Do you realize that the devil has absolutely no authority over you?
In Colossians 1:12-13, the apostle Paul tells us,
Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.
You and I have been delivered from the power of darkness. We are out from under the authority of the devil.
That was a happy day for me when I realized this truth. After I was saved, I was afraid of the devil because I had been so deeply involved in the occult. I literally had a fear that hung upon me and followed me everywhere I went. So I just prayed over and over, “God, please make me so I’m not afraid of the devil.”
I started to constantly read the New Testament. As I did, I realized what Christ had done for me, and I was set free. As I thought about this truth, I was reminded of being in elementary school. We had this kid who terrorized a lot of other kids. I was so afraid of him. One day, he just pushed one of my buttons. All of a sudden I was on top of him holding his arms down, and I was thinking, “Why in the world was I ever afraid of this kid?” He was absolutely helpless!
Just like that bully, the devil is a defeated foe. And part of your inheritance is authority over all the power of the enemy. It is a happy day when you realize it.
4 comments:
I went to a men's breakfast with a few guys and this was the theme. He gave us all an empty bullet shell and made us keep it in our pocket for one month. Everytime we touched it it was to remind us that the devil's gun is pointed at our heads but it is full of blanks. We have power over him and we just need to realize it and exert authority over it.
cas
The bullet idea is a good reminder. Satan is so good about taking the joy out of my life. I have to daily realize the battle that I'm in and realize that I'm a soldier in the most powerful army that's ever existed.
Let's bind Satan and his army in Christ's name.
I can relate to both the bullet idea and satan taking the joy out of life, especially with our recent job situation. In the end, God did his will and it worked out for me.
LT
This is a great reminder for me. CS Lewis wrote in Screwtape Letters about this and said something like "There are two equal and opposite errors people fall into about Satan. One is to disbelieve in his existence. The other is to believe and be overly focused/curious about him. Both errors are equally pleasing to Satan...whether we are a materialist or a magician." [note: paraphrased heavily].
In our age there seems to be little emphasis on anything supernatural, but that is another topic for another day. Because of that I don't always see the hand of God and the resistance of Satan as anything other than mere circumstance. God, therefore, gets relegated to the "Last Resort" option rather than my "First Resort" option.
Personally, I try to celebrate Christ's victory over Satan and remind myself of it...the reality of the Enemy and the reality of Christ's victory. I think this is the balance Lewis tried to strike in Screwtape Letters. This devotion has been a great reminder.
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