The Defeat of Satan

The Defeat of Satan
Stan Adams

One of the greatest Joys of my life is when I understood, from the Word of God through Prophetic teaching that the enemy of our souls, Satan also known as the Devil was defeated on the cross at calvary by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Christ through his death has rendered Satan powerless. Not only that, He died so that we might be delivered from all fears even the fear of death. Hebrews 2: 14,15
God wants us to overcome all fears in our lives; for God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power and of love and a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7.
We can overcome ALL fears with God’s help. The Bible encourages us in the book of 1Peter 5: 5-9 to clothe ourselves with humility toward one another, to HUMBLE ourselves under God’s hand that orders our circumstances in life, to cast all our anxiety on him and finally to be of sober spirit, to be on the alert because the Devil prowls like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.
What does it mean to humble ourselves? It is to have an attitude of a child who has no high thoughts about its abilities, beauty, accomplishments etc. We should be able to take correction from anyone, spiritual elders, young people or any human being. Humility also involves gladly accepting the circumstances in which God has placed us in this world, without complaining and murmuring and comparing with others and in the due time God will lift us up.
God’s word encourages us to Resist the devil firm in our confidence in God’s love for us, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by our brethren who are in the world. Satan can deceive us at times by saying ‘You are the only one who is suffering’ but the Lord Jesus said in John 16:33 "In the world you will have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." Any true follower of Christ in this world will go through trials and testing. It is inevitable. The Apostle peter
exhorts us in 1 Peter 4: 12, 13 "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you, but to the degree that you SHARE the sufferings of Christ, KEEP ON REJOICING, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may Rejoice with exultation."
Satan assails our mind with his evil weapons like discouragement, depression, fears, doubts, envy, lust, anxiety, doubts etcetera. We can overcome him effectively only IF we have made the Lord Jesus, the Lord over ALL areas of our life. It’s good to ask God if there is any area in our lives that is not well pleasing in his sight and then to seek his help to overcome in those areas. The areas in our lives where we are not living in obedience are the loopholes that Satan seeks to enter, to steal, kill and destroy. John 10:10.
The book of James teaches us to SUBMIT to God and to RESIST the Devil, he will flee from us
The following is a good read from the living bible.
If you are wise, live a life of steady goodness, so that only good deeds will pour forth. And if you don’t brag about them, then you will be truly wise! And by all means, don’t brag about being wise and good if you are bitter and jealous and selfish; that is the worst sort of lie. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, inspired by the devil. For wherever there is jealousy or selfish ambition, there will be disorder and every other kind of evil. But the wisdom that comes from Heaven is first of all pure and full of quiet gentleness. Then it is peace loving and courteous. It allows discussion and is willing to yield to others; it is full of mercy and good deeds.
It is wholehearted and straightforward and sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness.
What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Isn’t because there is a whole army of evil desires within you? You want what you don’t have, so you kill to get it. You long for what others have, and can’t afford it, so you start a fight to take it away from them. And yet the reason you don’t have what you want is that you don’t ASK God for it. And even when you do ask you don’t get it because your whole aim is wrong-you want only what will give you pleasure.
You are like an unfaithful wife who loves her husband’s enemies. Don’t you realize that making friends with God’s enemies-the evil pleasures of this world-makes you an ENEMY of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy the evil pleasure of the unsaved world, you cannot also be a friend of God. Or what do you think the Scripture means, when it says that the Holy Spirit, whom God has placed within us, watches over us with tender jealousy? But he gives us more and more strength to stand against all such evil longings. As the Scripture says, God gives strength to the humble, but sets himself against the proud and haughty.
So give yourselves humbly to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. And when you draw close to God, God will draw close to you. James 3:13-4:8