Many of you are thinking right now about the Julia Roberts movie; but no, I am not going to talk about that. I am going to talk to you about sleeping with THE enemy, the devil, Satan. You say, I don’t sleep with the devil. Well I beg to differ. I have slept with him, figuratively, and I am sure you have too.
Let me explain, a few days ago I talked about NO FEAR. I talked about fear being the absence of faith, using Mark 4:35-41 where Jesus said to his disciples: “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” Also I mentioned that the author of Hebrews tells us: “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him”. Fear is a tool of Satan. Fear keeps us from pleasing God. Faith pleases God. God takes delight when His people have faith in Him and His Word. Satan knows this and uses fear to keep us paralyzed. How many of you have laid awake at night worrying? I have and do, in spite of knowing that what I am just saying. In this way we are sleeping with the enemy, Satan.
We can’t keep these worrisome thoughts from coming; but we can choose to dwell on them, or not. Satan will bring them. They are like the seeds of doubt that Satan used when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness. He said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God”, do this. If he would tempt Jesus to doubt His Father’s Word, don’t you think he would do the same thing to us. How did Jesus respond? He SPOKE the Word back to Satan! Jesus used the Sword of the Spirit, part of the armor of God, referred to in Ephesians 6.
There are two words used in Greek for “word”. One is “logos”, and the other is “rhema”. “Logos” refers to the written word; while “rhema” refers to the spoken word or “the thing said”. Why is this significant? Well the word used in Ephesians in talking about the sword of the Spirit, where it says: “take …. the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”, the word used there is “rhema” not logos. We need to speak the Word to Satan. There is nothing in scripture that would lead us to believe that Satan can read our minds. He can put thoughts in our minds, but based on Job, Satan observed Job’s action, but did not read his mind. If you want Satan to hear you, you need to speak to him. Jesus did many time when He cast out demons. It says that He cast them out.
When we lay awake at night, worrying; or, for that matter, any time, we waste time worrying, we are “sleeping with the enemy”. Paul tells the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5:
“the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds ;Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
When we worry, we imagine all sorts of horrible “what if’s”. These are imaginations that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. We know that Jesus told us in Mathew 6:
“Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.”
Yet we take these “thoughts” or “imaginations” that exalt themselves over our knowledge of God, and waste our time on them.
I have been talking recently about “people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” (Daniel 11:32). In knowing your God, you need to know His enemy, Satan. Satan is everything that God is not. If something pleases God, it displeases Satan. Worry pleases Satan, faith pleases God. We need to bring these “imaginations” into captivity as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5. Cast out those thoughts.
What did Julia Roberts do in the movie, she ran away.
Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:7-11:
“we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.”
FLEE these thoughts!
Quit sleeping with the enemy! Don’t play in his sandbox! It will literally keep you paralyzed, take away your joy, your peace, your confidence and eventually kill you.
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