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We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one (1 John 5:19, NLT).
First John 5:19 reads as a wake-up call about the reality of Satan. The entire world is under the control of the evil one.
The word that the Apostle John uses for “world” is “cosmos,” meaning that a diabolic personality influences every person, historical event, and natural tragedy. The Gospels testify of this evil presence …
That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick. (Matthew 8:16).
The Apostle Paul expands this explanation of personal evil when he says …
Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil (Ephesians 6:11).
The word for “strategies” is “methodeia” from which we get the English word “method.” Not only is the world under the control of the evil one, but the devil has a methodical strategy for defeating Kingdom purposes.
Our battle is against principalities and powers exerting effective plans that impact every aspect of life on Earth. Yet most believers have little knowledge or a practicing defense against this evil. Yes, we believe in the Bible, but aren’t demons stuck back in New Testament times with little relevance for us who believe in Jesus today?
Uh, no!
Peter writes that our enemy prowls about as an angry lion seeking to devour us, Paul teaches that we must not give the devil an opportunity — and Jesus warns about a prince of this world who is the father of lies.
And yet, spiritual warfare remains a secondary topic in most churches, perhaps something to be discussed in a spiritual growth class on Wednesday evening, but seldom do we learn effective self-defense tactics against Satan’s minions.
One author writes …
Spiritual warfare is all-encompassing. It touches every area of our lives — our families, our relationships, our church, our neighborhoods, our communities, our places of employment. There is virtually no part of our existence over which the Evil One does not want to maintain or reassert his unhealthy and perverse influence.
One of my favorite passages in defeating our enemy is 1 John 4:4, “For He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” It’s not our genius or strength that enables us to defeat the evil one, but the Spirit of Jesus living in us!
But the question remains: Are we prepared to walk in our given Spirit of power against the enemy?
P.S. A great resource for victory is Understanding Spiritual Warfare by Sam Storms. It’s on sale now for $1.99 on Amazon for Kindle (click here).