By and large, Christians have a defeat mentality and tend to believe the devil so big and that we’re just destined and doomed for destruction. Many people believe that in this life we’re just going to suffer and must push through until one day when we die and we enter into ultimate victory. There's some truth in that; in that it doesn't matter how bad things get and it doesn't matter how difficult life may be, no matter how many problems and challenges you have, one day you will die and you're going to be in ultimate victory. And that's awesome but God wants you to live in victory now, and he has provided for you to be able to do that. One of the obstacles we have in ruling and reigning in life is that a lot of Christians don't realize that they are in a war, a spiritual battle. They think that bad things happening are simply natural consequences or they think that everything that's happening to them is just God's will and God allowed it. There is a kingdom of darkness and there is a kingdom of light. And we are at odds with one another, and people's lives and eternal destinies are at stake.
Some Christians tend to give the enemy a bit too much credit making him sound bigger than he really is, but he isn't as big as you think he is. I want to expose the enemy for who he really is.
Ephesians 6:11-12 New King James Version says,
Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles (or the schemes) of the devil.
We need to put on the whole armor of God so that we can stand against his wiles, his schemes. Our battle is not physical although it may sometimes start to manifest in the physical – we’re in a spiritual battle. And so we need to deal with a spiritual battle spiritually. Verse 12 says, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places. And that's all basically saying is that our fight isn't with people. It isn't with those who hate us and are attacking us and persecuting us and seeking to destroy us. The battle is with the spiritual realm in operation behind the scenes, the demonic, which is seeking to influence people. And so the next time you are tempted to get upset with someone who's really seems to hate you, realize that the only reason they're hating you is because they're allowing the devil to influence them. They're yielding to his influence. And as a result, you're suffering for it.
The battle is not physical and so you cannot fight it physically. Holy water will not stop the devil attacking you. You've got to pray against that demonic spirit in operation behind the scenes. Many people overemphasize the demonic or under emphasize it. I kinda come out of both camps. I was in a church where they never considered it and you were scared of the devil, but you never spoke about it and you never really had to do any deliverance or anything like this because it doesn't really exist for today.
But then you get the other camp, where there's a demon behind every bush and you got to repent of this and repent of that and break this and break that and burn it. And I've come out of both kind of camps and have come to see that there's a middle ground of all of that: there is an enemy; yes he is out to get us, but we're bigger than him. Jesus said it but it's amazing how people in deliverance circles and spiritual warfare circles will quote the scriptures, but they don't tend to act as if it's really true because they feel like the devil's got so much power over them.
Luke 10:19 King James Version, Jesus saying, I give you power to tread on serpents, Scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
That's powerful! It’s saying you've got all authority over the enemy's power. The passion puts it like this and it says,
Luke 10:19 The Passion Translation (TPT)
Now you understand that I have imparted to you all my authority to trample over his kingdom. You will trample upon every demon before you and overcome every power Satan possesses. Absolutely nothing will be able to harm you as you walk in this authority.
You have all of Jesus’ authority at your disposal to destroy the Kingdom of darkness. There is no demon that is stronger than you. There is not one demonic force, not even all the demons in hell together that are stronger than you. You're bigger than the devil. You got all authority than the devil. And if you just realize who you are, you would be able to destroy his kingdom, trample on it.
The last part of Luke 10:19 in the passion and says, absolutely nothing will be able to harm you as you walk in this authority.
As you walk in the Authority which Jesus has given you, because you realize who you are in Christ, the devil will not be able to stand against you and you will see him flee. We are not victims. We've been set up to live in victory. We've been set up to rule and reign, and we can't just say, “oh, well, the devil's attacking me... he's on my case…” because we should be resisting him. James 4:7 says, we should be resisting him and seeing him flee.