Exposed! Satan’s Top Tactic to Steal from You—And How to Stop Him
Excerpted from If Satan Can’t Steal Your Joy.
Have you ever had anything stolen from you by the devil?
Well, if you’ve ever had any contact with him, then he has undoubtedly stolen something from you at one time or another.
In the tenth chapter of John, Jesus said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (v. 10). We know that the thief He is referring to is Satan. Since Satan is a thief by nature, he steals. That is the nature of a thief.
Jesus says that Satan is a thief. Therefore, it shouldn’t be uncommon for him to go around trying to steal things, nor should it be surprising to us that he does. He is after something. The Bible says he is after the Word in your heart (Mark 4:15). He is after your joy, your power, your peace, your courage, your faith, and your comfort. But not only that, he is after your goods.
One way Satan discourages many of God’s people is through affliction and persecution. If that doesn’t work, he attacks their material and physical possessions. He will attack their car, their finances, or their physical bodies.
We need to realize something about healing and divine health. Many people are struggling with healing because they see healing as something to be attained, something “out there somewhere” which they are trying to get. But, in reality, healing is not “out there somewhere.” As far as God is concerned, we already have healing. It was given to us through the work of the Cross.
Divine health is something we already possess. When symptoms occur, it is nothing more than the thief trying to steal the health that is already ours.
In other words, divine health is not something we are trying to get from God; it is something the devil is trying to take away from us!
As long as people are trying to get health, they can’t see themselves with it; and until they see themselves with it, they won’t experience it.
Let me explain it this way. When the devil tries to put a symptom of sickness or disease on my body, I absolutely refuse to accept it.
If Satan Can’t Steal Your Joy
Jerry Savelle
A short time ago he tried to put symptoms of the flu on me. My nose and eyes started to run. I began to sneeze and ache all over. I haven’t had the flu since 1969, and I’m not going to have it now. I’m redeemed from the flu!
Immediately I began to confess God’s Word that I’m healed by the stripes of Jesus. I rebuked Satan and refused his lying symptoms. I wasn’t trying to get something I didn’t have; I was keeping something I already have. I am healed.
Those symptoms were an intimidation of the adversary. The thief was trying to steal one of my possessions— my health. I have health, and I stand protective over what is already mine.
Let me give you an example to illustrate my meaning. Suppose a stranger walked into your kitchen, loaded your refrigerator on a dolly, and started wheeling it out the door. What would you do? You would probably stop him.
You wouldn’t start saying, “It certainly would be nice to have a refrigerator. One of these days, in the sweet by and by, I’m going to have a refrigerator.” No, you already have a refrigerator, but somebody is trying to steal it.
No one in his right mind would open the door for a thief, stand there and watch his refrigerator being rolled away, then say, “You know, I remember when we used to have a refrigerator. One of these days, we’ll have another one.”
He is going to step in front of that thief and say, in no uncertain terms, “Where do you think you’re going with my refrigerator? Get your hands off my property and get out of here!” He wouldn’t be trying to get a refrigerator; he would be keeping the one he has.
So it is with healing. I am healed. When symptoms
come, I just brace myself and tell the devil, “Hold it right there, bud! In the name of Jesus Christ, that’s as far as you go. You’re not getting my health. I’m healed, and you’re not going to steal my health! Get out of here—now!”
I’ve learned to do this where my money is concerned,
too. Have you ever believed God for a hundred dollars to pay off a note? Then when you got it, the car broke down. You had to spend the hundred dollars to get it fixed—and you still didn’t pay off the note.
Do you know why that sort of thing happens? Because the devil is trying to steal our money. He’s a thief. As Jesus said, “He comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy.” If he is a thief, we shouldn’t be surprised that he tries to steal from us.
In this study, I don’t want to major on stealing. The message I have to share with you is not negative; it is positive. The only reason I mention Satan’s stealing is to make us aware of his devices so we can recognize them and overcome them instead of letting them keep us from victory and success.
To defeat the devil and live the abundant life, you need to know how Satan operates. The apostle Paul said, “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices” (2 Cor. 2:11). Satan has the advantage over people who don’t understand how he operates. Once we are aware of his intentions and his methods, we should not major on the devil or demons. Let’s major on the victory that is ours in Christ Jesus.
Satan Steals The Word
But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; partly, whilst ye were made a gazing stock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.
For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.
Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul (Hebrews 10:32-39).
Notice verse 32 once again: “But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated [or “enlightened,” NASB], ye endured a great fight of afflictions.” When you receive the Word, you are illuminated or enlightened. Psalm 119:130 says, “The entrance of thy words giveth light.” When the Word enters your heart, it gives light; you are illuminated and enlightened.
Did you notice that once you receive the Word, the war is on? People have told me, “Dear God, I was doing all right until I got turned on to the Word.” No, they weren’t doing all right. They just thought they were.
Did you notice that after you got some Word in you, you had to stand in faith for that Word? Remember what Jesus said in Mark 4:15? He said that once the Word is sown in a man’s heart, Satan comes immediately to take it away. Satan is a thief; he takes things away. Once the Word is sown, Satan “cometh immediately” to take it away.
The writer of Hebrews reminds them that “after ye were illuminated [by the Word], ye endured a great fight of afflictions” (Heb. 10:32). In Mark 4:17, Jesus spoke of those who “have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.” Why did the affliction or persecution arise? For the Word’s sake!
Satan is after the Word in your heart. You are no threat to him until you get God’s Word in your heart. Then you become dangerous to him. Why? Because the Word of God is the power of God. The apostle Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16). When you get God’s Word in your heart, you get God’s power in your life. It’s the power of God that stops Satan’s operation, and he’s clever enough to realize that.
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!
