If the devil wants to cast you into sorrow and destroy faith, then rise up in faith and say to him:Go away satan, and be quiet. My Christ lives.

Psalm 45:66. Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever.

AELW 12:233-234

"...we must read the Word, hear and meditate on it, go into our chamber and pray on bended knee. That is really what it means to suppress sin, which keeps springing up, fighting against us and taking us captive. Therefore a Christian must fight back this way. If we do not fight back this way, but are lazy and denounce neither ourselves nor others, we cannot find out whether we really believe or not. This is the sign that Christ is exercising judgment and is active among us, that the voice of reproof and reprimand is heard, the voice that rebukes the devil, the voice that distresses and overthrows the sects, the voice that impedes and restrains scandals. These thunderbolts proceed from Christ’s throne and are sure indications that Christ is present and judging. Faith and the other fruits of faith grow through this judgment which Christ exercises in us.

Therefore learn to open your eyes, to recognize the church, and to believe that it is holy. All wise men today are offended by this aspect of the church. Since reason hears that the church is holy and without spot, it thinks that Christians are spotless.

For that reason it is necessary to state here definitely what “holy” means. The church is not called holy because it has no sin. Paul says (Rom. 6:12), “Do not let sin reign,” namely, “that you obey it.” He confesses that there is sin and lust in Christians, and he admonishes them not to let sin reign. Therefore the church is holy, and it is called holy according to its first fruits, not according to its tithes and fullness. It is holy through faith in the name of Christ, in whom it has purity. This it does not have in itself, but because of His name it is holy. Sins lie hidden in the saints, but these are sins that have been brought into subjection, not sins that rule. From time to time they break forth, to be sure, so that even the saints are disturbed by impatience, sorrow, or despair. These are the desires of sin, but not its lordship. Although they attack me, I still lay hold of Christ. I stamp this impatience and sorrow under foot and hold in check the remnants of sin. The church, therefore, is holy in Christ, its head, and it is pure in Christ’s name. It is not holy and pure in itself, in its hidden and roaring sins, which are like chained beasts roaring and threatening. For our sin is bound in chains and imprisoned. Indeed, it would like to be released from chains and free, but we must battle against it. If the devil wants to cast you into sorrow and destroy faith, then rise up in faith and say to him: “Go away, Satan, and be quiet. My Christ lives."