Allen: John 8:32 tells us the truth shall set us free. Free from what? Jesus died for us so we know we are free from death. But what else does that mean? It means we can be free from sin. It means knowing the truth of God’s word will set us free from worry, from debt, from bad habits, from negative thoughts, from bad relationships, from negative self esteem, from all kinds of things. The truth about who we are in Christ will set us free.
Clay: As Christians, we have the power to gain freedom from these problems through our inheritance in Christ. It is up to us to exercise our authority and resist the devil. We are on the winning side in the war against Satan. Satan will try to get us to believe his lies, and his biggest lie is that Christians are capable of being the God of our own lives. Satan will try to confuse us, but in the end it is up to us to realize that because of the power God has given us, and Satan can do nothing about our inheritance in Christ.
Allen: Whether we realize it or not, Satan builds up strongholds in our lives. The dangerous thing about Satan is how people handle him. In some people’s lives he can do more damage by deceiving them into thinking he is the all powerful force in the world that can torment their life. Then there are other people that take a more relaxed approach and Satan puts thoughts in their mind that he doesn’t exist and they can relax. Either way is very dangerous. As a Christian, you might realize the obvious sins, such as drugs or infidelity, and turn away from them. But there are gong to be other parts of your life where Satan is going to have the power of suggestion over you. You have to be able to recognize those parts and run Satan out of your life. Make no mistake. Satan is real and he is here on this earth to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). Ephesians 6:12 says, “For 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.” The good news is Jesus has saved us from Satan eternally (For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossian 1:13-14) and God has given us the power to overcome him while we are on earth (Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. Ephesians 6:11).
Clay: That’s why it’s so important to operate within the truth and the word of God. God does things through people reacting to him, through the word of God. God puts power in your life. But through the power of suggestions, the enemy puts worry, fear and doubt within us to get us to fall for some of the deception he has put in our life. When we can recognize the deception, by filtering it with God’s word, then we can overcome those parts of our life and start living really powerfully.
Allen: A lot of people realize that Jesus died on the cross for them, but they don’t realize how personal that sacrifice is for them. He came down as a sinless human and conquered sin and death for us. (Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Romans 5:1) He defeated the enemy at that very moment he died. He took our sins and gave us that same power to defeat the enemy. As we enter into his family, we have access to the power to overcome the enemy. The devil is so sneaky. Most times he isn’t going to sucker you in with an obvious lie, but rather subtly whittle away at your conscience. By the power of suggestion the enemy puts things in your mind that you don’t recognize are coming from him. When you start thinking you aren’t pretty enough, athletic enough, worthy enough, or whatever – that is the devil messing with you. Through the word of God you can counteract that.
Clay: Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7). In the Greek translation it says he flees in terror. Sometimes we have pictures of the devil trying to torment us and us trying to withstand it. But the Bible says when we stand and resist the devil he flees in terror. When we stand against the opportunity of his suggestion, we refuse his foothold in our life and he flees from us.
Allen: Satan is the ruler of this earth. This earth is his time to reign, the only power he will ever have and he wants to make the most of it, snatching as many souls as he can. We are warned he is after us. “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8. But, again, because of what Jesus has done for us, when we accept that, Satan no longer has power over us. Yes, we will attack believers and non-believer alike, but once a believer understands the authority God has given us through his Word, then we can begin to understand the tools we have to live our life in power and know we don’t have to fall for the enemy’s schemes.
Clay: We access the power God gives us when we implement his word into our life. 2 Peter 1:3 tells us “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” We need to visualize that and realize what it means. We need to be a doer of the word, not just a hearer, so we put the Word of God and his power to work in our life. That is so much stronger than anything Satan can put against us. He gives us armor to protect us in the heat of the battle (Ephesians 6:13-17) and scriptures to refuse his every attempt to get into our lives. A couple of scriptures that come to mind are where love is explained in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes; always perseveres. Love never fails.” The other verse is Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” If we apply all those things to our life, in other words, be a DOER of God’s word – then we are essentially free from Satan’s powers. If you operate under those two scriptures alone, we basically diffuse any type of attack the enemy can bring against you. If a person can’t make you mad, envious, hold a grudge, or make you behave in a bad way, then nothing can take your power. You give the devil no foothold when you act on the word of God. That’s how the truth can set you free.
Allen: We gain power by seeking after the word of God, which is where the truth is found. Anytime Jesus had to confront the devil he quoted scripture directly. He knows that was the most powerful way to combat Satan. That’s the same power we have – God’s word. It is him in living form – all his power and authority.
Clay: When Jesus was hung on the cross he said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” He meant it. He didn’t comment or lash out at them when they spit on him, hit him, beat him. Yes, they beat him physically, but he operated in love by the fruit of the spirit, and it gave the devil no place to accuse him. That’s why he was sinless and that’s why the enemy could not prevent what was happening, which was Jesus buying us back from the devil. When Adam and Eve first sinned it the garden, it made us self-conscience. Jesus, however, wasn’t self-conscience, he was God-conscience. He was all about God, God’s word and God’s will for his life. That’s what we need to become – God-conscience. The enemy wants us to look at ourselves so we will find weakness and he will get a foothold. But if we look to God, we find strength to resist any of the devil’s attempts.
Allen: The truth is God loves you. He cared so much he sent his son to die for you. Once you accept that Jesus died to save you from your sins, you are free. The spiritual battle we face is a battle for our mind. God’s word exposes Satan's tactics of using temptation, accusation and deception by equipping us with the truth that identifies those tactics-- rendering them ineffective. It is most important that Christians understand their identity in Christ; and the power, authority and freedom we have in knowing God's truth.
“No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life.
As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor
forsake you.” Joshua 1:5