Take Authority!

One thing the devil does not want us to know is the power we have in Christ Jesus. If he can continue to manipulate us through our mind, will, and emotions, then he can continue to distract us from the power we have over him.

Recently while I was in prayer, I became even more acutely aware of the game that the enemy plays with our minds. It's not always easy to avoid falling into his schemes and tactics because the enemy is slick with it, but it's necessary for us to not be ignorant of the enemy's devices (2 Corinthians 2:11). Ignorance is satan's greatest weapon over us. When we don't take time to invest in our spiritual maturity through the Word of God, then he knows that we lack the knowledge necessary to resist him.

Jesus told us to resist the enemy and he will flee (James 4:7). But we also have to recognize the first part of that scripture. The first part says, "Submit yourselves to God." Submission to God is the key to being able to resist satan. Jesus showed us how to resist him. When he went through the 40 days of temptation with the devil (Luke 4:1-13), he used the Word to resist. The thing we also have to acknowledge is that satan knew the Word too! He was aware of every scripture that Jesus used to resist him. And when Jesus was done with the devil's nonsense, He told him to go away and he had to go away!

Jesus knew the authority that he walked in as God's child and so did the devil. That's why he tried so hard to get Jesus to fall. But I'm so thankful that Jesus continued to build Himself up through the Word of God and prayer in order to show us how it's done. The authority comes through our relationship with God. It's already ours and we walk it out through submission. We don't have to allow mind games to be played with our minds. We don't have to dwell on things that are not fruitful. We don't have to walk in defeat and ignorance. We have authority over what tries to limit us and keep us from making progress. We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength (Philippians 4:13).

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord, we thank you that you have given us victory; we just have to believe it and walk in it. Thank you for the Holy Spirit who is here to help us and train us in this authoritative walk that we are living out. We submit to your leadership and we're grateful that you have designed us to win in life. We trust your sovereign plan for our life and we want our lives to be fruitful for you in this world. We will intentionally resist the enemy with the help of the Holy Spirit. We love you and we thank you in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Note: I intentionally spell "satan" in lowercase. It's my personal preference.