I have authority!

Various

The year before we moved to Rabat, we visited our youngest daughter who was living in Tanzania. We spent one of our three weeks on a safari which was an absolutely wonderful experience and which included a hot air balloon ride. I have ridden in a hot air balloon only once in my life and I can not think of a better place to have done this than in the Serengeti. On the balloon ride I talked with an American who was studying owl behavior in the Serengetii for his PhD at the University of Madison. He told me that when he came, one of his desires was to see lions on the hunt. So one night he saw the lights of a car coming down the road and thought it might be a woman he knew coming to visit him. He went outside and stood in the dark, waiting to see if it was her. But the car passed by and when he turned on his flashlight, his torch, to head back in, he saw a female lion on the hunt about six meters in front of him, looking straight at him.

He knew what not to do, which is to run, because that triggers the lion’s instinct to attack. What you are supposed to do is keep eye contact and slowly back away. But he was too scared to do this and turned around, keeping the light shining behind him, and slowly walked the 15 meters into his house. When he was safely inside, he turned on the outside lights and saw four female lions around his outhouse. He told me from then on he has used a bottle rather than go outside at night to the outhouse. He told me he came a lot closer to lions on the hunt than he had hoped for.

Most of us have never lived with the fear that a lion might attack us, but this was the world of those who lived in Old and New Testament times. Judges, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Amos, Zephaniah and Zechariah all have images of roaring lions.

So when Peter wanted to warn us of the danger of the devil, he used a roaring lion as his image. (1 Peter 5:8)
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Here in Rabat, we do not step out at night and worry that a lion or tiger will spring out of the shadow to attack us, but there is a predator that waits for us in the dark. He prowls, he is constantly alert, watching, seeking a moment of weakness in our lives when we are vulnerable and unprotected, so he can spring out and grab us. This predator wants to destroy us. This predator wants to kill us. We are being stalked by a killer who is our enemy, the devil.

Who is the devil?

Surprisingly, the Bible does not tell us much about the devil. The Old Testament begins with the account of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden where the devil, portrayed as a snake, deceives them.

The book of Job was written to discuss the age old struggle to understand suffering and in this story, the devil and God have conversations about what can and cannot be done to Job.

In Zechariah 3 Satan stands as an accuser of Joshua, the High Priest, trying to disqualify him for his office because of his past sins.

In I Chronicles 21, the devil incites King David to sin by taking a census of Israel.

This is the sum of the references in the Old Testament to the devil.

It was in the period between the Old and New Testaments, a period of four hundred years, when there was much more attention paid to Satan. This may be because much of Israel was in captivity in Babylon, the capitol of Persia – modern day Iran. Because of the Persian influence, a discussion of why Israel had suffered such a defeat focused on forces of good and evil and the devil was understood to be behind Israel’s defeat.

It is in the writings from this time, books titled Wisdom, Enoch, Apocalypse of Moses and  others, that the picture of Satan is fleshed out. The early church had access to these books and the obscure references to the devil in the New Testament and reinterpretation of some Old Testament passages (especially Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28) come from the understanding of the devil as revealed in these Apocryphal books.

The little there is in the Bible about the devil tells us all we need to know and the first thing to know about the devil is that he is a created being. The devil did not exist before creation. The devil is not an eternal counterpart doing battle against God. The devil is only an angel, created by God.

What is the significance of this? This means that the devil has limited powers. The devil does not have the powers of God. God is all-knowing and all-powerful. The devil is limited in his knowledge and limited in his power.

A second implication of the devil being a created being is that what God creates, God can destroy. God has the power at any point in time to destroy Satan. In Revelation 20:10, John describes the ultimate fate of the devil and his demonic angels.
And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

God, as the creator, has the power to do this to Satan at any point in time. But God has purposes and in some way, the devil is serving God’s purposes. Perhaps it is because God wants us to grow in faith and the presence of the devil provides the proper environment for our faith to grow. We are tempted and when we hold on to Jesus and are obedient to him by resisting the temptations of the devil, our faith grows. Maybe there are other ways in which Satan is unwittingly helping God’s purposes to be worked out but this much is clear, Satan will be destroyed when God no longer has use for him.

The devil is a created being and he is powerful. The devil is a fallen angel, but still an angel and an angel has far more power than we do. From a reference in Jude, there is an indication that Satan is a powerful angel, so powerful that the archangel Michael did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him.

At any rate, when it is you versus the devil, you will lose. You will lose every time. You do not have power over the devil. But as a Christian you are filled with the Holy Spirit and it is the power of God that defeats Satan.
I John 4:4
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them (false spirits), because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

John did not write that you are greater than the one who is in the world. He wrote the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. Every time there is a conflict between God and the devil, God wins. It may be that a soul is lost to eternity but that is not because God is less powerful than the devil. It is because God will not violate our individual free will that it becomes possible for the devil to win some battles.

