The Devil Doesn't Reign. The Devil Is Under Your Feet. Use Your Authority.
Spiritual Warfare Made Simple, Chapter 12, Part 15
Spiritual warfare can raise a lot of questions, including how powerful the devil really is. We’ll find the answers revealed by the three main principles of spiritual warfare, as we delved into in depth in the first few chapters:
God is sovereign.
You have dominion. You have the power. You are not helpless.
The devil lies. The devil tempts. But he has no ability to overpower you.
Take these with you into the three verses below:
“Seated us with Him”
In one of Paul’s greatest summaries of the Gospel, He weaves together all three key themes of spiritual warfare into one glorious declaration:
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:4-6 ESV).
First, Paul celebrates God’s sovereignty. God, being rich in mercy, used His sovereignty to save us even when we were dead.
Second, Paul discusses the effects of the devil’s lies. When Adam and Eve believed his lies and sinned, they died spiritually. That’s the same condition God finds us in – “dead in our trespasses,” spiritually dead because of our sin.
Third, Paul paints a vivid picture of our dominion. By God’s grace, we are seated with Jesus in the heavenly realm.
Ask yourself: where is Jesus sitting in Heaven?
On the Throne, the center of all rule and authority.
If we are seated with Him, where does that place us?
Now to be clear, we are not God, nor are we gods. We are humans whom God rescued and raised up. God placed us in the position we’re in – seated with Jesus, filled with dominion, given His authorization to rule our lives and the world in which we live.
And where is the devil?
Under your feet.
Far under your feet.
If any devil tries to rise up against you, kabash it back down. Remind that devil that you are seated with Christ and the devil is under your feet. Stomp him back down.
God has given you the authority.
“You have overcome the evil one”
In the same letter John filled with wisdom for spiritual warfare, he addressed those who were already victorious:
I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. (1 John 2:14 ESV).
John states that these young men have already overcome the evil one. This is past tense – a completed action. They have already overcome the devil.
How? Isn’t the war ongoing?
The war may rage in the world around them, but these young men won the war inside. They used their dominion to bow the knee to Jesus, receiving forgiveness for all their sin, disarming the rulers and authorities.
In their lives, they forgave easily, not giving the enemy a foothold. They studied the Scriptures, learning the truths of God so that no lie could hold them sway. They understood the tactics of the enemy and were not taken captive by them.
The result is that they overcame the devil – past tense. They already won. The devil could not touch them.
Do you see the beauty of this for you today?
You don’t have to wait for the end of your life for the war to be won. You don’t have to wait for Jesus to return in glory to win the war against the enemy.
You can overcome the enemy in the same way these young men did.
You can win the war in your life – today.
Bow the knee to Jesus, if you haven’t already. Make Jesus your King. Ask for His forgiveness for all your sin. Receive the clear promise of forgiveness and completely cleansing He purchased for you on the Cross.
Then study His word. Get to know Him better every day. Pray, learning to trust Him, watching Him prove His faithfulness even in the hardest times.
Learn the enemy’s schemes. Submit to God. Resist the devil. He’ll flee.
God is sovereign. He already beat the devil.
You have dominion over your life. No one can stop you if you choose to follow Jesus.
You have the dominion.
What will you choose to do?
This post comprises the final part of Chapter 12 of my book Spiritual Warfare Made Simple. Grab your copy of the ebook or paperback here!
Freedom in Christ is true freedom. Freedom without Jesus is an oxymoron. Freedom without Jesus is enslavement.
I recall the verse, Resist the devil and he will flee from you, and the other, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
This seems to imply we have the power to simply resist/ignore/ have faith and it doesn't have to be harder than that!