The life in Christ Jesus afforded us by God is a glorious existence! It is the result of His love for us and the fact that He has covenanted with us.
But one thing that becomes abundantly clear to every child of God is that we have an enemy that is bent on our destruction and on the disruption
of our peace and joy - our enemy is Satan and his demonic cohorts. For that reason, it is important that each of us has a complete understanding
of our enemy and of our superiority over him. Indeed, to understand one’s enemy is to possess the ability to overcome him.
In writing about the devil and evil spirits there is the possibility that someone might become what I call “devil oriented” and that is not what
should be the outcome of such a teaching. To be devil oriented is for a Christian to give too much emphasis to the enemy. It is to allow fear of
devils to cloud your mind and redirect your focus from Jesus and onto self-preservation. As someone has said, “It is seeing demons behind
every rock!” I want you to know how your adversary operates and what his methods are in order for you to not be blind-sided and succumb to his
wicked plans. You must understand how to relate to Satan and demons, comprehending full well that you stand in the authority of Jesus Christ
who defeated the evil one with His resurrection. So, indeed, there is no need for fear or undue concerns of the darkness. Simply remember that
when you resist him firm in your faith, he flees. He knows better than you that you can enforce the victory of Jesus anytime you want.
The Bible has much to say about the devil and demons. It behooves you to study those passages and set in place within you the knowledge of
victory.
The devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy; that is his game plan and that is his job description. (John 10:10) So when you see such things
attempted against you, know who is behind it. Take command of the situation with the power and authority (Luke 10:19) that is vested in you by
Jesus who said, “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 18:
18) In this verse He is saying to you that He will enforce what you forbid or release. When you speak words that are intended to stop the evil one
from carrying out his evil plan, the very power of God is released from heaven to do exactly what you have spoken. I assure you that there is no
demonic power that can stand against God Himself. Can you see why Paul the apostle wrote in II Corinthians 2:14 that you are always led in
triumph? Indeed you are always triumphant! (I John 4:4)
Satan actually cannot touch you. Whatever he accomplishes against you must come through your permission. So, when you give him permission
to disrupt your life, he is more than happy to oblige you. I do not believe that any child of God knowingly gives Satan permission to steal from him,
to kill him or his family members, or destroy any part of his life; however, either ignorance of the truth or negligence essentially does just that.
Each of these is usually a result of deception, which is the real weapon of Satan. Throughout my years of ministry I cannot count the number of
times I have taught believers on this subject of victory over Satan who possessed no knowledge of it at all. Ignorance of the Word of God was the
means by which their enemy ravaged their lives and families; they just did not know how the evil one operates. They failed to understand the
truth that they possess the very power of God to handle the devil and that they actually stand in authority over him. Armed with truth, things
drastically changed in the life of these Christians. The fact is this:
The knowledge of truth literally sets you free!
(John 8:32)
I encourage you to take the time to educate yourself on your enemy from the Word of God. I believe spiritual warfare must be a daily part of your
Christian life. Along with your worship of God, prayer, Bible study, and good works you must incorporate into your daily routine the act of standing
against the enemy. The day you choose not to do so, gives a place for the devil to carry out his evil plans against you and your family. That is
when he comes quickly as the opportunist that he is to hinder or even stop the promises of God, and he sows into your life things like confusion,
fear, doubt, unbelief, and all sorts of evil, any one of which has the potential for your destruction. The key here is to fight the good fight daily.
Husbands and fathers, I address you directly. You are the priest of your home by God’s design, (Ephesians 5:23) and spiritual warfare is one of
the most important aspects of your leadership in your home. Do not fail to daily reinforce the defense mechanism of the blood of Jesus. Please
see the blood of the Lamb as that which keeps the enemy at bay. He cannot cross that divine bloodline, so keep it maintained. This is perhaps
one of the most important 60 seconds of time you can invest in the well-being of your family. Continue this duty even after your children are
grown and live elsewhere because your position as “father” has not ended. And ladies, if you are single, you are left to your own. No indeed! You
stand in this place of authority as the priest of your home and you too are afforded the same benefits from God for yourself and your children.
God is good!
You can see that my method herein is primarily offensive in nature rather than defensive. In other words, I do not advocate that you wait until you
feel the wrath of Satan’s hatred for you before you kick into the spiritual warfare gear. No indeed! You set the place for the battle and insure
victory. Do it on your terms, not his. Any successful field commander knows that it is always to his advantage to choose the time and the place for
the battle. He can position himself at the top of the hill in such a way that benefits his cause. If he can cause his enemy to have to fight uphill
against the force of gravity, he is better off. If his enemy has to look into the late afternoon sun, he is hindered in his ability to fight. When the
enemy is tired he fights with less vigor and resolve, so that is when the commander attacks. This is called strategy, and this is what you are
incorporating into your spiritual life. God has given it to you, so use it.
I want you to develop a victorious attitude. Start expecting that in everything every day you will walk in victory. This triumphant mindset will
produce powerful words from within you; they are pronouncements of victory even before you see the victory. These are acts of faith on your
part. Out of your mouth proceed utterances like: “I am always led in triumph in Christ!” or “The devil is under my feet!” or “No weapon formed
against me will prosper!” or “I bind the evil one from my life and family!” These power-truths literally release God’s power on your behalf, and they
serve notice to your adversary that you fight, not from your own strength, but by the might of Almighty God!
