Below is a very insightful passage from A.W. Tozer in His classic work “I talk Back to the Devil”…

“Why doesn’t the old devil, Satan, give up and bow out of the picture when a person becomes a believing Christian? Although he is a dark and sinister foe dedicated to the damnation of humans, I think he knows that it is no use trying to damn a forgiven and justified child of God who is in the Lord’s hands.

So, it becomes the devils business to keep the Christian’s spirit imprisoned. He knows that the believing and justified Christian has been raised up out of the grave of his sins and trespasses. From that point on, Satan works that much harder to keep us bound and gagged, actually imprisoned in our own grave-clothes.

He knows that if we continue in this kind of bondage, e will never be able to claim our rightful spiritual heritage. He knows also that while we continue bound in this kind of enslavement we are not much better off than when we were spiritually dead. This is one reason why the Christians in today’s churches are behaving like a flock of frightened sheep – so intimidated by the devil that we can’t even say “Amen”!

I admit that occasionally you find a few who are just childishly happy about everything, but that is not what I mean. Often these are just like children playing in the market places, having never been seriously engaged in the conflict on the spiritual battlefield. Show me an individual or a congregation committed to spiritual progress with the Lord, interested in what the Bible teaches about spiritual perfection and victory, and I will show you where there is strong and immediate defiance by the devil!“

In my opinion, the underlined section of Tozer’s writing, is the reason for such exhaustion and disenfranchisement in so many truly faithful saints. Even within the friendly confines of “church”  as we know it are those who are very easily taken captive by satan to do his will (II Timothy 2:24-26*).  When a person is truly committed to Christ and moves into a position, where their life or words on Christ’s behalf illuminate immaturity, ungodliness or error, Satan bears his teeth and roars to intimidate.

It is imperative we do not take the intimidation and potentially disastrous consequences personal. It is very easy to fall into a “woe is me” selfish and depressive state (might as well say sinful as well). In many cases I have taken the bait and almost fainted, as I struggled to believe I would see the glory of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13). Thank the Lord Jesus Christ, He is able to keep me from falling and present me faultless before the throne of His glory, for without Him I would have certainly fallen to despair and possibly unbelief (Jude 1:24).

My dear friend, take to heart the word of God in the midst of your trial. If what you face is for not other reason your following Jesus with all your heart, where your life is a blinding example of others sin, lack of righteousness and love, than…

1. continue to humble yourself under His mighty hand and love others as Jesus does (I Peter 5:6-9).
2. Be strong and courageous and have the mind of Christ (Joshua 1:9; Ephesians 6:1-18)
3. Tell the Devil off!!! Let him know you will not be moved. Be part of destroying his counterfeit rule over men through living righteously, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and loving the brethren; even those who seem to be your enemies at a given time (Matthew 5:6; Mark 16:15-20; John 13:35).

Do you Talk Back to the Devil?