Have you ever been to a football game- or maybe watched one on TV? It always seems so funny how the players will tackle someone and then several more players will pile on the top. Of course, it’s not funny to the guy on the bottom of the pile!

Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack. I Peter 5:8 (Contemporary English Version, CEV)

The devil likes to use the pile-on technique when he comes against us. It seems like the worst days aren’t those with a big challenge, but those with a dozen small ones. Here’s a scenario that might seem familiar: You start the day by oversleeping. As you rush around, you stub your toe on the leg of the bed. Then as you brush your teeth, you realize you grabbed the triple antibiotic ointment instead of toothpaste. Next, you burn the toast. After all these challenges, you manage to get dressed and start out the door, only to realize you can’t find your keys. Arriving late to work, you cannot remember your new password for the computer network. You call IT a dozen times and get an answering machine. Do I need to go on?

As the Bible says, it’s the little foxes that spoil the vine. Those small annoyances pile up and try to push you over the edge. That’s when you have to realize what is going on and stop things from going any further. When you catch the enemy at work, you can stop him in his tracks. No matter where you are, you can take authority over him in heartbeat- even if you have to do it under your breath.

Here’s how the scenario we discussed can be brought to a peaceful conclusion. Speak out loud and command the devil to cease and desist.

“Devil, by the blood and name of Jesus, I take authority over you. I command you to stop every attack and strategy you are using to come against me. Leave my presence now- in the name of Jesus Christ!”

It’s not hard to turn a bad day into a good one- but we must be on our guard to identify the devil at work and be diligent to take authority over him. And we can then use the pile-on technique against him as we give praise, honor and glory to God for His goodness and for giving us the authority. The more we praise the Lord, the more the devil wants to get away from us. He doesn’t want us to know it, but the pile-on technique works for us just as well as it does for him!