Well, he doesn’t get a headache; contrary to the little poem that is making the rounds on the internet. He won’t faint if you read it, either.
Satan used scripture himself, on occasion. The first recorded time he used God’s words were when he repeated them back to Eve.
He liked using God’s words so much that he even added to them. He inserted a little three-letter word, “not.” “You will NOT surely die,” he told Eve as he encouraged her to eat the fruit.
He appears again in the temptation of Christ. He quoted scripture, but not in the proper context. The Prince of Darkness will use scripture while he tempts you to sin, as a so-called “justification” for wrong-doing.
No, he will not faint, collapse, nor flee when you open the Holy Bible. He will likely double down in his efforts to get you!
The abundance of lying televangelists is proof of that.
They contradict each other and ignore the plain teaching of the Bible, while they twist scriptures to lure the weak and solicit donations.
That short ditty may have been written and passed around in an effort to get people to open the Book, and of course that has to be good. But please don’t be fooled into thinking there is a magical “Devil- repellent” in the pages of the Bible!
My garden is full of “repellent” plants, meant to chase away pests of all types. Euphorbia, or “Gopher Spurge,” is meant to discourage burrowing rodents; but it won’t do the job in every corner of the garden unless I plant it every few feet.
The little yellow marigolds with their pungent scent are planted to discourage aphids and flea beetles that feed on the tomatoes. But then again, I’d like to plant enough tomatoes to do some canning, because canned marigolds just don’t sound very tasty.
Besides, recent research says that there is no evidence that they repel these bugs. Is there any research that proves that we can defeat Lucifer by simply carrying a Bible?
Cayenne pepper juice works to repel some insects, and it sure can’t hurt the taste of those veggies like your hardware store poisons would.
“O taste and see that the Lord is good!” (Psalm 34:8a, NASB). Cosmos in the corn patch discourages corn borers. Then again, I’ve grown them without corn because they are so downright pretty in floral arrangements.
“In that day the Branch of the Lord will be
beautiful and glorious” (Isaiah 4:2)
There are really good reasons to read your Bible, but counting on it to make Satan and his temptations vanish away might not be on the top of that list. My repellent plants will help, but I don’t rely on them to finish off the squash beetles.
So what’s a Christian to do to defeat the Devil if the written word of God won’t act as a magic charm? Be knowledgeable that the Devil is out to get you, and be alert regarding his tricks. It’s a little more work than waving a Bible around, but it is guaranteed to work!
“Be on your guard and stay awake. Your
enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion,
sneaking around to find someone to attack”
(1 Peter 5:8, CEV).
What about getting rid of the Evil One permanently?
Ultimately, Jesus alone can do that.
“Resist the devil, and he will flee from
you” (James 4:7, NASB).
It’s an ongoing battle. Victory won’t come by simply reading the Bible, but it’s a good start! Keep on reading, and keep fighting.