I almost named this post “Know Your Devil” but for some weird reason it just made me think of the Kenny Rogers song “The Gambler” and the line: “You gotta know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em…” and dear GOODNESS I hope I didn’t just get that song stuck in your head. Yikes.

Ever had one of those moments where you tried so hard and nothing went the way it was supposed to and you just want to quit? Maybe you have been trying to be nice to a difficult co-worker and they just do.not.get.it. Or maybe you planned a ministry opportunity and no one showed up. Maybe you went to another social event to meet people and nobody talked to you. Or tried to present a dream and another person shot you down. Sometimes, this happens to me and I come home, flop on my bed and think it would just be easier to quit everything and move away and stop talking to anyone but my mom and dad.

But, NO. That would be quitting and handing Satan the win. And I ain’t about that. This is NOT the time to fold ‘em. (See what I did there? I’m cracking myself up.)

I am not the most competitive person in the world (I may actually be the least), but I do not want him to win anything. We quit too easily and do not even make him fight very hard.

No no no. You will not win in our lives or our world, Satan. You SUCK.

He has a good trick – where he turns us against each other and lets us bring each other down. No. I will now allow it. I will recognize his lies and tricks so that I can ignore them or defeat them. The same way a team watched game footage of their opponent – we have to know what we are up against. We have to know what he does so we can see it coming. So that we do not get attacked unprepared, in a way that will destroy us and/or turn us against each other.

The same way I am not competitive, I am also a people-pleaser. I desperately want to be liked. But here’s the thing – I want to be incredibly frustrating to Satan. I want to be his least favorite person. I want him to kick the ground and say, “damn that Kallie, she never falls for my tricks. She still believes in people and thinks they are capable of good. She hopes for peace and reconciliation against all odds. Why is she so nice to people?!”

Oh how I wish he’d say all that about me. I know in reality he wouldn’t need to be frustrated with me most of the time.

What would Satan say about you?

Of some people Satan would say, “Man, they just do my job for me. I don’t even need to try to distract/tempt/destroy them.” Others he’d say (or is saying), “SHOOT, I can’t even come near them, they are so close with God.” (He’s not that great with words, in my opinion.)

Are you an easy target? We give him an easy pitch these days. We swing at each other with our words and actions. We don’t trust each other. We don’t look for the good in one another. We aren’t good to one another.

Jesus told us: “[The devil] was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies…the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 8:44, 10:10

We have to recognize the lies. And in order to do that, we have to know the Truth.
So here you go, some free truth for your day – some “soul-balm” for the hurting:

Jesus says you are worth laying down his life for. (John 10:15)

You are worth healing. (John 9)

You are worth getting to know. (John 4)

Your story is worth sharing. (John 4:39)

Your dreams are mighty and bold and life-changing. Don’t quit them.

Don’t let anyone make you feel small. You are strong and full of life and you know what you are doing.

Don’t quit. Don’t ever, ever, ever quit.

Here’s the thing: sometimes it definitely feels like Satan is winning – but feelings are not always truth. The truth is that as long as we are living, looking up, and trusting God – Satan is losing and we are victorious.