4 P’s to guard oneself from the sneaky Devil
A recent sneaky behavior from an acquaintance has left me on a rather sad note. It was a group gathering, and I had left my toddlers under someone’s watch while I turned my back to look for something.
When I returned, I noticed this person suddenly trying to hide their phone from me.
Since I was standing right besides, I noticed it was my children’s picture that was taken behind my back. Thoughts raced through my mind as to why would this person wanted to hide taking my children’s pictures from me.
I am very particular about strangers taking pictures of my children.
I had let my guard down and someone decided to take advantage of the freedom I gave.
As I tossed in my bed all night thinking about the incident, God told me few important things which I will be sharing today:
1. Sneaky behaviors do not come from the Lord, but from the devil
2. My sneaky behaviors have hurt the Lord as well. OUCH!
3. I must teach myself, and my children to guard oneself from the sneaky Devil.
The third point is the one I will be discussing at length today. Satan wants to make sure we get worked up about everything that has offended us, and leave ourselves unguarded while we get extremely angry and upset about the offense.
Last week, we talked about how the Devil had deceived Eve who let her guard down in the garden of Eden.
Recent Post: Sly Devil- 3 ways to avoid being deceived like Eve
Four Important P’s we must note down to guard oneself from sneaky Devil
1. Persevere in Prayer:
Circle our heart with prayer every time we find the urge to harbor anger, or avenge the person who hurt us. Use scriptures to guard our hearts against wickedness, and sneaky behaviors.
We must remember that if there is any behavior we cannot do in public, we should not do it privately either.
We may think no one is watching our sneaky behaviors, but God is absolutely watching our uprising, our thoughts, actions, and attitudes.
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Proverbs 4:23,KJV
2. Protect our minds to fall against the plots of the devil:
The sneaky devil will play with our minds by asking us few questions when we are not careful.
– Did the Lord say you should trust Him to avenge for your hurts?
– Did the Lord say that you should not worry about your tomorrows?
– Do you need to read that Bible now? Why don’t you visit your Facebook newsfeed instead?
Our mind can take control about how we view our fellow sister, how we prefer to react to someone who offended us and fill us up with extreme pride, and anger.
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 2 Corinthians 10:5
3. Prepare ourselves to be masterpiece of God and not mouthpiece of the Devil:
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10,NLT .
It is so important that we prevent our mouths from gossiping about a third party or even giving a cold shoulder just because our best friend dislikes Mrs. XYZ.
A person who is a masterpiece of God allows herself to be partaker of the Gospel and not part of the gossip.
This is an excellent way to guard oneself from falling into the Devil’s traps.
4. Present our entire body to be pleasing to God:
Our body is a sanctuary where God loves to reside, and anything else that we choose to do otherwise with it is disrespectful to the Maker.
Do we starve our bodies or simply overeat because we are going through a very horrible time or we do not like the number on that scale?
Satan knows that God has called our body to be His temple, and the Spirit of God lives in us. So, what better way to destroy this temple by attempting to break our spirit down and lose our guard.
As women, we love to idealize TV heroes because our spouses don’t match up to those 6 packs or romance. We give into substance abuse, low self-esteem, immodesty, fictional romance novel addiction, and into the low-class business of slandering one another.
(Romans 12:1-2 ,KJV) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Ponder Upon
– Which of the four P’s (Persevere, Protect, Prepare, and Present) convicted you today?
– Have you let your guard down in any of these areas? How can I pray for you today ,my friend?
I hope this prayer will strengthen your hearts today, and guard you from the snares of the evil one.
Do email me or Connect with me on Facebook here : Diana’s Devotional Diaries
Until we meet again here,
Diana
Crystal
September 18, 2017 at 10:35 amThank you! Said concisely and truthfully. And in short order… Some try to write books to say one thing and you tend to get lost among the decor but thank you!
Diana
September 18, 2017 at 3:36 pmThank you Crystal for those apt words. Short is what I prefer because it helps me to be honest to audience as well 🙂
So glad you visited me
Valerie Murray
September 18, 2017 at 10:37 amGreat post! I’m sharing today. The Devil is certainly sneaky. The sneakiest think about Satan is that He likes to disguise himself as light and deceive us. I’m enjoying your series.
