The Bible makes it very clear that the devil is God’s enemy. His first appearance was in Genesis 3:1. There he is seen luring Eve into disobeying God, this act eventually led to the fall of humanity. His next major work after the fall was the murder of Abel by Cain. Abel obeyed God and his sacrifice was accepted, Cain’s sacrifice on the other hand was not accepted probably because it was offered with the wrong motive. This greatly vexed him to the point of killing Abel his younger brother.
In these two cases, the intention of satan is clearly seen- destroying anything that has got to do with God, in simple English, he is anti-God. This is not surprising because in Isaiah 14:12-15 he wanted to be like Jehovah Himself. As a result of this rebellion against God he was banished from God’s kingdom to the earth where he awaits his final punishment.
Therefore when he sees anything Godly, he does any or both of these two things;
1.)He opposes them 2) He tries to get them to join his camp. He succeeded with Adam, Eve and Cain. Sad to say the consequence of joining his camp is eternity with him in the lake of fire. In his foolishness he even went as far as trying to lure Jesus to his side
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me. Matthew 4: 8&9
In summary, satan has been opposing God before Man came into the scene and he will go any length to do it over and over again. If God has anybody He calls enemy, it is satan. Not only does this creature (originally created as Lucifer the archangel) hate God, he hates anything associated with God. In his quest to rid the earth of Godly people, he killed Abel, tried to kill Moses, had Jesus crucified and persecutes the church in many areas of the world today. Yet in all these, God continues to be the head!
Sons, partakers of God’s life and adversary
As Born–Again people the Bible says that we belong to God. In fact, we are heirs of God, His own children. We have been bought from satan by the blood of Jesus. The Apostle Paul was used by the Holy Spirit to explain it this way
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. Colossians 1:13.
The Scriptures goes further in St John’s Gospel that;
But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name. John 1:12 (Amplified Bible)
Roman 8:14-17 also buttresses the fact that we are sons of God. Let us pay close attention to verse 16,
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.
Galatians 4:6-7 adds its voice to the discussion too, let’s read what it has to say.
But when the time was right, God sent his Son, and a woman gave birth to him. His Son obeyed the Law, so he could set us free from the Law, and we could become God's children. Now that we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. And his Spirit tells us that God is our Father. You are no longer slaves. You are God's children, and you will be given what he has promised. Contemporary English Version
The scriptures quoted above makes it very clear that anyone who has put His faith in Jesus Christ as God’s Son thereby accepting Him as their saviour (The Born-Again experience ) becomes a child of God. It follows then that since satan is God’s enemy, he is also the enemy of God’s children. As we have God’s life, the one who hates Him automatically hates us. The enemy’s chief weapon against God’s children is doubt and unbelief, especially towards God.
The New Testament clearly states that those who do not have faith in God’s word cannot make it to heaven because they won’t even believe what it says in the first place. Satan knew this when he made Eve to doubt God’s instructions. It was this same tactic he used when he tempted Jesus in Matthew chapter 4. By using the language ‘If thou be the son of God’ he was softly luring Jesus to doubt His sonship, luring God to doubt God, what an effrontery! Nonetheless we thank God that Jesus did not give in to his dirty tricks. It should be noted that satan still plays the ‘doubt God’s word’ trick in our minds today
In his quest to trick us into this sin of disbelief (which caused of the fall of man) satan brings all sort of negative things across our way like he did to Job. However God has given us a weapon to use against all satanic attacks- the word of God spoken from an obedient heart. This was the weapon that Jesus wielded against satan and won. The Scriptures say that the word of God is…
Living and active Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)
God’s word is also called the sword of the spirit in Ephesians 6:17, it is the weapon proven to totally conquer satan.
At this juncture, I will like us to take a brief look at how the kingdom of darkness operates. Just as in any army there are levels of authority; satan also has hierarchical levels in his kingdom. Ephesians 6:12 refers to them as ‘principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places’ Since these evil beings are spirits, they need terrestrial bodies or human agents to use in order for them to be able to operate among men. Reading between the lines in the Bible, one discovers that spirits operate through human bodies because the human physical make up is not designed to respond to the spiritual (This in a way explains why people fall into trances and all sort of out-of –the physical experiences in order to communicate with the spirit world and why the Old Testament folks thought they would die if they see God with their physical eyes). For there to be effective communication between spiritual and physical beings, any of the following must happen (a) The Physical beings must go beyond the flesh and open their mind to the spiritual through such exercises as praying, fasting, meditation, etc (b) The Spiritual beings possess, operate and speak through human agents (c) Or as in the case of Jesus, be born as a human being.
