Valerie Rae Hanneman
Acts 19:15 (The Message) “when the evil spirit talked back: "I know Jesus and I've heard of Paul, but who are you?"”
When I was in elementary school - in about the third grade - this girl walked up to me and said, “Joanie doesn’t like you and she is going to beat you up.” I was - of course - horrified. Joanie (name made-up - I remember the incident, not her name) was a big girl with a reputation for a bad attitude and quick fists. Rumor has it that she had started beating up kids in kindergarten so she had been doing it for most of her life. I hadn’t ever spoken a word to this girl so I couldn’t imagine what I had done to gain her attention - but it didn’t matter - she had her sights on me. I started taking steps to avoid her as best as I could. If she was at one end of the cafeteria - I was at the other. If she was on the playground - I was out in the baseball field behind the backstop. I never went into the bathroom without knowing where she was. I peeked around corners to make sure she wasn’t about to ambush me. When I heard her voice I would freeze in fear. When I saw her looking at me, my knees would start shaking. When she came in my direction I ran away. I had nightmares about her pounding me to a bloody pulp. She was a threat to me and her threat colored and controlled my existence at school.
I want to be a threat like that. I want to be a threat to satan. I want him to be threatened by me so much that he avoids me as best he can, freezes in fear, trembles, and runs away. I want him to have nightmares about me (if he ever sleeps). I want to be a threat to him and I want my threat to color his existence.
But how in the world can an insignificant, 50-something, working, single mother of two be a threat to evil-incarnate, the prince of darkness, the great deceiver, the snake satan?
If I want satan to know where I am - even in the bathroom - because he is afraid that I am about to ambush him, if I want him to know where I am because he is afraid of me then I need to be the same on Monday as I am on Sonday. satan is threatened by a believer who lives out their faith every day.
If I want to threaten satan so much that he avoids me the best that he can - then the best place for me to be is in Father’s presence and in the center of His will for my life. satan is threatened by a believer who seeks God and seeks His will.
If I want satan to freeze in fear at the sound of my voice - then my voice needs to be raised in prayer to Father. My voice needs to sing His praise. My words need to be telling others about the joy of having a personal relationship with God. satan is threatened by a believer who prays, who praises God, and who tells others the good news of Jesus Christ.
If I want satan to tremble because of me then I need to look directly at him and see him for what he is - even when he is hiding behind something. I need to see him behind the world’s whitewashing of sin. satan is threatened by a believer who is not afraid to stand up for what is right and stands against what is wrong. satan is threatened by a believer who can hate the sin while still loving the sinner.
If I want satan to run when he sees me coming then I need to remember that Jesus said that He would build the Church and not even the gates of hell would prevail against her (Matthew 16:18), then I must be involved in a local congregation that is working as part of the Church to beat down the gates of hell. satan is threatened by a believer who is involved in ministry.
When I was asked by a friend why I was so jumpy I told her about Joanie. She immediately took me to her older brother. He asked me who Joanie had beaten up. The only name I could give him was that kid in kindergarten. The truth was - I didn’t have any first hand knowledge of any body else who had gotten beat up and neither could my friend. All we had was a reputation and big talk. The brother very wisely came to the conclusion that Joanie was all talk and no action (he was an older man - in the sixth grade). He told me to call her out for after school the next day, to sound just as mean as I possibly could. And if Joanie showed up to fight, he would be there and put a stop to it before anybody got hurt. Then he showed me a couple of moves - just in case. So the next day I walked up to Joanie, “I heard you want to beat me up.” I pointed to an area outside of the school grounds, “Meet me over there after school and we will see just who beats who up! By the time I am done with your face your mother won’t recognize you.” With my head held high, I stalked off, right into the bathroom where I promptly vomited. That afternoon I showed up - but Joanie never did. The truth is that Joanie was never really a threat to me - I simply perceived her to be a threat. When I called her bluff Joanie folded.
I want to be a threat to satan - not a perceived threat. If he comes against me and calls me out - I want to show up and beat him to a bloody pulp. I do not want satan to call my bluff so that I fold and slink off.
If I want to be a real threat and not a perceived threat - then I need to remember that under my power I can do nothing. Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. .... Apart from Me you can to nothing.” (John 15:5) A branch is only as strong as the vine that nurtures and grows it, without the vine it is just firewood. Jesus is my vine and I am His branch. I cannot do anything on my own power - except become firewood. I am dependent on His life and His strength. But His promise in His Word to me is this, “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.” (Phillipians 4:13) If I want to be a threat to satan then I have to depend on Jesus’ strength not mine. In His strength I can do all things - including being a real threat to satan. I can be a threat to satan through my actions, through my words, through my thoughts, and through my Jesus.
I hope that satan is trembling in fear right now with just the thought of us.
LORD Jesus, Everything that I was, everything that I am, everything that I ever will be is because of You. Everything that I have accomplished is because of Your strength - not mine. Fill me up with Your strength so that I am a threat to satan.
Posted by Valerie at June 24, 2005 12:24 PM