We recently stayed with my wife’s family while traveling, and while praying over a meal, her stepmom specifically asked “that Satan would have no hold here,” which has been on my mind since. In the line of Philippians 4:6, we experience the power of prayer in our home all the time, and have seen how God answers our constant pleas for help with worry, anxiety, and freedom from sin. But this one line in our family prayer got me thinking about finding complacency in God’s protection. It’s a trap I occasionally find myself falling into: that feeling of security and protection leads to me being lax in focusing on God, which the deceiver can so adeptly slip through. It’s nice to have those occasional reminders of our need for vigilance. It’s as 1 Peter 5:8 says: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
In all ways the devil can attack us, God offers protection. 2 Samuel 22:3 says “my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence.” Or Psalm 9:9, “The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” Or Psalm 27:1 – “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear; The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Though his evil may constantly hound us, God offers no sway to the deceiver. In times of turmoil, our God is our stronghold, our impenetrable fortress to hold against any siege. In all times, Satan can find a hold on our hearts if we let our guards down and try to find safety and security in our own means. It happens to me time and time again, as will everyone else admit to sometimes: it just seems to be our prideful nature that lets us believe we’re doing ok and don’t need any help. But as time and time again have shown… no, we can’t. Only in God, our stronghold, comes victory over evil. It requires embodying such reminders as James 4:7, “submit yourselves to God; resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Or as Paul says in Ephesians 4:27, “give no opportunity to the devil.” Those constant prayers for no holds for the devil, that reliance on Biblical foundations, on God’s power over evil are where our hope lies.
When a stronghold is well-maintained and well-stocked, it can outlast sieges from even the largest of armies over extended periods of time. But our enemy has been telling lies and spreading for far longer than we’ve been around. When we try to build our own defenses against the sadness and pain of this world on our own, surely Satan will find a way to tear them down. But God is our perfect stronghold, our defense, our shelter; when we surrender our lives to His calling, He upholds His promise of guidance through the pain and oppression and times of trouble this sinful, broken world besieges us with. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 says it well: “the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.” Only in God will we find a safety and a home that stretches beyond this life & overcomes death. As Paul says, we must be watchful; always reliant on God, always focused on a pure heart of service towards Him that we may give the devil no hold. Today, I implore you to extend this prayer we shared with your own families: that God would be your stronghold against the evils of this world, that He would protect your hearts and minds from the many lies of Satan, keeping hearts devoted to Christ that would make the devil flee in terror.