When Satan Comes Knocking

If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.
–John 8:31-32

Your mind is the devil’s playground–or perhaps more accurately, your mind is the spiritual battleground on which the invisible war for your soul is being waged. The choices you make every day, choices that shape your life and your destiny, all begin with a thought. So it is no surprise that when Paul discussed how we can win the spirit wars that every one of us is engaged in, he began by talking about how we can control our thoughts. In Ephesians 6:13-14, the apostle wrote, “Take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth.” The New International Version translates that last phrase as “the belt of truth.”

In our culture, belts are secondary accessories. But for a Roman soldier, the belt was essential for tucking in his free-flowing tunic so that it would not trip him up during battle. That is the analogy Paul was using here. All of us have free-flowing thoughts that enter our minds–thoughts that, if we are not careful, can give the enemy an unfair advantage over us, or trip us up in our own walk with God. If we are going to be successful in defeating Satan’s plan to destroy us, we have to know what to do with the thoughts that come into our minds.

What kind of thoughts am I talking about? Last week we looked at four of Satan’s most lethal lies that he loves to implant in our consciousness. First there is the lie that we do not really have what we need to be happy in life. That lie promotes discontent. Second is the feeling that we have to take charge of our own lives if we want what is best. That leads to pride. Third, we talked about the lie that says, “I am all alone in this world.” That leads to fear. Finally, there is the lie that says, “I have been mistreated by God or by others.” That lie leads to bitterness.

Those may be four of Satan’s favorite lies, but there are a thousand other lies that Satan loves to use in his attacks on our minds. What are we to do when Satan’s lies come into our lives? We need to confront them with the belt of truth. This week I am going to share with you four practical ways that you can confront wrong thoughts with the belt of truth in your everyday life.

Today’s devotion is excerpted from “When Satan Comes Knocking” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2010.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org; Scripture quotation marked New International Version is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com