You and the Devil Jas 4:7 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO of Resist the Devil

The devil is our adversary.  He has multitudes of ways to hurt us and we have many ways to protect ourselves from him.  We must know his tactics and our defenses.  And we must resist the devil.

The devil can devour us (1 Pet 5:8), he can accuse us (Rev 12:10), he can deceive us (Rev 12:9), he can ensnare us (2 Tim 2:26; 1 Tim 3:7), he can condemn us (1 Tim 3:6), he can fill our hearts (Acts 5:3), he can speak to us through others (Matt 16:22-23), he can take advantage of us (2 Cor 2:11), he can corrupt our minds (2 Cor 11:3), he can fire at us with fiery darts (Eph 6:16), he can destroy our flesh (1 Cor 5:5), he can tempt us (1 Cor 7:5), and he can hinder us (1 Thes 2:18).

To strengthen ourselves and protect ourselves against the devil, we must believe and acknowledge the truth (2 Tim 2:25), submit to God (Jas 4:7), resist the devil (Jas 4:7), draw near to God (Jas 4:8), be sober and vigilant (1 Pet 5:8), humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God (1 Pet 5:6), forgive one another (2 Cor 2:10-11), take the shield of faith (Eph 6:16), put on the whole armor of God (Eph 6:11), be honest with God (Acts 5:3-4), keep away from sin (1 Cor 5:1-5; Ps 119:11), maintain good relations with our spouses (1 Cor 7:1-5), maintain a good report (1 Tim 3:7), and keep from being lifted up with pride (1 Tim 3:6).

If we know that the devil is tempting us, we should only say, “the Lord rebuke thee,” (Jude 9; Zech 3:2).  For years, people have taught that we can pray in a private prayer language between us and the Lord that the devil can’t hear.  However, when it comes to backing this up with scripture, the “proof texts” are weak at best.  Paul didn’t say anything about the  devil not being able to hear or understand his prayer in 1 Cor 14:14.  The unknown tongue there is a known language Paul understood but others who could hear him wouldn’t be able to understand. That’s why he said, “my understanding is unfruitful.”  The devil has no trouble tempting people all over the world, no matter what language they speak.

Truthfully, it wouldn’t really make a bit of difference if the devil could hear our prayers or not.  His ability to hear wouldn’t diminish the promises of God to answer our prayers nor would it increase the devil’s advantage over us.  He already has such power, that hearing our prayers wouldn’t matter.  If the truth be known, he’s in the middle of the prayer meeting trying to get your mind on other things to keep you distracted or to get you in contact with an evil spirit that you will mistake for the Holy Spirit.

So, rather than look for a non-scriptural advantage over the devil, just go with the defenses that you know God has given you.  They work.