Beware of Satan’s Footholds
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8
Satan is always trying to get a foothold, especially in Christians. We will identify some footholds that Satan uses, so we can be aware and overcome. Satan knows our weaknesses by observation and he is the great deceiver.
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21)
We all fight the spiritual war, our will or the Father’s will, because it takes perfect surrender. But as the Lord continues to fill our hearts with his divine love, then our hearts desires to obey Christ, but our sinful flesh is always with us.
Satan will deceive us by using our own justification to do our will, and we think it’s agreeable with the Lord. Our justification can be dangerous because are usually unaware. Pray every night that the Lord changes us for anything that is displeasing to him.
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:14)
Satan is always trying to make us impatience, causing us rush, which can soon become a habit and take away our divine peace. When we are patience and still inside, life is much more relaxed, and when take our time we can be aware of someone who needs an encouraging word, help from us, or to hear about Christ; especially if we pray the Lord brings someone to us. Patience is a great blessing and brings peace and relaxation.
Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (Joshua 1:8)
Meditation means think deeply and focus, because it will enable us to remember the scripture. Satan wants us to be surface thinkers and never think deeply, because we will forget what we read because it never gets past short-term memory. Satan uses both impatience and surface thinking, because they both together may cause us to ignore Christ and his guidance.
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 46:10)
One of Satan’s evil weapons, is to put fear in our minds, which results in many excuses not to serve the Lord, such as: I don’t have the skills, I have something else to do, I will think about doing it later, the Lord want mind if I skip this command: and the list is endless. Fear from Satan is a powerful weapon to keep us from fully serving the Lord, but God’s love is stronger than Satan’s fear.
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, (James 1:19)
Satan wants us to speak without thinking, from our emotions, and never be quick to listen. How can we minister to others it we don’t listen? Satan will use anything he can to make us angry, for example: a traffic jam, someone speaks to us with offensive words, or things aren’t working out as planned. Satan observes our behavior and he knows what will make us angry, and he has the power to create a situation that will make us angry. If we are still inside and living in the power of the Holy Spirit, then we can have patience and remain relaxed and at peace. If we a strong identity in Christ, offensive words from the world will have little or no power over us.
Today be aware of any foothold Satan is sneaking into your life, and pray for the power to overcome any footholds by Satan.
Prayer: Lord keep me aware of any footholds that is coming from Satan, or from my sinful nature in me. And always help to escape any sinful temptations. In Jesus name, Amen