Don’t Let Satan Take Your Peace and Joy
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Galatians 5:22-23
Satan’s goal is to take away our peace and joy that comes from God and replace it with fear and worry. He tempts us with fleshly solutions that we think will ease our fear. This is Satan’s plan to have us depend on our fleshly desires for peace and joy instead of trusting God. This is a typical lie from Satan because the flesh can never satisfy the eternal soul; only God through the Spirit can bring lasting peace and joy. The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you–they are full of the Spirit and life (John 6:63).
Most of the world is seeking satisfaction and contentment through the flesh. True it’s possible to live a comfortable life that way, but the soul will never be fully satisfied without the indwelling Spirit. No amount of money can bring lasting security, destroy fear from Satan, or have eternal life. But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life (John 4:14). Jesus made this statement to the woman at the well. The meaning of living water is that the indwelling Spirit brings love, peace, and joy, and the longer and closer we are to the Lord the more love, peace, and joy we experience. The fruit of the Spirit is a well of water springing up to eternal life.
Satan is the father of lies and his lies are inviting to people because they appeal to their fleshly desires. Until we are able to control our sinful fleshly desires through the power of the Holy Spirit, we will struggle in a spiritual war with Satan and his demons. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12). Christians are in a spiritual war and the enemy attacks with thoughts that feed the fleshly desires; but we have the power of the Holy Spirit that dominates over Satan
A Christian becomes a spiritual warrior, learning how to fight the spiritual war with the power of God. Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7) Whenever Satan attacks through our thoughts and fleshly desires, run immediately to the Lord in prayer, quoting scriptures that reveal God’s power in our lives. It is vital to capture the sinful thought or fleshly desire and run to God in prayer, otherwise the thought will conceive in our brains. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death (James 1:14-15). This is the process that Satan uses to steal our peace and joy that comes from the Lord, a process that conceives sinful thoughts in our minds.
Today recognize Satan’s attacks and claim victory in Christ. Remember that Satan has control over you only if you give it to him. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world (1 John 4:4). Live today with the power of God and don’t let Satan steal your peace and joy.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for giving living water- the love, peace and joy that wells up within me. I seek your power when Satan attacks my thoughts with sinful fleshly desires. I will live with victory in Christ. In Jesus name, Amen