What is the devil’s objective?

We can only speculate about why the devil rebelled against God but he did. And in the rebellion of the devil, he seeks to work against the purposes of God. It doesn’t matter what it is God wants, if God wants it, the devil works against it.

So because God wants to create life, the devil wants to destroy life. God wants to renew life, the devil works to keep us in ignorance and despair. God wants to bring peace, the devil works to bring chaos. God seeks to create love, harmony and unity, the devil works to encourage hatred, discord and disunity.

God is steadily building his kingdom and the devil works to prevent people from leaving the control of his earthly kingdom. When someone enters into God’s kingdom, the devil works to cause them to lose faith and fall away, or at least influence them to lead ineffective Christian lives that are unable to encourage others to join them.

The devil is a created being. The devil works against the purposes of God and the devil is more powerful than we are. But because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we can resist the devil.

James wrote: James 4:7
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

As followers of Jesus, as the daughters and sons of God, we have authority over the devil and his demons. We do not need to fear the devil when we are walking in obedience with Jesus.

How do we resist the devil? How you resist the devil depends, in part, on the worldview of your culture.

A Moroccan friend told me stories of his experiences with witchcraft. There was a woman who was a witch who lived with her family in the apartment above where he lived in Salé. This woman had powers that were well known in the neighborhood.

One day her son’s motor scooter was stolen. He told her and she dressed up in the special clothes she wore and spent some time chanting (my friend did not see this but was told by her son the things she did). She looked up after her chants and told her husband and son the address where the motor scooter was, including the apartment number and the name of the person who had taken it.

My friend, who was then sixteen years old, went with her husband and son to the address and they found the scooter and the thief just as she said. The police came to arrest him and he went to prison.

My friend also told me about how some children are born with a straight line across the palm of their hand. These children are considered special and there is a name for these children, zouri or something like that. When a witch is looking for blood to tear demons away from a treasure they are guarding, a drop of blood from one of these special children is taken to pull the demons away. Then the treasure can be uncovered. My friend told me the names of people who had made a pact with the devil in order to get these riches.

How do you react when you hear these stories? Do you believe them? Are you skeptical?

Let me tell you another story.

In a student fellowship at university in Nigeria, a prayer cell met and served as a deliverance team. One day as they were praying, someone received a word of knowledge that the devil was planning to kill someone in their larger fellowship in the next few days.

So they asked for volunteers to fast for three days and pray, especially for whoever that person was. After three days a sister who had recently become a Christian was brought to their prayer cell group. She was exhibiting demonic manifestations and they began to pray for her. As they did, the demons took over and started speaking. They said they had been sent to kill this woman on her birthday, just a few days from now. She had entered into a pact with them earlier in her life and now she had violated that pact by aligning herself with what they called “the righteous one”.

So they prayed and the demons were cast out of the woman. Her birthday came and went and she was fine.

How you react to these stories has a lot to do with the culture you come from.

Roland Müller wrote a book, the middle part of which is titled, The Message. In this section of his book, he writes of three worldviews. There is the guilt/innocence worldview of North America and Europe. This worldview focuses on being right and wrong. The conscience figures prominently in this worldview. When those with this worldview read the Bible, they see a gospel that says we are sinners and are guilty because of our sin. God has a sense of justice that must be satisfied so we can be redeemed.

North Africa, the Middle East and Asia have an honor/shame worldview. In this worldview it is not as important to be right as it is to protect your honor.

Arabs tell a story of a sheik who was sleeping under a palm tree. While he was sleeping, a thief stole his expensive cloak. The family of the sheik hunted down the thief and brought him to trial. At the trial the thief said, “Yes I did steal this cloak. I found a man lying under a palm tree and had sexual relations with him before I took his cloak.” The sheik immediately asked to see the cloak, took a quick look at it and said, “This is not my cloak,” and the thief was set free.

The honor of the sheik was more important than the theft of his cloak. In the guilt/innocence culture of the West, the man would have said, “He’s lying. That is my cloak and I would have know if he had sexual relations with me but he did not. Convict him. He’s guilty.” In the West justice is more important than honor. In honor/shame cultures, honor must be protected at all costs.

The third worldview is that of Sub-Saharan Africa and some island tribal groups and that is the fear/power worldview. This worldview is very sensitive to the supernatural world of angels and spirits and demons.

Cultures reflect not just one of these worldviews but one dominates in the culture. Morocco is primarily an honor/shame culture but, as the stories I told reflect, it is also a fear/power culture.

