Speak it aloud!

 

I want to address something that I think, we as believers, are often guilty of doing. When we do this, it weakens our faith, it causes doubt and fear and often has us not taking responsibility for our own sinful actions.

What is this thing we can fall into the trap of doing?

It is giving the Devil too much credit.

While it is not wise to underestimate the power of Satan, we often give him more credit than he deserves.

Let me explain.

Many times, we blame the Devil for making us do things that we could have controlled. Contrary to popular belief, the Devil can’t make you do anything! He can tempt and trick us but because we are born sinners (Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:10-18), our flesh already has sinful desires.

James 1:14 teaches us that “every man is drawn away of his own lusts and enticed”. It sounds like our own flesh and desires can lead us astray without any help.

Don’t misunderstand me, God certainly holds Satan accountable for his own sin and rebellion, but he also holds us accountable for ours.

We are often guilty of saying, “The Devil made me do it”, or “He put thoughts in my head”.

I want to let you in on a little secret that I have been slow in learning over the years.

The Devil is NOT omniscient!

This is a word we throw around in our churches and although it sounds daunting, it simply means “all-knowing”. Omniscience is one of God’s attributes and means that all knowledge of all things, having infinite awareness and insight and complete knowledge is part of his character and his being.

Nowhere, and I mean nowhere, in the Bible are we told that the Devil has this power.

In fact, in the book of 1 Kings, we are told very clearly who it is that is the ONLY one with this power.

1 Kings 8:39 KJV - Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)

Did you see that? God alone, God only, is omniscient and can see our hearts and knows our thoughts. No one else has this ability.

God knows our thoughts and he knows what we will say even before we say it or have even thought it! (Psalm 139:4; Matthew 9:4; John 2:25)

There is nothing in the Bible that indicates that Satan knows our thoughts. There are no verses backing this up. In saying this, we must be reminded that Satan is powerful. He, in his rebellion against God, managed to persuade a third of the angels to join him, and we know that he is “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2)

Satan is neither omniscient nor omnipresent (everywhere at all times), but he is very clever at predicting human behaviour because he’s been in the business of turning hearts against God for a very long time.

Sometimes we may think that the Devil and his demons are able to read our thoughts. I do believe that they can hear what we say, if they are in the vicinity, but just because they are very good at predicting the common responses of man to a situation doesn’t mean they know our thoughts.

Satan and his demons have been observing human behaviour for thousands of years and they’ve learned a thing or two. They can often make a well-educated guess as to what we are thinking and then use it to their own advantage.

This is why it’s so important to submit to God and resist the Devil (James 4:7) and also why we are instructed to clothe ourselves in the armour of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). We really are fighting a spiritual battle, and we need to be dressed appropriately.

So where am I going with all this talk of omniscience and power?

The Devil has limitations. And sometimes, we need to meet him in those limitations.

Don’t give him more power than he has!

When I went through my dark days of depression, I began to listen to the lies of the Devil. And when these lies would run through my mind and I was sent spiralling down, I would pray to the Lord to help me combat them. I would read scripture, I would cry and I would pray for God to fight the battle for me and give me strength.

But there was something that I began to do out of sheer desperation and agony of soul.

As I sat on the cold concrete floor of my dark storeroom, tears flowing down my cheeks, the sobs shaking my whole body with fear and anxiety, I began to speak my thoughts aloud.

I realised that the Devil couldn’t read my thoughts. And no, he wasn’t always present, but there were times when I could sense his very real presence and the oppression was unbearable.

And it was in that moment, that I knew he needed to hear me speak truth over my life. He needed to hear me quote the Word of God. He needed to hear my heartfelt cries to God. He needed to know who I was going to for help. He needed to hear my rebuke of him, in the name of Jesus, to leave me alone!

As believers, God has given us power and authority, not to be abused and misused, but to help us as we fight our battles.

Our authority over Satan and the victory that is ours is dependent on the power of God and God’s power within the believer. We have his Holy Spirit living in us. (Galatians 2:20)

Satan cannot force us to sin, he cannot possess us, and he knows ultimately, that we, through Christ will have the victory over him and it’s game over when his time comes.

So, lest you think I’m delving into some weird theology, hear me when I say we have NO power over Satan in ourselves. God has all authority, and he fights on our behalf. If we are submitting ourselves to God, living holy lives, praying for God’s protection and resisting sin and the Devil, we are placing ourselves under God’s protecting hand and Satan has no authority over us.

We can resist the Devil’s attacks just as Jesus did in the wilderness when he was tempted. He used the Word of God. If Jesus defeated the Devil’s temptations through quoting scripture, we certainly can rely on the Bible to overcome Satan’s attacks. The Bible is not called the Sword of the Spirit for nothing! (Ephesians 6:17)

And so it was, that as I faced daily attacks and fear overwhelmed me, I cried out aloud to God. I told the Devil where he could go and what he could do with his lies. I reminded him of his future. I made sure he knew whose side I was on. I let him know who and what it was I trusted in.

The Devil knows when he is defeated. He knows all about God’s power and authority, and when truth is spoken over your life loudly and with a heart of faith, he skulks away to his corner, willing to give up that battle for the moment. But don’t be fooled into thinking he’s given up altogether. He won’t give up until he is bound and cast into the lake of fire and brimstone and tormented forever (Revelation 20:1-10). So, be watchful and armed.

1 Peter 5:8 KJV - Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

In closing, I want to share a personal experience about my dark hideaway whose walls held me in for so many months.

A couple of years after I had come out of my depression and was finally living and breathing new life into my lungs with God’s ever-present love and guidance, I had to go back to the old house and tidy up after some renters moved out.

As I opened the door to my little storeroom and walked into its darkness, I once again felt the walls closing in on me, and I began to sob uncontrollably. I stumbled blindly through my tears, back into the light, closing the door hastily behind me.

I was not ready to face it. It was too raw. Too soon.

But only a week or so later, I found myself there again. I was drawn to the room, almost like a force compelling me to open the dreaded door.

This time, though, something had changed. I had a resolve I hadn’t experienced before. I had authority in my step and confidence in my stride.

I jerked the door wide open and stood inside. And this time, instead of tears, I shouted words of hope. I informed the Devil in no uncertain terms that he had no hold on me. In a voice devoid of fear, I told him that he hadn’t won. I told him he was defeated. I reminded him of where I’d been and how I had been rescued. I proudly held his defeat over his head and claimed victory!

And then I praised God. Loudly and with a heart of worship. I thanked God for the work he had done in my life. I cried tears of joy for God’s goodness to me, and as I took one last look around the room, I held my head up high and thumbed my nose at the Devil, closing the door and leaving the battlefield victorious!

Remember, the more you let the light in, the quicker the darkness will flee. The Devil can’t stand the light.

Don’t let him win. And don’t be deceived in thinking he knows your thoughts. Only God gets that privilege.

So, the next time you prepare to stand your ground and fight, don’t just let the words of truth be silent on your lips, don’t keep them in your heart, shout them out! Proclaim them confidently! The Devil may be listening, and he needs to hear your victory cry!

“Anytime the Devil starts to remind you of your past, remind him of his future!”

Romans 8:37

 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.