Recognizing the power of Christ in me
There’s no doubt that we live in a dark and fallen world. So much so that it may seem like God is absent and evil is winning. But the Bible tells us that as believers, we are on the winning side! The power of God Who lives in us is far greater than any attack from the enemy.
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you if greater than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4
The Bible tells us that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world and against spiritual wickedness in high places. When Adam fell through sin in the garden of Eden, Satan gained dominion over the world along with the ruling demonic spirits of the kingdom of darkness that are subject to him. As a result, we are engaged in a daily spiritual battle with our spiritual enemies who will relentlessly try to intimidate us, wear us out and put pressure on us to cause us to waiver in our faith and dependency on God. These highly organized spiritual attacks effect our thoughts, decisions, emotions and even our physical bodies, coming in the form of deception, temptation, hardship, sickness and persecution.
Despite how menacing the powers of evil may seem, the Christian does not need to be discouraged or fear Satan or his demons because we have been given greater authority through Christ! Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and we must recognize that Satan is a defeated foe who has been stripped of his power and his kingdom through Jesus’ victory over sin, hell and the grave. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, He has overcome the world and we share in His victory as conquerors in Christ! As believers, our God-given authority comes through our salvation and our power comes from the Holy Spirit, Who strengthens us and enables us to stand firm in our faith in the midst of all spiritual attacks.
As Christians, we must remember that we are not exempt from the devil’s schemes. There will be a time where Satan and his demons will be forever bound in the pit of Hell but until then, we cannot be dismissive of the prevalence of wickedness in our world today nor should we be ignorant of the tactics of the enemy. Instead, we must remember that we are more than conquerors in Christ and be encouraged that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is alive and working in us!
We are instructed to put on the full armour of God and fight the good fight against our enemies with spiritual warfare and prayer. When we know our identity in Christ and walk in our spiritual authority, we can overcome the powers of darkness in this world and live with a righteous boldness knowing that the God of angel armies is always fighting for us and He is faithful to deliver us from all evil.