Satan isn’t all that like he seems to think. He’s a coward actually. Say the word “Jesus” and he won’t even stick around long enough to see God’s power light up the darkness. I’m no theologian. I don’t have a doctorate in biblical studies or Hebrew or anything like that. All I know is that when I call on the name of Jesus in the face of Satan’s lies, Satan shrivels up into a worthless pile, sulking like an angry child who didn’t get his way this time, planning in his head how he’ll get away with it the next time. Satan is a coward and I hate him.
After treatment, a kind soul reminded me that Satan cannot read our thoughts. We assume that he can see what’s in our heads, but he can’t. He’s not God. He’s a fallen angel. Yes, Satan has power. He wouldn’t be able to wreak so much evil in our world if he didn’t, but please hear this: Satan is not God.
When I understood that talking to Satan out loud allows him to know clearly my words to him, this changed everything. I don’t lie – this changed everything for me. When I have given Satan an audible piece of my mind and have called on the name of Jesus at the same time, every single time, Satan has left. The lies he was trying to slither into my mind and use to ruin me disintegrated. They held no more power. His lies fell apart because in the light of Jesus’ truth, they could stand as nothing more than fiction, made up to manipulate and instill fear. Too often I have let him manipulate me with his lies. I have lived in fear because he has led me to believe I have no way out, that I am fighting a losing battle. And, Father, forgive me, too often I believe him.
Until I let the light come.
It’s amazing what light can do. The shadowed corner that seems to be hiding the unknown monster suddenly becomes . . . a corner. The dark basement hiding the demons suddenly becomes . . . a basement. Turn on the light and shadows vanish taking fear of the unknown right along with it. Light brings truth. But too often, I settle for the darkness because it never occurs to me to turn on the light. Satan cowers me in a corner, fear overpowering the logic of a light switch.
Jesus’ light lives when we open our hearts, our minds, and our mouths. Speak truth out loud. Worship out loud. Deny Satan his power out loud.
Tell him.
“Satan, you don’t belong. You have no power here. You are not in control. You have no right – NO RIGHT – to manipulate and lie and lead me into the darkness because I am not yours to lead. I am a child of the King. I am an adopted daughter into the family of my risen Savior. I am not yours to overpower or diminish.”
Say the words loud and clear, people. Scream the words! You may swear. Satan doesn’t deserve civility. He needs our hatred and he needs to hear how much we trust in Jesus’ power rather than falling for his manipulation. If we don’t say it, if we only think it, and our actions only show us living in fear, then how will he know he hasn’t won my heart to his darkness? He won’t know if I don’t tell him in the words he can hear and understand!
Tell him!
Tell him and he has to run. Darkness cannot survive where light shines. So shine your light loud and clear! And then gather other lights – turn them all on and praise the one who gave us his fire to light our path!
Like I said, I’m no theologian, but I know what I’ve experienced. Last Sunday, truth hit me between the eyes that once again I’d been allowing Satan to entice me into the shadows. I’d been believing his lies, living in fear that maybe I was going back to ED, maybe I wasn’t really recovered, maybe I’ve been lying to myself. The darkness makes truth so hard to see.
And then I remembered once again, Satan can’t hear my thoughts.
So I let him have it. Oh man. Potty mouth spewing hatred for the one stealing my joy. I let him have it with both barrels and two fists and a knee where it counts. I called for my Savior and asked for his light. And suddenly, the fear was gone. In it’s place I remembered my joy. I was mad at myself for forgetting how to make Satan run, but it’s a reminder that though Satan is a coward, he’s a sneaky little bugger. I cannot let him in. I need to call on my God not only when I reach this point of fear, but on my daily journey so that the fear doesn’t get to build in my heart in the first place. Why is this so hard to remember? Because Satan may be a coward, but he’s sneaky coward. He always regroups from his slap in the face and slithers back up to the plate. I think that’s called insanity – doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.
Satan is hoping I’ll truly forget next time. He’s hoping I’ll drown in the fear next time. He wants me to wallow in the darkness for good next time.
God. Will. Not. Let. This. Happen.
God has won already. He’s not going to let me go. His grace is abundantly sufficient for me. For my forgetful mind. He will never let me forget his love and his power and his victory over darkness and death. Satan is insane, my friends. He keeps doing the same thing over and over again hoping for different results but truly, God wins my heart.
I have my candle. And God has the matches. Satan, he’s just the wild beast afraid of the fire. He’s too scared to come near my fire because he knows he’ll get burned. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Let’s use our voices and our actions to light the fire for the world, and the underworld, to see and know where our allegiance lies!
Let them know that we live in the light!
