Have you ever been annoyed at the devil? As Christians we should be.


Satan, the god of this world (II Corinthians 4:4), is the prince of darkness who deceives, lies, and tricks people to doubt God and reject His Son Jesus Christ (Revelation 12:9). The devil is a spiritual thief who steals, kills and destroys (John 10:10). His hellish goal is to destroy the souls of men for eternity.


Christians should be irritated and indignant that the devil is destroying the lives of family, friends and people in our community right before our eyes!


The apostle Paul certainly was irritated by the devil. He acted decisively and boldly to get Satan off his and other’s backs. Acts 16:14-18 records Paul’s dramatic encounter with his spiritual enemy on his first missionary journey. Lydia and her household were the first Christian converts in Europe. The devil did not like that. So, a slave girl, with a spirit of divination, stalked Paul, harassing him and his evangelistic outreach.


Having enough of the devil’s evil, deceptive influence and distractive interference, the Word says in verse eighteen “And she continued doing this for many days. But Paul was GREATLY ANNOYED and turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out at that very moment.”


Hallelujah! The devil was defeated. Annoyance led to action that put Satan in his proper place. Paul knew how to defeat the devil.


You and I, as blood bought, born-again, spirit-filled Christians, possess the same spiritual authority and power Paul had.


The devil is a defeated foe. (See I John 3:8, Hebrews 2:14, Colossians 2:15, Revelation 12:10-11). Believers in Jesus Christ need to continually remind his evilness of that fact. The devil is headed for hellfire and an eternity of torment (Revelation 20:10). Believers are commissioned by God to enforce the devil’s eternal death sentence.
    
Glory to God for the victory we have in Christ over the devil! The devil is crushed—under God’s feet and ours (Romans 16:20). Greater is Jesus who is in us than the devil who is in the world. (I John 4:4).


Then why is it that so many Christians cower before the devil and act cowardly when he is prowling about looking for someone to devour? How is it that large numbers of Christians act defeated and allow the devil to beat them up and render them ineffective in their witness for the Lord in these last days? This should not be.
    
Defeating the devil, not being defeated by him, is God’s plan and promise to His people.


James 4:7 outlines the Lord’s battle plan for defeating the devil. Two commands and a promise can change our daily life forever. “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”  James 4:7


1. SUBMIT TO GOD. Submit is a military term that means to defer to a higher rank. God is our Commander in Chief and we are under His marching orders. Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords! When we defer to God through faith in Jesus, Almighty God’s power and authority flows through us. Guess what happens next? The devil, who is of lower rank than us, must submit to our authority. God’s power operating through us renders Satan powerless.
    
Word of caution: Resisting the devil without being fully submitted to God is spiritual suicide. Zealous but ignorant Christians who do not submit to God first, fall flat on their spiritual faces when they try to resist the devil in their own strength and power.


Reflection: Are you wholly submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ? Or are you a Christian in name only, playing a deadly game of hide and seek from the evil one? Are you holding anything back from His lordship in your life?
    
If you want to defeat the devil, the first step is to submit to God. Become a sold-out, wholehearted, good soldier of Jesus Christ (II Timothy 2:3-4) in the Lord’s invincible salvation army. Stop being a spectator. Exit the grandstands and enter the field of battle as a Christian combatant. Look to God before you take on Satan and his demonic host.
    
2. RESIST THE DEVIL. To resist means to withstand, to repel, to beat back. Cleary Christians are to beat back the devil, not be beaten up by him.


When Satan comes to pick a fight, fight back in Jesus’ name. Resist him with God’s Word (Matthew 4:1-11, Ephesians 6:17). Exercise spiritual authority (Matthew 10:1, Revelation 12:11). Take charge of the situation with courage and confidence in Christ. Walk in the power of the Holy Spirit and overpower the unholy spirit of Satan.


