One-Two Punch
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 1 John 4:4 (NIV)
Have you ever noticed that when you’re facing a trial, it seems the devil is right there waiting to pour salt in your wound? I call this the devil’s “one-two punch.”
For example, you find yourself out of work, and there’s the devil, beating you down and belittling you with lies. Or you’re suffering from illness, and he decides to throw depression and anxiety into the mix. Like they say in boxing, “If the left one doesn’t get you, the right one will.”
While we need to be careful not to see a “devil behind every bush,” let’s be real: Satan would love to see us go down in a ball of flames.
We need not be discouraged or fearful about his schemes, however. According to the Bible, although the devil is the current “ruler of this world,” he was created to serve God, and in the end he will be destroyed.
So if you’re facing a trial and you suspect that the Devil is at work, take heart. The Scriptures tell us that “greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Simply ask Jesus to help you in your battle.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)