“The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the ruling authority of his Christ, have now come, because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, the one who accuses them day and night before our God, has been thrown down. But they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.” Revelation 12:10-11
New English Translation
In chapter 12 we read about a dragon (Satan) and his fight for power. Then, we learn of his defeat, which is through the Blood of the Lamb (Jesus). It’s so amazing to first read about how the devil is on his mission and then how he is overcome by the power of Christ!
I don’t know if you’ve had similar experiences, but in my life, there have been times that I’ve met people who almost seem to give the devil more credit than he deserves. They seem to fear him more than God, and they talk more about what they feel he’s doing than what God is actually doing right in front of them. These kind of people would focus on the first part of this chapter where the dragon is pursuing the woman and talk about how the devil is chasing them in their lives rather than dwelling on the fact that the blood of Christ wins every time!
Though I think we should have a healthy awareness that Satan is real and he does mess with people, I think there’s a real danger in focusing too much on him. When you’re always talking about what he’s doing to you (and a lot of times he gets credited with anything someone doesn’t like whether it makes sense or not), where’s the space for talking about Jesus and all He has done and is doing? Really, think about it. Who do you honor more with your words? The one that you give the most thought and verbal time to is the one you’re giving accolades to with your life (even if you didn’t mean to).
Who do you give your time to? Are you more focused on what you think the devil is doing to you or what you know God has done for you? Our lives should reflect that we know that Jesus will always win the battle. Even when it seemed like He had lost on the cross, it turned out He was preparing the ultimate victory.
So, rather than keeping your eyes on what you think is wrong with the world and how you believe you’re being oppressed, lift your eyes to the Lord. See His goodness and glorify Him with your words and thoughts. Let Him be the focal point of your life instead. My challenge to you is to listen carefully; listen to what you talk about more. Do you praise God or do you unintentionally give the enemy too much airtime in your life? When you catch yourself slipping into that, simply change your perspective and see what God has done and is doing for you. Let’s make sure we’re giving Jesus as much airtime in our lives as possible!