“The Devil had already put into the heart of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, the thought of betraying Jesus.” —John 13:2 (GNT)
In the first part of this series, we established the importance of guarding your heart against the thoughts of Satan because if such thoughts are allowed, they will soon become actions. Judas made the mistake of allowing such thoughts, and it cost him his life and eternal destination, which wasn’t the Lord’s original plan for him. Therefore, you must become conscious of the thoughts you are allowing in your heart.
Someone might ask, “How do I recognize thoughts that the devil is bringing to my heart?” It’s simple! Any thought that encourages betrayal, false accusations, hatred, bitterness, and the like is not from God and should be rejected. Why? Because these kinds of thoughts are not in line with the law that the Master gave us.
The Bible says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” —Mark 12:31 (NKJV). So, any thought that does not communicate love toward your neighbor should not be entertained. Once it comes, rebuke it immediately and declare that the power of Satan over your mind is broken in Jesus’ name.
When you do this, the devil will not be able to influence you the way he influenced Judas because you are in charge of your mind now, not the enemy. You might ask, “What if I have tried resisting such thoughts and they keep coming back? What should I do?” It is simple: keep speaking to your mind.
If possible, take time out to pray over your mind because the persistence of such thoughts shows that the devil is trying to capture your attention. However, if you persist in speaking to your mind using the name of the Lord, you will surely prevail over the activity of the devil. It is your mind, and the enemy does not have power over you except the power you give to him.
So, as long as you do not give attention to his advances or agree with what he is saying to you, he cannot prevail over you. Remember the Scripture says, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” —James 4:7 (NKJV). Hallelujah!
Today’s Rhema
As long as you do not give attention to or agree with the thoughts Satan is putting in your heart, he won’t prevail against you!
Confession for the Day
Only Jesus has authority over my life and my mind; therefore, I declare that Satan and his schemes are not allowed in my mind. I reject every evil thought from Satan, and I choose to meditate only on whatever is good, pure, lovely, and of good report in Jesus’ name. Amen!
