By letting God rid us of our old selves, we can very well avoid giving the devil the chance to harm us or rule over us again.
We get to watch movies and documentaries about stalkers, following and harassing people with their unwelcome attention and unwanted advances. Most of these stalkers end up with harmful behaviors, even committing crimes.
How about spying on you? There are those who like to secretly monitor the movements of others. Perhaps your notification revealed one of them to be someone you recently worked with. But why should that person care about what you’re doing today when you two parted with a sour taste in your mouth?
The idea of being stalked or spied on does not bring any good feeling at all. What pleasure do people get from shadowing someone? Perhaps waiting for someone to stumble and fall flat on their face? Maybe hoping for a setback so someone can admit that he or she is needed to make things right again? It is much like a terrible ex whom you can’t shake off because he or she can’t move on—or, worse, let the other party move on!
Do you know that you and I, as followers of Jesus, are being stalked every day? The devil is that stalker! The Bible says, “That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8b, Amplified Bible). And this isn't the first time the devil was said to be doing this.
When the Lord asked Satan where he had been, he replied, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it” (Job 1:7, ESV). But it wasn’t just out of boredom that Satan was all over the place and passing his time. It soon became clear that he was seeking someone to stumble, to hurt. So, the Lord presented him with a challenge: “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” (v. 8).
Wait! Does it mean that God may have presented us to Satan like Job was presented to the enemy? Perhaps! If we are God-fearing like Job, Satan may have been allowed to test us! So, how we come out of this testing experience is entirely how we remain standing on our feet as new creations in Christ.
Preparation Against the Enemy
First, how do we prepare for the onslaught, knowing it will come and there is no way to avoid it?
It’s alarming to think that the stalking is happening and that the devil can pounce at any time. Peter said, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert” (1 Peter 5:8a, NASB). It’s never good to be caught unaware when we know that our stalker is persistent. We have been forewarned. We have also been forearmed. This is the time to “stay strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might,” making sure that you are wearing the protective armor of God, the very thing that can withstand evil (Ephesians 6:10-17).
Blessings to Thwart the Enemy
Second, will we continue to bless the name of the Lord amidst this experience?
Job did! When everything was taken away from him, he said, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (v. 21b). Job even went as far as saying, “Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” (2:10b).
Don’t forget that Jesus talked about the godly blessing of the pure in heart, but He also warned about being mocked and reviled, being stalked by evil because of our precious relationship with Him (read Matthew 5:8,11). His blessing continues though as we withstand the hardship.
Handling Those Used by the Enemy
Third, how will we handle those being used by the devil in our persecution?
It’s obvious that Satan uses deception, including encouraging people to commit sin. Someone must do his dirty work, right? Job’s wife played right into Satan’s plan when she was trying to dissuade him from keeping his faith amidst his troubles, by saying, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die” (Job 2:9). Even his fast friends eventually told him his suffering was born of his wickedness, as Job continued to hope in God and cling to his innocence.
Jesus Himself rebuked idle words like He did to Peter. Jesus said, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s purposes, but men’s” (Matthew 16:23, NASB). Satan is scrutinizing our activities and hoping to find ways to stop our positive trajectory to attack us. Let’s not give him a foothold.
It's hard to be a target, especially when we want to fully embrace the new life we have in Jesus Christ. But we need to understand that Satan loves to use people who are darkened in their understanding, whose hearts are hardened. By letting God rid us of our old selves, we can very well avoid giving the devil the chance to harm us or rule over us again. We should not let Satan steal our newfound joy from the Lord by getting angry and getting even. Let’s not allow idle words to come out of our mouths to bite us back in the end.
We should rest on the fact that God will not allow the unrighteous to succeed. Time will soon run out for the devil. Satan knows it too. That’s why he is frantically pacing back and forth, desperately seeking willing victims to play right into his schemes. That’s why it is said he is fiercely hungry, desiring to drag away and destroy anyone caught in his snares. He selfishly doesn't want to face his doom alone.
Yes, the enemy stalks us, serving only his own appetite! Let’s not fall into Satan’s hand but be wise to his threat knowing that our “God of peace will soon crush Satan under [His] feet” (Romans 16:20). The stalker will be gone in the end. And we can enjoy our victory in Christ Jesus!
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Benjamin Davies
Luisa Collopy is an author, speaker and a women’s Bible study teacher. She also produces Mula sa Puso (From the Heart) in Tagalog (her heart language), released on FEBC Philippines stations. Luisa loves spending time with her family over meals and karaoke!
