The Best Offense...Is a Good Offense

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?--Romans 8:29-31

When you were reborn in Christ, He remade you in His image, with the spiritual DNA of a royal heir. And if you are like Christ, you are destined to win against the devil. As believers, we not only have the ability to recognize evil, but we have the authority to do something about it.

I don't normally write about the devil (after all, he and I are not really on good terms). However, I want to address an important concept that we HAVE to absorb if we want to live a victorious Christian life: we have authority to chase away evil. Not only that, but we can use our authority to gain valuable ground for the kingdom of God when we resist evil forces (aka kick devil butt) in the smallest of situations in our lives and in the biggest problems all over the earth.

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.--James 4:7

We don't flee from him; he flees from us. I think in church culture, we largely believe that the devil is in control of the earth. At some point, we have all nodded our heads in agreement with the saying, "The world is going to hell in a handbasket." When we hear horrible reports on the evening news, we shake our heads in resignation; if we remember, we might mention the issue in a brief, half-hearted shout-out during Sunday morning prayer. When something bad happens to us, we say, "Oh well, I'll just hide out and wait until Jesus comes back." Often, we believe that when it comes to the devil, the best offense is a good defense. 

But Jesus has already defeated the devil. John spells it out for us pretty plainly: "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8). 

In speaking of evil spirits, John goes on: "Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (4:4). The resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead--the Holy Spirit--lives inside of you (Romans 8:11).

In the Holy Spirit, we have the power to affect big change in a world that looks so impossibly unredeemable. With Him living inside of you, you're a warrior, more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37). Warriors go out and win back ground that has been lost to the enemy. God has given you authority to spread the gospel, resist sin, and bust down some stinkin' strongholds so you can show others the way to freedom. 

So put on your armor.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand agains the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.{I mean, give credit where credit is due. Don't be deceived: no bad things come from God (James 1:16-17). Anything bad you experience is not part of God's plan for His children; but He will redeem it and turn it around (Romans 8:28).} Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm (Ephesians 6:10-13).

We know the parts of the armor. There's the belt of truth, which is God's word about who He is and who you are, and it holds up your britches so you can fight. Next is the breastplate of righteousness (won for us by Jesus) and shoes of peace (in Christ, which passes all understanding; these are not running shoes). After that, we have the shield of faith and helmet of salvation, which guard your heart and mind against the "flaming darts" of the devil, the only weapons in his pitiful arsenal. Lastly, you need a weapon: the sword of the Spirit. This is the Holy Spirit, the power that raised Jesus from the dead and has already defeated the devil. He's a weapon who can be trusted. When you pray in the Spirit, you pray His words, sharper than any two-edged sword.

If you were supposed to run and hide from the devil, you wouldn't need armor. You'd need a bunker. 

I'm not advocating for the idea that people suffer from problems because they "didn't take authority over them." This mentality twists the truth of our authority by blaming people for their own sickness or distress. Jesus said that the rain falls on the evil and the good (Matthew 5:45). There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). We know who the accuser is, and, as we've already been discussing, we know he's a liar. Like I said, bad things don't come from God, so let's give credit where credit is due.

I'm also not advocating devil-chasing, like the world does with it's weird Halloween ghost specials on TV. I actually saw one of these playing when I was at the gym. The people on the show were trying to get "ghosts" out of their house by performing creepy rituals. The homeowners were burning tiny bags or something in every corner of the house (at night, of course), huddled up and spooked out. If you think Christian talk about demons and angels is weird, just take a look at what the world believes.

But we are not children of the night; we are children of the light (1 Thessalonians 5:5). The point I'm trying to make is, we don't have to light candles, chant magic words, or ask "ghosts" politely to go away. We don't have to play with the devil. We don't have to appease him. We have the authority to tell him to leave. And we can make serious headway for the kingdom of God by recognizing where evil comes from and then exercising our authority over it, in our own lives and in others'.

We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one, writes John (1 John 5:19). 

But John only writes this after he explains, For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (5:4-5).

Why does believing in Jesus Christ overcome the devil?

By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:17-18).

We don't have to be afraid of the devil, and the reason is simple: we love God, and He loves us, and His relationship with us gives us life. Resist the devil by praising God. Believe that Jesus loves humanity, and exercise that faith by praying His love and goodness over every dark corner of the earth. Love smashes the schemes of the enemy to peices.

As a follower of Christ, you are part of a grand design of victory. You're on the winning team. You're a light that shines in a dark place, and all the powers of darkness cannot overcome you (John 1:5). We know the voice of the Good Shepherd (John 10:27). When the devil's voice starts speaking lies to you, tell yourself just who you are, why God made you, and how much God loves you. (If you need to find out more about these things, just pick up your Bible!) Remind the devil that he's already been defeated in every situation on earth. Then use your God-given, grace-given authority to tell him to go back where he came from! He can even go in a handbasket if he wants.

I think he better start running.