Winning The Satanic War
Part 2
Dear Visionary Leader:
Last week we began looking at Winning the Satanic War. The word “warfare” is an important word. We are in a battle; a fight to the finish, against a sinister foe with no holds barred. We cannot be neutral and cannot call for a truce. General Douglas MacArthur said, and rightly said, “In war, there is no substitute for victory.” And the victory is ours in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Because of what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross, and because of our birth into the kingdom, we have, “kingdom authority.” When we were born again, we were born to win. I pray that the Holy Spirit will emblazon that upon your heart. As we read in the book of Chronicles, “The battle is not yours; it is the Lord’s.”
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When we were saved, we were saved to win. Sin will never win and faith in God will never fail. We are commissioned to move forward with Kingdom authority to overcome our enemy and to save the lost.
Jesus Set Us Free from Satanic Dominion
Not only has Jesus set us free from our spiritual death and our staggering debt, but also satanic dominion. Now, look in verse 15. Colossians 2, verse 15. “And, having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”
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When he says “principalities and powers,” what’s he talking about? He’s talking about Satan’s dark kingdom. In Ephesians, chapter 6 we read, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers … and spiritual wickedness in high places.” But what did Jesus do, when He died on that cross? He ruined Satan.
Look at the word “spoiled.” “And, having spoiled principalities and powers.” That word “spoiled,” “ekduo,” literally means, “to strip.” Have you ever seen, maybe, a film, where a person, an army officer, is being disgraced? Maybe he’s sinned against the state, and he has all of these medals on him. He comes to his superior officer and reaches out to those medals and strips them from him. This word means a stripping. It actually meant to take the hide from an animal. Satan, has been stripped.
The Bible also says, “He made a show of them openly.” He is now stripped of all of his royal regalia. He had dominion. He calls himself the “god of this world.” He says, “All of the kingdoms of this world have been given unto me.” But, when Jesus died on the cross, He stripped him of that. Then, He made a show of him openly. That is, he’s not only stripped, but he’s shamed. He’s made a laughingstock. He is to be ridiculed. Look at him! Look at him! The king has no clothes. He’s been stripped. He’s been shamed.
Then, it says, “triumphing over them in it.” In what? In His death on the cross. He’s been subdued. This is the summary of your enemy. Stripped! Shamed! Subdued! How? By mighty Calvary. The writer of Hebrews says, of Jesus, through death, He would destroy Him that had the power of death, that is, the devil. That’s what the second Adam did to undo what the first Adam did. Do you understand it? This authority has been sovereignly established. Now, the devil doesn’t want you to learn that. He doesn’t want you to learn that the king has no clothes. He does not want you to know that he’s been stripped, shamed, and subdued. Don’t you let him intimidate you anymore.
Kingdom Authority Must Be Strongly Enforced
This Kingdom authority that has be must be strongly enforced. Why does it need to be strongly enforced?” Because Satan is an impostor and he does not give up anybody or anything, without a fight. His fight is deception. He always tries to pull the veil of darkness over his nefarious kingdom. He does not want you to understand what has happened to him. Many people don’t realize this. Many people think that Satan still has power. He only has power to those who allow him to have that power.
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“Well,” you say, “James, I don’t understand. If he’s been defeated, why, then, must I enforce my authority over him?” Because you must appropriate what God has already done. We do this in many areas. For example, Jesus died for everybody. 1 John, chapter 2, says this of the Lord Jesus: “He is the propitiation for our sins.” It literally means He’s the satisfaction for our sin. Jesus paid it all. “He is the propitiation for our sins.” Then, John says, “and not for ours only, but also for … the whole world.”
When Jesus died, He died for the world. But is all the world saved? No. Why? Because what is absolute—His death—must be appropriated, by faith, right? The fact that Jesus died for you, and paid your sin debt, will do you no good, unless you believe on Him. “He that believeth on him is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” You no longer need to go to hell because of your lying, or stealing, or pride, or envy, or lust. That has been paid for! But you must appropriate what has been paid for. Got it? So, it was absolute, but it must be appropriated.
