Three Reasons to
Listen to the Enemy
By
Lynn Hare
Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
– James 4:7 (ESV)
Pay attention to the enemy of your soul. He’s got something you need.
Following a car accident in February, I was laid up with leg, back, neck, and facial injuries. By March, I was still in so much pain, I couldn’t even get comfortable in bed.
I told my husband, “This morning I didn’t want to get out of bed. The pain is winning.” My head dropped to my chest.
But I listened for Jesus’ voice. I heard Him whisper, “Those thoughts are not yours. The enemy is in your head.”
How do we wage war? By listening to the enemy. Here are three reasons:
1.) The enemy will show you where on the battlefield to fight.
When we hear, “I’m not making any progress,” we need to look for growth.
When I said, “I’m not getting better,” I frowned at the bald-faced lie. “Hey,” I said, “No wonder I’m under attack. I’m about to improve!” Determined, I rode my exercise bike and stretched my leg muscles. I was rewarded with a surge of energy. The next day, instead of two crutches, I was on one.
2. Like negatives from a camera, the enemy shows you the reverse of the truth.
Like photos developed in a dark room, black becomes white. Red turns green. Yellow is soon purple. When the enemy shows us an image, we need to declare its precise opposite.
I caught myself saying, “I feel lonely and isolated.” But then I glanced at the stack of get-well-soon cards and meals friends had dropped off. “NO!” I said aloud. “I have lots of friends!”
I determined to write two letters of encouragement each night.
3.) The enemy unwittingly drops hints that point to our future.
When I looked in the mirror, I thought, “Look at the swelling over my eye. What a loser!”
But instead, I looked ahead to what God was shaping me to become. I said aloud, “I’m a winner!” I doubled my words of encouragement to others. Several told me they were uplifted and strengthened.
And now the enemy was no longer in my head. I grinned, leaned forward and asked, “What else have you got?” He scowled and backed away. “Forget it.”
Lynn Hare Bio:
Author, speaker, and certified teacher
Lynn Hare enthusiastically provides grace-filled messages about encouragement,
prayer, and practicing the presence of the Holy Spirit. A member of Oregon
Christian Writers, she lives in Portland with her husband, Tim, of thirty-two
years. Her inspirational pieces appear in numerous Christian periodicals. Website:
www.lynnhare.com
