THE DEVIL HAS NO POWER OVER CHRISTIANS

Because Jesus defeated the devil at the cross, we defeated him too. Satan can only hurt us if we allow him to or if we give him the legal right to do it by sinning and not sincerely repenting and asking God to forgive us. All unforgiven sin is an open door to the enemy through which he can attack us until we repent. To demolish the stronghold (the open door), we need the help of the Holy Spirit to recognize the sin. Once we know what we did wrong and sincerely regret it, asking God to forgive us with all our hearts, then the devil no longer has the access. Deception is the devil's main weapon. If we believe his lies, we become his victims. Satan had no power over Adam and Eve, so he could not force them to sin. He has no power over us either. It is up to us to recognize the lies he whispers into our minds or through other people, to lure us into sin. If we do not know what the Bible says on the matter, we can be easily deceived. The enemy's lies are extremely deceitful and he may even use some truth mixed into them, just to be more credible. The closer we are to the Lord, the easier we will recognize the enemy's tricks and deception so that we will not fall into the evil's one traps.

In the beginning, God gave mankind absolute authority over the earth and all that was upon it. When Adam and Eve rebelled against God and heeded the voice of Satan by eating from the forbidden fruit, as he told them to do, the authority they once had over the earth, now became the devil's. When God resurrected Jesus after He died on the cross, paying for all mankind's sins, Jesus defeated Satan and took the authority back from him. Since then, as Jesus has said, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth" (Matthew 28:18). 

• Matthew 28:19-20  "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen."

Right after Jesus said that He was given all authority in heaven and on earth, He then delegated the authority over the earth to His church. Jesus is the head of His church and we, all sincere, born-again Christians, are the true church, which is His body, here on earth.

• Psalms 115:16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s; but the earth He has given to the children of men.

Because God has given us the authority on earth, when we do not use it, the price for us is expensive. The Lord has created us with free will and He never forces anyone to do what is right. Each person has the right to choose between good and evil in all the areas of life, including relationships, but many choose evil over what is right. If all people would stop cooperating with the devil, he would be completely powerless. Needless to say that there are Christians that fear more of the devil's power to hurt them, then of God's power to protect them. This happens because they do not know that through Jesus who lives in them, they have “full authority” over all the power of the enemy. It is up to us to desire to live pure lives for the Lord, so we can stand against all of the problems and attacks of the enemy, in Jesus' name.

• Matthew 10:1 Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority  and  power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

Not only do we not have to be afraid of the evil spirits, but in Jesus' name we have the authority to cast them out from all those that are tormented by them and want to be free and also to heal any sickness or disease. This cannot be done through our own power or strength, but by the power of God that is backing up the authority that has been given to us.

• James 4:6-7 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

 

• 1 Peter 5:6-9 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,  casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

Both apostles, Peter and James, showed us the connection between humility and having victory over the devil. Pride is a powerful and successful tool in the enemy's hands. It is easier to find people proud of allegedly being humble, than true humble people. We all fight against pride at times in our lives and we need be careful to not fall back into it on a daily basis. We are urged to resist the devil, to fight against his attacks and use the authority we have in Jesus Christ. As we all know, we cannot use what we do not know we have or what we do not understand or how it works. Satan only has the power we allow him to have, when we sin or believe his lies. The devil should be the one running in terror from Christians and not the other way around. I have heard so many say that we should not even say the devil's name out loud because he might hear us and come causing us trouble. This is a huge deception. It is time to know what the Bible says on this subject and act upon it, as winners in Jesus Christ.

For more about spiritual authority, you may read the article: The  Authority of the Believer.
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Carmen Pușcaș