“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” ~1 Peter 5:8
Recognizing the workings of the enemy is the very first step to resisting him. We need to put on the whole armor of God. We need all the help we can get in resisting this powerful evil!
The devil is always trying to tempt us to get upset. He wants to get us emotionally off-balance. He’s so subtle that we are completely unaware of what's happening until it's too late. Once we've lost our temper, and reacted to a situation it's too late to resist—we’re in too deep to see what's really going on—we’ve already taken the bait and are caught! Spiritual warfare is what's really going on, the moment we reacted was the moment we bit into the bait!
Me and my husband call it the “poke-poke”—when Satan drops a little seed into our heads, and we acknowledge it by feeling angry. You suddenly have a very anger-filled thought, you are, at that moment, accepting the temptation and engaging with the enemy. By accepting this thought into our consciousness we are accepting it as truth.
We must understand that this scenario happens multiple times every day in a multitude of situations with nearly everyone we interact with. We get to choose how we hear what others say. We get to choose to not acknowledge Satan’s translations, and simply ignore that poke-poke instigator. It doesn’t matter who’s talking to you or what the situation is, Satan is always trying to stir up trouble!
So how do we combat this situation when we are completely unaware of what’s happening to us? By recognizing the devil’s routine, and then getting empowered by God! Satan has a mode of operating, a repetitive way in which he gets us going. He knows exactly how to trigger our anger. He uses this knowledge to trick and tempt us to do what he wants us to do, by getting us to think what he wants us to think.
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” ~Ephesians 6:10-11
The wiles of the devil are the schemes used by Satan to ensnare us through temptation— the tricks and manipulations designed to deceive us. Once we become aware of his method of trickery, we can teach ourselves to recognize his pokes and jabs, and immediately refuse to engage!


The reason we call it the poke-poke is because that’s exactly what it is, a few little pokes to get us ticked off. The second the…ERRRR-anger feeling starts to trigger inside of me, I stop! I force myself to not think the next thought, the thought that the devil is trying to get me to think.
It goes something like this…my husband says something to me, the devil takes it and twists the words so that it means something else.
Case in point~
My husband asks an innocent question…
“Hey babe, why didn’t you close the window on your side of the car?”
Satan in my head translating my husband’s words…
“Are you an idiot? Why is your window still open?”
I stop myself from buying into Satan’s game. I know perfectly well that my husband loves me, and would never insult me in such a way. I refuse to participate in the devil’s little game of poke-poke because it will only lead to an argument.
We must understand that this scenario happens multiple times every day in a multitude of situations with nearly everyone we engage. We get to choose how we hear what others say. We get to choose to not acknowledge Satan’s translations, and simply ignore the poke-poke instigator. It doesn’t matter who’s talking to you or what the situation is, he is always trying to stir up trouble!
If we are truly honest with ourselves, nearly every argument we’ve ever had could have been avoided if we just refused to engage. Every time we get angry we are accepting the twisted words of the great deceiver.
Jesus never engaged—He never submitted to the enemy no matter how tricky he was or how tired and hungry Jesus was. We need to follow His example because there is great power in understanding His ways.
Jesus didn’t allow anger or resentment to control Him. The only time He exhibited displeasure was when He flipped the coin changer’s tables at the temple. This wasn’t a temper tantrum but rather an act of righteous indignation for the total disrespect of His Father’s house of worship. Jesus knew that these men were being led astray by the love of money, He knew they weren’t in any way connected to God but rather tempted by Satan with greed. Jesus knew that the forces of evil were at work, and that’s why He rebelled.
Once we start to see the spiritual world through His eyes we can begin to accept His help, and then become empowered.
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” ~Ephesians 6:12
So why is this all so very important? Why does understanding that there is an invisible battle going on even matter? Because by understanding what’s really going on we can combat it faster—by not only realizing that there is an invisible entity messing with us—but also turning faster toward the power of God. The quicker we recognize what’s happening, the quicker we can call Jesus to the rescue!
Jesus tells us exactly what we need to overcome evil! He tells us that we need the whole armor of God in order to stand against the devil!
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” ~Ephesians 6:10-11 & 13
What is the armor of God?
“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” ~Ephesians 6:14-17
What are these six pieces of armor all about? First off, there is truth and righteousness. The word of God (the Bible) is truth, and righteousness is what we receive by doing what it says to do, and not doing what it says not to do. Secondly is peace. But this peace is referred to as the gospel of peace. Once again this is referring to the word of God. The word of God is the gospel of truth. Next comes faith, for without faith we can not please God. Faith is the weapon that we can use to put out the fiery lies of the wicked. Our faith in God’s power-filled words—our unshakable belief that every word is true. And lastly is the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God!
Did you notice that all of this armor is referring to God’s power-filled word? If we submerge ourselves in the word of God we are then covered with the Armor of God! There is such great power in the Bible. Only by reading, and asking the Holy Spirit to give us understanding can we become all that God created us to become. Only by holding tightly to the living word of God, and having faith that Jesus hears us can we overcome this evil world.
“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” ~John 15:5
All we have to do is abide in Him, and stay connected to our only source of safety and power! On our own, we can do nothing. On our own we can not achieve inner peace, nor can we overcome the wiles of the devil. But with Jesus, we are empowered to turn away from all temptations. We are empowered to overcome because He has overcome the world!
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” ~John 16:33
As long as we live here on this fallen planet, the troubles and battles of life are inevitable. But knowing that Jesus overcame the devil at the cross helps us to abide in Him, and in so doing we will have peace and victory over the enemy.
“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” ~Romans 8:37
We have been endowed with God’s powers over all evil forces! Wow! What an incredible thought. I am certain the devil does not want us to know this. He wants to keep this a secret from all humanity. But truth be known, we have all been empowered through Christ with the ability to overcome the enemy. It doesn't matter what form he takes—who he is possessing or using to attack us—all we have to do is turn around and call to Jesus the very moment we feel the slightest little poke, poke!
“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” ~Luke 10:19
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