He’s Toying With You

He’s toying with you. Have you heard that phrase in reference to your enemy, the devil? I was watching a TV show the other day, and there were these three guys fighting; two of them had swords, and the third guy had a broom handle. The Holy Spirit said to me, “The guy with the broom handle was simply ‘toying’ with the guys with the swords. That’s how the devil manipulates you sometimes; he toys with you. But I have equipped you to be the better fighter.” Toying with someone means playing with their emotions, intentions, or expectations—usually in a manipulative way.

Here are a few biblical examples:

In Genesis 3:1-5, the serpent (later identified as Satan) manipulates Eve through clever questioning and half-truths:

He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say?’ He tries to use that same tactic when dealing with us. He whispers, Did God really say, present your body as a holy sacrifice in Romans 12:1? Or did God really say we need to give to the poor (Hebrews 13:16) or love others as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39)?

In Job 1:8-12, Satan challenges God regarding Job’s faithfulness, essentially suggesting that Job only serves God because of blessings:

“Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job? Did you know that the enemy talks to God about you? Then he talks to you about God. Except that what he states about God is a lie. Satan toys with Job through extreme suffering, attempting to manipulate him into cursing God. He tries to manipulate you into not trusting God’s Word.

In 1 Peter 5:8-9, Peter warns:

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” This portrays Satan as a predator who toys with his prey before attacking, seeking vulnerable believers to target and destroy, requiring vigilance from believers.

We need to stay focused. If we are not careful, we will find that we are being distracted by too many other things that have no bearing on our purpose or our assignment.

We need to be diligent about:

1. Finding and wearing the right covering (Ephesians 6—The full armor)
2. Guarding all the doors (Hebrews 12:1 – Put aside every weight)
3. Securing protection (Psalm 91 – Stay in the shadow of the Most High)

These biblical examples demonstrate how the devil is attempting to manipulate, deceive, and toy with us through various tactics, including deception, doubt, temptation, suffering, and fear. But we have the Word of God as a guide to help us withstand any and all attempts to ‘toy with us.’ God has equipped us to be the best fighters even when it appears (to those who have no understanding) that we have insufficient weapons. We win!