” Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour (I Peter 5:8). For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places ” (Ephesians 6:12).
The devil wants to destroy your soul. He wants nothing but trouble, chaos and stress to fill your lives. But be of good cheer my friend, ” Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world ” (I John 4:4). As a child of God, the devil cannot destroy your soul, but he can make your life miserable, destroy your witness, obliterate relationships and wreck your world. What a shame it is that we live lives defeated by the devil. The Bible tells us plainly that God who dwells in us is greater than the devil. The Bible also says that, ” we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us ” (Romans 8:37). So, why is it that we live defeated lives? I believe the answer is that we underestimate the devil and his ability to infiltrate our lives. We ignore him instead of resisting him so he will flee as we are told in James 4:7. In fact the root of the problem may very well lie with our unwillingness to adhere to James admonition in the beginning of James 4:7. The entire verse reads like this: ” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you .” The bare truth of the matter is that we are unwilling to submit ourselves to God because that requires living a life where sin has no more dominion over us (Romans 6:14). Instead we live our lives dabbling in the snares of the devil and by doing so we allow him to creep into our lives. The devil seldom ever advertises his presence; he just comes in and does his work. Because we are not consciously aware of his devises and are not on guard for his presence, he often has free access to our mind, heart and body. The devil cannot read our thoughts but because we do not heed the warnings of I Peter 5:8, we give him all the information he needs to come into our lives and destroy our homes and relationships, and rob us of our joy.
The time has come for this to cease. As children of God we must be ” sober ” and ” vigilant “. We must be sober, or serious, about the abilities of our opponent – satan. We must realize that he is a force to be reckoned with, but cannot stand against the blood of Jesus. But, to defeat him we must be calling on Jesus remembering, ” I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me ” and ” my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus ” (Philippians 4:13, 19). We must be vigilant or alert and carefully observant of the devil and his ways. We must be constantly examining our lives and seeing to it that we are walking in the will of God. ” There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it ” (I Corinthians 10:13). The devil is already defeated. The victory is ours. Jesus defeated him on the cross of Calvary by dying for our sins and then raising from the dead victorious over hell, death and the grave. Oh my friend, we must be watching and looking for the places in our lives that the devil rears his ugly head and then we need to stomp on him with the blood of Jesus claiming victory through the power that dwells in us. ” Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us ” (Ephesians 3:20). It is high time that the children of God submit themselves to God that He may exalt us in due time. ” Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time ” (I Peter 5:6). Don’t let satan steal your joy and cover you with darkness. ” Walk in the light, as He is in the light ” (I John 1:7).
” For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints ” (Ephesians 6:12-18).
The devil has no place in your life, so give him the boot through and by the power of Jesus that dwells in you. ” Resist the devil and he will flee from you ” (James 4:7).