.
Yes, he is defeated, but it was the power of God that defeated him, not you.
If you try to stand up against him on your own, you won’t last very long. BUT if you give the battle to the One who already won the war against death, you will have the stamina to keep going, and the victory will be given to you.
Not because you won it, but because you let God fight for you when you could barely stand.
One of my sweet friends gave me some great advice a couple of weeks ago that has stuck with me: Sometimes all you need to do is sit in silence and tell God you trust Him, whether in your head or out loud. That’s it. That’s all you need to do sometimes, and there are times that is all you can do.
Exodus 14:14- “The LORD will fight for you, and you only have to be silent.”
Arguing with the devil is not going to get you anywhere but backward. Talking with God and giving it over to Him will get you farther than you ever thought you’d make it, and God is worth every one of our words and breaths anyways.
#3- “At some point, you have to find rest in the Lord.”
My pastor’s wife said this to me, and honestly, it was a game changer. So, Pastor Becky, if you ever read this, I’m more grateful than you can ever know.
God will lead everyone to different places of rest with Him, but the point for me is: No matter what happens, God is the same God I have always known, and that is my peace.
#4- You don’t have to hold onto God with a death grip.
This is definitely one of the areas God is working on me.
I try so hard sometimes to hold on to God and do the right thing that I stress myself out.
Perfection is not required to receive grace, but we are made perfect because the One in us is and has always been perfect.
God knew exactly how messed up we would be when he made us, but He still chose the cross, which is what makes us all equal under God, no matter what.
#5- The enemy’s name holds no weight.
Philippians 2:9-11 says, “Therefore God has highly exalted Him [Jesus] and bestowed on Him the Name that is above every other name, so that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Jesus’ name is the only Name that carries any weight. One day every tongue will confess that Truth, and every knee will bow to the One True King.
Satan knows that better than we can, and he understands the impact of that on his kingdom. He knows the Cross defeated him, which is why he tries to convince you of the opposite.
Satan will use anything he can to convince you the gospel is fake, or the darkness is more powerful and will overcome the Light.
But John 1:5 says, “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
That statement was true before and while Jesus walked this earth, after the resurrection, and it is still true today. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness still has not overcome it. It won’t ever overcome it. The Light is eternal, and His power does not fade.
His words hold that same power, and whatever God says is True. He spoke this world into existence, and He brings even the darkness to its knees.
The enemies words hold the same power as he now does, which is none, and whatever he speaks is a lie. The enemy brings death by his lies, but God brings Life to all through Truth.
1 John 1:22a says “Who is a liar but he who denies Jesus is the Christ?”
In John 8:44b Jesus speaks of the devil saying, “When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
In John 10:10 Jesus once again speaks about him saying, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
If satan just lies, why would we give his words any more credit than any other lie we hear?
We shouldn’t, but another one of his greatest tricks he has played on us is making us forget his true character. Satan is our enemy, and he always will be. He’s not going to decide to ease up on us if we’re doing God’s will. No, he’s going to try to stop us, but whenever we speak the name of Jesus, he must flee.
The enemy cannot be in the presence of our holy God, which is exactly why he wants us to forget the power in the name of Jesus and elevate his own name.
No matter what he says though, the Truth still remains the Truth, and as God’s children, we remain free.