Satan Can’t Defeat You If You Do This—How to Speak God’s Word
Excerpted from If Satan Can’t Steal Your Joy.
Jesus has told us that joy is a product of the spoken Word.
In the fourth chapter of Mark, He said that once the Word is sown in a man’s heart, Satan comes immediately to take it away.
The New American Standard Bible translates Matthew’s version of this statement this way: “the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart” (Matt. 13:19). Why? Because the Word of God produces joy in the heart.
As long as you have the Word in your heart, you will have joy in your heart. Then no matter what the devil does, he can’t totally defeat you.
The devil knows that the most advantageous time to try to steal the Word from you is right after you’ve received it. He knows better than to wait until you’ve spent time in meditation and fellowship with God so that the Word has become deeply rooted in your heart and has become a revelation to you.
The Word is Vital
Philippians 4:19 is as real to me as my own right arm— and as useful. It became a part of me many years ago when it looked as if there was no way I would get my needs met. But I began confessing that verse: “My God supplies all my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
At times, I would wake up at night in a cold sweat with the devil saying, “You’re going to fail. You’re going to lose everything you own. There’s no way you can overcome.” I would jump out of bed and start walking the floor, saying over and over again: “My God supplies all my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Sometimes the pressure would be so strong I wanted to shout, so I would go out into the yard and scream: “My God supplies all my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus!”
Then one day I no longer had to say that Scripture to convince myself it was so. It suddenly dropped down into my heart and stuck there! Once I had taken hold of that truth, you couldn’t have pried it out of me with a crowbar!
Whenever a need arose, I would say with confidence and faith: “My God supplies my every need. My God supplies my every need.” And He did!
If Satan Can’t Steal Your Joy
Jerry Savelle
Be of Good Cheer
Obviously it is to Satan’s advantage to attack when you first hear the Word and try to snatch it away through some kind of adversity. That’s his plan. If he can create enough pressure and adversity, you will be tempted to fall prey to that adversity and become discouraged.
Many times in the Old Testament God told His people, “Be of good courage. Be not dismayed. Fear not.” The phrase, “Be of good courage,” isn’t used often in the New Testament. Jesus said it this way: “Be of good cheer.”
In John 16:33, Jesus said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation.” Some people stop reading here and think we are supposed to have tribulation all the time. But Jesus hadn’t finished talking. He said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Don’t read, “In the world ye shall have tribulation,” and then close the book. If you do, you’ll identify with the wrong part of the verse—the tribulation and adversity.
Psalm 34:19 says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous.” People stop reading there and say, “Yes, many are the afflictions of the righteous; and, dear God, I’m afflicted!” But the psalmist didn’t stop there. He said, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all” (Ps. 34:19). This is what the psalmist actually said. It paints a different picture, doesn’t it?
When reading portions of Scripture, you should read the entire context to avoid identifying with the wrong thing. Jesus said, “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” That’s the part we should identify with. Be of good cheer!
Why do we have cheerleaders in our schools? To provoke the people, to generate enthusiasm, to inject life and energy into the players.
Suppose cheerleaders led a cheer like this: “Give me a D! Give me an E! Give me an F! Give me an E! Give me an A! Give me a T! What’s that spell? DEFEAT!”
That’s not a good cheer. Our cheerleaders don’t do that. They yell out: Give me a V! Give me an I! Give me a C! Give me a T! Give me an O! Give me an R! Give me a Y! What’s that spell? VICTORY!” That kind of cheer will get the fans and players excited.
Well, I’ve found out that I can cheer myself on. Sometimes when the devil tries to inject me with discouragement and rob me of my joy, I’ll lead myself in a cheer: “Jerry, get ready! Give me a J! Give me an E! Give me an S! Give me a U! Give me an S! What’s that spell? JESUS! What does that mean? Victory!” If someone were to hear me, they might think I was nuts, but I’m not nuts—I’m of good cheer!
Satan is out to get your joy. If he can get it, he will totally defeat you. He’ll create situations so he can spoil your goods and snatch them away. But, as we have seen, as long as he can’t get your joy, he can’t keep your goods, and he can’t defeat you. So be of good cheer!
Praising God for Deliverance
Let’s look at Hebrews 10:32-34 again, this time in the New American Standard Bible:
But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated. For you showed sympathy [or compassion] to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property.
The King James Version says, “For ye…took joyfully the spoiling of your goods” (v. 34). Notice again that Satan had come in and spoiled these people’s goods. But this says their attitude was not one of sorrow or depression, but rather of joy.
Now that doesn’t mean they said, “Praise the Lord, the devil just stole our car. Praise the Lord, I’ve got cancer.” No!
A few years ago a certain teaching became popular. Some folks were preaching that Christians ought to praise God for every bad thing that happens because “this is the will of God concerning you.” That’s not what God said. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, He does say:
Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
This doesn’t say to praise God for evil things. God isn’t the evil doer. Why should we thank God for something which doesn’t come from Him?
People would say things like, “Praise God that you have cancer because that’s His will. Praise God because your husband is an alcoholic and your children are on drugs because praise stops the avenger.”
Praise does stop the avenger, but God didn’t tell us to praise Him for problems. He said to give thanks “in everything,” not “for everything.” We should praise God in the midst of our problems. But we’re not praising Him for the problem; we’re praising Him for deliverance from the problem! He isn’t the god of the problem; He’s the God of deliverance.
Whenever you praise God for a problem, the “god” of the problem—Satan—is getting your praise. If you say, “I just praise God for my cancer,” the god of cancer gets the praise. That means Satan is finally in the position he has been trying to attain since iniquity was found in him. He has always sought to exalt himself above the most High God. He wants praise. He wants the praise of God’s people. The only way he can get it is to deceive them into thinking God is the one who is giving them heart trouble, cancer, and all the other diabolical things that have been authored by the devil.
No, God isn’t saying, “Praise Me for adversity.” He is saying, “Praise Me in all things, in every kind of situation. Don’t let the devil get your joy. If you will praise Me in all things, I’ll deliver you from them and see that you are set free because praise stops the avenger.”
Harness This Strategy for Breakthrough & Send the Devil Packing!
Are you facing overwhelming problems and feeling defeated? Do life’s challenges and adversities have you discouraged and joyless? No matter how bad your situation may seem, the devil cannot defeat a joyful believer.
Dr. Jerry Savelle, a beloved minister, televangelist, and author of over 70 books, left a legacy of faith and victory before his transition to heaven in 2024. He preached in over 3,000 churches across 26 nations, spreading the powerful message of living a victorious Christian life.
In this transformative book, Dr. Savelle reveals a profound truth the devil doesn’t want you to know: if he can't steal your joy, he can't keep whatever he's trying to take from you—whether it's your health, peace, finances, and more.
Through powerful scriptural insights, this book will guide you to reclaim your joy and shout your way to victory! Learn how to:
Harness the power of God's Word to produce joy.
Understand why Satan is desperate to steal your joy.
Make Satan return what he has stolen from you—sevenfold!
Laugh more and cry less as you walk in God's promises.
Don’t allow the devil to steal what Jesus has already purchased for you through His death, burial, and resurrection. Let your joy turn the tables on the enemy and put him on the run!
