Part I
A friend said something that I liked a lot, and it got me to thinking. She said, “I want to live in such a way, that when my feet hit the floor in the morning, the devil says, ‘Oh, no, she’s awake!’”
We are all well aware that we have an enemy who gives us problems. In fact, his mission in life is to cause us as much difficulty as possible. He would kill and destroy us if he could, and we are in a spiritual battle with him every day.
But have you ever wondered if the enemy is threatened by your presence, your life, your testimony? Don’t you think if we’re living the kind of vibrant life we should be and can be, the devil will truly fear the impact of our lives? Now, let’s think about what could cause Satan trouble—cause him to say about us, “Oh, no, she’s awake!” or “Oh, no, he’s awake.”
- The knowledge of God’s Word in our minds always scares him.
Jesus defeated Satan with Scripture, and that’s how we will defeat him. Therefore, when we are growing in our knowledge of the Bible, it gives Satan headaches! You want to really drive Satan nuts? Memorize scripture. When you memorize it, you have it with you all the time.
Many times our enemy attacks us unexpectedly in the most unusual places, and we don’t have time to find our concordance and look up some appropriate scripture. But when it’s in our memory bank, as it was for Jesus when he was tempted, we can whip out that powerful Sword and use it against the enemy and defeat him.
The Word of God is living and active. “Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Heb. 4:12)” There is no place that the Word of God can’t reach, and no weapon that Satan forms against you can stand against scripture.
If you stay in God’s Word and hide it in your heart, undoubtedly Satan says when you wake up in the morning, “Oh, no, she’s awake!” Yes, indeed, a knowledge of the Bible is a sure-fire way to upset the enemy and put him on the run.
- And here’s another sure way to upset the enemy: Be faithful and steadfast.
When we refuse to quit or be discouraged, Satan is defeated. Discouragement is one of his most powerful weapons, and he knows how to use it well! You see, if he can get us discouraged, the next step for us is to quit and sit on the sidelines. A Christian sitting on the sidelines is no threat to Satan; he wants to get you on the sidelines and then just leave you there.
He’ll do that through self-pity, through bitterness, through failure. Maybe you’ve been mistreated by someone, and as a result you just decided to drop out. Did you know that Satan loves it when you quit? You’re no threat to him when you’re having a pity party.
And when you allow bitterness to control your mind, you become a very unlovely and unlovable person. A bitter person, who refuses to forgive and let go of some injustice or some pain, is not likely to have any positive effect in their worlds for Jesus, so Satan doesn’t mind at all when you’re awake. You’re easy to defeat when you’re bitter.
Maybe it’s failure that has caused you to be discouraged. Don’t you know that God is so great he can turn your failures into a tool for doing good? He’s done it in my life. Satan wanted me to feel guilty for the rest of my life because for ten years I walked away from my commitment to Jesus. If he can saddle me with guilt, I’m no threat to him. But praise God, he didn’t get me on that one. I’m living proof that God has many second chances for us, so that even when we mess up, he can use us.
If the enemy has been defeating you because you haven’t been steadfast and faithful, I encourage you today to get rid of the self-pity and the bitterness and the guilt. Tell him, “Satan, I’m going to live in such a way that when I get up in the morning, you’re going to say, ‘Oh, no, she’s up!'”
- A joyful spirit is an anathema to the enemy!
When we are joyful people, Satan is not a happy camper!
Would people who know you well describe you as joyful? You know, if you get up in a bad mood many days, if you gripe and complain a lot, if your attitude is mostly negative, you just make Satan’s job easy. He is pleased as punch when Christians are sour, because a joyful spirit defeats him.
Habakkuk knew what it meant to be joyful. He said:
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. (Habakkuk 3:17-18)
It’s clear that being joyful does not mean having everything in your life just the way you want it. Habakkuk was in a circumstantial mess, but he said, “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
Joyfulness is our choice and when we have negative attitudes, it’s because we have chosen to do so. Now, there are many times in our lives when we are sorrowful and hearts are heavy. Being joyful doesn’t mean throwing parties all the time. But we can be joyful regardless of the circumstances if we choose to.
Have you learned to pray about your attitude and about keeping a joyful spirit? When you do, believe me Satan will have his hands full because he cannot defeat a joyful spirit. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians “Be joyful always” (1 Thess. 5:16). The enemy hates to see you get up in the morning with a joyful attitude. So, frustrate Satan today; be joyful.
- Praise silences the enemy.
David wrote, “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger” (Ps. 8:2). Did you realize that God has ordained praise as the way to silence the enemy? We need to be praising people.
One way to do that is just to verbally praise God all through your day for every good thing. Do you do that? Let me encourage you to get in the habit of praising God verbally any time you have a chance. “I praise you, Lord, for the sunshine.” “I praise you for healing my headache.” “I praise you for a safe trip.” Every time something good happens to you, don’t overlook it or take it for granted: Praise God for it. Every time you do, you will be silencing the enemy. He cannot stand a praising person.
Sometimes it has to be a sacrifice of praise—praising when you don’t feel like it. But when you offer the fruit of your lips, regardless of your feelings, you are using one of your strongest weapons against the enemy.
Why is it that praise is such an important weapon against the enemy? Well, as soon as I start praising God, especially if I do it out loud with words that I can hear, the dynamics of the situation start to change. Instead of being focused on the negatives and the problems, praising God forces me to focus on him, on who he is, on how great he is. And when I do that, then his power is released in me. And the enemy cannot stand against his presence and his power.
Want to frustrate Satan today? Praise God all day long. Believe me, it will work, and Satan will be sorry you ever got up.
- A repentant and humble heart is very important in defeating Satan.
Pride is always an open invitation to the enemy. Any time we have a self-righteous attitude or think we’re something, we are very vulnerable to his attacks. Conversely, when we have a humble spirit, Satan has difficulty getting to us.
A.W. Tozer wrote:
The only sure defense against self-righteousness is to cultivate a quiet state of continual penitence. A sweet but sobering memory of our past guilts and a knowledge of our present imperfections are not incompatible with the joy of the Lord; and they are of inestimable aid in resisting the enemy.
While God never heaps guilt on us and when our sins are forgiven they are remembered against us no more, it is nonetheless helpful for us to occasionally recall the pit from which we have been snatched. I often pray Psalm 40:2: “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” It reminds me of where I was before Jesus rescued me, and it humbles me to think of where I would be without him.
That kind of thankful memory does not cause me pain or guilt, but simply keeps me humble. When we are sensitive to God’s conviction, when we quickly and eagerly repent of our sin, and when we are continually aware that we can fall again at any moment, we are in a much better position to defeat the enemy. First Corinthians 10:12 reminds us: “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall.”
Want to give Satan a tough day? Keep a repentant and humble attitude; it will help you immensely in resisting the enemy.
Here are five very practical things you and I can do on a daily basis that will intimidate the enemy of our soul: Immerse ourselves in the Word of God, be faithful and steadfast, be joyful, praise God all through your day, and keep a humble heart. If you consistently live in this way, I feel certain that Satan shakes his head when he sees you start the day, and says, “Oh, no, she’s awake!”