Let’s think about spiritual power. When the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost, God poured out His Holy Spirit to the infant church. We don’t need to pray, “Holy Spirit, come.” The Holy Spirit has come. We need to quit asking God to do what He’s already done. It would be like asking Jesus to die for our sins. The Holy Spirit has come. And God has poured out incredible, dynamic power. But let me ask you a question. Is every Christian Spirit-filled? Does every Christian have the power of the Holy Spirit? No. Why? Because they have not appropriated that which is already absolute. You see, it is there, but it must be appropriated.
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Let’s talk about your dominion over Satan. Has Satan’s back been broken? Yes. Has his kingdom been ruined? Yes. Do you have authority? Yes. But you must appropriate and enforce that authority. Satan is not going to give up these who are in his dark kingdom. You see, Satan is holding people captive.
In Luke 4:17-18, the Lord Jesus is at His hometown in Nazareth. It’s time for the sermon, and Jesus steps up to give the sermon. He takes for a text, Isaiah, chapter 61. And this is what Jesus says, because the Old Testament prophesied of the Lord Jesus. We read, “And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet, Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.”
He Came for the Bankrupt
These are those who are bankrupt: the poor. He’s not talking only about those who are financially poor. It includes that, but He’s talking here, spiritually. You may be a multi-millionaire today, but, without Jesus, you’re bankrupt. That church in the Book of the Revelation, Laodicea, Lord said to it, “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” You may go home today in a fine automobile, but without Jesus, you are a pauper, and you need the Lord.
He Came for the Brokenhearted
Jesus also said, “He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted.” Jesus came to those who are filled with sorrow. The Bible says, “Man that is born of woman is of few days, and full of trouble,” and without Jesus it’s only going to get worse. What do they have to look forward to? One by one, their loved ones will be taken from them. One by one, they’ll go down into the grave. Day by day, their body will get weaker and sicker, and all they have to look forward to is a hole in the ground. There is no rhyme, nor reason, nor sense to anything. Jesus came to those people: the bankrupt, the brokenhearted.
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He Came for the Bound
Next Jesus said, “to preach deliverance to the captives.” These are people who have been taken captive by Satan. Satan has moved in and made this world a vast concentration camp. They may not even realize it, but they are bound by Satan. And the Bible says, “The whole world lieth in the bosom of the wicked one.” Just like a child asleep in its mother’s arms, this world is listening to the lullaby of hell, as demons sing that anthem. And we wonder, why don’t they wake up? They’ve been chloroformed by the spirit of this age, and they’ve been taken captive.
He Came for the Blind
Jesus also said, “And recovering of the sight to the blind.” These are people who cannot see. 2 Corinthians 4:4 says, “The god of this age hath blinded the minds of them who believe not.” It’s not that people don’t have 20/20 sight. They can’t see spiritual things. Never argue with a man for not understanding the Bible. Nobody’s ever argued into the kingdom of heaven. When he says, “I just don’t see it,” he’s not lying. He doesn’t see it. Jesus said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see…” “The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” To scold a man for not seeing, that would be like scolding a blind man for not seeing a sunset. They are blind, until Jesus opens their eyes.
He Came for the Bruised
Next Jesus said, “To set at liberty them that are bruised.” Satan is cruel! He takes joy in your suffering and in your pain. Why does he do that? Why is Satan the bruiser? Satan knows that he cannot get at God. Satan’s war is with God; but Satan knows, if he can hurt someone that God loves, he’s hurt God anyway. Therefore, you have become a pawn in this war. Look at this litany of problems. Those who are bankrupt, those who are brokenhearted, those who are bound, those who are blind, those who are bruised; these are the ones who are in Satan’s dark kingdom.
What is our responsibility? Why did Jesus come? This verse says that the Spirit of the Lord is upon Him, because God sent Him to do this. Now what did Jesus say to us? Jesus said, “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” These who are bankrupt, these who are brokenhearted, these who are bound, these who are blind, these who are bruised; God has sent us to the rescue. It is our job, in the authority that has been given to us, to set the captives free. That’s the reason we have this Great Commission; it deals with authority. “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.”
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Our warfare is not with flesh and blood. We need to understand that our warfare is with Satan. Do you understand that? Ephesians 6:12, says, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers … against spiritual wickedness in high places.” When Simon Peter rebuked the Lord Jesus, and said to the Lord Jesus concerning the cross, “No, Lord, be it far from You; You’ll not die on that cross,” Jesus Christ said to Simon Peter, “Get thee behind me, Satan. Thou art an offence unto me.” Now, was Jesus calling Simon Peter, Satan? Of course not! Jesus knew better than that. Jesus looked beyond Simon Peter and saw where the battle was.
