Satan is constantly seeking to fill our minds with destructive thoughts—whether of fear, worry, insecurity, anxiety, temptation, envy, and more. It’s all too easy for him to manipulate his way into a seat at the table intended for only you and Jesus, and to try to make himself at home in your mind. What are practical ways to overcome the Enemy’s lies? What protective lessons can we draw from Psalm 23?
Bible Gateway interviewed Louie Giglio (@louiegiglio) about his book, Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table: It’s Time to Win the Battle of Your Mind… (Thomas Nelson, 2021).
[Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, At the Table Communing with Jesus: An Interview with Louie Giglio]
What’s the story behind the book’s title?
Louie Giglio: I tell this story in detail in the opening chapter, but the gist is the title came from a life-shifting text a friend sent me over a decade ago during one of the most challenging periods of my life. My wife, Shelley, and I were planting Passion City Church, stepping fully into the calling of being a local church pastor. As most church planters experience, not everything was going exactly to plan, and I was facing and feeling headwind and opposition. In the midst of that, I received some news that seemed to vindicate something I was fighting for and believing in. I can remember exactly where I was, standing at the top of my driveway. I typed out a long text to a close friend who knew me well, basically explaining my hardship and frustration but also my assurance of seeing the truth seeming to rise to the top. It was one of those texts where you wait to get a response back, and you expect the response to be commiserative and very edifying. I saw the bubbles pop up and knew my friend was responding. Then my phone buzzed and all I saw were 9 words: “Don’t give the Enemy a seat at your table.”
It wasn’t what I was looking for in the moment, but that text changed everything for me. There hasn’t been a week or even really a few days that have gone by since I received that text where I haven’t thought about those words.
How does Psalm 23 reinforce that concept?
Louie Giglio: I knew the message behind the words don’t give the Enemy a seat at your table was from God. I knew he was encouraging me to realize I had power, through his Spirit and by the blood of Jesus, to fight back against the Enemy and his tactics to try to weasel into my thoughts and mind. Then I saw this come to life when I was reading Psalm 23, which I had studied hundreds of times, preached from it almost as much, and yet I hadn’t really ever focused on the beginning of verse 5, which says, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”
When I saw that, I thought, That’s it! I began to realize God has prepared a table for me. I’m invited to sit and dine with the King of the Universe. It’s intimate, holy, and totally fulfilling. But back to that text from my friend. We see in 1 Peter that the Enemy is described as prowling around like a roaring lion. The Enemy wants to pull up a seat at that table. He wants to disrupt the peace and proximity I have with Christ, and he does so by whispering lies and attempting to claim my thoughts. But Psalm 23 shows that this doesn’t have to be our story. We can resist the Enemy and make sure he has no seat at our table.
You write about having an “even though…I will” faith. Please explain.
Louie Giglio: I think this is one of the most spectacular truths in all of Scripture, because we’re all going to face trouble. All of society wants to know the answer to this question: how do you make it through hard things? In Psalm 23, we see the answer in verse 4. It says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Even though the circumstances are hard…I will not fear. Even though there is suffering…I will not quit. Even though the road is dark and the path is long…I will remain steadfast and worship through the night. Why? Because Jesus is with me.
We see this same truth expressed in Habakkuk 3:17-19. Even if the fig tree does not bud and no grapes are on the vine and the olive crop fails and there’s no sheep in the pen or cattle in the stalls… For the people of this time, that would have meant total economic and personal collapse. Even then, the prophet Habakkuk said, I will rejoice in the LORD. Why? Because the Sovereign LORD is my strength.
Why does God refer to us as sheep and why is it important to remember that?
Louie Giglio: There are two reasons why this is important. First, the fact that we’re sheep reminds us just how lowly we really are. A lot of people think sheep are cute and fluffy and docile animals. Those people haven’t spent much time around sheep. Sheep are dirty, aggravating, and pretty unintelligent. A sheep will go up to a rushing stream of water and dip its head in to drink, soaking its wool until the heavy weight eventually pulls it into the rapids. A sheep can’t defend itself, and you’ve never heard a story of a sheep coming to anyone’s rescue. So when God refers to us as sheep, it’s meant to communicate our utter and total dependency on him.
If we stop there, it feels a bit demeaning. But it’s not. That leads us to the second reason, which is that God calls us sheep because he wants us to know how much he’s involved in our well-being. He leads us. He protects us. He guides us and cleans us and watches over us. He isn’t a distant God, unconcerned with every aspect of our lives. You can’t be a shepherd and not be up close and personal with your sheep. By referring to us as sheep, he’s saying, “I will do everything.” He asserts his power and nearness, and in doing so, frees us to do the one thing we’re meant to do: listen to his voice. That’s why Jesus said in John 10:27, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
Why do you refer to Psalm 23:5 as one of the most powerful verses in the Bible?
Louie Giglio: One of the most stunning aspects of verse 5 is where the table is placed. If I had written this Scripture, I would have likely put the table in a peaceful meadow, overlooking a beautiful sunset, maybe with a waterfall in the background. But that’s not where the table is. Where is it? In the presence of our enemies.