Never retreat or turn tail and run. Stand firm in faith and withstand the evil one. Put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-13) and charge the gates of hell in Jesus’ mighty name. The battle is the Lord’s and so is the victory, so Satan must head on down the road when we come after him in the name of Jesus Christ.






3. THE DEVIL WILL FLEE. Flee from who? Flee from you. Yes, it is true. The devil flees from me and you.


Flee means to run away from, to vanish. The devil is a vanquished foe and always flees in the presence of Jesus. His flight is guaranteed every time. Automatic. You can bank on it.


A little girl who had just heard a lesson on James 4:7 in her Sunday school class remarked “Tell the devil to go and he has to go!”


Submit. Resist and the devil will vanish!


APPLICATION: “And the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”   Acts 19:15


Does the devil know who you are? Is the prince of darkness afraid of you as a child of God’s light?


Refuse to be beaten up by the devil. Start beating up on him. Love God, yourself and others enough to stand firm in faith and defeat the devil and his demonic forces in Jesus’ victorious name!


Submit to God. Resist the devil. And Satan will have to take a hike. 


A Word For Your Week: Do not run from the devil. Run him out of town in Jesus’ name!

SMH. (Scratching My Head).
I never cease to be amazed at individuals or what group of people in our celebrity worshipping, power and prestige obsessed culture stand in awe of.
Log onto social media to see who people obsess over. What is “trending” and “going viral” reveals much about who people stand in awe of in America. Popular personalities. Powerful politicians. Successful business moguls. Award winning actors and actresses. All Star athletes. Platinum musicians. Best-selling authors. Mega-church ministers. Comic book superheroes. The list is endless of mere human beings that starry-eyed, gullible groupies can be seduced into believing their idols and icons are all powerful and almighty.
Sorry fickle, fantasy following folks. Though human hero worship is alive and well in America (marketed to the hilt!), there is only one who is almighty:  He is the God of the Bible.
I have listed a handful of scriptures that declare God is Almighty.
“Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, I am God Almighty. Walk before Me and be blameless, and I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.”                                                                    Genesis 17:1
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1
“Then the Almighty will be your gold and choice silver to you. For then you will delight in the Almighty, and lift up your face to God. You will pray to Him, and he will hear you and you will pay your vows to Him.” Job 22:25-27
  “Turn to Me and be saved all the ends of the earth, for I am God almighty and there is no other.” Isaiah 45:22              
“And I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters to Me, says the Lord Almighty.”    II Corinthians 6:18
“And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its temple.              Revelation 21:22
Scripture reveals that God is holy, sovereign, all powerful, all knowing and everywhere present. There is no one like Him, and never will be. As our Creator and Redeemer, He alone is worthy of worship from His creation.
Much of mankind’s self-absorption, disrespect, rebellion, disdain for others, hatred and violence stems from refusing to recognize the authority and power of Almighty God.
Standing in awe of the Almighty means falling on our faces before Him with reverential respect, dignified deference, and a humble, holy recognition of who God is.  Instead of being awestruck with human heroes and heroines who appear so adorable and awesome, maybe you and I should be struck with awestruckness (I just made up a word!) regarding the awesome, Almighty God of the Bible.
Helpful Hints For Being In Awe Of The Almighty

• Thoroughly, prayerfully study the Bible, Old and New Testaments to learn what Holy Scripture says about Almighty God.
• Base your faith on what God says about Himself, not what you or others think He should be like.
• Tune out and turn away from all sources that do not acknowledge God’s sovereignty and absolute power as Creator and Redeemer.
• Categorically reject all ideology, philosophy, theology, religious or cultural thought that denies that God is Almighty.
• Live your life in such a way that humbly reflects the fact that you stand in awe of Almighty God.
• Daily praise the Lord and give Him thanks for being Almighty God in your life.
• Share with people God puts in your path about how awesome and Almighty He is.   

