What does it mean to fight the devil? The fight is our battle is to get the Word of God into our heart.
Satan battles to take the Word out of our heart. That’s the fight. Mark 4:15 speaks of how Satan comes immediately to steal the Word sown in our hearts. Even as I share that verse from the Word of God with you now, the devil is working to steal it out of your mind.
You might begin to think about what you want for lunch right now. You may begin to worry over a decision in the midst of a church sermon. You might start to think about an unpaid bill, or an errand to run even as you sit and read the Bible. Whenever you allow your mind to wander from the teaching of the Word, you may miss a nugget of truth and encouragement from God. Satan is trying to steal the Word out of your heart. Satan is trying to make sure you are distracted and unfed. Why is he trying to steal it? There are two reasons.
The first is found in Psalm 119:11. David said, “Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee.” The more Word you get in your heart, the less you’re going to sin. The devil wants you to sin because that separates you from God. When you are separated from God, He can’t give you His blessings. He wants to bless you so you can help others. The devil knows all of this and that is one reason he works to steal the Word out of your heart.
The second reason is because once you get the Word in your heart, you understand your authority over the devil. You don’t have to put up with his nonsense anymore. You don’t have to be subject to his lies, his manipulation and his distractions. You can run him off with the Word of God. Remember the devil came to Jesus, and Jesus always quoted the Word. He said, “It is written.” That’s how you make the devil flee. You remind him what is written. If you don’t have the Word in your heart, you won’t know how to respond, and he won’t leave you alone. He will continue to badger you, and steal what little Word you may have stored up.
How exactly does he steal it? Mathew 13:19 says, “If anyone hears the Word and understands it not, then comes the wicked one and catches away that which was sown in their heart.” If you don’t pray for understanding or wisdom, he’s able to steal from you. How do we get this understanding? Psalm 119:104 says, “Through Thy precepts I get understanding. Therefore, I hate every false way.” You get this understanding from reading the Bible. You get it from God. God uses the Bible to give us understanding. Psalm 111:10, “A good understanding have all they that do His commandments.”
Did you catch that? You’re not just supposed to read it. You are supposed to be a doer. In other words, you gain understanding when you walk out God’s commands. You gain wisdom when you practice obedience, turn from sinful behavior and stay connected to the Vine, Jesus Christ. Proverbs 15:32 says, “He that hears reproof, gains understanding or correction.” Be willing to receive correction and instruction, and you will gain even more understanding. We receive correction when we read the Bible and apply it to our lives.
Besides the Word of God, you can learn from biblical teachings, fellow believers and of course by the Holy Spirit. Charles Spurgeon said this: “Get your friends to tell you your faults, or better still, welcome an enemy who will watch you keenly and sting you savagely. What a blessing such an irritating critic will be to a wise man. What an intolerable nuisance to a fool.”
Welcome Godly correction in your life. Welcome the life lessons the Bible reveals to you. Welcome understanding gained by submitting to God’s will for your life. This is how you fight against the devil.
Bill Wiese is the author of New York Times best selling book, “23 Minutes In Hell,” the story of his life-changing visit to hell in 1998. Bill has since authored six additional book titles, and continues to share his experience around the world. He and his wife Annette founded Soul Choice Ministries in late 2006 and have dedicated their lives to reaching the unsaved. For more information about Bill Wiese and Soul Choice Ministries please visit us at: https://soulchoiceministries.org/.You can find more of Bill’s teachings at: https://www.youtube.com/user/BillWieseTV.
