Out!

"God never had a Satan problem. He cast him out."

We fight a supernatural battle. We have a wonderful Savior whose death and Resurrection we honor with every breath. He is worthy of all praise. His sacrifice cleanses us of all sin and connects us to the Father. He sent the Holy Spirit to live within us and to come upon us as He fell in the upper room at Pentecost.

But Jesus did what He did to destroy the devil's work in men and to judge him of sin. These are Jesus' words, “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out (John 12:31).” And, “That judgment takes place as the ruler of this godless world is brought to trial and convicted (John 16:11).” The word “cast” in the Hebrew means to “be deprived of the power and influence he exercises in the world.” It can also mean to throw up or vomit. The devil has been defeated because he has been condemned. All power (authority) he has over man has been restored to the children of God and any who will accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Satan sinned against God. He tried to exalt his throne above God's. He sinned against God's creation, causing sin in man's heart. And in what was planned from before the beginning of time, he sinned, killing an innocent man who had never sinned, Jesus Christ. God never had a Satan problem. He cast him out and sent His Son to die as the sacrifice for man's sins. But Christ also died as an innocent man. He who had done no sin died for sin. And He died as Judge. In dying, He rose Victor over the devil, with the keys of death, hell, and the grave. He cast judgment on the devil and stripped him of all his stolen power.

The God of heaven and earth could not and would not tolerate Satan's destruction of mankind anymore. Man's sins can be forgiven now. We can come to God and stand in His holy presence. We can speak in the Spirit's language. We can preach the Word and lay hands on the sick and see them recover. We can love the unlovely as Jesus did. All these things because the enemy has been judged and convicted for his sins.

The enemy is a thief and the father of lies. What he did he still tries to do. He practices deception, convincing men and women they are worthless, filling them full of guilt and fear. If he can't enter our mind one way, he will try another way, continually searching for a way to get in. Perhaps he can cause us to stray into pride or lust, big words, but things easier to accept than we believe. The devil has been condemned and his power given to the church. We have the name of Jesus and the power (strength) of the Holy Spirit to resist him and send him out. But this does not stop him from trying again. Having the power and knowing we can use it and how to use it is where we fall short.

We must hold fast to the Word. Speak the Word over us and place it in our hearts. Jesus is the living Word who spoke the Word, and in God's Words is the power of His life to change our thinking and strengthen us. We must stay in the Spirit. This is a churchy way of saying to lean on our friend, the Holy Spirit constantly. We pray in the Spirit, sing in the Spirit, and use the wisdom He gives us to live our daily lives. We keep Him in our thinking and when we do that then there is no room for the devil. We live lives of worship. Worship is song but worship is actions. It is an atmosphere we create that keeps God's presence tangible around us. We can choose to soak in the world and the news, we can choose to hear what appeases our flesh and minds or we can choose to turn it off.

We can choose to know who God is, to know how the enemy works, and to be aware of the Spirit. God wants us to choose Him. Jesus is knocking at the door not simply to come in and live and be ignored but so that we are filled with the goodness of God every minute of every day. God is good. The devil is bad. The devil is also powerless. We must walk forward in the race of life knowing it and let God be in is what Jesus came to bring. Everything.

“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.” (1 John 3:8)


----------
Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com