Defeating The Devil

Have you ever been annoyed at the devil? As Christians we should be.


Satan, the god of this world (II Corinthians 4:4), is the prince of darkness who deceives, lies, and tricks people to doubt God and reject His Son Jesus Christ (Revelation 12:9). The devil is a spiritual thief who steals, kills and destroys (John 10:10). His hellish goal is to destroy the souls of men for eternity.


Christians should be irritated and indignant that the devil is destroying the lives of family, friends and people in our community right before our eyes!


The apostle Paul certainly was irritated by the devil. He acted decisively and boldly to get Satan off his and other’s backs. Acts 16:14-18 records Paul’s dramatic encounter with his spiritual enemy on his first missionary journey. Lydia and her household were the first Christian converts in Europe. The devil did not like that. So, a slave girl, with a spirit of divination, stalked Paul, harassing him and his evangelistic outreach.


Having enough of the devil’s evil, deceptive influence and distractive interference, the Word says in verse eighteen “And she continued doing this for many days. But Paul was GREATLY ANNOYED and turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out at that very moment.”


Hallelujah! The devil was defeated. Annoyance led to action that put Satan in his proper place. Paul knew how to defeat the devil.


You and I, as blood bought, born-again, spirit-filled Christians, possess the same spiritual authority and power Paul had.


The devil is a defeated foe. (See I John 3:8, Hebrews 2:14, Colossians 2:15, Revelation 12:10-11). Believers in Jesus Christ need to continually remind his evilness of that fact. The devil is headed for hellfire and an eternity of torment (Revelation 20:10). Believers are commissioned by God to enforce the devil’s eternal death sentence.
    
Glory to God for the victory we have in Christ over the devil! The devil is crushed—under God’s feet and ours (Romans 16:20). Greater is Jesus who is in us than the devil who is in the world. (I John 4:4).


Then why is it that so many Christians cower before the devil and act cowardly when he is prowling about looking for someone to devour? How is it that large numbers of Christians act defeated and allow the devil to beat them up and render them ineffective in their witness for the Lord in these last days? This should not be.
    
Defeating the devil, not being defeated by him, is God’s plan and promise to His people.


James 4:7 outlines the Lord’s battle plan for defeating the devil. Two commands and a promise can change our daily life forever. “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”  James 4:7


1. SUBMIT TO GOD. Submit is a military term that means to defer to a higher rank. God is our Commander in Chief and we are under His marching orders. Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords! When we defer to God through faith in Jesus, Almighty God’s power and authority flows through us. Guess what happens next? The devil, who is of lower rank than us, must submit to our authority. God’s power operating through us renders Satan powerless.
    
Word of caution: Resisting the devil without being fully submitted to God is spiritual suicide. Zealous but ignorant Christians who do not submit to God first, fall flat on their spiritual faces when they try to resist the devil in their own strength and power.


Reflection: Are you wholly submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ? Or are you a Christian in name only, playing a deadly game of hide and seek from the evil one? Are you holding anything back from His lordship in your life?
    
If you want to defeat the devil, the first step is to submit to God. Become a sold-out, wholehearted, good soldier of Jesus Christ (II Timothy 2:3-4) in the Lord’s invincible salvation army. Stop being a spectator. Exit the grandstands and enter the field of battle as a Christian combatant. Look to God before you take on Satan and his demonic host.
    
2. RESIST THE DEVIL. To resist means to withstand, to repel, to beat back. Cleary Christians are to beat back the devil, not be beaten up by him.


When Satan comes to pick a fight, fight back in Jesus’ name. Resist him with God’s Word (Matthew 4:1-11, Ephesians 6:17). Exercise spiritual authority (Matthew 10:1, Revelation 12:11). Take charge of the situation with courage and confidence in Christ. Walk in the power of the Holy Spirit and overpower the unholy spirit of Satan.


Never retreat or turn tail and run. Stand firm in faith and withstand the evil one. Put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-13) and charge the gates of hell in Jesus’ mighty name. The battle is the Lord’s and so is the victory, so Satan must head on down the road when we come after him in the name of Jesus Christ.






3. THE DEVIL WILL FLEE. Flee from who? Flee from you. Yes, it is true. The devil flees from me and you.


Flee means to run away from, to vanish. The devil is a vanquished foe and always flees in the presence of Jesus. His flight is guaranteed every time. Automatic. You can bank on it.


A little girl who had just heard a lesson on James 4:7 in her Sunday school class remarked “Tell the devil to go and he has to go!”


Submit. Resist and the devil will vanish!


APPLICATION: “And the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”   Acts 19:15


Does the devil know who you are? Is the prince of darkness afraid of you as a child of God’s light?


Refuse to be beaten up by the devil. Start beating up on him. Love God, yourself and others enough to stand firm in faith and defeat the devil and his demonic forces in Jesus’ victorious name!


Submit to God. Resist the devil. And Satan will have to take a hike. 


A Word For Your Week: Do not run from the devil. Run him out of town in Jesus’ name!