“Do not withhold your mercy from me, O Lord; may your love and your truth always protect me. For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me. Be pleased, O Lord, to save me; O Lord, come quickly to help me.
May all who seek to take my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!” be appalled at their own shame.
But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, “The Lord be exalted!”
Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; O my God, do not delay.”
~ Psalms 40:11-17
I have been struggling a lot this year with debilitating anxiety and worry. Some of that was the result of side effects from a medication I was taking for stomach problems, but the rest is simply a pile of unfortunate situations and circumstances — aka LIFE.
I’ve had much worse things happen in my life than what’s currently been going on, but I don’t think I’ve ever had to fight so hard to keep the Devil at bay. My anxiety and fears are at an all-time high, or at least that’s how it feels.
If anyone reading this is also suffering this way, I’m very sorry. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone, not even my worst enemy. It’s frustrating and embarrassing when I know how to recognize the Devil’s tactics, and I know how to fight back….. but again and again I seem to fail to pry his claws completely out of my back.
Knowing how distressed I was, a friend said to me yesterday, “You are a child of God, NOT a victim of the enemy!” and that really struck a cord with me. I don’t want to be a victim.
1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
When I get too wrapped up in my own circumstances, giving the Devil a foothold to wreak unspeakable havoc on my peace, I find it helpful to try and put my problems into perspective; first by reminding myself that God will never give me more than I can take (even when sometimes it feels like I can’t possible take anything more), and secondly by making myself aware of what others are going through too. Because the truth is, there are ALWAYS people whose situation and circumstances are so much worse than what we’re going through. So much worse that I don’t think I could possibly bear what they can.
This morning, saw a meme that said, “If you don’t fill your mind with the Word of God, the enemy will fill it with fear, anxiety, stress, worry and temptation.” How true is that!
So if, like me, you find yourself struggling with the Devil putting awful thoughts into your mind, then make an effort to put something else in there so that there’s no room for his BS. Here are some Bible verses for us to fill our minds with to help keep the Devil out.
*******
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” ~ Matthew 6:34
*******
“I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
“He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then He said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
“He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. ~ Revelation 21:3-7
*******
“Keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” ~ Proverbs 3:1-8
*******
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” ~ Matthew 11:28-30
*******
“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.” ~ Isaiah 12:2
*******
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ~ James 1:2-4
*******
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” ~ Joshua 1:9
*******
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”
“Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” ~ Luke 12:22-32
*******
And finally:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me–put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” ~ Philippians 4:6-9
None of us knows what another is going through in their life, so show compassion and mercy, and love. And remember that what we do know is that with Jesus, we never go through anything alone. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” The Devil knows his days are numbered, and he will ferociously hunt the children of God until his dying breath. Don’t be deceived into thinking that you hear only the voice of God, because the Devil speaks to man too, and his only purpose is to destroy. Jesus brings to life, the Devil seeks to put to death. And we choose which voice in our head we listen to.
Try to fill your mind with God’s Word, it is the Sword of Truth, it’s our weapon to fight the enemy. James 4:7: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Encourage one another in the Lord that none of us fall. We’re all going to face trials and tribulations while in this mortal body, and we’re going to fail again and again and again. But Jesus will never fail us. Jesus died that we might have salvation. Any time we let the Devil win, we’re actually doubting the Lord, failing to trust Him, and diminishing what Jesus did. And the thought of doing that makes me absolutely heart sick. I don’t want to do that.
So I pray we find comfort and hope in Jesus, and that we can all learn to wake up each and every day being grateful that we’re alive, thanking the Lord for all we have, and then firmly and unequivocally stating, “Not today, Satan. Not today.” 
Alfred U. Soord, The Lost Sheep (The Good Shepherd ), 1946