{"id":25224,"date":"2020-03-12T07:12:18","date_gmt":"2020-03-12T06:12:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=25224"},"modified":"2020-03-12T07:12:18","modified_gmt":"2020-03-12T06:12:18","slug":"dont-let-the-devil-spoil-your-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=25224","title":{"rendered":"Don’t let the devil spoil your day"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Tope Banso<\/strong>
\n\u201cThis is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it\u201d (Psalm 118:24 New King James Version).
\nI slept well in the night, and woke up much early to pray and study. We later had the family morning devotion, after which I left for a prayer meeting with a family. It was a Monday morning, and in company with another servant of God, we had a great time in the prayer meeting with this family. Glory to God!
\nWe were in that joyful mood as I drove back when we started hearing one strange noise from the car. We got somewhere and I parked. We checked and couldn’t locate what was wrong.
\nWithin the premises where I parked, I had some discussions with three gentlemen. One of them, who requested for copies of our Ministry\u2019s publications, went with me to the car to collect some. I was glad to have been a blessing to them.
\nThen I started driving again and the strange noise from the car persisted. Some minutes later, the car stopped. It had nothing to do with the noise. It was a different issue. We resolved it and took off again, going at a slow speed. Sometimes later, we had a major challenge with the tyre, which I had replaced just the previous week.
\nThere was no cause for alarm. After all, I had a good spare tyre. I brought it out from the boot. The servant of God with me asked for the jack and wheel spanner I told him where they were. He brought them out, but unfortunately, the jack was stiff; it refused to roll at all. Obviously, that was another challenge. How do we replace the tyre?
\nThank God for the Holy Spirit. I saw some grease that I had put in the car for a different purpose. We greased the jack and it worked. We removed the tyre and took off again.
\nHave you had a day like this when an unpleasant thing happened after you’ve experienced something heartwarming or some negative events happened in sequence after a joyful event. People sometimes experience series of frustrations on some days, worse than what I’ve just narrated.
\nThey could suddenly move from experiencing a joyful occurrence to experiencing a series of unpleasant moments. The tendency is to begin to react negatively to these events. That’s what the devil wants. He influences you to begin to have a bad mood, bad attitudes, and as you do, more bad things could begin to occur!
\nOne can get so disturbed about the strange noise from one’s car or the spoilt tyre and rim, or the money it will cost one to fix things that one loses concentration. This could lead to an accident. That could cost one much than what was bothering one.
\nBut that was not my attitude that day. I wouldn\u2019t allow anything or the devil to spoil my day. I began to sing, \u201cI know my Redeemer liveth\u2026\u201d as I drove the car to the automobile mechanic\u2019s workshop and later to where I bought and replaced the tyre.
\nIn less than two hours, everything was fixed. As I drove off after fixing the tyre, I said, \u201cDevil, you\u2019re a loser!\u201d My day ended well to the glory of God, despite the expenses incurred. It wasn’t a bad day. I got home and wrote the message to post the next day, and had a good night rest thereafter. Whatever happens, don\u2019t let the devil spoil your day.
\nPsalm 118:24 says, \u201cThis is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it\u201d (New King James Version). Everyday is made by God; the devil didn\u2019t make any day! The devil only tries to make the days evil (Ephesians 5:16). Don\u2019t let the devil spoil your day with some unexpected negative occurrences.
\nThose events could be because of your mistakes or the mistakes of others, or the wickedness of the devil and his agents. Nevertheless, don\u2019t let that spoil your mood and your day. Control your emotions: don\u2019t let your emotions control you, even in grief.
\nThe day Peter and John healed the crippled man at the Beautiful Gate, the first recorded healing by the disciples of Jesus after His ascension, the same day they were arrested. They spent the night in jail, when they should be rejoicing with the other disciples at the new thing God had begun to do through them (Acts 3:1-10, 4:1-4).
\nAfter Peter and John had faced the Jewish High Council, the Sanhedrin, the following day, they were charged not to speak at all or preach again in the name of Jesus. The Sanhedrin then let them go.
\nIn Acts 16:16-40, Paul and Silas used the name of Jesus to cast out a demon from a slave girl, who was a fortune-teller and had been following them about. How thankful to God they must have been for ending the nuisance the girl was becoming to their ministry!
