Devotion

Get Thee Behind
by Donna Lenoir

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. -- 1 Peter 5:7-11

I know someone who says that he does not believe there is a devil. Sometimes people think that if you say you believe that there is a devil, it means that you worship him. I think it means that you recognize him for who he is, and that is important. How can you fight your enemy if you don't even know that he is your enemy? 

The devil is very cunning and he uses all kinds of tricks to win us over. In the garden of Eden, he tricked Eve into eating the from the forbidden tree- Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die. Genesis 3:1-5

The devil was successful in tricking Eve; she did not recognize her enemy.

The devil tried to tempt Jesus in the wilderness-And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. --- Luke 4:3-8 

The devil was unsuccessful in tricking Jesus; He recognized his enemy.

The bible says, Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. --- James 4:7

If you don't know your enemy, how can you resist him?  You have to be alert, and recognize the devil and all his tricks. Sometimes my mind brings me to places that I don't want to go, but it ain't nothing but the devil. I start thinking about the past, about someone  that has hurt me and I start to wonder why, and then I  get angry, sad or depressed--that is not of God, but the devil. I have constant fear; fear of death, failure, and rejection, but I know that God has not given me the spirit of fear.but the devil is busy with me as he is with us all. We can't think that because we know God and are saved through our Lord Jesus Christ that the devil is not present in our lives. He is most busy with us (Christians) than anyone else; we are the ones that he really wants. We have to learn to recognize, resist and rebuke the devil, and like the Word says, he will flee from us!

GET THEE BEHIND

Devil you'd better get up out of here
For God has not given me the spirit of fear
But of power, love and a sound mind.
Now go on devil, get thee behind
Leave now, I'll be ready the next time you come for me
For I know that Jesus has set me free
And devil, you'd better recognize, you just have to
flee

©2000 Donna A. Lenoir

About the Author

Donna Lenoir is a wife and mother of three boys, Etienne Malik, Elijah Khalid, and Nigel Solomon. She is an administrative assistant at Dillard University in New Orleans. Donna is a member of Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church. She writes poetry and children's books. Her first book Can You Feel Me is availabe online at AuthorHouse.