Core scripture: “A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”
Message: I grew up in a church that never really talked about Satan. I thought anyone who talked about him was a bit over the top. Just too religious for my taste. I have learned through the years, however, that Satan is real, and if I do not keep my guard up against him, he will stop at nothing to take me down.
We have a willey enemy, people. He lies. He deceives. He disguises himself well, and if you don’t put on the armor of God every day, dying to self, he will attack relentlessly. 1 Peter 5:8 warns us, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”
Every day we face a battle against the enemy. His demons are sent out strategically to find us at our weakest point. Gentlemen, if you don’t watch your eyes, Satan will attack with lust. Don’t think too highly of yourself; otherwise, pride will be your vice. And what about complaining? Negativity? Envy? Gossip? Satan will infest you with those demons behind closed doors—especially when its victims are not present.
Yesterday I had a conversation with God over my present struggles. Today, I want to flip the script. I want to get those creative writing juices flowing by having a conversation with my adversary. He is most certainly a worthy opponent that needs to be respected but never bowed down to. Jesus models how to dismantle Satan’s arguments in His temptation in the desert (Matthew 4:1-11). His strategy is genius.
He fights with God’s Word.
Let’s have a go at this …
Satan: Pssst!
Me: Huh?
Satan: PSSSST!
Me: Satan, I know it’s you. You don’t have to whisper at me.
Satan: Crap.
Me: Well, I mean you got my attention now. You may as well go ahead and say what you have to say.
Satan: Why, thank you kindly, Clint. I will stop whispering. How is your day going so far?
Me: Cut the chit chat, you sorry piece of dung. What do you want?
Satan: Clint, am I sensing a bit of anger inside you right now? My, oh, my. How sad that is.
Me: I could have called you worse, but I will not lower myself to that standard.
Satan: Oh, why don’t you go ahead and try. Call me the worst name you can devise in that gorgeous mind of yours.
Me: You are not worthy of name calling.
Satan: Are you sure?
Me: Positive.
Satan: Allllllrighty then.
Me: Seriously, Ace Ventura?
Satan: Huh?
Me: Ace Ventura. Jim Carey. That corny movie from the 90’s.
Satan: Oh, I forgot about that. Was I just imitating …
Me: Jim Carey? Yeah, you were. Pick a better movie to reference next time.
Satan: You are so clever, Clint. Which movie should I choose?
Me: How about something with class. A drama like, oh, Shawshank Redemption.
Satan: Ah, yes! Shawshank! Andy Dufresne. You connect with that character a bit, don’t you?
Me: Yeah. So?
Satan: Such a sad movie. I mean, for a man to be convicted for a crime he never committed. That is just wrong!
Me: But Andy had hope.
Satan: What? What is that?
Me: Andy had hope for something bigger. And, so do I.
Satan: Hope is such a difficult word to keep in that loving heart of yours today. Especially after all that has happened to you over the past few weeks.
Me: Are you trying to get me to feel injustice? Anger? Frustration? Hate?
Satan: Well … yeah. Why not?
Me: Why not? Because I believe in something bigger than your lies.
Satan: Oh, Clint, they are not lies. They are reality. You must find a way to embrace those feelings of hate.
Me: You mean like the Emperor tired to get Luke Skywalker to embrace hate?
Satan: Ah, we have shifted to a different movie reference. You must have quite a bit of time on your hands now that you are not working. Watching all those movies.
Me: I haven’t been watching movies. The references are in my head, and I am using them to dismantle your lies.
Satan: Movies to dismantle my lies. That is quite clever.
Me: But I do have a secret weapon.
Satan: What is that?
Me: Uh, why would I tell you? It is a secret.
Satan: Now you have me curious, Clint. This secret weapon of yours. You may as well expose it. I will find out sooner or later, you know?
Me: It will be revealed in time.
Satan: Time. That is such a complex word. Maybe it is TIME you stopped worshipping that God of yours and bow down to me!
Me: And why would I do that?
Satan: Because He has abandoned you. He has allowed calamity to strike your work twice over the past two years.
Me: But He works everything for the good.
Satan: AHHHHH! Stop that nonsense.
