NOT Today, Satan

Not today, Satan.

Not today.

Ever have a day where you feel like - “Ugh, just not today.” Things are already crazy, and you just know you don’t want and cannot handle any crazier in the day. You’re rushing to get places and forgetting things along the way. The kids are amped on sugar, and it’s only 10 am. You’re just not in the mood for that meeting.

I’m sure we all have days in which we are trying to remain calm and be a positive influence amidst all the craziness around us. Somedays, it seems like the harder I try to live a godly life, the harder the enemy works to get under my skin, even in the slightest way.

I even had a t-shirt with “Not today Satan” written on it, but I cannot find it. (The enemy plays a strong game because I’ve looked everywhere I can think to look.)

American Christian Hip-Hop artists KB and Andy Mineo have shared a fitting song with the world. It’s not a new song, so perhaps you may have heard it. Here’s a link if you haven't - be ready for it to put a whole new spin on your day.

This is one of my favorite songs. There’s a lot of truth behind standing up against the enemy. Scripture tells us many times that the enemy is real. The enemy is crafty and cunning and will use anything to pull us away from Christ. His goal is to go after those who are trying to live more like Jesus. He doesn’t want any more good in the world, he wants chaos and uncertainty.

On my days in which I feel as if I cannot take anymore, I have to stand up against the enemy. There are days in which I say, “Not today, Satan,” many times. It sounds simple, and it may sound ridiculous to some, but this little phrase refocuses my mind on what is good. I’m not letting the enemy get in any further. I’m letting him know that with Jesus on my side, I can accomplish anything. And I can make it through any difficult day, one moment at a time.

I challenge you today to place your trust in God. There is no mountain that He cannot move in His timing. Trusting Him doesn’t mean that all of your pain will cease, but He will fill us with a peace that is unending. It doesn’t matter how many times you have to put the enemy in his place. What matters is that the enemy knows you aren’t one to mess with. You’re protected by God in Heaven, and there’s nothing he can do to stop you from making a difference right where you are.

Not today, Satan, not today.

John 10:1-10, MSG

“Let me set this before you as plainly as I can. If a person climbs over or through the fence of a sheep pen instead of going through the gate, you know he’s up to no good—a sheep rustler! The shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him, and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them, and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. They won’t follow a stranger’s voice but will scatter because they aren’t used to the sound of it.”

Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. So, he tried again. “I’ll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good—sheep rustlers, every one of them. But the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.