“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” ~Jesus
John 10:10
Right before Jesus tells us that He came to earth so we can enjoy life to the fullest, He clearly warns us of an enemy—a thief—the devil. If you’re a Christian and you don’t take the devil’s work seriously, or you ignore his tactics, you will eventually become disoriented, looking around wondering, “What just happened? Why are things falling apart? I don’t understand?”
We must begin to recognize our enemy! He’s highly organized and very intelligent! Like a mad scientist, he formulates the best temptations and troubles to trip you up. He holds board meetings with his demons to strategize your most painful demise. He has studied and memorized the Bible—verbatim. His goal is to take Scripture out of context in order to make you think you hate God. He wants you to ignore God or to be petrified of Him. Satan tries to trick you into making poor choices that will destroy you based on God’s Word being twisted! He even tried doing this to Jesus! (See Luke 4:1-13).
Recognize your enemy! He’s here to ruin your life! He hates you with everything he is! He wants your soul in hell! If you’re a Christian, he knows you will never go to hell so he wants to make your life hell right now!
Jesus said Satan is the father of lies, he doesn’t even have the ability to tell the truth! (See John 8:44). Jesus also said the devil only has three main objectives for his disgusting existence: STEAL. KILL. DESTROY (see John 10:10). He is always hard at work—mostly in our minds. This is where the battle rages and where we must grow each day, becoming stronger and stronger in Christ (see Romans 12:2, Philippians 1:6).
We are not powerless! We have weapons! Weapons which are not carnal but spiritual! (See 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, Ephesians 6:10-18). From the moment we place our faith in Jesus we are fully equipped with every weapon we need because He lives in us. We just have to learn how to let Him come out! This takes time, but it is possible as we allow God’s Spirit to guide our actions and attitudes.
When we begin to do this the enemy stands no chance! He is an ant and Christ through us is the boot! He has already been defeated at the Cross and he knows it! His time on planet earth is short!
We have an advantage in spiritual warfare. John goes so far as to call us “overcomers,” saying, “He who is in us (Jesus) is greater than he (Satan) who is in the world” (see 1 John 4:4). Paul builds on this:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:10-12)
We have nothing to be afraid of, ever! Even when it looks like all hope is lost! It’s not! Christ gives us the authority to stomp on Satan’s head! (See Luke 10:19).
So how do we do this? John tells us in the last book of the Bible, “through the blood of Jesus and by our testimonies” (see Revelation 12:11). As believers, Christ’s blood has “sealed us up in heavenly places until the Day of Redemption” (see Ephesians 2:6, 4:30). There’s step one. Step two is our testimonies! We have to tell people what Jesus has freely done for us! Sometimes we should even use our words!
Once we begin to gracefully use our testimonies, so that we are relatable, we move forward by overcoming evil with good! We should always be doing good things, especially when bad stuff is happening to us! (See Romans 12:21, Ephesians 2:10). It’s easy to do good things because our spirits are naturally good due to Christ indwelling us. So just be yourself!
The more evil that hits us the more good we should be exuding! This is how we fight back!
But most of all, we must love people. Paul said that without love, his words and actions mean nothing (see 1 Corinthians 13). We must show love. We must. And we can’t just love those who love us-what good is that? We have to love unlovable people so they can experience the love of Jesus Christ.
So today, my friends, know this: The devil is already defeated! Don’t be afraid of him! Instead, run at him like David did Goliath! You are equipped with love, the Word of God, praise, thankfulness, forgiveness, and prayer! Don’t cower away from hell, attack it with all your might!
A prayer for you: Father, I want to thank you for making your home in me. I know that because you are always inside my heart, I am strong. No matter what or who I face, I have all the power, weapons, and armor needed to protect myself and demolish every stronghold—YOU! I’m never without just the right amount of strength to make it through anything! When the pain is unbearable, you always give me grace, upon grace, upon grace! Especially when I’m fighting the enemy! Right now, I ask that you help these dear readers to understand the power that lies within them. It’s Jesus. For those who can’t fathom this, reveal it! For those who doubt this, strengthen their faith! And for those who are afraid, give them courage to simply take a step forward…and then another…and then another. You love us! You’re with us! The enemy is defeated! We are so grateful for the abundant life you’ve given us through your Son! In His name I pray, amen.
This devotional is from 60 Days for Jesus, Volume 2. Get your copy here!