Me: Oh, you mean reciting scripture?
Satan: Yes, that whole book of lies!
Me: You don’t have an answer for that, do you?
Satan: LIES! THEY ARE ALL LIES!
Me: My God will never forsake me. He is my rock. My salvation. My Redeemer.
Satan: STOP!
Me: I will not stop. Because it is in my trials that I become stronger. Go ahead and take my job. I still have my God, and He will walk me through the valley.
Satan: Your God has deceived you!
Me: My Lord is Jesus Christ. He has already won my heart in what He did at Calvary. And guess what? He has already defeated you.
Satan: LIES! STOP THE LIES!
Me: Jesus has been through it all. He did it for me and everyone else here in this crazy world.
Satan: Jesus is just a myth.
Me: Jesus is real. He is as real as real can be, and His Holy Spirit lives inside me.
Satan: The Holy Spirit! Such a fabrication.
Me: His power works best in my weakness. You can take me down, tempting me all you want, but guess what? I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength.
Satan: Oh sure, pull out your life verse again. Hold on to that fake truth you believe in.
Me: It is not fake. Jesus is the way, the truth, the life. Nobody gets to the Father except through Him.
Satan: You are quite a hard nut to crack, Clint. Maybe my work is done with you.
Me: Go ahead and leave, Satan. As a matter of fact, get behind me now!
Satan: Till me meet again.
Armor of God: Satan is relentless. He will never stop tempting, and he will continue trying to pull us all into that fiery furnace of hell with him for the rest of our lives. As Christian soldiers, we must be ready to take him on. Every stinkin’ day, it is our choice to put on the armor of God.
Let’s discover it all over again …
“Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:10-18).
Time to break this down. Observe the following …
- Belt of truth: A belt holds your pants up. You would look rather silly going into battle with your pants down.
- Shoes of peace: Walking with the Lord gives us peace, and we are called to share His goodness with others.
- Shield of faith: Our faith defends us against Satan’s lies. Faith is found in trusting in God’s plan, knowing that all His plans work for our good.
- Helmet of salvation: Protect your head from Satan’s lies. He will go for the kill shot, but our helmet of salvation protects the head from believing those lies.
- Sword of the spirit: This is the Christian’s lone offensive weapon and is the Word of God. Fight with scripture daily.
Scripture application: Read Matthew 4:1-11 and journal or discuss the following questions.
- How long does Jesus spend in the desert?
- How does Jesus’ physical need for food play into Satan’s first temptation?
- What is behind Satan’s second temptation? How does he cleverly use scripture against Jesus?
- What was Satan’s last temptation? Why do you think Satan stopped here?
- Jesus uses a strategy to combat Satan’s lies all three times. What is that commonality?
- After Satan leaves, what happens to Jesus?
- How can we use this biblical truth to fight Satan’s lies today?
Song application: “Run Devil Run” by David Crowder
He try to make a fool out of me
Gone pickin’ at my sanity
He ain’t nothin’ but a silver tongue and
I got somethin’ make the devil gonna run
I got somethin’ make the devil gonna run
I got somethin’ make the devil be gone
Run devil, run devil, run devil, run
You bet your bottom dollar he gonna be gone
I got somethin’ make the devil gonna run
Just for fun: When my boys were in preschool, we were driving home from VBS one night. They had learned about Satan and his tricky lies that day, and the mood was very somber and serious as we discussed the theme.
My youngest son said, “Daddy, I just want to tackle Satan.”
I nodded my head in agreement, pursing my lips together. Then my oldest son spoke up …
“I was thinking about biting off his penis.”
My wife and I were laughing about his comment later as we went to bed. Of course he entered our room in his Batman PJs, knowing he was the center of our conversation.
“You know, we were just talking about what you said, Little Buddy,” I smiled over at him. “Mom and I were wondering … Does Satan even have a penis?”
He just smiled his squinty-eyed smile and giggled triumphantly, declaring, “Probably not!”
Prayer: Lord, thank you so much for Jesus and for Your Word! It is our lone offensive weapon as we go into battle against Satan each day. Help us cling to the hope You bring through Jesus and fight the devil off with scripture. Amen.
The Teacher's Devotional 
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