When I see the evil one in scripture, my mind sees a stalker or a rapist. I imagine a drunk on the highway or a gunman on top of a building. I tend to make the evil one obvious in my mind, like the boogey man that used to live under my bed!

In truth, the evil one comes in many forms. Satan is conniving and he has an arsenal at his fingertips to lead us away from God. The evil one can tempt us with alcohol, drugs or food to get us off track. Or he may present himself as an advertisement to lure us to a movie we’d be better off without or a book we’d be better off not reading…get my point? The evil one is not always obvious. We have to watch for his approach.

The good news is God wants to strengthen us and protect us from the evil one and his antics. Today the evil one tempted me with a gooey chocolate bar when I was stressed out. Instead of hitting my knees asking God to take my stress and guide me, I gobbled up my dilemma. Unfortunately, when the chocolate was gone, the problem was still there!

Praise God His power and strength lives in all of us that seek Him. I’ll be the first to admit that habits are hard to break. I struggle every day. It is so much easier to just drop the issue at hand and give in to temptation to occupy my brain for a while. But that doesn’t fix a thing because it is the cowardly way out. If we go to the feet of Jesus daily and lay out our problems, He will help us face them and then, if we let Him, He will take control over the evil one. The evil one shudders at the thought of God being in control over our lives.

In your prayer time this week, ask God to show you what or who the evil one is in your life. Ask God to help you resist and overcome.