Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it as written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” - Matthew 4:10
Yesterday I said that when negative thoughts come your way, you must not give them time to take root in your heart. That correlates with the wise saying that you can't stop birds from flying over your head, but you can surely stop them from building a nest on your head. We can't stop the enemy from attacking our minds, but we can surely defend ourselves with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (see Ephesians 6:17). God's Word is infallible, unshakeable, and everlasting (see Isaiah 40:8, 1 Peter 1:25). Our Lord Jesus Himself showed us what to do when we are under attack by the devil. Three times He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness. Each time, His response was the same - He quoted the written Word of God. Against each attack, His response was to say, “It is written” (see Matthew 4:1-11).
I know of believers who say, “God spoke to me and told me that He will do that for me.” I want to encourage you not to go by what you think the Lord said to you. You cannot fight the devil by saying, “God spoke to me,” apart from the written Word. Please understand that I am not at all against God speaking to you, but coming against the enemy and his attacks with “God spoke to me” is not what our Lord Jesus did.
My friend, if you want to combat the enemy’s attacks, stick to the pattern that our Lord Jesus showed us. In the first temptation, the devil challenged our Lord Jesus to prove His identity, saying, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread” (Matthew 4:3). Don't you think it is interesting that our Lord did not rely on what His Father had audibly spoken over Him at the River Jordan? A voice had come from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Yet, the Lord did not point Satan to the spoken Word of God. Over and over again, he declared, “It is written.” Now, if the Son of God used “It is written” to defeat the devil, how much more you and I need to.
When fear grips your heart or evil thoughts plague your mind, quote His written Word!
Today's Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for showing me what to do when I am under attack by the devil. Thank You for giving me the sword of the Spirit, Your infallible, unshakeable, and everlasting Word, to defeat every fear and every thought. I believe that Your Word is my sure defence. Amen.
Today’s Thought
When the enemy attacks my mind with fear and evil thoughts. I have God's infallible, unshakeable, and everlasting Word to declare by faith over my situation.
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Prince, Joseph. The Prayer of Protection Devotional: Daily Strategies for Living Fearlessly In Dangerous Times.