Overcome the evil one through biblical principles and applications
Overcome the evil one through biblical principles and applications as you forge onward in your spiritual battle with Satan!
Yes! Never doubt it. We are in spiritual warfare with Satan all the time. As believers and followers of Christ, we have continual opposition from evil forces on every side which loom over us, and around us, following us everywhere we go, and affecting everything we do in this life.
Can you escape it? No, never, as long as you are still a resident on this earth. Just like you and I have angels assigned to us as believers by God, our adversary, the devil, has his evil cronies assigned to us as well.
It has been well established through the word of the living God that the evil one is out there, willing and ready to hamper, deter, and stomp on the Christian believer just to discourage and destroy his trust and faith in Christ.
Here's what scripture says regarding the evil one and how he tries to overcome the believer with his demonic power and destructive strategies as he attempts to create chaos for the believer, making him/her feel hopeless and helpless to fight against him:
- 1 Peter 5:8 gives us one way in which to overcome Satan as it says, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."
- Luke 22:31 says, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat."
- Job 2:1-7 tells us of how God allowed Satan to use his tactics on His faithful servant, Job, as the account was given, saying, "Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord. And the Lord said unto Satan, 'From whence comest thou?' And Satan answered the Lord, and said, 'From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.' And the Lord said unto Satan, 'Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst Me against him, to destroy him without cause.' And Satan answered the Lord and said, 'Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.' And the Lord said unto Satan, 'Behold, he is in thine hand, but save his life.' So went forth Satan from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown." Of course, at the end of the book of Job, we see that through his faith and obedience to God, he was able to overcome Satan because he refused to allow him to subdue and overtake him completely!
overcome satan's evil tactics and devices through god's word
God's Word is such a powerful tool in overcoming the devil and many times we as believers don't even think to use it against the devil when he comes upon us. It's such a shame because that is what our Lord has provided for us to rely upon and to live by in our Christian walk with Him!
In reading, studying, and meditating upon scripture, we learn about how Satan works to deter and discourage the Christian believer, but more importantly; we learn how to apply God's Word in our lives which will bring down the righteous forces from heaven in attacking and going against the devil as he tries to destroy us with his destructive and evil ways.
You and I must realize and understand that God knows when Satan is on the attack in our lives and He is watching and certainly in control of the situation more than we are.
There are times when you may think that God is not looking or listening to you, or even remotely concerned about what you're going through at the moment, but trust me, although He may seem quiet, He is on the alert and knows the exact moment when He must act and/or respond to your plight. Rest assured, He always has your needs and wants in mind, according to His purpose for your life.
Folks, it's a war out there and we need to know how to overcome Satan whenever he strikes in our lives! So consider these following passages of scripture which may help you understand these biblical truths in how you too can overcome Satan through the study and application of God's Word:
- 1 Peter 5:8-9 says, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world."
- James 1:13-14 tells us, "Let no man say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted of God', for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither He tempts any man: But every man is tempted when he is drawn away from his own lust, and enticed."
- Job 1:6-12 gives an account of Satan's actions, "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. And the Lord said unto Satan, 'Whence comest thou'? Then Satan answered the Lord and said, 'From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.' And the Lord said unto Satan, 'Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that feareth God and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the Lord and said, 'Hast Thou not made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? Thou hast blest the work of his hands, and his substance has increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse Thee to Thy face.' And the Lord said unto Satan, 'Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon thyself put not forth thine hand'. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord."
- James 4:7 says, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
- 1 John 5:4 also says, "For whatever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." And lastly,
- Ephesians 6:11-12 reminds us to, "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
Use spiritual warfare to overcome satan
As believers and followers of Christ, most of us know that we are able to use and apply spiritual warfare against Satan and from all his evil tactics and clever strategies. However, many times we are just not sure of how to go about it, and find ourselves afraid to use it.
In the process of learning how to overcome Satan and all his demons, we must know first about what he is like and what his agenda is since he is indeed the enemy of God and the enemy of our souls. First, we know that God created Lucifer (Satan, the devil). Genesis 1:31 says, "And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day."
As you can see, when God created Lucifer, He made him to be good, not the evil that eventually came from him. However, Lucifer's (Satan's) heart became puffed up as he developed pride against God, wanting to be larger and more important than Him, instead of staying in the already-grand and important position in which God had him remain in the first place. This was his strategy to overcome God and rise above Him, but it didn't work because it was not His plan!
As it turned out, Lucifer incited a great rebellion in which God cast him out and sent him packing, throwing him down to the earth, along with a third of God's angels. Here's what we read in this account taken from Ezekiel 28:11-19. Here it talks about Lucifer and of the judgement he received from God as He cast him out of heaven: "Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me saying, 'Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the King of Tyrus, and say unto him, 'Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering. the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tablets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God: thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore, I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God, and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty: Thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground: I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee; it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.'"