In short, spirits need a physical body to function through in order for them to operate on earth.
The main reason behind the occult and various satanic organizations is for satan to have human beings to work his rebellion against God through. Without the Devil’s backing the people in the occult are as ordinary as the average people on the streets of London. With this in mind, it is therefore unexpected of us to attribute our problems solely to human beings. While it may appear that others are behind our challenges, it should be known that they are simply agents used by satan, they are just puppets being controlled from the backstage. Praying that these human agents of satan die (As commonly done in many churches nowadays) is therefore a waste of prayer time. If Mr. Jack develops a fatal illness because he was cursed by Mr. Green, praying that Mr. Green should die is not going to help Mr. Jack out. If Green dies the demon that inspired him to place the curse in the first place may jump into another unbelieving fellow and Jack’s illness continues. The Bible says that we wrestle not against flesh and blood [fellow human beings], but against spiritual beings.
Instead of engaging fellow men in our spiritual battles, we should face satan our real enemy. Victory over him will silence any other thing that might rear up its ugly head.
Fighting the enemy God’s way
A Gross Error
As an African I know by experience that satan operates through people. Just a few months ago, I lost my father and four other people, three of them from my family in a mysterious car crash. Weeks later a lady confessed to causing the accident through witchcraft. The average man would conclude that she was responsible for my Father’s death, but that it wrong. The lady [if her story is true] was only used by satan. The main perpetrator of the crime is Lucifer the fallen angel.
The scriptures make it plain the only enemy we have is the devil and until he is finally put away by God, we are not spared of trials. Jesus however says
In this world you will have tribulations, but be of good cheers for I have overcome the world.
We are overcomers in Christ, our faith in Him and a living our lives in line with His word guarantees us victory.
It is sad though that despite what the Bible says about whom our real enemy is, many Christians are attacking fellow helpless human beings in the name of spiritual warfare, and championing this cause are many who claim to be ministers of the Lord Jesus Christ. Please let the reader understand this; that a man is anointed by God does not mean he will be right in all he teaches. Many clergymen will confess to you that they are still in the learning process themselves. Please do not confuse the gift of God in the life of a man with sound Biblical preaching, a man might flow in the gifting of the Holy Spirit yet not understand sound Biblical principles. No Minister can teach or preach beyond their knowledge of the Bible (except where the Holy Spirit purposely takes hold of him), that is why Paul gave Bishop Timothy this instruction;
Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth. 2nd Timothy 2:15 [Emphasis Added].
Sadly, not many Gospel Ministers take this scripture serious today. Please be careful how you absorb teachings from the pulpit. Personally I have this principle ‘if it is not in line with the whole theme of the Bible (Redemption) it is not to be accepted, it does not matter who teaches it’. Gospel Ministers, as a fellow servant, I beg you to please be careful what you teach the people and the type of prayers you lead them to pray. God will someday ask you about the type of food you are feeding His children with. Search your Bibles through and through and give us strong meat, we are tired of fast-food spirituality.
When it comes to spiritual warfare there is so much error in the church today, many of us are guilty of the blood of several people who should have come to Christ but who have been killed by our so-called ‘prayer points’. Satan is simply using all these unscriptural prayers to stop us from what God wants us to constantly pray about, which is that His will be done on earth as it is done in heaven. It is a pity that many Christians who know this truth are afraid to speak out for the fear of ‘touching the Lord’s anointed.
Let it be known though that it is better For Paul to call Peter to order than for the Galatians Christians to lose their faith in Christ. Correcting wrong teachings in the body of Christ is not the same as touching the Lord’s anointed, please consult the Bible. The man, who gossips about, does evil to or wishes God’s child bad is touching the Lord’s anointed. The one who calls people’s attention to an erroneous teaching is not ‘touching the Lord’s anointed’ he is in fact protecting The Lord’s anointed which we all are from errors.
