Just Ignore Him

Happy Friday. Weekend’s here.

Yet as I write, there’s a big part of me that’s not happy at all but extremely sad as I reflect on the deadly terrorist attacks in London yesterday and the families that are left devastated today in the wake of such cold blooded murder. My heart goes out to the families, as I know yours does, too, who lost someone yesterday they love, or to those who were injured. I was moved by the fact that so many of our world leaders stood together and called yesterday’s terrorist attack for what it is—evil.

And who’s ultimately behind this evil? Satan himself. Oh, those who were responsible, who continue to be responsible, will be held accountable. If not in this life than in the one to come. Make no mistake. We must—I must—be vigilant in praying for our country and for all those through the world who stand for freedom and for righteousness, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. This was already top of mind for me celebrating the 4th of July last week and now the vacancy on the Supreme Court with Sandra Day O’Conner’s resignation.

Grave times. But exciting times, too. I see evidence of God working all over the world.

I have an older brother, by a year and a half. Jeff has grown into a very nice man and I love him dearly. But when we were kids, he was a little snot. He loved to tease me incessantly. I suppose like most brothers do.

I could be enjoying a perfectly nice day playing by myself, and Jeff would come up to me and take my doll away, or muss my hair, or hit me; not hard enough to hurt me but just enough to infuriate me. I’d chase after him. He’d giggle, I’d whine, and soon I was rolling on the floor with him, trying to beat him up. He was strong, I was not, and so I always lost. I would cry, he would laugh, and soon my mother would send us both to our rooms.

“If you just ignore him, Gayle, he’d leave you alone,” my mom and dad would tell me. And I really did understand this in principle. But for the life of me, I just couldn’t seem to do this. Every single time, I walked into Jeff’s trap and he would get the reaction he wanted.

Satan knows how to get to me too. He hounds me, harasses me, teases me, and shames me. He tries to set me off balance by stirring up fears and insecurities. Unlike my brother, whose job description as an older brother is to be a pest and not really hurt me, Satan is out to destroy me. Since I’ve placed my trust in Jesus Christ, he can’t do that and he knows he can’t. But he certainly can make my life miserable if I’ll let him. He’ll strive to destroy my testimony and rip to shred any sense of peace, joy, and well being. As a result, now I can’t think about others. I can’t think about what God has called me to do. I’m too upset for that. Now I can think only about me.

Is the answer to ignore Satan and hope that he’ll get bored with me and move on to something else? Absolutely not! None of us can afford to ignore Satan. But we can’t fight him either. Not in our own strength. He’s too strong for us. But through Christ, we can and must be vigilant to stand against him through the power of prayer and the Word of God. (Ephesians 6:10-17).

Today I have new resolve. The devil is not going to beat me. I will not ignore him but I will not focus on him, either. I will keep my eyes firmly focused on Jesus Christ. For God is my refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. In Him is always the assurance of victory and I plan on being victorious today. How about you?

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 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. (1 Peter 5:6-9 NIV)