|
| The
Believer's Authority Over Satan |
Intro
The Believer's
Authority Over Satan
How Satan Attacks
Strongholds
Breaking Strongholds
Ancestral Strongholds
Take the First Step |
To be free from Satan’s schemes, however, we must understand our
authority in Christ. Christ delegated that authority directly to us, His
children. In Luke 9:1 Jesus called His twelve disciples together, and gave
them power and authority over all demons, and to heal diseases. In Luke
10:1 we read that He sent seventy others in pairs ahead of Him to every
place where He would go later. Jesus did not tell them that He gave them
authority over demons, though in verse 9, He did tell them to heal the
sick. When the seventy returned, they were exuberant, saying, “Lord,
even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” They had authority over
the powers of darkness because they were representing the Lord Jesus. And
it is the same with every Christian as we appropriate what was provided
for us at Calvary.
In appropriating Christ’s authority, however, Jesus cautions us.
The authority over the powers of darkness is not to be the cause for our
rejoicing, but rather that our names are written in Heaven (Luke 10:20).
Another caution is that we must never be light or flippant concerning our
enemy. Satan is a powerful foe. He is out to defeat us in every evil way
known. Peter pictures him as a roaring lion on the prowl, seeking anyone
that he can to devour (1 Peter 5:8). We are admonished to be awake, to
always be alert, and to stand against him in the name and authority of the
Lord Jesus Christ.
Why, then, does the Christian struggle, if Satan has already been
defeated? Can an evil spirit have authority over a Christian? Can an evil
spirit live in the same body with the Holy Spirit when the body is the
temple of God? Our body becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit, the moment
we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Master of our life. First Corinthians
6:19 and 2 Corinthians 6:16 clearly prove that our body actually becomes a
dwelling place for the Spirit of God. Then, how can an evil spirit live in
God’s temple? Unless we hold to the idea that when we become Christians
we become perfect, unable to sin, we must admit that God’s Spirit does
live in co-existence with our fleshly nature in the same temple. It is
precisely in that area where Christians sometimes give ground to the
presence of unwanted, unclean spirits.
To understand this better, let us go back to the story of Adam.
Created in the likeness of God, in God’s own image, Adam was a
tripartite person, made up of body, soul and spirit. Yet, he was one
being. Adam had a living, innocent, pure spirit and could fellowship with
God. God gave Adam rule over everything with the exception of one tree,
the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God clearly warned Adam that on
the day he ate of that particular tree, he would surely die.
It was not Adam’s body that died when he ate of the forbidden
fruit, although the body did begin to die, and sickness began to take its
toll. It was Adam’s spirit that died in the sense of inoperation. The
moment Adam sinned, darkness penetrated his spirit. His spirit died, and
he could no longer enjoy that sweet communion with his Creator. God is
Spirit, and spirit answers to spirit. God cannot fellowship with darkness,
for He is light and in Him there is no darkness at all.
God, however, had mercy on Adam and Eve, killed an animal, shedding
blood in order to make for them coats of skins to cover their nakedness.
Without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22).
This example pointed to the cross, when Jesus would come to shed His blood
to cover our sin and spiritual nakedness. Every person today is born
without a living, pure, innocent spirit and cannot fellowship with God,
for all have sinned and have come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
The spirit is there but it no longer functions; we are dead in trespasses
and sins (Ephesians 2:1). We learn to live independent from God, doing
whatever the flesh wants to do, or whatever Satan drives us to do.
When Adam sinned, he relinquished to Satan his right to rule this
world. But today, when we receive the provision of Calvary, turning from
our sins and receiving Jesus into our hearts, His Holy Spirit revives our
dead spirit and makes it alive. We are new creatures. Old things have
passed away and everything is now changed as God translates us into the
kingdom of His dear Son (Colossians 1:13).
Basically man is spirit, not body, not soul, but spirit, so that
with our new relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ we, who
believe in Him, can have direct fellowship with God. We can walk with Him,
we can commune with Him in prayer and in His Word. We are waiting,
however, for the redemption of the body. It was purchased at the cross,
but we are still waiting for our purchased possession to be complete
(Romans 8:23).
Once we are in God’s kingdom, Satan hates us. He does not want to
lose anyone, so he comes against us with all his evil fury and venom. God
chooses us as soldiers in His army to come against the powers of darkness
(2 Timothy 2:4). He provides everything that we need to live a godly life,
but we must appropriate His provision (2 Peter 1:3). He gives us a
complete set of armor for protection, a sword for offense, and prayer for
communication. Soldiers are trained to fight. They must be disciplined,
alert and obedient to the command of their captain. Likewise, the
Christian is admonished to always be vigilant because the enemy is
constantly seeking someone to devour. |
| Back |
Next |
© Marie Hearn, 1999
Notice: These materials are not intended to take
the place of professional, mental health services, but rather to provide
Biblical insight and helpful resources regarding various spiritual and emotional
problems. While we are glad to offer these resources for your personal
use, we encourage you to contact our pastor, Nolan
Jackson, Sr., for in-depth, free, Christian Counseling. If you are
interested in setting up an appointment, please call 770-786-8676 or e-mail
(be sure to include contact information).
|
