Satan Is Limited… God is NOT
With a single thought, God made everything still.
I am about to share with you a story that I don’t often tell.
There is a danger in talking about the power of Satan, because it can scare people into believing he must be feared.
While it’s true that Satan is far more powerful than we are & has much more influence in this world than we like to give him credit for, he is not the Ultimate, All-Powerful, Sovereign, Supreme Ruler God.
Satan is limited.
And so are we.
But GOD is NOT.
The Happy Ending
I started this post with the spoiler alert ending to this story—“With a single thought, God made everything still,” as a reminder that no matter what you are about to read, God is SUPREME & if He says “Stop”, nothing (absolutely NOTHING) can overcome His will & power.
he Wasn’t Happy
Last week’s blog post, “Pivot, Pivot! #4-The Great Purge-Learning to Trust God in the Hurts,” set the stage for this week, where I shared my story about purging the thoughts & physical items that I clung to instead of God, blocking me from going “all in” with my trust in God over myself.
You can imagine that for one who wants to pick us off, manipulate us, throw accusations at us, & keep us as far away from God & truth & hope as possible, Satan was anything but pleased to see me make that sort of life statement of going “all in” for God.
Search Me, O God
I remember that during the event where I literally burned my CD collection which I had been clinging to white-knuckled instead of trusting God, I had written only a single phrase/verse in my journal during that time.
I was following along through the worksheet I mentioned last week, but as for my personal journal, only Psalm 139:23-24 made it onto the blank pages:
“Search me, O God, &know my heart: test me, & know my thoughts:
And see if there be any wicked way in me, & lead me in the way everlasting.”
Weeding Out the Obstacles
You see, my heart cry was to no longer rely on myself &/or external things, but to give up my life to trust in the God eternal, the Redeemer of my life, Love everlasting.
The above two verses summed up how my heart was yearning. I wanted to weed out anything that was holding me back from total trust.
Wait…! What Was That…?
As a quick backstory, I had a history of paranoia.
I had chronic nightmares, was afraid of the dark as an adult, & was even afraid to pray out loud in case Satan could know my plans & then ruin them.
In other words, I was putting Satan higher than God in that I feared him more than I trusted God.
It was another roadblock I didn’t even know could change.
Trust God First
God knew that needed to learn to trust God more than I feared Satan. He knew He needed to squash Satan’s power of fear that he was holding over me, so that I could see God as the One True God.
But I didn’t know that was coming.
I wrote that verse in my journal & my eyes burned with tears of longing to give God my everything, no longer tossed to & fro by the troubles & lures of the world, but anchored in a sure foundation of hope.
Know That God Has the Final Word–Not Satan
And when I fell asleep that night, the scariest thing in the world happened to me.
And I am grateful for every second of it, because, “With a single thought, God made everything still.”
The point of sharing this upcoming story is to reveal to you that no matter how much more powerful Satan is than us, GOD IS INFINITELY MORE POWERFUL.
And before I began writing about this topic, I prayed how to share this story with you, not wanting to perpetuate that fear that once controlled me… & God whispered over my heart, “If you don’t want to scare them into submission to the Liar, start with the ending. Show the hope first.”
“With a single thought, God made everything still.”
The Fear Before the Victory
I was sleeping soundly, as far as I can remember, when I awoke with a start, to the darkness of night enveloping my room.
I tried to roll over, but all limbs seemed pinned in place.
That’s when I saw a hovering cloud of darkness by the side of my bed.
And I heard a voice in my head. A voice that was not my own.
“You think you can get away? Hahaha. I am in control now!”
Can’t Run Away, But God’s Got Me Still
I thought I must be imagining it, so I tried to turn away, to crawl under my covers… or bolt for the door, but again, my limbs were glued in place.
The cackle continued… Mocking, harsh, cruel.
I tried to scream, but I had lost my voice. Not a single noise could be forced out. Fear escalated.
“I am in control now… I told you that already… Where is your God? He’s not here to save you. I have control over you & He can’t stop it. Where is He? Hahaha.”
Crying, Afraid… But Then, Mom
I was crying now, terrified out of my mind. I urged my body to break the hold with every ounce of will until one arm broke free & I just slammed it into the wall over & over again, my voice still missing.
“No one can help you. Not even God is coming. Can you hear Him? No. Can you see Him? No. That’s because He was never even here. He doesn’t actually care about you & I am in control now! Hahahaha.”
My Mom eventually came rushing in as I cried & panicked.
I found my voice & began to unintelligibly tell her everything all at once, panic consuming me.
Stop Giving Satan the Power
My Mom wisely told me to stop giving Satan the power, that God was bigger & I needed to remind him & myself of that!
She was on the edge of my bed & I think she prayed with me.
As I looked up at her, terror-stricken, I saw as if she had the face of a demon, glaringly mocking me with a sneer.
