image by Aleksandr Khakimullin via 123rf
When Satan takes a victory lap—flaunting his control over our families, our dreams, our health, and other matters of concern, we shouldn’t let that shatter our faith. Don’t forget, he took a victory lap when Jesus was nailed to the cross; and we all know how that turned out.
The distress Satan manages to pull off, nonetheless, still produces toe-curling pain. He knows exactly when and how to strike; what’s precious to us. Like a maestro, he knows exactly when to strike that perfect pitch. Everything is fair game—nothing is off limits.
Sometimes God will empower us to outwardly fight; then there are other times when He will instruct us to be still—incognito. I think being still can really challenge our faith when we think we have the wherewithal to make an impressive knockout punch.
Jesus stood still.
Imagine how Jesus must have felt when He stood still before Pilate while the chief priest and elders interrogated Him. (See Matthew 27:1-12.) Now imagine how He must have felt when His accusers nailed Him to the cross; all the while, He had the power to call a host of warring angels on the scene.
To understand how Jesus restrained Himself as Satan took those victory laps, we must understand what He did in order to prepare Himself for that moment. Jesus didn’t wait until the day—all that drama unfolded in the Garden of Gethsemane—to start praying. He didn’t wait until the adversary approached Him with a kiss—to establish a close relationship with His Father.
If we want to be victorious and defeat Satan, we can’t do anything less than what Jesus did. Developing an intimate relationship with the Father, is paramount. Satan fights dirty; on our own, we’re no match against this evil-vile spirit. But when God is the Referee—calling the plays, we can expect:
- We can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth us (see Philippians 4:12).
- His grace is sufficient (see 2 Corinthians 12:9).
- If God be for us, who can come against us? (See Romans 8:31.)
- For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are unable to perform (Psalm 21:11).
Satan will dig deep into the trenches to bury us alive; but does he not know—
El Shaddai: God Almighty,
Jehovah-Elohim: All powerful God,
El Elyon: God the Highest,
Yahweh Shalom: The Lord of Peace,
Jehovah-Jireh: The Lord will Provide,
Jehovah-Rapha: The Lord our healer,
Yahweh Nissi: The Lord is My Banner,
Jehovah-Rohi: The Lord is my Shepherd,
. . .is with us?
When the greater One is within you—take your VICTORY LAPS!
© 2020
See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.