Do Not Let the Enemy Rule

When we are maligned and attacked, whether in covert or overt ways by the enemy, we know that God has allowed it, while using it to grow us in His grace.  When we see that the devil uses people, we can focus our attention on the spiritual battle rather than the people Satan is using.

Ephesians 5:12 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."

James 1:2-13

"2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9 But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position;
10 and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.
11 For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.
12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."

The key to victory in our own soul is to know the standards and principles of Christ, lean on Him and never taking seriously what evil people do to us or behind our backs. God wants to make us so strong that we are unaffected by the strategies of the devil, while remaining true to God.  The number one tactic of the devil is to unnerve us, so much so that we end up acting in ungodly ways to defend ourselves.  We need to leave way for God to defend us, He is much more effective than we could ever be, He has the ability to look straight into someone's heart, knowing exactly what is needed.

Romans 12:19 "Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord."

Once the Lord has used the ungodly to test us, He will then at some point direct us when to remove ourselves or He will remove the evil doer who torments us.  Some people must go their entire lives enduring hardness on the part of an unbeliever, however, God can keep each one strong in the midst of it all.  Others are instructed to remove themselves as we see in 2 Timothy 3:1-5.  Other times God chases away those who would seek to malign our walk with Christ.

Job 8:20 ""Lo, God will not reject a man of integrity, Nor will He support the evildoers."

Romans 12:21 "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

When we maintain our walk with the Lord through prayer, obedience and attention to His Word, we can walk in the midst of this mess on earth, without it changing our soul, in integrity and kindness, no matter what anyone else is doing.  Christ lives in believers, no matter what anyone does to us in the physical realm, they can never touch the Spirit within us.

Romans 8:13 "for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live."

We must never allow another human being who is evil, to cause us to act in ungodly ways.