All three worldviews are reflected in the Bible. In the creation story in Genesis, for example, when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden, they disobeyed God and moved from their innocence to being guilty of sin. They moved from being naked and feeling no shame to having to cover their nakedness because of shame. They went from walking with God in the garden to hiding because they were afraid. The consequence of the fall was that they experienced guilt, shame and fear.

Read through the Bible and you will see these worldviews expressed.

The reason I am talking about these three worldviews is that our worldview makes a difference in how we are susceptible to Satan.

When I told the story of the witch who helped people find treasure and who found the name of the thief who stole her son’s motor scooter or the woman delivered of demons in Nigeria, if you come from the West, you probably view those stories with a bit of skepticism. The struggle in the West is to be aware that the devil is real and not an imaginary figure. In the West there are lots of stories about people getting into a battle of wits with the devil and beating him. There is a song about a fiddle contest with the devil in which the devil loses. The devil is part of folklore in the West but the West has a difficult time taking the existence of the devil seriously. As a consequence, people in the West who are demon possessed may have a difficult time being set free.

On the other hand, if you come from a fear/power culture, the devil is a very real presence and your response to the stories was probably to be reminded of stories you could tell about the power of the devil and witches or witch doctors.

The devil is active in all cultures, regardless of which worldview is held, and the devil cleverly uses tactics which will be effective in each culture.

The bulletin cover has an illustration from Pilgrim’s Progress, a book written by John Bunyon at the end of the 17th century. It has been enduringly popular and has been in print for over three hundred years. Pilgrim’s Progress is an allegory of a man named Christian who sets off on a journey, encountering characters named Despair, Fearful, Promise, Hope and many others on his journey to the Celestial City, Bunyon’s name for heaven.

At one point in his journey, as he is following the path to the Celestial City, he hears that there are two lions ahead and he is afraid to continue. He sees a lodge where he can stay and heads toward the lodge but then sees that the path narrows and there are the two lions, growling and clawing. He thinks about turning back but the porter at the lodge encourages him:
“Are you that weak? Don’t be afraid of the lions, because they are chained and are only there to test the faith of those who have it, and to discover those who have none. Stay in the middle of the path, and you won’t be harmed.”

This is the scene illustrated on the bulletin cover and this is the image I keep in my mind when I think about resisting the devil. As long as we stay in the middle of the path, we will be safe. But if we drift to the side, then the devil can get his teeth and claws into us and do us harm.

Let me share four ways we stay safe with Jesus in the center of the path.

The first is that we need to focus on Jesus, not on the devil.

C.S. Lewis wrote a book titled, The Screwtape Letters, which consists of letters written from a senior devil to a junior devil. In the preface to these letters Lewis wrote:
There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.

Curiosity is often a good thing. Wanting to know why things work the way they do and why people act the way they do is good. But our curiosity about the devil can lead to a preoccupation with the devil and his demonic forces that will be harmful to our spiritual life.

Remember that the devil is more powerful than you are and if you battle against Satan you will lose. It is Jesus who did battle with Satan and defeated him. When Jesus died, the devil thought he had won but then Jesus did the impossible, he rose from the dead, not just rising from the dead to die later in time, but rising from the dead to live for eternity. In that action the devil suffered his final and permanent defeat.

When you resist Satan all you have to do is claim the victory of Jesus over the devil. You do not have to fight yourself. You have only to resist and claim the victory of Jesus.

Paul wrote in I Corinthians 15:56-57
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The victory of Jesus is given to us, all we need to do when we resist the devil is to claim it.

In the name and power of Jesus we rebuke Satan and claim the victory of Jesus for ourselves.

The second way we stay safe with Jesus in the center of the path is to be alert.

Remember that because the devil is a created being, he is limited in his powers. As a consequence, the devil does not know what you are thinking or what you are doing unless one of his demonic angels is paying attention to you.

The devil is like a burglar who keeps watch on your house for the one day you leave a door unlocked and then takes advantage of you in your moment of weakness.

In Job 1 Satan says that he roams through the earth and goes back and forth in it.

When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness and Jesus resisted the devil’s temptations, Luke wrote: (Luke 4:13)
When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

When Luke wrote until an opportune time, it is clear that the devil kept watch on Jesus until he could once again come to tempt him.

This is also the teaching of Peter (I Peter 5:8)
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

The devil and his demons roam around the world seeking an opportunity and when the devil sees an opportunity he seizes it like a hungry lion looking for someone to devour.

So be alert. Where is it you face the most temptation? Plan ahead of time what you will do to resist those temptations. Think and reflect about your life. Try to understand where you are weakest and most vulnerable. Take actions to protect yourself. Don’t just react to situations. Be alert and prepared.

A friend of mine who was a powerful teacher, healer and counselor took his own life. He had been depressed and decided to end his life. This man who had himself been wonderfully healed by Jesus slipped back and in his weakness Satan attacked him and took advantage of his weakness.