How are we to apply spiritual warfare against Satan and all his attacks, as it is mandated in God's Word? We do indeed have that power only through Christ, but we must be careful in how we initiate that kind of power against Satan.
He knows you are trying to overcome him and will attempt to trip you up as you work this power against him. He's a fraudulent and sneaky devil with an evil intent. His specialty in dealing with the child of God is to try to create doubt in you about God's Word, and to apply pressure with all kinds of criticism, depression, oppression, and other type of clever darts toward you and towards your loved ones.
So, here are some strategies and ways to overcome the devil as you use spiritual warfare against him:
1. Realize where the sin is coming from. When you are in a battle or war and you know where your opposition is coming from, then you have a much better chance of overcoming that battle/war. The following are a few passages of scripture which gives you further insight to this:
- 1 John 2:15-17 tells us to "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father, but of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever." Also, consider 1 John 3:8, which says, "He that commiteth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil."
- Romans 8:13 says, "For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die, but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live."
- Galatians 5:19-21 says, "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Furthermore, another reason it's very difficult at times to over come the devil is for another reminder in that...
- 2 Corinthians 11:14 says, "And no marvel; for Satan himself, is transformed into an angel of light." Dear fellow believer, don't become tricked or be deceived by Satan's beauty or by the many ways he makes things appear beautiful, wonderful, or great, when in reality it's just a smoke screen for what he's really up to in your life!
2. Understand that other people are not the problem. Yes, you want to overcome Satan and his evil tactics, and indeed there are people out there in the world who sin against us, who attack us, who harm us, and who create evil schemes against us; however, remember that it is ultimately the workings of Satan and all his demonic kingdom who are responsible for the evil in the world. He uses people in our lives (and those outside of our lives) to trick, hurt, defame, and even who try to kill us!
Consider how the following scripture passages explain this as you seek to overcome the evil that surrounds you:
- Colossians 1:16 says, "For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him and for Him."
- Daniel 10:10-21 tells us how Gabriel fought with satanic forces for 21 days in answer to Daniel's prayer. He was able to overcome through the angelic forces in God's army! Here we have the account: "And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands. And he said unto me, 'O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright; for unto thee I am now sent'. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling. Then he said unto me, 'Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I have come for thy words. But the Prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Now I am come to make thee understand that what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.' And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb. And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, 'O my lord, by the vision my sorrows have turned upon me, and I have retained no strength. For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me'. Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man and he strengthened me. And said, 'O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee; be strong, yea, be strong' And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, 'Let my lord speak, for thou hast strengthened me.' Then said he, 'Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? And now I will return to fight with the prince of Persia, and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. But I will show you that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael, your prince.'" The look at...
- Ephesians 6:12, which reminds us, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." I too have to remind myself of this verse many times when trying to overcome evil in my own life. Also, we look at...
- 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, which says, "(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God through the pulling down of strongholds;), Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."
3. The tools of spiritual warfare have already been given to the believer. Look throughout the pages of God's Word and you will find that God has given you His power to overcome Satan in your life. However, remember you cannot go about this from your own strength, but from that of the Lord. Do not attempt to overcome Satan all by yourself. You need God and His army to help you! The following passages of scripture shows you how:
- Deuteronomy 28:7 says, "The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways."
- James 4:7 says, "Submit therefore yourselves to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
- Romans 12: 17-21 also says to, "Recompense to no man. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth within you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather, give place unto wrath, for it is written; 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay' saith the Lord. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil; but overcome evil with good."
- Luke 10:19 also states what Jesus said to His disciples, "Behold, I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you."
- Ephesians 6:10,11,13-18 tells us in more detail in how to overcome the devil with spiritual warfare, as it says, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Wherefore, take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness. And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of he wicked. And take the helmet, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; Praying always, and with all supplication, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints."
In conclusion, you can see that God has given His instructions here in His word on how we can overcome our enemy, Satan and all his demonic forces. With God's help, all things are possible. We must overcome the devil in order to win the battle, because in the end we are told in His word that Jesus is the victor and it is He who will win the final war over all!!
I will leave you with these final words of encouragement, taken from Romans 8:36-39, which says, "As it is written, 'For Thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter'. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors though Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come; nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord."
Find your strength in Christ alone! It is only through Jesus that you can overcome Satan and this world's system as you live from day to day. Remember dear Christian, this is not your forever home; you are just passing through. Live for Christ and you will remain victorious in Him until He calls you home.
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