Psalms 48
Walk about Zion, And go all around her. Count her towers; Mark well her bulwarks; Consider her palaces; That you may tell it to the generation following. Psalms 48:12-13 NKJV
This Scripture reminds us that we should periodically assess our defense system against Satan, the enemy of our soul. This is especially important after any great change has taken place in our lives. This could be a spiritual breakthrough or a difficult trial. When you are full of joy, life is easy, and your faith is strong, you may have a false sense of security that you are invincible to the devil’s schemes. When you are beaten down and weary, the devil will be right there to try to pull you down and even further away from God. In either scenario, be careful because Satan is always looking for our weaknesses and the perfect opportunity to push his way into our lives and inflict damage. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
There are many ways that the devil can sneak past our defenses and into our lives, even though he is uninvited and often unnoticed. A very common route for Satan’s presence to enter is through unforgiveness. The apostle Paul specifically warned us to watch out for this type of attack: “If anyone has caused grief…you ought to forgive and comfort him…I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him…in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:5-11). Harboring unforgiveness in our hearts leads to bitterness and resentment, which act as poison for our souls. It also shows that we are lacking trust in God to handle the situation. This is exactly what the devil wants! It is almost never easy to forgive someone, as it is not in our nature to forgive. Our natural tendency is to seek revenge. This is precisely why God sent Jesus to us to model what forgiveness looks like. Other examples of Satan’s tactics include tempting us towards pride and anger. He also uses deception, division, diversion, and discouragement. Typically, these can creep into our lives in a very subtle fashion. If Satan has so many ways to attack us and he knows our weaknesses, how will we ever be able to protect ourselves on all sides and in every area of our lives? It seems impossible.
Thankfully, the answer is quite simple. “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). After surveying your defenses and identifying your deficiencies, make sure to ask God specifically for help in those areas. Stay connected with Him throughout the day, which will keep your focus on Him instead of your weaknesses, thereby deterring the devil. Our Heavenly Father is always faithful and always strong enough for us, especially when we are not. Also, don’t forget to use Scripture as the spiritual weapon it was designed to be: “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:16-17). A fantastic resource to help with this is a book titled “The Secret Power of Speaking God’s Word” by Joyce Meyer. This small, but awesome book is filled with Scriptures on various topics, which makes it very practical. We keep this book in the kitchen and grab it whenever someone is struggling with common problems, like: anger, anxiety, impatience, selfishness, etc. Picking a relevant Scripture and then using it as a prayer is a very powerful way of fortifying a breach in your defense against Satan. Finally, this Psalm also reminds us of another reason to evaluate and maintain our spiritual defenses: so that we can teach the next generation how to do it too!
Have discussions with your children and grandchildren about how to protect themselves from enemy attacks, so that they can also “be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power” (Ephesians 6:10).