Satan is patient

Jennifer has already heard these ramblings today, so I'm giving her fair warning so she can go peruse someone else's blog!!

I picked up Battlefield of the Mind this week, just to read, and I didn't get past the first few sentences. Where I got stuck is the idea that Satan is patient. Evil, cunning, plotting, seeking, father of lies, and horrific. I had all that.

Patient??

He's much more patient than me. Waiting, watching. Never faltering in knowing that if he just waits long enough.

Patience isn't my strong suite. I get antsy. Let's go, already. I start praying over something, and then I'm ready to see some action. None comes, so I go on to something else. Leaving wide open an area of my life that needs tending. Needs guarding. Needs the protection of prayer.

I'm off-on to something, and Satan sees an opening. Because he wasn't hasty. He was willing to wait. He has nothing to lose, really. His demise is certain. He can wait. He gets pleasure in the knowing that he can cause such pain, destruction and misery. All because he can out wait me.

So I've decided that I can outlast Satan. I can pray over the areas in my life that needs the Lord's protection. I can be more diligent that Satan. I can do better than he can.

I've seen recently firsthand the result of Satan outlasting and out persevering someone who once served the Lord. It can happen to any of us. Not one of us is safe, unless we are willing to outlast the Devil.

Scary stuff.

"Be of sober spirit, be on the alert Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith..."

Oh Lord, show me how to stay firm in my faith. Show me where I am weak. Show me where I am vulnerable. Show me where there is a crack in my fence. I don't want to give the Devil any pleasure.