Those of us who pray for our enemies to die either do not understand that Jesus died for them too and that their souls matter to Him, or outrightly refuse to accept that God does not delight in any sinner’s death. The death of David’s Arch-enemy Saul did not please David; instead it pained him to his bone marrows (2nd Samuel 1). By wishing our enemies evil we are disobeying scriptures and sinning against God. I hear someone say ‘Oyin, what then should be our attitude to our enemies and is it possible to have victory without killing the enemy?
Biblical Attitude towards Our Enemies
'Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5: 38, 43-48.
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.' Romans 12:19-21
The two scripture passages quoted above make it clear that our attitude to our enemies [Human Enemies] should not be that of vengeance but love. To love is to wish that a person will fulfill all that God has in mind for her. In Romans 12:20, Paul the Apostle quoted from Proverbs 25:21-25 ‘…by so doing you are heaping up coals upon their head’.
Unlike what some Christians believe, this scripture does not mean that the way to destroy the enemy is by doing good to them, as good as this may sound it is still malicious and in God’s book malice satanic. Jesus asked us to love our enemies so that we ‘may be sons of our father in heaven’; therefore there is no room for malice and revenge in God’s kingdom.
To heap up coals of fire on the enemy’s head is explained by Finis Jennings Dake as
To pile up or do one good deed after another for an enemy so as to give him a burning sense of shame for rewarding you evil for good; and to make him feel deep pangs of repentance so that he will make peace and be kind to himself. A deep shame is among the first elements of true repentance. [Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible]
Dakes’s explanation is anything but malicious. What the Bible therefore says is to do good to your enemies so that you may open their eyes to the good life they could have in Christ. That way they will come to know about the life of Christ in you and seek to be like you.
Dear friend this is in line with the message of redemption, Jesus came to die for all and that includes the man who has made himself your enemy. Jesus loves and does not want him to die in sin, by praying evil upon him you are saying ‘I don’t care about Christ’s sacrifice for my enemy all I care for is myself’. However by taking the other route and praying for your enemies you are making this statement ‘Christ I know you died for my enemy and that his soul matters to you. Please change him so your death for him will not be a waste and protect me from whatever satan is using him to do against me’. Any one who claims to love Jesus will never curse their enemy or condemn them to death.
Therefore our attitude to our enemies should be to
- Love and wish them God’s best
- Pray for their salvation
- Be not malicious towards the
Suffer not a witch to live?
‘Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live’
This passage from Exodus 22:18 is what most of the proponents of the ‘Kill your enemy in prayer’ movement uses. It will be good if we take a critical look at this statement in the light of New Testament theology.
The Hebrew word translated ‘witch’ by the KJV is the word Kashaph which carries the connotation of ‘to whisper a spell’. A witch therefore is someone who makes spells or incantations to manipulate the course of things or other people against God’s design. Primarily, the work of witches is to manipulate things against God’s will. They are human agents of satan, remember mention was made of the fact that satan uses humans to carry out his purpose on earth.
God told the Israelites not to allow any witch to live for this sole reason seen in Deuteronomy 18:10-14:
Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God. The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so.
Witchcraft is detestable before God; in fact He drove out the previous inhabitants of Canaan out because of it. Therefore He does not want His own people to practice it. He wanted a people who are Holy and pure, and so every unholy person and practice must be done away with. It was not only witches that were commanded to be killed under the law, fornicators and adulterers too were to be stoned to death. In all these, God wanted a Holy people. Though not much is said about it under the Old Testament, I believe that any practicing witch who repents is accepted into God’s family.
In the New Testament however, we see God extending His hand of mercy and forgiveness to witches. Jesus said ‘come unto me all you who labour and have heavy loads.’ He came to set Humanity free from the hands of satan, with Jesus those who practice witchcraft are not beyond redemption. He took upon Himself the sin of every witch in the world. In the Old Covenant, witches were to be given the death sentence because of their gross sin against God’s purpose. In the New Testament the hand of mercy is extended to them because they too are humans who are under the deception and influence of satan.
Paul and Peter’s experiences
The Apostles Peter and Paul had encounters with people who practiced sorcery; I believe the actions they took should tell us how to approach this issue. We will start with Peter’s experience with Simon the sorcerer, the story is found in Acts of the Apostles 8:9-24.
Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, "This man is the divine power known as the Great Power." They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."
Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin."
Then Simon answered, "Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me."