I screeched & couldn’t get myself to look her in the face anymore.
Mind Games of Terror
My cat came out from under the bed to find out what was going on & when he jumped on my bed, I snatched him up & clung to him.
The mocking laughter continued, an audible voice speaking directly into my head, as the dark cloud remained.
As I hugged my cat, crying loudly, I pinched my eyes closed & a vision of terror flashed in my mind, of my cat lunging at my throat with fangs bared.
I dropped my cat & cried louder, scared to look at anyone or anything, afraid it would be warped & twisted into something even more terrifying.
I felt like the demon was winning & I had no hope. I had prayed & begged & yet God hadn’t shown up & hadn’t yelled to silence the voice.
Read About God’s Power… Remind Your Heart Who Is Really in Control!
I was alone & starting to believe the voice I heard.
My Mom turned on the lights to my room, turned my stereo to Worship music & got my Bible.
Her idea was to go through the concordance in the back of the Bible, look up the word “power” & read EVERY verse listed to remind myself that GOD is in control, not this demon.
The voice kept jeering, “He can’t help you anymore. I have control over you now. You’re mine!!”
I picked up my Bible, willing to try anything to make the voice stop, & started at the first verse listed, making my way through each verse where it mentions the power of God.
I Thought It Was Over
The voice faded & the fear subsided.
My Mom eventually prayed with me once more, told me to keep reading, & left to return to bed.
My eyelids grew heavy & with the voice gone, I decided to brave turning off the music, turning off the light, & going back to sleep.
But as soon as I got back in bed, the voice returned… “You thought you could get rid of me that easily?! Hahahaha. I’m still here & there’s nothing you can do to get rid of me because God’s not coming to help you.”
I Must Trust in God’s Power More Than My Fear
I sprinted for the light, turned on the music to drown out the voice, & grabbed my Bible to pick up where I left off.
I felt God nudging my heart, “Lean into me. Learn about my power. Don’t trust the voice. Just keep reading & trust my power instead. I am with you. Keep reading to the last word.”
I still felt the evil near me, but I kept reading, keeping my eyes glued to learning more about God’s power, not wanting to be crushed by my fear.
And as I finished the last word of the last verse, it happened.
With A Single Thought…
With a single thought, God made everything still.
Everything.
It was mind-blowing how very suddenly the darkness vanished; the voice was erased, & the fear just evaporated all in the single instant that I finished reading.
God showed in a profoundly surprising way, that no matter how present Satan makes himself or how much he mocks or jeers or accuses… No matter how much power he may display over us… God has the final word.
A Single Thought of God’s Is Greater Than Satan’s Worst
God didn’t have to make a grand appearance to show His power.
God didn’t have to boom his voice over the demon’s to show His power.
God didn’t have to do anything “MORE THAN” the demon to prove Himself.
He proved Himself with a single thought. A THOUGHT of God’s was more powerful than the loudest, strongest action the demon could pull off.
A THOUGHT.
No Matter How Big Your Fear Is… God Is Bigger
I share this story with you, not to scare you into sleeping with the light on, but to demonstrate to you that NO MATTER HOW BIG YOUR FEAR IS… GOD IS BIGGER!
Just a single THOUGHT is bigger than the worst that Satan can do.
Does God let Satan bellow & threaten & cause harm? Yes. But all in a display to show us that if we trust in God Himself instead, Satan, with all his given power, is POWERLESS.
A New Day of Trusting God Above My Fears… Even in Sleep
After that day, nightmares changed for me. They, for the most part, vanished completely from my nights.
But when they did show up, they were different.
The monster or the killer or whoever would come at me… I would be screaming & running in fear… Only to have a realization that, no, I’m not doing this anymore… PIVOTING to face the threat, & yelling, “In the Name of JESUS CHRIST, LEAVE. ME. ALONE!”
And the monster would vanish & the dream would transform where any fragment of danger or fear would just vanish & laughter would replace it.
If We Let Him… If We Learn to Trust Him First
God has power over even our dreams, if we let Him.
God has power over the darkness, if we let Him.
God has POWER over our fear, IF WE LET HIM.
So, let Him.
Trust HIM.
He is God-Almighty, Creator of the Heavens & the Earth, Ruler of all, King of kings, Lord of lords, Beginning & the End, Infinite, Redeemer, He is Love. He is POWER.
Trust Him.
Coming Next Week
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If you would like to hear more of my story, check out the “About Me” page. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” page, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3
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Iris Earrings
Iridescent pink crystal beads sway on these golden teardrop hoops.
Artisan Information:
In Peru, rural citizens have been affected by extreme poverty & guerrilla warfare. Women are affected the worst as their husbands generally leave them in search of work. Many are unable to get the basic needs of food, shelter, & clothing. But with every purchase of this product, women are finding hope & an income by hand making this beautiful product. Because of you, these family businesses are now empowering the next generation!
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