But one thing that becomes abundantly clear to every child of God is that we have an enemy that is bent on our destruction and on the disruption
of our peace and joy - our enemy is Satan and his demonic cohorts. For that reason, it is important that each of us has a complete understanding
of our enemy and of our superiority over him. Indeed, to understand one’s enemy is to possess the ability to overcome him.
In writing about the devil and evil spirits there is the possibility that someone might become what I call “devil oriented” and that is not what
should be the outcome of such a teaching. To be devil oriented is for a Christian to give too much emphasis to the enemy. It is to allow fear of
devils to cloud your mind and redirect your focus from Jesus and onto self-preservation. As someone has said, “It is seeing demons behind
every rock!” I want you to know how your adversary operates and what his methods are in order for you to not be blind-sided and succumb to his
wicked plans. You must understand how to relate to Satan and demons, comprehending full well that you stand in the authority of Jesus Christ
who defeated the evil one with His resurrection. So, indeed, there is no need for fear or undue concerns of the darkness. Simply remember that
when you resist him firm in your faith, he flees. He knows better than you that you can enforce the victory of Jesus anytime you want.
The Bible has much to say about the devil and demons. It behooves you to study those passages and set in place within you the knowledge of
victory.
The devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy; that is his game plan and that is his job description. (John 10:10) So when you see such things
attempted against you, know who is behind it. Take command of the situation with the power and authority (Luke 10:19) that is vested in you by
Jesus who said, “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 18:
18) In this verse He is saying to you that He will enforce what you forbid or release. When you speak words that are intended to stop the evil one
from carrying out his evil plan, the very power of God is released from heaven to do exactly what you have spoken. I assure you that there is no
demonic power that can stand against God Himself. Can you see why Paul the apostle wrote in II Corinthians 2:14 that you are always led in
triumph? Indeed you are always triumphant! (I John 4:4)
Satan actually cannot touch you. Whatever he accomplishes against you must come through your permission. So, when you give him permission
to disrupt your life, he is more than happy to oblige you. I do not believe that any child of God knowingly gives Satan permission to steal from him,
to kill him or his family members, or destroy any part of his life; however, either ignorance of the truth or negligence essentially does just that.
Each of these is usually a result of deception, which is the real weapon of Satan. Throughout my years of ministry I cannot count the number of
times I have taught believers on this subject of victory over Satan who possessed no knowledge of it at all. Ignorance of the Word of God was the
means by which their enemy ravaged their lives and families; they just did not know how the evil one operates. They failed to understand the
truth that they possess the very power of God to handle the devil and that they actually stand in authority over him. Armed with truth, things
drastically changed in the life of these Christians. The fact is this:
The knowledge of truth literally sets you free!
(John 8:32)
I encourage you to take the time to educate yourself on your enemy from the Word of God. I believe spiritual warfare must be a daily part of your
Christian life. Along with your worship of God, prayer, Bible study, and good works you must incorporate into your daily routine the act of standing
against the enemy. The day you choose not to do so, gives a place for the devil to carry out his evil plans against you and your family. That is
when he comes quickly as the opportunist that he is to hinder or even stop the promises of God, and he sows into your life things like confusion,
fear, doubt, unbelief, and all sorts of evil, any one of which has the potential for your destruction. The key here is to fight the good fight daily.
Husbands and fathers, I address you directly. You are the priest of your home by God’s design, (Ephesians 5:23) and spiritual warfare is one of
the most important aspects of your leadership in your home. Do not fail to daily reinforce the defense mechanism of the blood of Jesus. Please
see the blood of the Lamb as that which keeps the enemy at bay. He cannot cross that divine bloodline, so keep it maintained. This is perhaps
one of the most important 60 seconds of time you can invest in the well-being of your family. Continue this duty even after your children are
grown and live elsewhere because your position as “father” has not ended. And ladies, if you are single, you are left to your own. No indeed! You
stand in this place of authority as the priest of your home and you too are afforded the same benefits from God for yourself and your children.
God is good!
You can see that my method herein is primarily offensive in nature rather than defensive. In other words, I do not advocate that you wait until you
feel the wrath of Satan’s hatred for you before you kick into the spiritual warfare gear. No indeed! You set the place for the battle and insure
victory. Do it on your terms, not his. Any successful field commander knows that it is always to his advantage to choose the time and the place for
the battle. He can position himself at the top of the hill in such a way that benefits his cause. If he can cause his enemy to have to fight uphill
against the force of gravity, he is better off. If his enemy has to look into the late afternoon sun, he is hindered in his ability to fight. When the
enemy is tired he fights with less vigor and resolve, so that is when the commander attacks. This is called strategy, and this is what you are
incorporating into your spiritual life. God has given it to you, so use it.
I want you to develop a victorious attitude. Start expecting that in everything every day you will walk in victory. This triumphant mindset will
produce powerful words from within you; they are pronouncements of victory even before you see the victory. These are acts of faith on your
part. Out of your mouth proceed utterances like: “I am always led in triumph in Christ!” or “The devil is under my feet!” or “No weapon formed
against me will prosper!” or “I bind the evil one from my life and family!” These power-truths literally release God’s power on your behalf, and they
serve notice to your adversary that you fight, not from your own strength, but by the might of Almighty God!
| THE DEVIL IS UNDER YOUR FEET! |