I want us to note Peter’s remark here (In Bold Letters). He said that Simon was a captive to sin. He correctly diagnosed Simon’s problem. This today is the problem of those who practice sorcery, voodoo, juju, and witchcraft of any sort. Instead of instigating the Jews to kill Simon, the Apostle told him the truth. Let us see the effect of this truth in the last sentence;
Then Simon answered, "Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me."
Peter succeeded in leading this sorcerer to repentance. This is what God wants us to do, this is New Testament style. It is one of correcting in love with the aim of leading to repentance and not out rightly condemning to death.
Let’s visit Paul’s episode with a Jewish sorcerer called Bar-Jesus. The story is found in Acts 13:4-12.
The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.
When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.
They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God.
But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.
Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, "You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?
Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun."
Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand.When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.
Paul’s encounter with this particular sorcerer was rougher than Peter’s. This man was really opposing God’s message (The real purpose of witchcraft). In other words Paul caught him red-handed. Bar-Jesus did what most witches and sorcerers do today which is to oppose God’s children, but Paul did not do what most of us would do today-condemn them to death in our prayers. The Apostle pronounced him blind for a season. Please note that Paul did not tell God to kill this wizard. The New Testament brought by Jesus is that of God reconciling the world’s worst sinners to Himself and not pushing them to hell in instant judgment.
John 3:16 says ‘For God so loved the world’. The world here includes the people who are constantly against us. The Bible says God loves them. We too must love them. I know loving your enemies might sound odd, but Jesus did it and said we should do likewise. Anyone who has eternity and Christ’s redemptive work in mind will have no choice than to love their enemies. Here comes the billion pounds question, does loving my enemies not open me to attacks from them?
OUR DEFENCE AGAINST THE ENEMY.
The principles of spiritual warfare are difference from that of the physical. Though they have certain similarities, they however have vast differences. It will be foolish of us to approach the spiritual with physical tactics. Paul was trying to buttress this when he told the Galatians ‘having begun in the spirit, do you want to be perfected in the flesh?’ In Ephesians 6:13-18, the Bible provides us with a list of things that we should use in combating the enemy. We will look at them in the next paragraph.
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11Put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12For 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.
13Wherefore 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.
14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
Apostle Paul started this part of his letter by urging his readers to be strong in the Lord. The 1st thing to do in combating satan is to be strong in the Lord. Have a firm faith in the Lord, believe His word. The Bible says in Daniel 11:32 that, but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.’ The first requirement for exploit doing is the knowledge of God. A spiritual knowledge of God makes one strong in the Lord. Show me a man who is given to Bible study and prayer, and I will show you a man who is strong in the Lord.
Next we are enjoined to put on the whole armour of God, notice the word ‘whole armour’. I like to watch movies that feature old Roman soldiers; of interest to me is the way these soldiers dress. The armour, the sword, cap and what have you. The Pre-modern day Roman soldier dresses in such a way that his armour covers most parts of his body. Paul had this picture in mind when he asked us to put on God’s whole armour. In God’s army, there is a way we guard ourselves. God knows how the enemy strikes and his target points and so in designing the Christians armour, God has all the potential targets of the enemy covered. It is now left for us to put on God’s whole armour, note the use of the word whole, praying is not enough to still the hand of satan, in fact in Paul’s list prayer was mentioned near the end. Many Christians miss it today because all they do is pray forgetting that the shot gun is not the only weapon a soldier uses against the enemy.
In verse twelve, the fact that our spiritual battle is not against Kate, Cynthia, Mike or the witches that met in Croydon, London on the 4th of November 2006, rather it is against the spirits operating in Kate, Mike, Cynthia, and the guys that organized witchfest is stressed. Spiritual warfare is not about humans, but spirits, deal with the spirits and their human agents become vegetables.
Prior to his meeting with Jesus, the mad man of Gadara was a very violent man who was possessed by legions of evil spirits. Nevertheless when he met Jesus and the spirits were cast out the Bible says the people saw him ‘sitting, clothed and in his right mind’. Mark 5:1-15. This was a man who was always naked, and terrorized the whole area because the demons in him were pushing him to, but when he met Jesus the story changed. In summary, deal with the demons behind the case and the case will go back to normal.
Verse 13 of Ephesians 6, tells us to take the whole armour of God so that we may be able to withstand in the evil day. The NIV puts it this way
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
We are also told that the evil days will come, the evil day of each individual differs but we will all have our share of it. According to the passage above we can stand unshaken and undefeated in the evil days but only if we put on the full armour of God. Let us proceed to look at this armour one after the other.
