Louie Giglio on, “Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table”
Five Lies
Pastor Louie uses the well-known 23rd Psalm as the basis for his message on guarding our minds from lies, the fifth verse in particular: God prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies. He warns believers that our chief enemy, the Devil, loves to “pull up a seat at our tables” as often as possible, but is not obvious about it. Giglio examines five main lies that the Enemy tells believers: The lie of deception, the lie that you’re doomed, the lie of worthlessness, the lie of “me against the world,” and the lie that there’s no way out. Regarding the notion of worthlessness, Pastor Louie says, “...if you’re hearing ‘I’m not good enough’ the enemy is at your table.” Though Scripture calls us to be humble, he says this never means worthless. “As it’s been well said, humility is not thinking less of yourself; it’s thinking of yourself less. Here’s the thing: you need to know that the ‘not enough’ anthem was composed in the pit of Hell. It’s crippling. Debilitating. Paralyzing. Suffocating. It didn’t come from the Good Shepherd. If you’re hearing it and repeating it, there must be an Enemy at your table. Instead, look across the table and lock eyes with the One who’s sitting across from you. Do you feel scorn and feel shame, or do you notice the scars on the hands that hold your water glass and the pitcher that’s being lifted to fill it with a refreshing drink? Jesus has put it all on the line to be sitting at the table with you! Don’t give the Enemy a seat at your table."
Believing there’s no way out is the fifth lie Pastor Louie addresses. “The consequences of your bad decisions are closing in...Your reputation is toast. You’re gonna lose your job. You can’t go back to your community. You’re can’t trust anyone. You’ve played your last card. The pressure is too great. Give up. Cash out. Get out of town, or worse, get out of this life.” He uses the well-known story of Elisha and his servant from 2 Kings to give the antidote to such thinking. “The Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” ( ). “The same is true for you and me,” Giglio exhorts. “It may be true that circumstances are closing in. But here’s the thing: that’s only half the story. The half you’re getting from the adversary sitting at your table.” He reminds us that the Spirit of God is always interceding for us. “God has everything that’s surrounding you surrounded. Don’t give the Enemy a seat at your table.”
Know His Tactics
Identifying the tools our Enemy uses to get in our minds is key to defending ourselves, Giglio says. “The Devil doesn’t arrive with a brightly-flashing neon pitchfork. He doesn’t sit down with a growl and threaten to gouge out our eyes,” he says, referring to Satan’s subtlety. One tool Giglio points to is described in which says Satan will “masquerade as an angel of light.” He says, “The Devil takes the form of someone who’s helpful, someone who appears to have your best interest at heart, someone who offers you respite from whatever pain you’re feeling.” A second tool of the Enemy is misquoting Scripture, just as he did with Jesus, Pastor Louie warns. “Basically, the Devil said to Jesus, ‘Here, check out this one verse taken out of context – it’s the big answer to what you’re going through. Here this one verse will be just the ticket you need.” The third tool Giglio shines a light is found in : “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life.” “Maybe it’s a movie, or a series of subtlely influential memes that flash by on social media, or a conversation between two people that happens within your hearing,” he says. When we’re lonely, hungry, tired, angry, pressured, or weighted down we’re more susceptible to the Enemy’s false whispers, Giglio says.
The Garden Of The Mind
Pastor Louie says if we’re to keep the Devil away from the table of our lives, we have to nurture our minds like a garden, with truth. He highlights : “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.” Meditating and believing the truths of Scripture are what feed and water the garden of the mind, he says. Giglio cites some of them:
- I am in God’s story ( )
- I am fearfully and wonderfully made ( )
- My life has purpose ( )
- The Cross has the final word ( )
- I serve at the pleasure of the King ( )
- Jesus is Lord and Jesus is my Lord ( )
- My God turns evil into good ( )
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