by Kenneth & Gloria Copeland
One of the devil’s favorite pastimes is telling believers how big their problems are. He does it all the time. It seems he’s always trying to discourage us about one thing or another. But next time he tries it on you, here’s a thought that will encourage you: The devil is actually the one with the problem!
What’s Wrong With the Devil Anyway?
by Gloria Copeland
He has a problem that’s not only massive, unlike the temporary difficulties you may be facing, his is permanent and getting worse every day.
Just think about the situation he is in right now. Because of what Jesus accomplished 2,000 years ago through His life, death and resurrection, the kingdom of darkness has been utterly defeated. Jesus has stripped Satan of the authority he stole from Adam in the Garden of Eden and taken back everything that was lost to mankind through sin.
As 1 John 3:8 says: “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”
The word destroy means “to ruin; to bring to naught; to spoil completely as to destroy a government.” In other words, Jesus reduced Satan to zero. He took away from him everything he’d gained through the Fall of Man and left him with no legal rights and no power.
None.
As if that wasn’t humiliating enough, Jesus made things even worse for the devil by instituting the new birth. He made it possible for people like you and me, who were once held captive and contaminated by sin, to become new creatures in Christ. Jesus made us His joint heirs and gave us His power and authority. He put Satan and all his demonic hosts under our feet and said: “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
I’m sure the devil wishes that verse wasn’t in the Bible. He’d like you to think he only has to flee from Jesus. But that’s not true. The Bible makes it clear, the devil has to flee from you. Why? Because you have Jesus living on the inside of you and, as 1 John 4:4 says, “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
Talk about big problems! Satan has no power of his own left to use against you. The only way he can get any foothold in your life at all, is by deceiving you into using your own power against yourself. And he can only do that by getting you to believe what he says instead of what God’s Word says.
If you refuse to buy his lies, if you find out what the Word says, believe it and act on it, Satan can’t stand before you any more than he stood before Jesus. When you resist him in the Name of Jesus, he has to run from you, as one translation says, as if in terror! Because you have the right and the position to use the Name, Satan has to do what you say.
So take solace knowing that the devil is the one with the problem… the big, big problem. It’ll put you on a path to overcoming everything the devil throws your way!
3 Ways to Stand Against the Devil
By Kenneth Copeland
All through history, Satan has tried to sidetrack the Body of Christ and take its attention off of what God is doing in the earth. It’s a diversionary tactic whose sole purpose is to stop the move of God. It’s time for every Christian to stand against the devil and all his mischief and take their rightful place.
In Matthew 24:4-6, Jesus warned us that we would face difficult times. He said: “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled.” How do we keep from falling prey to it? How do we keep from falling into the fear and deception Jesus warned us about? Here are three steps for taking a solid and successful stand against the devil:
#1 Stand Against the Devil by Understanding the Score
You must come to the complete and absolute decision that you are the victor. The victory is yours and the battle is the Lord’s. You must settle that within yourself.
Do whatever you have to do to get that into your spirit. Stay in the Word; take Communion every 30 minutes if necessary; fellowship with the Lord until confidence in Him rises up within you and chases out every thought of failure and defeat.
#2 Stand Against the Devil by Proclaiming Psalm 91
The second thing we need to do to stand against Satan’s traps is to speak out loud about the deliverance of the Lord. Psalm 91 says, “I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver [me]….”
Notice that scripture says, I’ll say it and then, in response to what I’ve said, He will deliver me.
That’s not just some super-spiritual idea either. It works. I know one soldier who, during World War II, survived a bombing raid by huddling underneath a bunk bed shouting out Psalm 91. By the time that raid was over, the bombs had destroyed the building he was in and everything in it, except that one little bed sitting right out in the middle of the room.
You can do the same thing that soldier did. Take hold of that 91st Psalm. Say it to yourself so often that you know it by heart.
#3 Stand Against the Devil by Praying for the “Bad” Guys
The third thing that will help you stand against the devil is this: Follow the rules of faith. In 1 Timothy 2:1-2 the Holy Spirit instructs us to offer “first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks…for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority.” That means we’re to pray not only for the good guys, but for the bad guys too.
If we’re going to successfully fight this fight of faith, we’re going to have to obey God’s guidelines. We can’t jump up and start ranting and raving about that person who is coming up against us.
Instead, do what Proverbs 4:23 says and protect your heart against foolishness like that “with all diligence.” I don’t care how you feel about it. I don’t care if your flesh rears up and gets mad. Put it back down and fight that battle in the heavenlies. Fight it with prayer and the Word and keep your faith strong by guarding yourself against hate.
No matter howmuch you try to ignore it…or how despairingly you cry about it, Satan will attack you. But don’t let him succeed in his attack. Instead, settle the victory in your heart. Speak out the delivering power of the Lord and follow the rules of faith. You will surely stand strong again the devil and see the salvation of God!
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