Stay out of the cookie jar . . .

 

If the Bible did not say otherwise, would I think the devil was only in my imagination? Or a skinny, ugly red being with a forked tail? Or a joke? Or that I had the power to tell him to get lost?

Actually, there is a hint of truth in that last notion. The Bible does say this:

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. (1 Peter 5:8–9)

However, it also says this:

But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” (Jude 9)

And this: “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20)

Some think we can rebuke Satan directly even though angels cannot, perhaps because Satan is a fallen angel and one of them. Others think we have no power to do so and that spiritual warfare is a defensive matter, not an offensive attack. Some also think that the devil does not exist.

Another angle on this topic is that we have the ability to overcome Satan because Jesus lives in us. It is Jesus who gives us what we need to resist:

By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. (1 John 4:2–6, italics mine)

Without Jesus and the resources He provides, I know I don’t have a chance to stand firm against the lies and accusations of this persistent enemy. I must:

Take up the whole armor of God, that I may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. (Ephesians 6:13)

Other verses tell me that I am helpless unless fully surrendered to the will of God. In other words, my greatest defense against the evil one is being obedient to the One who saves. Again, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

This is not to say that a fully submitted Christian cannot be hit by the enemy’s lies and evil tactics. It does say that when it happens, I am not to give up or stop obeying God and take matters into my own hands. I do not have what it takes to fight Satan without fully yielding to the power of Christ.

“Evil day” could refer to the sin that exists in this world. Satan is called “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4), and eventually he will be dealt with (Revelation 20:10-15), but until then, my role is to remember that he has been defeated and like a chicken with its head cut off. He is trashing about, making a mess, but doomed. I must resist his lies and not let his accusations steer me away from the promises of God and my relationship with Him.

At the same time, I need to remember that “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4) and that same god lures pastors, Sunday school teachers, Bible study leaders, and many others who serve the true God away from their ministry into a godless lifestyle. They stopped resisting and need prayer and support to regain what they have lost.

PRAY: Oh Jesus, it breaks my heart when anyone wavers in their commitment to You. Forgive me when I also waver, or become too preoccupied to pray, or I become critical of the weakness in others rather than supporting them. Help me to battle on their behalf by asking You to give them the determination to claim the victory that You have secured for all of Your children. Grant me grace to yield to You and resist this enemy that You already have defeated.

PONDER: Read 1 Corinthians 9:23–27. How does bodily discipline and self-control affect my ability to minister to others? Do I realize the importance of saying no to whatever I might crave?