Satan prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. He is waiting for you to be weak so you need to be strong in your attachment to Jesus.

A third way to stay safe with Jesus in the center of the path is to use the word of God as a sword.

When you identify that the oppression you are facing is coming from the devil, follow the biblical teaching and resist by speaking out truth.

This is what Jesus did when he was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. Jesus was hungry after a forty day fast and the devil tempted him by acknowledging that Jesus had the power to turn stones into bread.

The devil took advantage of Jesus in his weakness and tempted him with the first use of his powers. The devil tempted Jesus three times and each time Jesus resisted by quoting scripture from Deuteronomy.

Why should you study your Bible? Why should you memorize scripture? Why do you need to know what it is you believe and why you believe it? There are other reasons but this one is primary: when you resist Satan you need to be armed with the truth you need to resist him.

In putting on the full armor of God from Ephesians 6, you need to be armed with the sword of truth. Resist the devil by speaking the truth of the scriptures. Keep your sword sharp by knowing the powerful scriptures on which you stand as a Christian.

A fourth way to stay safe with Jesus in the center of the path is not to give power to the devil by believing he has power over you. This is more of a problem for those who come from a culture that has a fear/power worldview.

Satan has been defeated and is limited as a created being, but he will take any power we allow him to have.

What do you do if someone goes to a witch or a witch doctor and pays to have a curse cast on you? If you are from the West, it is easier to dismiss this because our worldview does not recognize the power of that curse. The West views this as superstitious nonsense. If, however, you come from a worldview that recognizes the supernatural and a culture where the supernatural is common in daily life, then it is a bit more of a challenge.

In fear/power cultures it takes special effort to stand up and resist the power of this curse. As soon as you begin to believe or fear that this curse could have an effect on you, the devil uses this to get his claws into you. Believing that he might have power over you gives him power over you.

So you need to stand strong and speak the truth of scripture. Say with Paul
II Timothy 4:18
The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

In the West the devil uses our fears as well, but in a slightly different way. If you are afraid of death, the devil will use this fear to weaken you and pull you away from faith in God. Whatever your fears are, the devil will use those to attack you. When we identify what it is that makes us fearful, we need to work to be released from our fears. We may need help with counselors and prayer for spiritual healing but this is part of our spiritual work, to be released from fear so the devil cannot use our fears against us.

The devil is a powerful enemy but we belong to Jesus who defeated the devil and rose from the dead. Because we belong to Jesus, we have the power to resist the devil. Because we are the sons and daughters of God, we have authority over the devil and his demons.

Focus on Jesus. Walk in obedience in the center of the path with Jesus. Do not give in to fear. Use the truth of Scripture to stand strong and walk steadily forward to your heavenly home.

When you slip or stumble and drift to the side of the path, repent and come back to the center of the path where you will be safe.

The devil is a defeated enemy. Cling to Jesus and claim his power in your life.

Stand with me now and declare aloud the truths upon which we stand as followers of Jesus.

(Taken from Dynamics of Spiritual Life by Richard Lovelace. Chapter 4, Primary Elements of Continuous Renewal)

1. I AM ACCEPTED! (justification)
Because of my relationship with Christ, when God sees me, he sees me not as a sinner but as his perfect and holy child. The blood of Christ covers my sin.
I can trust God. He will not reject me. His love is not dependent on my behavior. Nothing I do today will make him love me more or less tomorrow. I am his special child, loved and accepted with no strings attached.

2. I AM DELIVERED! (sanctification)
Sin has no power over me. The power of sin to rule my life has been destroyed in the cross of Christ. The Holy Spirit is working with me to transform me into the holy child God sees me to be.
By faith I claim the power of God at work in me, transforming me from sinner to saint.
I have hope! What I am today is not what I will be tomorrow.

3. I AM NOT ALONE! (indwelling of the Holy Spirit)
The Holy Spirit lives within me. Each day I need to open myself to the Spirit, sharing all my thoughts and plans. I need to spend time in silence, allowing the Spirit to speak to me, to guide my thoughts. I need to continue to be open to the Holy Spirit throughout the day in a relationship of communication and communion, checking my thoughts with my knowledge of the Word.

4. I HAVE AUTHORITY! (spiritual warfare)
The forces of darkness are so chained by the victory of Christ that they are unable to do anything which does ultimate damage to his glory and kingdom.
The devil is on a short chain. He can growl and threaten, but in Christ, I cannot be harmed.
Satan is my accuser but I do not have to listen to his accusations.
Stand firm in Christ and rebuke Satan’s power over you each day.
When you are fearful and anxious, fast to focus your attention on God. Remind yourself of what it is you believe. Remember how God has worked in your life.