Do you know what the devil loves to do? The devil loves to get us fighting with flesh and blood. Our problem is not in Hollywood, nor in the White House. We’re at war with Satan. It’s about time we woke up. Our warfare is not with some politician; our warfare is with Satan himself. We are not wrestling with flesh and blood. And the reason that we’re losing the fight is we’re not showing up for it. Jesus said, “Behold, I give you authority over all the power of the enemy.” You have to take the power of attorney and move in.
You may say, “Satan, won’t you leave me alone? Please leave me alone. Don’t bother me anymore.” What you need to do is take the authority of heaven, and say, “Satan, in the name of Jesus, I resist you. I rebuke you. You have no right here. You’re trespassing on my Father’s property. And, in the name of Jesus, be gone.” You say, “Well, you’re talking to the devil. Isn’t that like praying to the devil?” You’re not praying to a cat when you say, “Scat.” Jesus said, “I give you authority over all the power of the enemy.” It has been sovereignly established. It must be strongly enforced.
Kingdom Authority Must Be Strategically Exercised
This authority that our Lord has given us to set the captives free must be strategically exercised.
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There Must Be the Right Person
The person who does it must be right. We must not light heartly come against Satan, if there’s any unconfessed sin in your life, or a spirit of rebellion. You will never be over until you learn to be under. Only when you’re under authority can you live with authority. You’re going to get yourself in a lot of trouble if you try to fight spiritual battles with a dirty, wicked heart, or a rebellious spirit.
There Must Be the Right Position
There must be the right position. We must understand where we are as a Christian, and speak from that position. What is our position? Ephesians 2:6, says that God has “raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” He has “raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
“In the heavenlies.” When Jesus died, we died with Him. His death had our name on it. When Jesus arose, we rose with Him. When Jesus ascended, we ascended with Him. When Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, we are in Him, and He is in us. We are sitting together with Jesus in the heavenlies.
Do you know what our problem is many times? We’re praying in the wrong direction. We are praying from earth to heaven. We need to start praying from heaven to earth. Are you listening? I mean, from our position in the Lord Jesus Christ; from heaven to earth! We are seated with the Lord Jesus; and now, we need to turn our prayers downward, because these things are beneath our feet. Jesus said, “Whatever you will bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” This doesn’t mean that God seconds the motion. It means, in the Greek language, “Whatever you bind on earth shall have already been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have already been loosed in heaven.” It is done. We need to exercise kingdom authority.
There Must Be the Right Power
Where is the power? We need to understand this and appropriate it with faith.
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The Power is in Calvary
The power is in Calvary. The Bible speaks of Satan, in Revelation, chapter 12, and it says concerning Satan, “And they”—the saints— “overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” Where is the power? The power is in Calvary. The power is in the blood. “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb.” Can you imagine a lamb overcoming a dragon? In this same chapter, Satan is described as a great red dragon. They overcame him by the blood of a little lamb. You, with the authority that has been given to you, can take the blood of Jesus Christ, and overcome Satan every time.
The Power is in Confession
We read, “the word of their testimony.” What does that mean? What is the word of your testimony? The word of your testimony is the Word of God actualized in your life. The word of your testimony is what God has done for you. Do you have a testimony? Do you believe the Bible? Well, that’s the second step, and that’s confession. By the word of your testimony; give the devil your testimony. Say, “I belong to Jesus Christ. My certificate of debt is paid in full. Your back is broken. God has given me authority over you. And I don’t have to take it. That’s my testimony, Satan.”
The Power is in Commitment
We read, “They loved not their lives unto the death.” Don’t you let the devil intimidate you anymore. What that verse literally means is, “I’ll serve Jesus, if I die for doing it.” It doesn’t mean, “I’ll keep loving Him till I die.” It means, “I’ll serve Him, if I get killed for doing it.”
Let’s think of Satan. Say: “stripped, shamed, subdued.” “Calvary, confession, commitment.” Jesus said, “I give you authority over all the power of the enemy.” It’s time we discovered it and put it to work!
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Until The Last Person Has Heard,
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Dr. James. O. Davis
Founder/President
Global Church Network
Cochair / Global Networking
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