Overcoming Satan and his Minions

There is a spiritual battle that surrounds us daily, whether we are fully conscious of it or not. It is there. Apostle Paul tells us in ‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:12‬,

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

Sometimes we are directly and deeply affected by the powers of that dark realm. Other times, we just see it in the world around us. How do we guard ourselves from this evil darkness perpetuated and inflicted upon all mankind by Satan and his little minions?

James 4:6 tells us,

"Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."

We are not only to humble ourselves before God, but we are to take an active stand against and oppose the devil. When we do so, that evil dragon has no choice but to flee. Why does he flee? Because we are taking a stand with the authority given us as Jesus tells us in ‭Luke‬ ‭10:19‬,

"I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you."

Jesus has given us spiritual authority to trample AND overcome Satan and all darkness. When we verbally declare, "Away with you Satan by the name and power of Jesus Christ...go!" When we declare that authority we have through Jesus, Satan and his minions must flee. They have absolutely no choice.

We must also put on the full armor of God so that we can take that stand, to trample and to overcome the devil’s schemes as we read in Ephesians‬ ‭6,

With the armor of God, we are able to be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power by

Clinging to God’s truth
Striving to follow God’s way of life
Focusing on God’s gospel
Standing firm with faith in God’s promises
Holding onto the confidence of our salvation in Christ
Filling our minds with the word of God
and Praying in the spirit on every occasion

Apostle Paul tells us… with all this in mind, be alert. We must be watchful because Satan is wily. We read in I Peter‬ ‭5:8‭-‬9‬,

"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith."

Not only do we need to be alert, but we also must NOT give any opportunity to the devil as Apostle Paul tells us in ‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:27‬. Just as a soldier has to be on his guard for an approaching enemy, we also must be watchful and not provide any opportunity for Satan to sneak in.
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What kind of opportunities is Satan looking for? He looks for our weaknesses. This is why God tells us to put on the whole armor to strengthen and protect us. When we ACTIVELY put that armor in place. God promises to strengthen us where we are weak, to pick us up when we fall and to protect us when we are vulnerable. Satan doesn't have a chance.

While we SURROUND ourselves with the protective armor of God to repel Satan, we are also FILLED WITHIN by the strength of Jesus through the Holy Spirit and have the power to overcome all darkness just as we read in ‭1 John‬ ‭4:4‬,

"the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."

We are also FILLED with the light of Christ and darkness cannot overcome the light as we read in ‭John‬ ‭1:4‭-‬5‬,

"In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

It doesn't matter how pitch black the darkness is, one little flicker of light immediately overpowers it. There's nothing darkness can do to overcome that flicker. It can attempt to get darker, but that light will still pierce through it. Light is that powerful, no matter its size.

To summarize how we win the spiritual battle, we must...

Submit to God, humbling ourselves.
Take an active stand against the devil.
Declare the authority Jesus has given us over Satan.
Actively put on the whole armor of God.
Be alert and watchful of the devil’s schemes.
Do not give Satan an opportunity.

And finally, remember that we cannot be defeated because we are God's children and we have the mighty strength and light of Jesus within us. We will close with 1 John‬ ‭5:4‭-‬5‬,
"For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God."

Declare that victory. Live in that victory. Rejoice in that victory. For, in Jesus, we have the authority, power and strength over all darkness.

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