“Stand firm …
without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.
This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed,
but that you will be saved—and that by God.
—Philippians 1:28
Have you ever read a book where the villain was SO hateful and awful that you wanted to string them up? And, no, I’m not talking about Charity O’Connor here, although I have received a number of e-mails in the past asking me to “slap Charity for them” or that they wanted to see her “maimed or killed.” Let’s face it, when we read a book or watch a movie where the bad guy (or girl) does something awful, you either want to throw the book across the room or spit at the TV screen, or at the very least, rail out loud. Or … at least I do. But even if you are one of those who does not keep a bottle of Windex by your TV or your walls have nary a dent or scratch from a book, you still get mad, right?
And when someone makes us mad, NOTHING feels better than making them mad right back. For instance, I still remember how my sweet, little, compliant son would respond when I spanked him (which I rarely had to do because he was just that good of a kid). I had this little paddle and if the infraction warranted it, I would give either my son or daughter one whack on the bottom and send them to their room. Well, the first time this happened with my boy, instead of crying, he looked me straight in the eye and smiled as if he hadn’t felt a thing, which, of course, I promptly rememedied. But that look in his eye, like you are not going to get to me, Mom, so typifies our human nature, doesn’t it? It’s kind of our way to spit in the eye of those who make us mad.
This morning in my Joyce Meyer devotional, Hearing From God Each Morning, Joyce referenced our Scripture above in a devotion entitled “Frustrate the Enemy.” She talks about satan (sorry, I never capitalize his name if I can help it and neither does Joyce Meyer, apparently …) and what our response should be when he comes slinking around. She says, “This verse encourages us not to be frightened or intimidated when the devil comes against us,” but to “show (him) that he cannot handle us.” Not only does this demonstrate to the Lord that “we have faith in Him,” but it also “releases (God’s) power into our situations and deliver us.”
Sweet spit, I couldn’t agree more!! Some of you will remember a prior Journal Jot where I talked about stubbing my bare toe on the steel leg of the bed when I was a brand-new Christian in my 20s, and since I have incredibly sensitive feet, it hurt like the “devil.” With a cry of pain, I grabbed my toe and fell down, curse words rising to my tongue, ready to spew. It was during a time of my life when I was radically obedient to God or tried to be, so instead of curse words, I forced other words out of my mouth, screaming, “Praise God, praise God, praise God …” over and over as loud as I could and before I was through, I was laughing on the bed with tears in my eyes.
Another Journal Jot talks about the time I was at a Fuddruckers with a friend and wanted lemonade in the worst way, but my friend insisted on buying me lunch, so I just got water instead. She wasn’t a believer, and I remember talking to her about Christ, about what He had done for me in my life and how much joy I now had. I got up to refill our drinks, and the craziest thing happened. You see, the water spigot was a little white tab on the lemonade spigot, but when I pressed my cup underneath with my finger on the white tab, something in my brain said, “Nobody will know if you take lemonade instead.” Mouth watering, I distinctly remember this fierce passion for God rising up in me so strong, that I literally rammed my finger hard against the white tab till I thought it would break. As water flooded into my glass, a rush of what I can only describe as a surge of adrenalin joy flooded my body, racing my pulse and tingling my skin. This is just a glimmer of the joy your obedience brings to me, the thought came, and I swear I was near trembling before my glass was full. WOW … that was the day I learned that obedience can be a rush!!
In both of the cases above, I clearly remember taking GREAT pleasure in “spitting in satan’s eye” via my obedience to God and therein, felt the flow of God’s joy and approval for me in both situations. Consequently, I have learned to spit in the devil’s eye whenever possible by 1.) Praising God in ALL things, 2.) Speak Scripture into the situation (i.e. Thank you, God, that You cause “all things to work together for good for those who love You and are called according to Your purpose,” 3.) Stand firm with a smile on my face, letting satan know that he is nothing but rancid snake meat crushed beneath the heel of our God.
So I challenge you today to find out just how satisfying it is to spit in the devil’s eye with your obedience to God, your praise and thanksgiving to him and standing firm in the face of adversity because after all, you are on the winning team. And you know what? You just may find yourself, like me, laughing a whole lot more than before …
Happy weekend and may it be full of lots of wonderful spit and shine!
Hugs,
Julie
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