My friends, it is way too easy to get caught up in the emotional drama and hyper-sensationalism of a humanistic society that thinks and acts like human beings are almighty. If we are honest with ourselves, even we Christians forget from time to time who the Almighty One is. We erroneously think we “are all that” because of something we do or have accomplished.
God alone is “all that” and more because He is the Almighty One.
What would happen in my heart, your heart, in America and around the world if God’s children fell on our faces to worship our Creator and Redeemer, Almighty God?
Do you need to take a few moments today to humble yourself in reverence before Almighty God?
A Word For Your Week: Bow down in awe of our awesome, Almighty God.

What do you think are the two most powerful things that can steady our lives during turbulent, troubling, trying, tough times?
It is painfully obvious to anyone whose head is not buried in the sand that the world you and I live in is rapidly coming apart at the seams. No matter where you and I turn, we find anxiety-driven, obsessively worried, deeply depressed, fearful, tearful people who are at their wits end regarding the future. Many folks today feel hopeless, helpless and powerless. .
Insecurity, instability, uncertainty and even insanity alarmingly hover over humanity.
So, what can you, me and others do to feel secure as the world turns inside out and upside down?
This is what I have discovered in the Bible, the Word of God.
The prophet Isaiah had a word from the Lord. “The mountains may be removed, and the hills may shake, but My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, and My COVENANT OF PEACE will not be shaken, says the Lord who has compassion on you.” “Isaiah 54:10
During a turbulent and fearful time in Israel’s history, Almighty God reminded His people of His lovingkindness, compassion and His covenant of peace. I love that phrase “covenant of peace.”
Motivated by lovingkindness and compassion, God made a covenant of peace with His people.
A covenant. An irrevocable contract. A non-negotiable agreement initiated by the Almighty. The Lord is a covenant keeper, never a covenant breaker. He keeps His Word to all generations. The earth may fall apart, but God will keep His covenant of peace! I say amen to that!
Because God is compassionate, His lovingkindness and peace will not be shaken or removed. That is a good Word for you and me today! So how does God do the above?
Through His Son Jesus.
The two things I asked you about in the opening of this article are peace and joy.

• Peace and Joy…. from Jesus Christ.

Jesus was preparing to go to the Cross to fulfill the Father’s will. In John chapters 13-17, the Lord shared with His followers pivotal truths they would need to endure and overcome the trials, tribulation and persecution they would experience after Jesus’ return to heaven.
Imagine how the disciples felt when Jesus was arrested, beaten, tortured and mocked as He died on the Cross. After His resurrection He would commission them to continue His work of evangelizing the world (Matthew 28:16-20).
Lord, how will we pull that off? They killed you the Son of God.  What about us? How will we overcome the persecution that is sure to come on us? I wonder how you and I would have felt.
The disciples would remember two powerful truths Jesus shared with them.
“Peace I leave with you, MY PEACE I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, let it not be fearful. “John 14:27
“These things I have spoken to you that MY JOY may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” John 15:11
Jesus to His disciples: My Peace. My Joy. In You. You will have peace and joy no devil or man can touch.
My fellow followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, no one can steal your or my peace or joy (John 16:22) because it is HIS PEACE AND HIS JOY! Do you know anyone big and bad enough to rip the Son of Almighty God off? I cannot think of anyone or anything!
Jesus’ peace and joy is a double-barreled shotgun that takes out the devil, his demons and the anti-Christ culture surrounding Christians. Who or what in this fallen world can stand against the peace and joy of Jesus in His faithful followers! No power in hell or on earth can!!!!!!
Take a quiet, holy moment or two and let what Jesus said sink in. You and I can and will endure, persevere, rise above and overcome any trouble that comes our way because of Jesus’ peace and joy in our hearts and minds!!!!! I say hallelujah and glory to God for this truth!
I can tell you from personal experience and the experiences of countless Christians I have ministered to over the years, that even when all hell breaks loose, no weapon of the evil one or the world can disrupt the peace and joy of Jesus in a believer’s life.
What can touch Jesus’ peace and joy? Absolutely nothing!
If you are struggling today, battling the enemy of your soul, choose to stand firm with faith in the power of Christ’s peace and joy!
Jesus’ peace and joy. I vote for that. How about you?
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
“And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come with joyful shouting to Zion. With everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy and sorrow and fainting will flee away.” Isaiah 35:10
A Word For Your Week:  Live your life with the peace and joy of Jesus in your heart and mind.