THE BELT OF TRUTH
So stand up and do not be moved. Wear a belt of truth around your body. Vs 14
(New Life version)
The first thing mentioned here is the belt of truth; Roman soldiers often use a belt to hold their armour, sword sheath and other essentials in place. The Bible says truth is our belt. Any Christian who wants to always win the battle over satan should take the truth serious. In God’s army there is no room for lies. Jesus says it is the truth that sets free. Many Christians today want to live victoriously, yet still tell lies without feeling any remorse. According to the God this is absolutely wrong. In spiritual warfare, the first armour mentioned is Truth. To overcome satan, live in the truth and speak the truth.
THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
Wear a piece of iron over your chest which is being right with God. Vs 14
(New Life version)
Though all the items mentioned in the list as constituting the full armour of God are important, particular attention should be paid to the breastplate of righteousness. This protects the chest area which contains the body’s most vital organs. Right standing with God also called righteousness is imputed to the believer at salvation; we however need to continue exhibiting the fruits of our right standing with God.
The Amplified Bible puts it better
…having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God (Emphasis added)
Integrity and moral rectitude flows out of the person who is in right standing with God. When Jesus lives in your heart you will exhibit his nature and the basis of His nature are listed above. Imputed righteousness will take you to heaven, but it is not enough to resist the devil on earth, you have to exhibit the fruits of imputed righteousness. God will not save a man only for Him to allow the man to go back to sin, God is no pig farmer. Righteousness protects your spiritual vital organs; it keeps you in tune with God. If the heart is wounded, the man is mortally wounded, if your righteousness is tampered with; please seek for spiritual help fast. And friend, just like any assassin knows that a bullet to the heart is sure to get his victim out of this world, the devil also know that the death of your imputed righteousness will get you to hell faster than the speed of sound, so guard your righteousness, do not backslide, do not play with sin and if you sin, ask for forgiveness.
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 1&2
The man who makes sin a habit cannot overcome satan. No matter how many prayer arrows such a man fires, the devil will always be victorious.
THE BOOT OF THE GOSPEL
Your desire to tell the good news about peace should be like shoes on your feet. Vs 15 (Contemporary English version)
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Isaiah 52:7
As a Christian of African origin, I know first hand the positive effects the gospel can have on kingdoms and even on a whole continent. Go to the Christian parts of Africa and you will see civilization and a desire to grow, go to the other parts and you will meet oppression, barbarism and all sort of inhuman happenings. The Gospel of the Lord Jesus is a sure arsenal against satan’s operations. Not only does the gospel liberate those who embrace it, it also constitutes part of the defense the one who witnesses about Jesus has.
There is no shortcut to this principle; one of the ways to overcome satan in your personal life is to be an active witness for the Gospel. I know of a couple who had no legal papers in an EU Country, but nonetheless made witnessing about Christ a priority despite the danger of exposing themselves to the authorities. The Lord looked at their desire to spread His word among the modern day unbelievers of Europe and God himself made them EU Citizens. Going from one prayer meeting to the other in search for victory will not help, do what God’s word says tell others about Christ’s victory over death. God is committed to ensure your safety as His child, but he will be more committed to you if you are a very useful child… preach.
THE SHIELD OF FAITH
Lift up over all the [covering] shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one]. Vs 16Amplified Bible
In modern day warfare the armoured car does a bit of what the shield did. The shield is a mobile metallic structure which the soldier carries with one hand and uses in defending himself from the sword or arrow of the enemy. We are urged to lift up over all the shield of faith. With our faith, we stop the flaming missiles of the devil. Also with this faith we are able to please God.
When trouble comes, the faith we have built in God and His word helps us to maintain our ground. The devil has never been known to be able to stand the effect of the word of God but it takes faith to wield this great sword of the spirit. Attacks will come but with faith, we will be able to stop them. Giving praise to God in the midst of trouble is an act of faith, so also is confessing His word and living in line with it in the midst of difficulties.
In the story of Jesus’ temptation, we see satan coming at Him with doubt. Jesus however used His shield of faith in blocking satan’s missiles. The mobility of the shield is quite useful in that the soldier can use it to defend any part of the body that the enemy aims for. So also is faith, one can trust God for any situation. There is no part of life that faith in God does not cover.
