I think it’s time to put the devil in his place. The place that he really belongs.

Some have exalted the power of the devil making him just about equal with God. Like God is on this big defensive battle trying to ward off the devil. In this view the devil is big, I mean big, and it is all we can do to overcome him in our lives.

Others ignore the devil altogether. They either believe that he doesn’t exist or downplay his role in the life of the believer. They are ignorant of the spiritual realm. They attempt to come up with a “rational” explanation of everything.

They believe that any talk of the devil was just the superstition of biblical times. Now that we have more knowledge we know that the devil doesn’t exist. They didn’t have the medical or psychological knowledge that we have today or they would have written something different.

Then there are those who believe that once a person is saved that the devil can't do anything in the life of a believer. A believer can’t be tormented by a demon because they are protected by the blood of Jesus.

Normally I love to fill my posts with a lot of Scripture and teach. Today I am going a different route. I just want to give an exhortation on how we, as believers, should view the work of the devil in our lives, then over the next few weeks take an in-depth look at what it means to repulse the enemy.

The Devil is Real

The devil is real as real can be. He exists and he is at work in the world today.

Jesus believed in the devil. So did the Holy Spirit. It was the Holy Spirit that sent Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. It was Jesus who came to destroy the works of the devil. He did so by casting demons out of people and bring the peace of God into their chaos.

Jesus came in the power and authority of God and used that authority to bind the strongman and plunder his house. Jesus cast out demons that kept a women bent over for eighteen years. He cast out demons that kept a man deaf and mute. He cast out a demon from a boy that was cast into the water and the fire with convulsions and foam running out his mouth. He cast out a legion of demons that tormented a man causing him to cut himself and live among the graves.

Jesus Defeated the Devil

Jesus is not afraid of the devil. The devil is only a created being. He has very limited power in relation to God. I like how Jesus said put it. He said that if he cast out the demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God was among them. Did you notice that Jesus said He cast them out by the finger of God? Get a picture in your mind of the devil as a small insect that Jesus flicked off His arm.

When Jesus went to the cross, he defeated the enemy. Scriptures say that he went and took the keys of death and hell from the devil. He then proved that He had the power over death by rising from the dead.

The devil had no place in Jesus and was powerless to hold Him in his grasp. Death and the grave, the great power of Satan over all of mankind, could not hold Jesus. On the third day, He rose from the dead, never to die again.

It is through Jesus’ resurrection that we have a hope for ours. Death will not hold us either. Nothing can separate us from the love of God, not even death.

Jesus Gave Us Authority

The good news is that Jesus has given us authority over the devil. It started with His disciples. He gave the twelve power to heal the sick and cast out demons. They went from village to village preaching Jesus and doing the works He sent them to do.

He later gave authority to seventy others he had chosen to do the work. After His resurrection, Jesus gave the same power to all who believe in Him.

The reason Jesus gave us this authority is for the church to continue His mission in the earth. We are to go and heal people and cast out demons in His name. We have the same mission to destroy the works of the devil wherever we go.

We are His representatives on the earth. Just as Jesus did the works of the Father, we are to do the same. We are to expand the kingdom of God by bringing God’s healing power to bear in the lives of everyone we come in contact.

Be on the Alert

Just because we have authority over the devil and all of his works does not mean that we take him lightly. Peter warns us to be sober and alert because the devil is roaming around like a lion seeking whom he may devour.

Paul warns us to be aware of the schemes and the plans of the devil. He tells that we are not warring against flesh and blood but against an array of demonic forces. We are to be prepared for attacks from the enemy but are not to be afraid.

God has given us armor to fight any battle with the enemy and win. The weapons of our warfare are strong in God. The devil cannot overcome us because we are overcomers. The apostle John talks about those who overcame by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony and loving not their lives even unto death. John also talks about the young men who have overcome the evil one.

Putting the Devil in His Place

With all this in mind, let’s put the devil in his place.

Remember that you have an enemy that hates you with a hatred you cannot fathom. Respect and honor the warnings and exhortations of Peter, John, and Paul. Be alert. Be sober. But don’t be afraid.

Don’t give place to the devil. If you see his work anywhere in your life resist it with all your might. You have the authority of Jesus to resist the devil and make him flee from you. You have the power of God to stand against all the works of the enemy in your life.

Put on the full armor of God and walk in His truth, righteousness, peace, salvation, and faith. Walk in power of the Spirit of God and destroy the works the devil in your life and the lives of others.

Overcoming

More and more I’m understanding that the gold standard for my life is God’s peace. The word shalom (Hebrew) is an incredibly inclusive word. It means wholeness. By that I mean the wholeness that God designed from the beginning.

I was recently at a conference on healing. One of the speakers made a comment that I want to do more research on. He said that the idea behind the word Shalom is an absence of chaos in a person’s life. Pick any area of a person’s life that has chaos and God wants to bring His shalom or peace.

Shalom is life as God intended it to be. If you are sick, God wants to bring shalom to your body by healing it. If you have broken relationships, God wants to bring shalom through healing and restoring them. If you are tormented by a demon, God wants to bring shalom by casting out the demon and restoring you to wholeness.

Do you remember when Jesus spoke to the storm that was threatening to sink the boat He was on? He said to the storm Peace, be still and the storm stopped and the seas calmed. Jesus spoke shalom to the storm which resulted in calm.

Every area of our lives that does not line up with the truth of God’s word should be contended for. We should seek God’s shalom for our lives.

The same speaker was talking about the area of healing. It is in the Scripture and Jesus said those who believe in His name will heal the sick. He prayed for over 1,000 people before he saw his first person healed.

He persevered because it said it in the word of God. He is now in charge over 3.000 people who minister healing on weekly basis in Bethel Church in Redding, CA. His name is Chris Gore.

Never Give In

Never give in on what the word of God says is yours. If He says it, continue to press in and believe it’s for you. I’m not sure why it takes so much perseverance to see some promises of God come true in our lives, I just know that it does. With that said I want to leave you with the words of Winston Churchill:

…never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.