“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3 NKJV)

 

Satan is not a figment of the imagination; he is a real evil personality. The Scripture attests to the existence of a real devil who is a sworn or avowed enemy of God and God’s children (Matt. 13:39, John 8:44, Rev. 12:17).

 

1 John 3:8-10 – NKJV

 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

 9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

 10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.

 

In His explanation of the parable of the tares of the field to His disciples, the Lord Jesus reveals that “The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. “The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.” (Matt. 13:38-39 NKJV).

 

Therefore, the believers are admonished to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Pet. 5:8-9 NKJV).

 

We are also admonished to “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Eph. 6:11 NKJV).

 

While it is true that there is a wicked and unrepentant devil going to and fro on the earth and who is unrelenting in his mission to steal, kill and destroy. Yet, God’s children are not expected to be overly devil-conscious or preoccupied with the devil.

 

One of the major symptoms of spiritual illness and immaturity is “devil-consciousness.”

 

Today, many believers are too preoccupied with the devil, thinking and always speaking of what the devil can do, may do, or is doing. They are always looking out for the devil in every person, thing, or situation. Their minds are fixated on the devil and not on God! 

 

Being overly devil-conscious will do you no good. It will only magnify the work, power, and presence of the devil in your life and situation. It will breed fear, worry, anxiety, or restlessness in your mind. It will also diminish or belittle God’s work, power, and presence in your life and situation.

 

It is so sad but true that many believers today are dealing with the devil as though the Lord Jesus Christ has not disarmed and defeated the devil through His death and resurrection.

 

You are not conscious of Christ’s victory over the devil through the cross when you are overly devil conscious.

 

The Scripture amply attests to Christ’s complete victory over the devil and his cohorts.

 

Hebrews 2:14-15 – NKJV

 14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,

 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

 

Colossians 2:14-15 – TCNT

 14 He canceled the bond which stood against us–the bond that consisted of ordinances–and which was directly hostile to us! He has taken it out of our way by nailing it to the cross!

 15 He rid himself of all the Powers of Evil, and held them up to open contempt, when he celebrated his triumph over them on the cross!

 

The only infallible antidote to being overly Satan-conscious is to be excessively God-conscious!

 

This requires a radical and conscious change in your perspective, mindset, mentality, or way of thinking.

 

You must deliberately fix or stay your mind on God if you want to appropriate, experience, and enjoy the complete victory that Christ has won for you over the devil.

 

You will never experience perfect peace by fixing your mind on the devil. God will keep you in perfect peace only if you stay, fix or focus your mind on Him, not on the devil.

 

The Scripture assures, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” (Isa. 26:3 NKJV). 

 

When your mind is preoccupied with God or your thoughts fixated on God, God will keep you in perfect peace, notwithstanding the devil and his activities.

 

When you consciously and consistently meditate on what Christ has done for you through His death on the cross and what He is doing for you and in you now, Christ’s awesome presence and power will permeate your life and situation.

 

If the devil cannot get you to think or meditate on him constantly and continuously, he cannot beset or torment you with fear regularly and constantly.

 

Regrettably, many of the special services or prayer meetings in our churches today are borne out of the fear of the devil. They are simply borne out of undue preoccupation and meditation on the devil and his activities.

 

Many “false prophets and deliverance ministers” are flourishing today by simply making the undiscerning people be more devil conscious.

 

All that these false ministers perceive, receive, reveal or prophesy to the gullible souls patronizing them is what the devil has done, or what the devil is doing, or what the devil wants to do in their lives, families, finances, careers, or businesses. They are a bunch of liars and exploiters!

 

Satan is a disarmed and defeated foe!

 

Christ’s victory over the devil and his cohorts through the cross is absolute, undeniable, and incontestable(Col. 2:15, Eph. 4:8). If you are genuinely born again, the victory Christ won over the devil is now your victory.

 

You have triumphed over the devil through Christ!

 

Jesus said, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:18-19 NKJV).

 

Being Satan-conscious is nothing but an expression of unbelief in God’s Word!

 

How then should a born-again believer deal with the devil?

 

First, the Scripture admonishes you not to give any place, room, or opportunity to the devil (Eph. 4:27).

 

Sin always gives the devil an inroad or foothold in your life. So, don’t toy with sin, or cover, accommodate or tolerate any sin in your life.

 

The Scripture warns, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” (Prov. 28:13 NKJV).

 

If and when you sin, promptly repent of your sin and receive or appropriate by faith the forgiveness and cleansing in the blood of Jesus.

 

1 John 2:1-2 – NKJV

1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

 

Second, the Scripture admonishes you always to put on the whole armor of God.

 

Ephesians 6:13-17 – WEB

 13 Therefore, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.

 14 Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

 15 and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace;

 16 above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.

 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the spoken word of God.

 

Lastly, anytime the devil shows up, you must resist him, standing firm in the victory that Christ has already won for you and exercising the authority Christ has given you.

 

1 John 4:7 – NKJV

7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

 

When you resist or stand up against the devil, he will flee from you. But when you are preoccupied with the devil, he will draw near to you and put you to flight.

 

That is why many believers today who should put the devil to flight are the ones fleeing from one prophet to another and from one church to another because of the fear of the devil.

 

Beloved, you cannot enjoy constant, consistent, and continuous victory over the devil unless you consciously and consistently fix or stay your mind on God. Always look out for God – His awesome doing, His power, His goodness, and presence in your life and situation.

 

When obsessed or preoccupied with God, you will see and deal with the devil as a defeated foe. Therefore, starting from today, begin to fix your mind on God consciously, and God will keep you in perfect peace despite the devil and his activities in this evil and troubled world.

 

 

Prayer: My Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for showing me today how to see and deal with the devil as a defeated foe regardless of his roaring. My Dear Holy Spirit, teach and help me to continually fix my mind only on God and what God is doing in my life and situation, in Jesus’ name. Amen.