Do you ever have thoughts like, “It will never succeed for me.” “It is hopeless; why not just give up?” “I will never be ready when Jesus comes back.” You can be very sure that all such thoughts come from Satan who is the accuser. From the very beginning his only goal was to deceive and to destroy people’s lives. He comes in very cleverly through thoughts like these, and soon darkness and doubt come in and steal your joy and peace.
Life becomes very heavy, and thoughts are dark and hopeless. Why?
Satan the accuser is a thief
“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy ...” John 10:10 (NLT). Satan the accuser might not be able to tempt you with all kinds of “big” sins. But if he can just get you to draw back a little, or to think that it isn’t possible to live an overcoming life, then he has succeeded in his goal.
But it’s written in the rest of the verse, “... My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” John 10:10 (NLT). Jesus wants it to succeed for you, and He wants it to go well in every area of your life. In Hebrews 7:25 (GNT) it’s written about Jesus, that “he lives forever to plead with God for them”. He wants it to succeed for you and He is pleading with God on your behalf.
Who are you going to listen to?
It starts with a decision
Every thought that does not end in faith, hope and love, must be thrown out of your life. But how do you do that?
It starts with a firm decision to not listen to the accuser anymore. You can decide to live for Jesus, and no longer live for yourself. (Galatians 2:20.) You can give your whole life, your thoughts and your heart over to God.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:1. When you choose to give your life to Jesus, and live for Him and not for yourself, God will not condemn you, but “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6. You have to believe this, also when Satan the accuser tries to come with his lies.
Keeping Satan the accuser away
How can you keep the accuser out of your life?
In Ephesians 6:11 it is written, “Put on the whole armor of God …”
If you think about having to fight a very strong enemy, it would be unwise to go into that battle without any weapons. You would lose for sure. The accuser is an experienced fighter and knows how to defeat people. (2 Corinthians 2:11.)
That is why you need to be fully armed and be prepared to fight. Where does this battle take place? This battle takes place in your thoughts. What thoughts do you allow in your head? “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:17.
To control your thoughts doesn’t happen by itself. They can go here and there to whatever is happening around you. It takes a conscious work and you have to use “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:17. It says in Colossians 3:2, “Set your mind on the things above.” That is something you have to consciously do. You are not going to think of the “things above” without you working on it. “We capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NCV).
Read more: How do I capture every thought?
You need to be on guard and watch which thoughts you allow to stay. Satan was thrown out of heaven, so that means if you want your thoughts to be in heaven, then there is absolutely no place for Satan in your thoughts! He has destroyed enough people’s lives throughout history; don’t let him come in and destroy you.
“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the LORD. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT).