If Satan Can’t Steal Your Joy, He Can’t Keep Your Stuff!
Excerpted from If Satan Can’t Steal Your Joy.
Notice again what Paul said about the Hebrew people:
Even though Satan had stolen their goods, they had taken joyfully the spoiling of those goods. The important thing was not that Satan had stolen from them; it was their attitude about his thievery.
Satan is a thief by nature. He will try to steal the Word right out of your heart. He will try to steal your finances, your health, your kids, anything he can to get you discouraged, sidetracked, and defeated. But if Satan can’t get your joy, he can’t totally defeat you. He can strip you of everything you own, but if he can’t get your joy, he can’t win!
You can’t beat a joyful believer. The Bible says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10). If Satan were able to strip you of every earthly possession, every material blessing, you would still have the victory because you have the joy of the Lord inside you and that joy will strengthen you. If Satan can’t get your joy, he can’t keep what he has stolen. He will have to give it back!
I’m going to show you how this works. I’m going to give you the Word to prove it. Then I’m going to share with you a testimony from my own experience.
In 1 Thessalonians 1:6, we read: “And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost.” Notice these words: “having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost.” Note the progression here. First the Word, then affliction, then joy!
These people received the Word gladly. Then the devil came to get that Word, but his afflictions only led to joy. Satan could steal their possessions, their worldly goods, but he couldn’t steal their joy—and without their joy, he couldn’t keep their goods!
The apostle Paul tells us in his writings to Timothy to “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Tim. 6:12). Even though the devil may be trying his best to steal everything you have, you are still capable of fighting the fight of faith as long as you have joy. Many Christians get sidetracked because, at the first symptom of lack, they lose their joy.
If Satan Can’t Steal Your Joy
Jerry Savelle
To them, it’s “I’ve got the victory” in the morning. But because of some mishap that day, it’s “I lost the victory” that evening! Some people are on the mountain in the morning and in the valley by nightfall! When you find believers who are joyful whatever the circumstances may be, then you have found some winners. You can’t beat a believer who is joyful.
Remember what James said: “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations [testings, trials]” (James 1:2). I used to read that and think it had to be a misprint. God couldn’t have said, “Count it all joy when you are tempted, tested, and tried.”
I thought, Lord, surely You didn’t expect me to be full of joy when the devil blew up my car!
He said, “No, I’m not telling you to do anything so foolish as to give thanks for the trial. I am telling you not to let anything get your joy. Son, as long as you have your joy, you’re still in the game; you’re still undefeated.”
Now I want to share a couple of things just the way the Lord shared them with me. Satan loves to put you on trial and make a public spectacle of you because you have made a decision to stand on the Word of God. His plan is to create so much pressure around you that you will fold up and quit. Since he is a thief by nature, he will do his utmost to steal your material goods, so that you will become discouraged. But even if he has your money and your material possessions, you can still be the winner as long as you have the Word in your heart.
When these things happen, if you’ll resolve in your own mind, This situation doesn’t alter the Word one bit, and if you will stay on that Word, then the situation has to change, because the Word won’t! It doesn’t make any difference what happens to you, the Word never changes. As long as you have the Word in your heart, you will still have joy—and that joy will cause everything you’ve lost to be restored to you in full!
You can’t praise God and be discouraged at the same time. You can’t offer joy—the sacrifice of joy, the sacrifice of praise, the sacrifice of thanksgiving—and be discouraged simultaneously. You may be discouraged; but once you begin to offer a sacrifice of joy, it won’t be a sacrifice anymore. Then it becomes an act of your will.
Satan is after your joy—and he doesn’t care what evil tactic he has to use to get it. If you’ve never realized this before, learn now: Satan wants your joy! Why? Very simple. The Word produces joy. If he can get the Word out of your heart, he can stop that flow of joy. Once he gets your joy, he has you and everything you possess. If he can capture your joy, he has defeated you.
But Jesus said, “Your joy no man taketh from you” (John 16:22). If no man can take it, then neither can the devil—unless you allow it. Instead of giving up when Satan tries to spoil your goods and steal from you, you need to give voice to joy.
Give Voice to Joy
God has promised to do certain things for people who will not allow their joy to be stolen. Perhaps you believed God for a beautiful new car only to have it demolished a few weeks later by a drunken driver. Or you may have bought a new dress or suit for a vacation trip only to have it stolen from your hotel room.
When these things happen, what is your reaction? Do you get discouraged? Do you ask yourself why God would give you something only to turn around and take it from you? He didn’t; the devil did! Satan doesn’t care what he has to create in order to steal from you.
There have been several times that I had need of a certain amount of money, so I believed God for it. But as soon as I got that money, something went wrong. The refrigerator quit, the car broke down, or some other unexpected expense came up. Before I could use the money I had believed God for, some emergency expense would eat it up. I got so tired of needing money all the time! The devil was stealing from us, trying to harass and torment us and keep us on the run.
Many times such harassment will cause us to become discouraged and lose our joy. But, friend, I’m going to tell you again: If Satan can’t get your joy, he can’t defeat you. Not only that, you’re going to get back all that was stolen from you! Instead of getting discouraged and giving up, you should give voice to joy. Did you know that joy has a voice? Well, it does! Let’s look at Jeremiah 33:11:
The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the Lord of hosts: for the Lord is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the Lord.
The New American Standard Bible says: “For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were at first.”
Do you know what “the fortunes of the land” are? Your possessions—your goods. In other words, God is saying, “You took joyfully the spoiling of your goods. Now I will restore them to you in full!”
Satan had stolen from these people something that was theirs—their land, their goods, their property—yet they remained joyful. They would not let him steal their joy. Here God is saying if they will give voice to that joy and not let Satan steal it from them, He will return the captivity of their land and possessions.
As long as joy is still going forth out of our mouths, God promises to get back our stolen goods for us! That is good news!
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!