THE HELMET OF SALVATION
Have also the helmet of salvation Vs 17(Darby Translation)
Salvation must be our helmet. A good hope of salvation, a Scriptural expectation of victory, will purify the soul, and keep it from being defiled by Satan (Nave’s Topical Bible, Courtesy of Biblegateway.com)
The Helmet is a very useful piece of dressing to anybody involved in activities with potential dangers to the head; cyclists, construction workers, soldiers etc. all wear helmets. Salvation is referred to as our helmet against the devil. Most attacks on the head can become fatal or affect the brain, hence the need for a protection. In spiritual warfare the consciousness of the fact that you have been saved from satan is a defense in itself.
The word translated as salvation in verse 17 is the Greek word soterionwhich can also be translated as safety, rescue, defend. In short it means total rescue. When Jesus died, he saved us from every work of satan. We have been rescued not only from sin but all its consequences. At salvation Sickness, Poverty, Failure, Death and all sort of bad things have been legally taken away. It is now left to us as legally saved people to lay hold on these provisions of salvation with faith.
Therefore given that the born again child of God is saved from all these work of satan, it is then wrong for him to consider himself to be at their mercy. How I wish this next line can shout out; IF YOU ARE BORN AGAIN, YOU ARE NO MORE AT THE MERCY OF SATAN, YOU ARE NOT CURSED!
He that committeth 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. 1st John 3:8
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Galatians 3:13
Where the works of satan is operating continuously in the life of a Christian, it might be that such a Christian does not understand that he is legally free from satan. Sadly that is the case with most Christians today; just take a look at the prayers that are prayed in many churches and you will wonder if people really understand what Jesus accomplished for them on the cross.
My people are destroyed because they have not learned. You were not willing to learn. So I am not willing to have you be my religious leader. Since you have forgotten the Law of your God, I also will forget your children.
Hosea 4:6. New Life Version (Emphasis Added)
My people are ruined because they don't know what's right or true. Because you've turned your back on knowledge, I've turned my back on you priests. Because you refuse to recognize the revelation of God, I'm no longer recognizing your children. Hosea 4:6. The Message
The consciousness of total salvation is a must-have for the Christian who wants to overcome satan in the physical.
THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT
Take… the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God
I saw this quotation and I think it explains what the sword of the spirit does.
‘To the Christian armed for defense in battle, the apostle recommends only one weapon of attack; but it is enough, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
It subdues and mortifies evil desires and blasphemous thoughts as they rise within; and answers unbelief and error as they assault from without. A single text, well understood, and rightly applied, at once destroys a temptation or an objection, and subdues the most formidable adversary.’
God’s word is the only weapon of assault we have against the enemy, not only does God’s word stop sin from within us, it also stops the enemy’s external arrows. It has the ability to still the hands of the enemy from within and outside us. It was used by Jesus to overcome the devil in the wilderness; it is of so much value to God that He exalted it above His name. God’s word works wonders, it is God’s way of dealing with us. In fact John tells us in John 1:1 that God’s word is God himself.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
Jesus Christ is the word of God, by speaking God’s word to a situation you are releasing Jesus’ power into the situation. The Bible says all things were made by the word. Lucifer and all his fallen angels were made by Jesus the word of God and only He can subdue them. By speaking His word to our situation we are releasing the force that created Lucifer to deal with him and the Bible clearly teaches that demons cringed each time they met Jesus in His earthly ministry.
Please take a look at the following scriptures which when read as a whole shows us that Jesus created all things, including the powers we fight against and that he has conquered them
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. Colossians 1:16
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. Ephesians 6:12
And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Colossians 2:15
Dear reader, the word of God never misses its target. You however need to get the word into your heart in order for you to use it. In the Old Testament, God told the Jews to write His word on their doorpost and in all places where they would easily see it. We are told to keep the word in our heart, let the word of God dwell in you richly enjoined the Apostle. Your Pastor cannot read the Bible for you. You must study God’s word for yourself.
There is no short cut to victory and a heresy-free life. It is appalling that many Christians today limit themselves to only what they heard Preach in church or in the media.
