In less time than it takes to snap your fingers—if you're not careful—the Enemy can pull up a seat at the table your Shepherd has prepared for you. Suddenly, it's not just you and God Almighty at your table anymore. Now it's you and God and the Devil. The Enemy only needs the tiniest crack. A sliver of opportunity. The smallest window of doubt or uncertainty. Just like that, the Devil is sitting at your table, beginning to win the battle for your mind. | We've come to accept the Enemy sitting at our table as normal. That's a big problem. We give him permission anytime we say things like, "Oh, that's just the way it is these days. Anxiety is just part of the equation. We're all anxious, and there's nothing we can do about it. Life's just so chaotic today. Of course we're all strangled by worry. Look at any news feed. Why wouldn't I be afraid?" In the same way, we accept the false narrative about our lives that we aren't worth much to God . . . or anybody else, for that matter. We think people don't get us. Or they don't value us. Or they are flat-out against us. Or we flip to the other point of view. We think we deserve more, so we allow envy and greed and comparison to cannibalize our God-given identity. We scroll our way through social media feeds determined to get what other people have—or, better yet, to get more. More stuff. That's what we need. More friends. More layers of protection. More likes. Or maybe another table. After all, we all live in a corrupted culture, and we know it. Why stress over a little lust here, or a moment or two of pleasure there? Before you know it, you talk like the Devil and think the thoughts he wants you to dwell on. That's just the way it is, right? No! Allowing the Enemy to have a say in our lives should not be normal. In Jesus' name, we can refuse him and all his ways. We don't need to accept them. He leads us to sins that are harming us and choking the life out of this generation, but they don't have to stay in our lives. Romans 8:10–12 says that the same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives inside of us. This same resurrection power is available to us. Jesus Christ has broken the power of sin, and God's invitation to us is to embrace a new mindset and a new way of living. In Jesus' name we are to think of ourselves as dead to the power of sin. In Jesus' name we don't have to let the voice of the Enemy control the way we live. In Jesus' name we don't have to give in to sinful desires; we can win the battle for our minds. Thanks to Jesus, we are no longer slaves. We are set free. We are alive. We are children of God. See, we create a big problem when we grasp only the first part of Psalm 23:4 (walking through the valley) but opt out of remembering what comes next (God's promise to be with us in the midst of difficulties). Whenever we camp in the valley and stay there, focused on the difficulties in our lives, we are prompted by the Enemy to go another direction. We experience trials or hardships or persecution or loneliness, and we think, Well, I'm in the valley of the shadow now. God didn't come through for me. I prayed for such and such, and God didn't answer that prayer the way I wanted, so I'm going to stay in the valley. I was obedient to God, but God didn't reward me as I hoped. So I'm going to turn to sin in an effort to feel better. Did you hear that? That's the sound of a chair quickly being dragged across the floor. It's still a table for two, but now an unwelcome visitor has shown up. | | | Your Swift and Vicious Enemy | When this unwelcome visitor shows up, he's often quiet at first. Friendly even. You might not recognize him when he first sits down. The Devil doesn't arrive with a brightly flashing neon pitchfork. He doesn't sit down with a growl and threaten to gouge out your eyes. No. At first, it's simply another person seated next to you, helping himself to your brownie, wondering aloud which water glass is his, inadvertently wiping his mouth with your napkin. It takes only a second. The unwelcome visitor sits down so swiftly and casually it's hard to discern his true character. He often appears to be on your side at the start. He promises you relief from your troubles. Second Corinthians 11:14 describes how Satan "masquerades as an angel of light," which means that the Devil rarely comes to the table showing his true colors— someone whose sole purpose is to "steal and kill and destroy" (John 10:10). Instead, the Devil takes the form of someone who's helpful, someone who appears to have your best interest at heart, someone who offers you respite from whatever pain you're feeling. Hey, how's it going? he might ask. You doing okay? You don't look so good. How's everything at work? I don't honestly know how you do it! Your boss is such a jerk. I mean really, you're a real trooper to hang in there and put up with that idiot! So, how are things at home? Still rough? Man, I pity you. I really do. Mind if I have another cupcake? These things are delicious! He might even quote Scripture to you. The Devil did that when he tempted Jesus (Matthew 4; Luke 4). Basically, the Devil said to Jesus, Here, check out this one verse taken out of context — it's the big answer to what You're going through. Here, this one verse will be just the ticket You need. - Your Enemy will use whatever devices are available to worm his thoughts inside your brain.
Maybe it's a movie you watch, a series of subtly influential memes that flash by on social media, or a conversation between two people that happens within ear- shot. You're not positive how the Devil's thoughts got in your mind, but they're certainly in there now. He'll kick you when you're down. Maybe you're lonely. Or angry. Or tired. Whenever you feel burdened or pressured, you become more susceptible to evil's influence. First John 2:16 describes how three big items in the Devil's tool kit are "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life." That means the Devil can take anything the body naturally desires and use it to harm us—that's the lust of the flesh at work. The Devil can use anything we see and wish for as part of his trap to lead us toward destruction—that's the lust of the eyes. The pride of life, in this case, is a harmful sort of bragging or boasting or showmanship or ambition that causes us to have too much confidence in ourselves. The Devil will use that too. Often the Devil appears empathetic. That's how he worked on Eve way back in the garden of Eden. Genesis 3 describes how the Devil, in the form of a serpent, prompted Eve to question if God was truly good. The Devil showed Eve the forbidden fruit and pointed out how beautiful it was. Surely God is withholding something from you, something you truly need, the Enemy whispered. Soon Eve was agreeing with the Devil, nodding her head, motioning to Adam, bent on convincing her husband and herself that the fruit was indeed "good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom" (v. 6). - In whatever way the Devil gains access to your table, his goals are always the same. He wants to gain access to your mind so he can destroy you.
He wants to get inside your head so harmful thoughts can be planted within you. Those thoughts will grow unchecked and spill out into actions. He wants you to be overtaken by wickedness. He wants to steal everything that is valuable from you. He wants to kill your relationship with God. He wants to cause division between you and the people who care for you. The Devil is not gentle—not in the long run. He was "a murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44), and he sets snares that capture people so they do his will (2 Timothy 2:26). The Devil is vicious and cruel, and he's always prowling around "like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). That someone is you.
Excerpted with permission from Don't Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table by Louie Giglio, copyright Louie Giglio. * | | | The devil has always been out to steal, kill, and destroy. He isn't a little problem; he's a big problem! He'll use anything that works on you. Satan is smart and clever and he will do anything to wreck your life because you are God's kid. He loves nothing better than to sit down at your table and create chaos and harm. Are you ready to yank that chair out from underneath him? Join us for the Don't Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table Online Bible Study starting September 12. It's time to win the battle of your mind! | | | Share this devotion with someone who needs it today. | | | That's how the enemy works. If He can win the battle for your mind, then he can win the battle for your life. ~ Louie Giglio You can find freedom from the war inside your mind—if you allow Jesus, the Good Shepherd, to lead the battle. It's time to reject the lies and listen to the truth. Sign up now and join us for the Online Bible Study with author & pastor Louie Giglio! | | | Don't forget to grab your study materials! | | | $105.96
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