Have you ever wondered what God does at night? I used to.
Ron Mehl has authored a classic book called “God Works The Night Shift.” The subtitle is “Acts Of Love Your Father Performs Even While You Sleep.” I encourage you to secure a copy of this outstanding work and soak it up. It is well worth the read.

Mehl’s bottom line in the book is that God works even while we sleep.
That is what God says through the inspired Psalm writer David.
“It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors: For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.”  Psalm 127:2
The Psalmist tells us in Psalm 127:1 that unless the Lord builds the house and protects the city, we labor and guard in vain. In other words, let God build and protect your life. If you try to do it on your own, without Him, disaster will be your reward.


In verse two David follows the vain theme by telling us we do not have to rise early or retire late to eat the fruit of painful labors. This verse does not give us permission to sleep in when we need to be awake. Neither are we to ignore some extra effort some evening if needed.


What it does mean is that it is not necessary for us to burn the candle at both ends to enjoy life’s rewards. Matter of fact, David says if we do it that way, we “eat the bread of painful labors.”  Fruit produced by painful labor does not sound very nutritious or enjoyable to me!


The reason we do not have to burn out in life laboring to be successful and prosperous is that God gives to His beloved (divinely loved ones) even when they are sleeping……not just working!


What a refreshing word this is! Especially in our worried, weary, hurried, work-alcoholic world. While we sleep, God works. The Word tells us that God never sleeps. Psalm 121:3-4 states “He will not allow your foot to slip; He who watches over you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”


While God is wide awake, working the night shift with the heavenly host, and we are tucked under our warm blankies, He works on our behalf. I love that truth!!!


It is an awesome thought to think that while I am semi-comatose and unable to do anything about anything, God is running His universe and taking care of His children.


So, what does God do while we are sleeping and dreaming?


God Works The Night Shift…….

• Opening doors of opportunity that have been shut in the past.
• Shifting angelic forces around to protect and deliver you.
• Preparing people to seek you out for your services and employment.
• Softening the heart of someone you desire to reconcile with.
• Moving groceries and material provision to your address.
• Paving your way with favor and advantage.
• Fighting off Satanic forces that have arrayed themselves against you.
• Waking someone up in the middle of the night to pray specifically for you.
• Setting in motion the healing your broken heart needs.
• Sending discernment and wisdom that you need to make a significant decision.
• To preserve and sustain you during a time of adversity and difficulty.
• Just love on you while you are asleep!!!!

God works the night shift….to do whatever you and I need Him to do!
 
Simply amazing! God is working on our behalf when we are not even awake. Sometimes we lay awake wondering and worrying while the Lord is at work taking care of what we are wondering and worrying about!


Here is a thought worth chewing on for a while: God does His best work at night while we are sleeping because we cannot interfere with His work. You and I cannot get in His way when we are taking some ZZ’s. He probably likes the fact that Steve Roll cannot  mess up what He is doing for me!
    
Therefore, when God is on watch during the night, you and I do not need to be.


So, what are you concerned or worrying about? What is keeping you from sleeping? Being emotionally rested and spiritually calm? What do you need to release to Him so He can work on it for you while you take a long nap!


God never sleeps so you and I might as well. And everyone said AMEN!


“For from of old they have not heard nor perceived by ear, neither has the eye seen a God besides Thee, who acts on behalf of the one who waits for Him.”           Isaiah 64:4


A Word For Your Week: While you are sleeping God is working.