The idea of one man going to receive instruction from God for the people is Old Testament, in the New Testament we all have access to God’s throne and we are all Priests, with Christ (and not the Pastor, Archbishop, General-Overseer, Presbyter, Patriarch or Pope) as High Priest. (By this I do not mean that church leaders cannot intercede or get words from God from their members; rather I am saying that each man is responsible for his own individual life. External authorities are secondary) the devil is not going to tempt or attack your Pastor for you; each man carries his own load. Victorious Christian have one thing in common, they study their Bible…but the people who know their God will firmly resist him. Daniel 11:32 (NIV UK)
PRAYER
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. Ephesians 6:18
According to the Apostle, prayer is part of the weapons we wield in spiritual warfare. With Prayer great things happen. Prayer offered in faith is sure to bring Godly results. Before we go any deeper into this subject of prayer, it should be known that God has no interest in the prayer of a person who is not born again. While their prayers may be answered every now and then- which God does in order to bring them to Himself, the Bible categorically says that the sacrifice of a sinner is an abomination to God.
He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination. Proverbs 28:9
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight. Proverbs 15:8
According to James the prayer that will surely bring great answers is that prayed by a righteous person.
The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working] James 5:16B. Amplified Bible.
The Amplified Bible’s translation of the above verse was brought to my attention by my friend Femi Alo. In our victorious battle against the forces of evil prayer plays an important role, according to James 5:16, it makes tremendous power available, a power which is dynamic in its working. Merriam-Webster defines the work dynamic as this ‘marked by usually continuous and productive activity or change’. Oxford Dictionary gave many definitions of the word; here is one of them …full of energy.
In essence what James is saying is that when a righteous man prays, a continuously productive power which contains high energy (to put things in motion) is released. When a saint prays, great things happen.
No wonder the Bible lists prayer as one of our battle tools. The next question is what sort of prayer? Paul gave us clear instructions on what we should pray about
Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God's consecrated people). Ephesians 6:18 Amplified version.
We are to pray at all times, praying at all times means we should live a life of prayer, always communicating with God as we go about our duties. Prayer should be to the Christian, what oxygen is to the body. Our prayers should not only be restricted to our quiet times, morning devotion, church services and emergency God-help-me prayers etc, rather it should be done every time and everywhere. The way to do this is to always open our hearts to God, maintain a habit of prayer. Let something flow out of your heart to God at all times, if you can speak in tongues do it as you go about your chores (Consider your neighbours please and keep your voice low), if you can sing, let God’s praises fill your heart from 12: AM to 12:AM, always communicate with God.
The next instruction is that we should pray in the Spirit. Many people take this to mean praying in tongues, while this may hold true I will still want us to take the instruction at its face value
Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit. To pray in the Spirit is to pray as the Holy Spirit leads. In my walk with God I have discovered that the best way to pray is to let the Holy Spirit teach you what to pray about. As human beings we are limited in our knowledge of spiritual things, the Bible says we do not even know what to pray for. Hence we need the Holy Spirit to tell us what to pray about. Cooking up prayer points in your head or out of newspapers and prayer books will not take you far, let the Holy Spirit who know the heart of the Father take over and you will begin to see changes.
A prayer dictated by the Holy Spirit will not go against established Bible teachings. Here are some things that Jesus has to say about it;
But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you. John 14:26
But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth). For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future].
He will honor and glorify Me, because He will take of (receive, draw upon) what is Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you. John 16:13-14 [Emphasis added in both instances]
One of the duties of the Holy Spirit is to echo what Jesus already taught and also what the Father says. The simple meaning of this is that the Holy Spirit of God does not lead anybody outside God’s documented word for all times, the Holy Bible. And so our prayers should be based only on the New Testament style of prayer, which is based upon the blood of the New Covenant by Jesus Christ. In view of this, there is no room for pre-redemption styled prayers in the Holy Spirit’s prayer manual.
Paul goes further and said that we should keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance. This sounds to me like we should always be alert to what the Holy Spirit is saying next; take that Bible verse that came to you ‘from the blues’ serious, pray for that lady whose name flashed across your mind. Watch with strong purpose and perseverance. Do not give up easily in prayer, take your prayer serious. Do not pray for praying sake, I have come to realize that it is very easy to pray for praying sakes. It is time for prayer, so let’s pray, the Pastor is praying let’s all close our eyes fold our hands and echo the loudest amen. According to God’s word, prayers should be taken very seriously. Watch with strong purpose, watch against unbelief, and watch for the answer to your prayer. Watch! Watch!! Watch!!! Finally, the word perseverance is mentioned. This word simply means: steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement. Be steady and persistent; do not give up even in the face of difficulties. Pray, believe and keep thanking God. Praise God until your prayer is answered. Pray and Praise your way to victory.
