STEALER OF PEACE!

I was talking to Vanessa and she made the statement that all Satan wants to do is steal our peace. The episode we were talking about was a small argument that my husband and I had Friday night. As most arguments go, this argument was about nothing, but, we allowed the argument to happen.

Friday night was a long night and neither one of us slept very well because we both allowed Satan to steal our peace. I should have recognized this incident for what it was. I should have seen it coming, acknowledged it and then dismissed it as Satan's way of causing a rift. But, I didn't, I got defensive and made the argument worse.

Jesus tells us in John 8:44 that there is no truth in Satan and that he is the father of lies and again He tells us in John 10:10 “ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” The peace that you and I have comes from the Holy Spirit that is living within us, but when we allow ourselves to be manipulated we allow Satan who is the master manipulator to steal that peace from us. When I think of that word “manipulate” that immediately conjures up images of a puppet on a string. A puppet on a string can not act on its own, it moves at the whim of the puppeteer.

Because we have the Holy Spirit in us, we have the power through the Holy Spirit to tell Satan to take a hike. Satan is powerful, but not as powerful as the one living in us. As Christians we have the power to say to Satan "the Lord rebuke you!" As Christians we must always be alert to the subtle ways that he tries to manipulate us and tries to steal our peace. We must become proactive where Satan is concerned! We must always be on the lookout for his attacks and we must recognize those attacks for what they are...simply to steal our peace and to cause us to lose focus (even for a second) on Jesus Christ.

So, how did our little spat turn out? Well, I'm glad you asked! Fortunately, we both recognized the argument for what it was. Nothing! It was a waste of our time and a waste of a good nights' sleep. But, I did learn a lesson from this episode. I learned that Satan never gives up! Even when the lights are about to be turned off for the night, he's there and he's just waiting for an opportunity to steal, kill and destroy.

As Christians, we can’t let down our guard for an instant and we must learn from each other the tactics that Satan uses. He tries to tear husbands’ and wives’ apart through small, insignificant, stupid arguments. We can’t listen to his lies! We must learn to rely on the Holy Spirit who will help us to recognize the way Satan attacks us individually and as families. When we are defensive and see the attacks for what they are, we must then rely on the Holy Spirit’s power, the power that is within us, to rebuke Satan in the Lord’s name. Satan knows his time is running out and as much as he hates us, he hates Jesus even more! He knows that the cross defeated him and all he can do is make life miserable for us by stealing our peace, the peace that only comes from Jesus Christ.

I’m tired of being a puppet....how about you?

“The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.” Psalms 29:11.

Cindy

Bible Verse taken from the New International Version
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