Resisting the Devil A
rocket propelled grenade hits the driver’s side fender and the cab fills with smoke. The little market area explodes with machine gun fire. A wall of tracers crosses the road in front of the vehicle. The enemy rolls tires across the street packed with explosives that discharge all around. The fighting is intense. Scenes like this are familiar to our generation. They are repeated nightly on national news casts. We have become familiar with the weapons of war. We cannot deny that there is a war going on; neither can we deny that there is a spiritual war going on. The Bible tells us, "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds" (2 Corinthians 10:3, 4).
The Real Battle On the other extreme, some deny the reality of demonic activity. Only the naive believe that the Christian no longer encounters a battle against evil. The Bible is clear that "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" (Ephesians 6:12). Clearly, realities in the spiritual realm affect our lives. God permitted Satan to afflict Job (Job 1:8). God sent an evil spirit to terrorize King Saul (1 Samuel 16:14). Satan asked permission to sift Peter like wheat (Luke 22:31, 32). Satan and his army of demons oppose God and everyone who stands for God. This makes the believer a target in the spiritual battle. The enemy’s assault can be aggressive or quite subtle. Satan is the Father of lies (John 8:44), yet he disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). Although the Deceiver is sly, Christians who abide in Christ have victory over the devil: "But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one" (2 Thessalonians 3:3). This is why it is imperative that believers understand and abide in the protection God provides.
Submit to God If God permits Satan and his demons potential access to our lives, how should we respond? Spiritual warfare means different things to different people. Some people teach that believers ought to rebuke Satan and speak to demons directly to bind them and cast them out "in the name of Jesus." Such tactics go beyond the biblical mandates. Spiritual warfare is presented in the Bible quite simply: submit to God, resist the devil, and stand firm in the faith. Our spiritual warfare is less sensational than some want to make it. Some today are involved in "deliverance ministries," speaking directly—and even holding long conversations—with demons. Others employ "prayers of rebuke," aimed at telling the devil what to do and where to go. Such activity is questionable at best and even dangerous.
We can learn from the example of Paul when "a messenger of Satan" was sent to torment him (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). Paul did not rebuke this messenger of Satan, saying "Messenger of Satan, I bind you." Instead, he prayed to the Lord for its removal. When the Lord showed Paul that his grace and power would work through Paul’s weakness, Paul accepted this affliction. In fact, Paul came to see the Lord’s purpose in it: "to keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations." Like Paul, we are to submit to God, seeking God’s purpose in the situation. We are never encouraged to pray to the devil or speak to demons. Rather, we are to pray to God, for he alone has the authority to deal with demonic forces. James puts it quite simply: "Submit
yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). God has allowed any spiritual battle you encounter, so submit to his plan.
Resist the Devil If we resist the devil, he will flee. A stalker looks for weak, easy prey. That’s why Peter says, "Be selfcontrolled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith" (1 Peter 5:8, 9). The Bible says to resist the devil, not to rebuke the devil. God is the only one with the authority to put the devil in his place. Even the angels demonstrate a healthy respect for the power of the devil: "But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’" (Jude 9).
Stand Firm in the Faith Perhaps the most common advice in the face of battle is to hold your ground. The Bible repeatedly urges us to stand firm (1 Corinthians 16:13; Philippians 4:1; 1 Thessalonians 3:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:15; 1 Peter 5:12). Retreat is not an option. Do not let the enemy push you back and "do not give the devil a foothold" (Ephesians 4:27). Paul admonishes believers to "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes" (Ephesians 6:11). We are to put on the belt, breastplate, boots, shield, and helmet for our protection as we stand firm. The weapons of the devil cannot penetrate our spiritual armor. When we submit to God and his purposes, he will do the fighting for us. Our offensive weapons are the Word of God and prayer. We are to take up "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (Ephesians 6:17, 18). The battle belongs to the Lord. We are to stand firm and call upon the power of God to work on our behalf against the evil forces that assail us. When we give the battle to God, our spiritual warfare tactics will be divinely effective.
The seven sons of Sceva testify to the danger of interacting with demons apart from God’s authority (Acts 19:13-20). They attempted to cast out a demon "in the name of Jesus." They were fortunate to escape with their lives after being overpowered by the demonized man.
©2005 Christy Bower. The author grants permission to distribute print and electronic copies with the copyright notice intact. www.ChristyBower.com (Dragon images ©iStockphoto.com / heywoody; prayer image ©iStockphoto.com / Alex Motrenko)