Last week at a Bible study group, together we looked at something written by Sarah Jaynes titled "When the Devil Tries to Sneak Up On You". Here is what we looked at in part.

We all know the caricature of Satan as the little guy in the red suit with a pitchfork. We could recognize that, if that is how he 'sneaks up on us'. Instead, he rewinds the tapes of our pasts and knows when to push the 'rewind and play; rewind and play' buttons.

His tape might sound like this: 'You are a failure''; 'You can't do anything right'; 'You are a loser'. And on goes the tapes in our minds of other thoughts. As Jaynes said, "The reason it is so difficult to detect the lies is that they sound just like us."

She went on to say, "Satan knows exactly which lies to whisper in your mind. He has watched you over the years and is well acquainted with your insecurities, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities."

When those 'you' statements in your mind, becomes "I", we know that the devil has succeeded:  'I can't do anything right': 'I am a loser'; 'I am a failure'. Now we are agreeing with him.

Time to shut off the tape in our thoughts and agree with God and what He has to say about us or to us.

The devil says, 'You are condemned'. We say back:  'I am forgiven and free' - "There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1).

The devil says in our minds, 'You're a loser'. We say, 'I am a conqueror' - "We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." (Romans 8:31).

The devil tells us, 'You should feel insecure.'. Our retort:  "Those who fear the Lord are secure." (Proverbs 14:26).

So who do we agree with? The devil? Or God?

"Heavenly Father, help us to detect the lies of the enemy in our lives. Help us to see if any of our thoughts do not line up with Your truth, and then give us the wisdom to reject the lies quickly and completely. In Jesus' Name. Amen."

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