Tell the Devil No
In a very real way, Paul’s conclusion in his letter to the churches of Thessalonica (as recorded in 2 Thess. 3:2) was profound and telling. Paul wrote “and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith.” The context of that commentary was that Paul knew that while spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ that he would be under spiritual attacks by evil and faithless men.
His prayer, however, was that he would be able to get relief from such men and be saved from the perverse spirits that oppose even men endeavoring to do the will of God. Saints, the devil is very real. And he cannot be consulted with or even reasoned with. Jesus himself said “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” This is a warning that we ought not try to reason with Satan or those who allow him to use them, making themselves evident in our lives.
If we’re getting spiritual breakthroughs and being blessed by growth in God’s word, sinful men won’t be happy to hear that news. Unreasonable men will scoff at the mention of how good God is. Don’t waste time with Satan, that’s the lesson. Trying to reason with the devil, especially using God’s word, only enrages him more and encourages him to release evil attacks aimed at knocking you off your spiritual course.
Because we are children of God, we are God’s creation. Everything God made, inside it, he put a purpose. Meaning, our lives have purpose and we should be leading purpose driven lives. A purposeful life will always be challenged because the devil’s aim is to steal, rob and destroy us. But he must be rebuked in the name of Jesus.
In short, we must learn to tell the Devil ‘no!’
Paul described opponents of the gospel as perverse and unreasonable. Those two words are highly descriptive and impossible to misunderstand. Perverse means behavior that is anything contrary to expected norms or practices. Unreasonable simply suggest that a person has moved beyond the limits of acceptability or fairness in behavior or reasoning.
The reason we have to tell the devil no is because he is unreasonable. He’s the one encouraging you to drink and then drive drunk. He’s the one encouraging us to lie, cheat and steal and assuring us we won’t get caught or no one will get hurt. He’s the one who tempts us with temporary pleasures and lusts. He must be rebuked and he must be told no! Don’t argue, debate or reason with him, just rebuke him.
It’s what Jesus did when he said “get the behind me Satan” when tempted during his trial of 40 days and nights. Ask yourself, when tempted, what would Jesus do? The answer is, he’d tell Satan no. For the battle is already ours in Christ Jesus. God didn’t say weapons wouldn’t form, he just said they wouldn’t prosper.