The devil you know.

The devil is conniving.

He finds areas of weaknesses, and feeds on them.

He feasts on hurts, disappointments, rejections and regrets et al., and circles around them until thats all we see…Until we believe his lies, give up and accept his definition of who we are…Until we take the defeatist stance and remain stuck in the spinning wheel of dysfunction.

Thing is the devil isn’t omnipresent. He is not God and cannot be everywhere at once.

So he sets traps, while he prowls around in search of his next preys. It’s the same devil, just different faces & situations. From personal experience, I have learnt that it’s typically something thats been a pressing issue, struggle, desire or need. Something that gets you in your feelings. Something that casts a dark cloud over you. It could be a number of things. Failure. Abuse or rape. A disability. Family. Hurtful words. Loss or death. Lack. Absent parent(s). A tumultuous childhood. A breakup. Feel free to insert as many as come to mind. But basically anything that he can use to flood your mind with darkness and keep you in a cycle of confusion and dysfunction. He specializes in deadness and gloats in the absence of life and hope.

As God’s children, we are not excluded from the devil’s games. In fact, he works overtime where we are concerned. Remember, he tried to tempt Jesus after His forty day fast. Right when he knew Jesus would be HUNGRY (need) and would require food (desire), and would most likely be weak from not eating for so long.

The Bible is clear when it says that we will face challenges. But it also says we are more than conquerors.

Jesus’ flesh may have been weak, but His mind was strong (and His spirit full from being in His father’s presence). And so with every contrary thought Jesus spoke a word, until the devil fled.

Our response is everything! Fear or Faith?

The devil does not understand faith, and within the faith language is a thing called praise. Think King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles whose army was led by singers singing praises unto the Lord. Who sings when going to battle? Crazy right? Well it was effective, because it brought confusion into the camp of the enemy, and the battle was won even before the Kings army arrived.

Okay, I’ll give a more realistic situation. You applied for a gig, got a call and (in your mind) slayed the interview because it was good vibes all around. You left thinking, yea I definitely got this in the bag. Then you get the dreaded call. Actually its typically something more impersonal like an email from somebody in HR, who wasn’t even present at the interview. Yup! the soft hues of separation that signifies a closed door. But then instead of giving the devil something to feed on, like critiquing yourself and saying things like I always get sidestepped (because you have sent out hundreds of resumes). I must really suck (because all the interviews have yielded no positive results), so why even try. You respond with, okay God I really don’t understand this no and all the others, because I have what they are looking for, but I am just going to believe that you have something better planned for me, so I’ll leave it all in your hands. Then because you are so #boss, you take it a step further and have a full out praise session…and all the way to head bopping turnt-ness. I mean even the next person i.e a friend would be confused by your response, how much more the devil. You literally killed his plans to kill your confidence, by affirming hope, beating him at his own game.

Listen! Your affirmations and praises do not mean that you are not disappointed, sad, annoyed, angry or freaked out (as you watch the mounting bills). It just means you know that your delight is in God, and you understand that delay is not denial. When you cast all your cares on God, the devil has no dice to roll and he cannot play ping pong with your emotions. If it were a tennis match, you are Serena, serving your best hand with every strike.

Who shall ever separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness or danger or sword? Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors and gain an overwhelming victory through Him who loved us [so much that he died for us]. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, not things present and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the [unlimited] love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.   |Romans, 8:35-39, AMP|

The devil has already been defeated. Do not give him an inch else he’ll take a mile. This week and beyond, form a habit of affirming (speaking out loud if necessary) all that is good about you and in you, and let nothing and no one keep you down.

Happy monYAY! 💋💋

xoxo