Lastly our spiritual warfare prayer has one purpose, interceding ‘in behalf of all the saints (God's consecrated people).’ Intercession cannot be overemphasized in prayers. God wants us to constantly lift others up before Him. If you want a city to experience revival, pray for the city and keep praising until the answer comes. Dr Nicholas Duncan-Williams once said that ‘intercessors are directly working for God’. Let us pray for the will of God to be done on earth. We are the watchmen of this world and if we do not pray, satan will have the free hand to operate. The Apostle said we should pray for other Christians. If you lift up your brother, you will be lifted up too. Praying for God’s will to be done in people’s lives is one of the best things we can do for them.
History abounds with the story of Christians who made things to happen in their days. John Knox prayed Scotland to salvation through his ‘give me Scotland or I die prayer’. In fact Queen Mary of the Scots made this admission about Knox ‘I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies of Europe.’ Can that be said of your prayers today? Another man worthy of mention is John Hyde a missionary to India, here is an excerpt about him;
The (Indian) nationals called him “the man who never sleeps” because of his long seasons of prayer, and he earned the name of “Praying Hyde.”
He helped start an annual conference at Sialkot where revival was prayed down upon India. At this meeting in 1910, he personally prayed for four souls a day, and God answered him with hundreds saved that year.
The extraordinary work took a physical toll, and doctors told him to rest or face death. He persisted in his labor, and in 1911 he was forced to return to America for his final days. Passing through Wales, he met G. Campbell Morgan, and Morgan said that he learned what real prayer was from Hyde. Culled from www.swordofthelord.com.
It is a pity today that in the same Scotland where Knox prayed revival down many people are dying and going to hell because British Christians are more concerned about political correctness and tolerating the belief of others than preaching the Gospel and praying souls away from eternal damnation. If God allows Mr. Praying Hyde to visit India today, what would he say to the millions of Indians who profess Christ? It is true that we have left Biblical intercession for personal gratification prayers, but we can change and that I believe is the purpose of this book.
The prayer that will bring down the stronghold of satan is that which is Bible based and seeks to establish God’s will on earth. If I am concerned with advancing the cause of God’s kingdom, I should be sure that he will take care of me and protect me against demonic attacks
The Bible categorically states that the ‘weapons’ listed above are what we need as Christians to overcome satan.
The Lord knows that the devil will continue to attack us as long as God’s kingdom has not been established on earth that is why He has given us everything we need. As good as they may sound, any other way of gaining victory over satan apart from those listed in Ephesians 6:13-18 is not from God. Dr Benson Idahosa said ‘if the devil comes to you once, cast him out seven times’ this means that satan will keep coming, we should be at alert and be fully kitted with out armour.
Life is like the English Football Association Premier League, the fact that a club is the champion now is no liberty for them to rest. As I type this, Chelsea Football Club which happened to be the Premiership Defending Champion 2005 just finished a ‘battle’ with my club Manchester United. Though the cup is with them now, they have to in Biblical Language Contend for it (And it is my prayer that Man United will win the premiership this time around, no offence meant to Chelsea fans please). In our Christian life too we have to keep contending with the Devil. If you win in this, he will come up with another one. Life is a series of challenges, but with the right application of God’s word will be a series of victories.
So, dear Christian please understand that you already have victory over satan. Jesus your saviour has paid the full price for your victory. Rise up, believe God’s word, study the Bible and pray scriptural prayers. Be like the Christians in Berea who would double check Paul’s teachings to see if they were in line with the scriptures. Make a habit of double checking what you hear taught from the pulpit, you are not disrespecting God’s anointed by doing this; you are simply checking the truth from God’s word.
God’s will for you is to have victory, by walking in His way. Your pathway to victory is not in wishing that calamities happen to your enemies. God can by-pass your enemies and bless you. Do not forget the Bible verse which says ‘you (God) prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.’ Jesus died for all men, including the one who hates you; God understands that you feel like your enemy should get a one way ticket to hell this moment, and He also understands that your enemy is actually the devil and not Mr. or Ms. A. Like my Mother will say, leave your battles for God to fight, live your life to please God, walk in love and victory is surely yours.
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