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"Neither Jesus nor Paul held conversation with the devil."

THE DEVIL TALKS TOO MUCH. In the Garden of Eden, His first tactic was through a snake – talking. Never mind snakes today don’t talk, and Eve didn’t find that strange. There he was, as a fallen angel, working deception through words. Sin and death then being introduced to mankind, he set to work to get men to talk like him. As much as him. And eventually, Cain killed Abel then tried to talk himself out of the consequences of what he’d done.

In the children’s cartoon movie “Ice Age,” that I saw when my daughter was small (honestly, it’s very cute), men did not talk. But we are told God spoke words and light shone. We are told in John 1, that THE WORD was in the beginning with God and as God. THE WORD, logos, is words. Man was created to talk and given the authority of God in what he said. The devil was green goblet jealous. Someway, somehow, he’d stick his head in there and mess things up. Enter, all his talking.

Now, God was not taken by surprise in any of this. No one ever sneaks up on God and says “boo.” God had formed a plan to save men before even the first words He spoke in creation. He knew how He’d defeat the devil, and the gospels tell us that went off without a hitch. But still, we have that old enemy, called our accuser, running his mouth. The devil and demons specialize in talking your ears off. Our job is to not listen.

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” (Revelation 12:11)

Jesus promised us the truth. This comforts me because the truth always reveals the lie. So when I lean into Him, when I become aware of His voice, the Holy Spirt, I will recognize the lie and can toss it out quickly. Even better, God has promised me peace. I personally love, love, love that part because even my husband knows I’m not that fond of talking. So the very idea the enemy is a blabbermouth sends up a huge red flag. Just SHUT UP, devil. Honestly, go eat duct tape. No one with half a brain cell and a heart full of God wants to listen to you. I don’t have to listen to you.

Jesus gave us this example. He told every demon He encountered in His ministry to be quiet and not talk. The apostle Paul followed His example. A woman who practiced divination kept yammering for several days, and he’d finally had enough. He turned and commanded the spirit to come out of her, and it left. Neither Jesus nor Paul held conversation with the devil. When Jesus was in the wilderness, He was tempted of the devil but didn’t chitchat with that loser. Instead, He quoted the Word and eventually, Satan ran out of content and left. It is of interest that the Scriptures Jesus quoted all painted a picture of Him. There was the Creator who’d created Satan as an angelic being named Lucifer, using His words to shut him up. As has been said, there is no competition between God and the devil. God is God. The devil is defeated by Jesus’ blood and Resurrection.

We have the very wisdom of God within us. We need never be backed into a corner nor be left at the whim of the enemy’s foul mouth. The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in me and you. We have only to swing our Sword, the Word of God, and keep the praises of Jehovah on our lips, and we can outtalk him every time. And don’t you think that makes that oilslick really mad? Because the Word is the perfect comeback every single time. God has left nothing we need out of our defense. Even better, He's put us on the offense. We need not wait to encounter the devil to shut him up, but we can quote the Word as our protection and walk free of him for good.

What we say, goes. If we speak healing, we will be healed. If we speak blessings, we are blessed. What we say is what we believe, it’s what we put in our heart. So my plan from here on out is to sound just like Jesus. Who submitted to God and laid down His life then through the Spirit of God picked it back up again and reigns in heaven and earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. If you think He’s sitting around silently eating grapes when He knows the devil’s still flapping his vapor-gums, you are wrong. Because every time we say, “That’s enough. Be quiet, devil!” He’s speaking, which is pretty marvelous.

“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living within you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give you the power to live victoriously here and now in your mortal bodies. This is accomplished by living in trust and receiving the power of the Spirit.” (Romans 8:11, Remedy)

Image by pencilparker on Pixabay.


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com