Diana
September 18, 2017 at 3:39 pmThank you Valerie for such a great comment. I agree how the sneakiest thing the devil does is disguise himself as light. How much prepared we must be in our lives
Blessings
Sue Donaldson
September 18, 2017 at 11:37 amThat is so true (he’s so sneaky) – that he wants me hot and bothered about what I’m offended by instead of looking how he is attacking me and those I love. thanks, diana. I’ll be doing some heart-circling today!
Diana
September 18, 2017 at 3:41 pmHey Sue, let us watch out for that sneaky devil the next time something offends us:) it is so important that we let ourselves in God’s hands when we wish to react
Natalie @ Milk & Honey Faith
September 18, 2017 at 12:48 pmDiana, once again your post has spoken to me at great lengths. Thank you for reminding me that nothing sneaky comes from God. Praying the prayer you wrote!
Diana
September 18, 2017 at 3:38 pmI love it when you comment on my posts, Natalie 🙂 Such an encouragement. Nothing sneaky comes from the Lord and that is the absolute truth.
Blessings
bethany mcilrath
September 19, 2017 at 8:45 amThanks Diana for the reminder that sneaky and scheming is not God’s way!
Diana
September 20, 2017 at 4:37 pmYou are so welcome Bethany, and thank you for stopping by here . I am encouraged
Meghan
September 19, 2017 at 10:37 amThese are important points. Thank you for breaking it down like this, Diana!
Diana
September 20, 2017 at 4:38 pmMeghan, so glad your stopped by here and commented 🙂 These points helped me and I wanted to share with everyone else as well
Faith
September 20, 2017 at 9:37 amThis was definitely needed today. God is always right on time. Thank you for letting Him use you!
Blessings,
Faith ❤️
Diana
September 20, 2017 at 4:39 pmFaith,my blogger friend- my only prayer that that I will allow the Lord to use me for His glory always. Thank you for stopping by today as well
Lindsey Zitzmann
September 20, 2017 at 11:30 amI love this! Well done. Thanks for sharing important TRUTH!
Diana
September 20, 2017 at 4:41 pmThank you Lindsey for taking your time to comment as well
Kathleen
September 20, 2017 at 11:30 amGreat advice! I love that your advice is rooted in God’s Word!
Diana
September 20, 2017 at 4:42 pmKathleen, I am so happy you visited me today. I cannot write a word without being rooted from God’s Word because then it will become my word. Blessings to you
Vangelina Chang
September 20, 2017 at 2:02 pmGreat advice and insight! Thank you for sharing! I am definitely convicted and by ALL the 4 Ps, so would appreciate your prayers as I work on being part of the gospel instead of the gossip.
Diana
September 20, 2017 at 4:43 pmVangelina,i love your name , and thank you so much for the encouragement back. I will most certainly pray that you will always remember to be a partaker of God’s Gospel in the coming days 🙂
Diana
September 20, 2017 at 4:40 pmLucretia, so glad you liked the post today. It was a message from the Lord to me in the middle of the night
Amanda
September 20, 2017 at 8:36 pmWhat a wonderful post and exhortation to stay on our guard! Thank you for sharing!
Amanda
September 21, 2017 at 12:52 amThis was written so well. It is amazing how often we fall under attack of the devil. He is sneaky and always watching and waiting for the perfect opportunity to pounce. We really do need to don the armour of Christ daily and to ensure we take the time to properly clothe ourselves in it. Thank you again.
Theresa Boedeker
September 21, 2017 at 9:21 amThat devil is so sneaky. We must be on guard for him at all times. #2 is something I must guard against and I am teaching my children to guard against.
Liz
September 22, 2017 at 7:45 amFirst… I adore alliterations so this made me smile. But it is also filled with lots of powerful truth! Oh, #2 challenges me… my thoughts can be turned so quickly from truth! Lord keep my mind on You. Amen! Blessings!
Horace Williams Jr
September 22, 2017 at 8:38 amLove all these points Diana, and the biblical truths you share. My favorite is Persevere in Prayer. Talking with God focuses our mind and thoughts on Him. Spiritual warfare begins in the mind, so who better to spend our time with than God? The devil is sneaky, but God has equipped us to defend ourselves from his sneak attacks. Thank you for reminding us to stay alert. I hope you have a fantastic weekend and may God bless you and yours.
Julie
September 22, 2017 at 10:39 pmI totally agree. Thanks for writing this!
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