The Devil is Blowing Smoke
Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows. Luke 12:7 (English Standard Version, ESV)
There are times in life where it seems that the odds are against you. We have all thought to ourselves, “I wonder how this is going to work out.” Whether it is a health diagnosis, financial issue, relationship problem, or any other possible troublesome situation, it can be tempting to become fearful and begin to worry.
In this verse in Luke, the word fear is the Greek word nesheph, which speaks of the twilight or dusk, when the breeze or wind picks up. It comes from the root word for breeze or blow. In other words, what we fear is like the evening breeze. It has no substance and it ushers in darkness. Plain and simple, it is the devil blowing smoke.
In times like that, we have to remind ourselves that fear is from the enemy and does not help us or the situation. As a matter of fact, fear is specifically sent by the devil to derail our faith and sabotage us. Fear is an evil spirit sent to rob us of joy, hope, faith, love, and anything positive that comes from God. While we may feel fear, we cannot give into its lie by speaking forth those fears. The spoken word is what gives life and power to something, so we do not want to give the problem we are facing any power with our words.
Yes, our emotions will feel the presence of the spirit of fear, but we know that anything that comes from the devil is a lie because he has no truth in him. So we know that fear is a false message from him.
For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44 (New Living Translation, NLT)
When the devil brings fear about any situation, the best thing we can do is speak the truth, which of course is the opposite of what he is trying to get us to say. When he speaks of death, we speak words of life. When he brings words of failure, we speak victory. When he says we will have no money, we tell him that our Father meets all our needs and we have more than enough. No matter what scary thought comes, we answer with the truth- the truth that is found in Gods’ Word. And we command the enemy to go in the name of Jesus. This is what it means to resist the devil.
So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you. James 4:7 (Amplified Bible, AMP)
Problems will arise in life, and fear will come, but if we stay vigilant and respond only with God’s truth, we will be victorious in the end.
