Branded

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

When you asked Jesus to be Lord of your life, Satan painted a bullseye on you, no matter your age. He hates you because you no longer belong to him; you are now a child of God, and he is furious. Because he no longer has authority over you, he has targeted you. He wants to steal from you everything of importance; he wants to destroy you, but he cannot take your spirit.

What are the tactics of the enemy of your soul? According to Ephesians 6:16, the devil will shoot darts at you. Not just any darts, but fiery, poisonous ones to inflict the most pain once it penetrates. Fiery ones with flames that can brand you. Darts that leave lasting reminders that he was able to wound you badly enough to leave scars. Reminders that your shield—your faith in God, your confidence in Him, your reliance on the truth of His Word that was to protect you—was not correctly in place.

Why would branding be critical to the enemy? A brand is a mark of ownership. He knows he can no longer own you but wants you to bear a lasting symbol of his handiwork. After falling into his temptations’ traps, he causes pain, regret, and embarrassment by reminding you of his devious works done in your life. As you allow fear, doubt, shame, or guilt to settle in, he wants you to believe he has regained control of your life with an unstoppable and unbreakable foothold. But remember, Satan is a liar and defeated foe. As a child of God, he has not regained, nor can he ever gain ownership of you again. You belong to God. Period.

When you cry out to your Father for help, He is always nearby; He doesn’t want your mind held captive by the enemy and his ugly reminders of past failures. Wounds’ scars may be visible but let them be your reminders of when God showed up mightily and scattered the enemy from your life.

There is a distinguishing mark that believers in Christ should have—every thought, word, and action should be “branded” by it: Love. Jesus said it is by our love for one another that all people will know we belong to Him (John 13:35). Does your life bear love’s brand?