Have you ever felt like you were “up against the wall”?  Most of us have had times in our lives where we felt like things were out of our control.  I know someone who feels like that right now, and I’ll give you two guesses who that might be.     If you said “me”, then you need to read on, because you are living your life without information that you vitally need.  Just in case you said “the devil”, then you guessed right, and I’ll explain why.  You see, there’s a wall between you and the devil, and it’s called “the blood of Jesus”.  No matter how he tries, he can’t get over that wall, under it, around it, or through it without your permission.  Yes, you read right, the devil has no power against a blood-bought, born-again man or woman of God, unless he or she gives it to him.
    That may come as news to some people, who have considered themselves the devil’s punching bag.  But sometimes we need to be reminded of who we are and what belongs to us as children of the Most High God.  I remember the account in Luke 22:31-32, “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
    Now, let’s have a closer look at those verses; it says Satan has DESIRED to have Simon Peter, which means, he only can if he’s given permission, in order to try to destroy him.  BUT..Jesus  prayed for him, in other words, Jesus stood in the gap for Simon Peter, being the wall of separation between them, that his (Simon Peter’s ) faith would not fail.  Of course, we all know Simon Peter denied even knowing Jesus three times that night.  Why?  because Simon Peter had his flesh to deal with, and his flesh didn’t want to be persecuted for being a disciple of Jesus.  You read the words of Simon Peter, how his spirit was indeed willing to die for Jesus, but alas, his flesh was weak.  Doesn’t that sound a lot like us sometimes?
   I like this next part: Jesus said “And when you are converted, strengthen your brethren.”  He didn’t say, “And IF you are converted….”  Jesus knew he would be, because he had prayed for Simon Peter, and He was the wall between Satan and Simon Peter that kept Satan from destroying him.  That’s what you need to get through your head today: Just like back then, Jesus is praying for YOU!   His blood is the wall between Satan and you.  That wall is too thick, too strong, too high, too wide, too deep, too long, for Satan to ever get through to you.  So…if Satan is ever to touch you, he has to be given permission to come into your life.  And that permission must come from you, and if you’re smart, you won’t give it to him.  The heavenly Father certainly isn’t going to give him permission to destroy you, nor is the Lord Jesus, because He gave His life to get the devil off your back.  And the angels sure aren’t going to help the devil destroy you.  That leaves only you to give the devil a break.  Oh, now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Satan can’t ever give you a hard time, because he can.  He certainly gave Jesus and the disciples, and Paul, and every other person who has ever served Christ Jesus, a hard time.  And he will work hard to show you the same attention.
   So then, how do you help the devil sift you?  By your words and actions.  You do have a part in this, you know?  For example, the Word says Jesus bore all your sin on His cross.  You can cooperate with Satan by denying that.  The Word says Jesus bore all your sicknesses and diseases (Psalm 103:2-3) and you can say, Well, if that’s true, why am I still sick?  The devil really likes that one!  And he will put symptoms of sickness on you to be in agreement with you, so you’ll believe God’s word is a lie.  After all, Satan is the father of lies, so he will be quick to agree with another liar.  Hello???
   You may be tormented with all kinds of worries and troubles, and even though the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, you just won’t let Him bear those burdens for you.  Perhaps you think you’re not worthy for Jesus to do that, or maybe you just don’t believe what He said, but whatever the reason, you’ve made a hole in the wall for the devil to pay you a visit.  And believe me, he will, and you’re not going to like it when he does.  Oh, you’ll bawl and squall and blame God for letting the devil torment you, but if you look in the mirror, you will plainly see who caused the problem.  Nope, it isn’t the mirror, it’s the one looking back at you.
   The Bible says in James1:13-14, Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man.  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.  See?  That shows us it isn’t God behind our troubles, it’s our own sin problem.  Take care of the “sin problem”, and you take care of the trials.  Put your sins behind “the wall” and your life will change for good.
   Jesus went all about spreading the GOOD NEWS of the Kingdom of God.  What is the GOOD NEWS?  Jesus came that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly!  Some people might say, Well, it isn’t all about “bless me, bless me”.  Then one day I realized, yes it IS all about “bless me, bless me”.  Jesus certainly didn’t come to “curse me, curse me” did He?  NO!!!!  He came that we might live a life of blessing, of being filled with the love of His Father, and then after our physical life here on earth is over, that we might live forever with Him.  Then what? 
   Have you ever wondered about the “hereafter”?  I have.  Then I found in the Word of God what’s going to happen “hereafter”, and it’s GOOD NEWS!!!  It is written in Ephesians 2:7, That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 
   Well, if that’s the “hereafter” then I’m here after all of that I can get.  And because of “THE WALL”, that is, the blood of Jesus, I don’t have to worry about the devil “getting me”.  Why?  because Jesus got  to him first, defeated him, disabled him, trod him under His feet, and made a show of his defeat openly for all to see.   

   What’s that mean to me?  I don’t have to have a care in the world, because Christ Jesus has surrounded me with His love, and walled the devil OUT!