Now wait a minute; why did God do that? He could have put it anywhere. But he chose to prepare the table in the presence of our enemies to show us he’s stronger than any opposition. Our table is in the presence of our enemies because in the middle of our darkness, God breaks in. In the middle of our brokenness, God triumphs. And when he does, he wants our enemies to see his victory. He wants our transformed life to be a message, an invitation of reconciliation, and maybe, just maybe, because of our table, one of our enemies will find themselves at their table with God almighty.
What are some of the subtle ways people allow the enemy to sit at their table and how can they be avoided?
Louie Giglio: I love this question, because most people think if the Enemy is going to be sitting at their table, it’s going to be obvious. But it rarely is. The Enemy lives in subtlety, and he works in whispers. So what are some of those subtle ways? In the book, I outline five lies the Enemy uses to sabotage our thoughts. Each lie is ultimately meant to shift our eyes away from our Savior and onto our circumstances, our feelings, or ultimately ourselves. Because here’s the truth people are slow to admit: on our own, we’re not strong enough to win the battle for our mind. Only through Christ, only by fixing our eyes on him (Hebrews 12:2), can we be victorious.
So how do you avoid these subtle traps? You bring these lies into the light. You speak them out loud. If you feel unworthy, unlovable, or like things are better at a different table, speak that out loud and then speak the truth of Scripture over those thoughts.
Please summarize your book’s final chapter, “The Garden of Your Mind.”
Louie Giglio: In a few words, I talk about how the seeds and thoughts we plant in the garden of our minds will eventually grow fruit and then flower into actions in our lives. Romans 11 says that if the root is holy, so are the branches. Jeremiah 17 says the man who trusts in the LORD is like a tree planted by water that sends out its roots by the stream. Jeremiah goes on to say the man or woman with godly roots will never fail to bear fruit. That’s the crux of the chapter. In Romans 12, we’re tasked with renewing our mind, so it’s important that we understand how to cultivate that garden.
In addition to the book, you also created a corresponding video-based Bible study. How do you see the book and Bible study working together?
Louie Giglio: My hope is that the book is a helpful starting point. But the DVD study is really meant to take the concepts and truths from the book and work them out in real-time with real community. Winning the battle of our minds is hard work and rarely, if ever, done alone. I know in my story, I needed people around me, the right people, but I need others to help me win that battle. Likewise, going through the study with a small group of friends and fellow believers will help you put action behind the ideas found in Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table.
What is a favorite Bible passage of yours, and why?
Louie Giglio: This is nearly impossible to answer, but I’ll give you one that sums up a few of the big revelations I’ve had in my life: Philippians 2:5–11 —
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death– even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
I had a moment with God in my early 20s where I realized that grace changed my everyday living. God didn’t save me and then leave me to pull myself up by my own strength. He sent Jesus, who was in very nature God, to be made in human likeness. Why? Because Jesus wanted to live in me—his strength allowing me to live for him. In my mid-20s, I had another life-changing moment where God allowed me to see worship in a new light and how all of life is meant to be worship. Because God exalted Jesus to the highest place, it now means that no matter what, when, where, or how, we’re meant to bow our knees and confess that he is Lord. We’re meant to worship on Monday morning and on Thursday afternoon. And lastly, in my early 30s, I had a final massive awakening around the glory of God. I love this passage in Philippians because when many people read and even quote it, they stop on the phrase “and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” Done. But that’s not where the sentence ends. There’s a comma. Because God is cueing us in to his great purpose that’s woven throughout all Scripture. Why do we confess Jesus Christ is Lord? To the glory of God the Father. It’s all about his glory.
What are your thoughts about Bible Gateway and the Bible Gateway App and Bible Audio App?
Louie Giglio: I’m a big fan of Bible Gateway and what you’re doing by helping millions of people around the globe view, understand, and read Scripture. I recently had a conversation with a close friend and personal mentor, and I asked him, “What has changed the most in gospel communication from 50 years ago to today?” He answered in his usual wisdom and brevity, “Less Scripture-focused.” This generation and the generations to come need to continue to value, prioritize, and soak in the Word of God—and Bible Gateway is helping make that possible.
Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table is published by HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., the parent company of Bible Gateway.
Bio: Louie Giglio is pastor of Passion City Church and original visionary of the Passion movement, which exists to call a generation to leverage their lives for the fame of Jesus.
Since 1997, Passion Conferences has gathered collegiate-aged young people in events across the US and around the world. Most recently, Passion hosted over 700,000 people from over 150 countries online at Passion 2021.
Louie is the national-bestselling author of over a dozen books including his newest release, Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table, as well as Goliath Must Fall, Indescribable: 100 Devotions about God & Science, The Comeback, The Air I Breathe, I Am Not But I Know I Am, and others. As a communicator, Louie is widely known for messages like Indescribable and How Great is Our God.
An Atlanta native and graduate of Georgia State University, Louie has done post-graduate work at Baylor University and holds a master’s degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Louie and Shelley make their home in Atlanta.
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