God is always there.

"There is no competition between God and the devil."

YOU WILL NEVER FACE THE DEVIL without Jesus. Never. You cannot have the one without the Other, but you WILL have the Other without the one. The devil, Satan, is a created being. Created by God as an angel of immense beauty, when he got it into his head to exalt himself onto God’s throne, he was kicked out. Jesus told listeners He saw the whole thing.

“And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” (Luke 10:18)

Satan fell and lost everything. All of it. He had no more beauty, no more authority, no more strength (Ezekiel 28:15). He was nothing. And don’t think Almighty God was taken by surprise. He was not. When sin conceived in the devil’s being, God already knew of it and did not tolerate it. You cannot stand in His presence with sin in your heart. He is holy.

The devil is not God. Although he is called the “god of this world,” there is only one living God, the Almighty who created all things. God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are God of heaven and earth. There is no competition between God and the devil. Right after Jesus made that statement, that he’d seen Satan fall, He gave authority to man over all the enemy’s power.

“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19)

There are two words for “power” used here. The first word “I give unto you POWER” is the Greek word “exousia” meaning authority. The second word, “over all the POWER of the enemy” is the word “dunamis” meaning ability. We have been given all authority over the enemy’s ability. Many stop here, but when we are saved, washed with Jesus’ shed blood, and our spirit man is recreated, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us, and He is the DUNAMIS over the enemy’s ability. God’s ability always trumps the devil’s.

And we have in our powerful Father an assurance that extends to those outside of Christian faith. Because there is no place the Holy Spirit cannot be found, no person He is not wanting to forgive. There is no place too deep or too high or too far from God. The darkness and the light are both alike to Him, we read in the psalms. Jesus defeated the devil in His Resurrection. The devil thought he’d destroyed Him and dragged down Israel as complicit with His death, but though His body was in the grave, there stood Jesus, Son of God, and redemption was made. A done deal.

“Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.” (Psalms 139:7-12)

Some say Jesus died and went to Hades to suffer for three days, but this is not recorded. What is said is that He preached to the fallen angels in prison (1Peter 3:19). Jesus also promised the thief on the cross that “to day” they would be together in Paradise. No man could enter Paradise with sin. So in this we see Him. Jesus WAS the Lamb of God, the sacrifice for our sins; He laid down His life for this purpose. But He IS the Christ, and the Holy Spirit, who was upon Him without measure (John 3:34), cannot die. Jesus could not be the Christ without the anointing that made Him the Anointed One. He never ceased being Christ.

Colossian 2:15 tells us Jesus triumphed over the devil, openly. Jesus rose from the grave by the power of the Spirit and was made King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The spirit world knew that the devil had been condemned for his sin and that God had redeemed mankind. Jesus became the firstborn with many brethren (Romans 8:29), and we are now His family. Our spirit man is recreated because He was recreated. And He made us a promise—to never leave us or forsake us. The God who created the earth, gave all to rescue it, and defeating the devil was a sure thing. That rotten enemy has no place in us and no power to drive God out.

When it seems like all you can hear is the devil, when it seems like all you can see is the devil, God is there with you. He is always there. Our lack of awareness of Him does not send Him away. Our being too conscious of the devil does not turn God aside. Fear and anxiety are like loudspeakers. Suddenly, all we can hear and see is what might go wrong, and if we give into that, then God seems far away WHEN HE ISN’T. Spend time in worship, seek the Spirit’s presence and your worries will fade in the light of God’s goodness.

It is our choice. We choose to lean on God, or we allow the enemy, the devil, to do what he wants. But even then, even in the darkest hour, God is with us. Minister Dutch Sheets tells of God meeting him, lost and confused as he was, inside a bar. Minister Jesse Duplantis was a rock musician performing somewhere in Mexico when his mother called because God had told her where he was. A former Asian gang member testifies of God rescuing him from death three times in three days in the most miraculous ways, including a major car accident. A former Muslim man was saved when he reencountered the Christian man he’d tried to kill years before. There are so many testimonies of God’s grace.

We must set it in our minds that He is with us and make Him more real than the devil. I decided to speak to Him like I speak to my family, and our relationship changed. I chose to feel His presence everyplace I go at every time of the day, and now nothing the enemy ever says can take Him from me. The devil makes a lot of drama, puts himself on center stage and raises his voice. But Jesus is the light, and in His presence, there is nothing to fear, and nothing on the stage but His glorious presence and the heart of the Father who sent Him to die for me.

PSALMS 16:5-11 ISV
(5) The LORD is my inheritance and my cup; you support my lot.
(6) The boundary lines have fallen in pleasant places for me; truly, I have a beautiful heritage.
(7) I will bless the LORD who has counseled me; indeed, my conscience instructs me during the night.
(8) I have set the LORD before me continually; because he stands at my right hand, I will stand firm.
(9) Therefore, my heart is glad, my whole being rejoices, and my body will dwell securely.
(10) For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, you will not allow your holy one to experience corruption.
(11) You cause me to know the path of life; in your presence is joyful abundance, at your right hand there are pleasures forever.

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