\nHowever, what followed was unpleasant. They were dragged before the authorities, thoroughly beaten and put in prison, under maximum security. Eventually, the following morning, they regained their freedom with apologies tendered to them. But one significant result of their imprisonment was the salvation of the jailer and his family.
\nPsalm 34:19 says, \u201cMany are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all\u201d (New King James Version). The New Living Translation puts it this way: \u201cThe righteous face many troubles, but the LORD rescues them from each and every one.\u201d The Message says, \u201cDisciples so often get into trouble; still, God is there for them.\u201d
\nBeloved, whatever your experiences are any day, always know that God is there for you. He will turn everything to your advantage. Don\u2019t be depressed or remain downcast because of anything. The psalmist says, \u201cWhy are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance\u201d (Psalm 42:5 New King James Version). He said a similar thing in verse 11.
\nWhenever events are happening to you that could make you feel depressed, remember the LORD. Verse 6 of Psalm 42 says, \u201cO my God, my soul is cast down within me; therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, and from the heights of Hermon, from the Hill Mizar\u201d (New King James Version).
\nRemember the LORD; remember His Word, His promises, His goodness. Don\u2019t focus on things that have happened or are happening; focus on the LORD. Look unto Jesus the author and finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12:2).
\nWhatever you meditate upon, good or bad, shall eventually be magnified. Mediate upon the Word of God, the promises of God. \u201cFinally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy \u2014 meditate on these things\u201d (Philippians 4:8 New King James Version).
\nChild of God, God is in control of your life; the devil is not. God is in charge, not Satan. God made every day you live in on the earth, not the devil. God will work whatever happens together for your good. \u201cAnd we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose\u201d (Romans 8:28 New King James Version).
\nNo matter what happens, don\u2019t let Satan spoil your day. You may not be able to control what happens, but you can control your reactions. Two wrongs don’t make a right. Let your reactions make you better, not bitter. Don’t spoil your day.
\nProphet Habakkuk said, \u201cThough the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls \u2014 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD , I will joy in the God of my salvation\u201d ( Habakkuk 3:17-18 New King James Version).
\nWhining, grumbling, lamenting, and the rest won\u2019t change a bad occurrence. They won\u2019t fix a bad car, repair a faulty phone, buy a new laptop, heal a sick child, reschedule a cancelled appointment, and so on. They\u2019ll only make your situation worse. Nehemiah 8:10 says, \u201cDo not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength\u201d (New King James Version).
\nWriting from his prison in Rome, Paul said, \u201cWhatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith\u201d (Philippians 3:1 New Living Translation). Imagine a prisoner encouraging the Christians at Philippi, who were not in confinement, to rejoice! Ideally, they should have been the one encouraging him to rejoice. But Paul was a man of faith. Rejoicing will help safeguard your faith.
\nWhatever happens, don\u2019t let it spoil your day. Don\u2019t let the devil spoil your day. Again, Paul said from the prison, \u201cRejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand\u201d (Philippians 4:4-5 New King James Version).
\nThe LORD has made every day; don\u2019t hand over yours to the devil by the way you react or respond to negative happenings. Live every day to the glory of God. Be controlled by the Holy Spirit. All shall be well in Jesus’ name.
\nPRAYER POINT: Father, I won\u2019t allow Satan to spoil my day. No matter what happens, I’ll look unto You. I’ll be controlled by the Holy Spirit.
\nThis is wisdom for living, and it\u2019s worth sharing. Please share.
\n(For over 260 in-depth and insightful messages by T.O. Banso, visit: www.cedarministry.org).
\n\u25aa Banso, a pastor, is head of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria<\/strong>
\ncedarministryintl@yahoo.com, cedarministryng@gmail.com<\/strong>
\nTel No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523; WhatsApp No: +2349081295947<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Tope Banso \u201cThis is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it\u201d (Psalm 118:24 New King James Version). I slept well in the night, and woke up much early to pray and study. We later had the family morning devotion, after which I left for a prayer meeting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":23316,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5772],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-faith"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25224"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25224\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}