I have seen so much of confusion regarding our understanding of the devil and the way he functions today. Some of us believe that he is declawed and defanged till we come across a verse in 1 John that says 'the whole world lies (present tense, not past) in the power of the evil one. Then we rework our theology all over again! Let me put it this way before you in poetic form:
He is defeated but not destroyed yet.
He is conquered but not crushed yet.
He is vanquished but has not vanished yet.
What do we have to see here? Well, the devil is a defeated foe but let us understand that he was defeated by Jesus not in mortal combat. He is not chained or bound yet. His power has not lessened but his authority through which he worked that power on earth was brought low. This means that he can still go around like a roaring lion but he has to submit or flee from anyone who wields the authority that Jesus has purchased. In other words, the battle that Jesus won was in the heavenly places. It has to be enforced here on earth or else the devil will act as if nothing has happened at the cross. Yes the Holy Spirit is enforcing that victory here on earth. But realize that He is doing it through the church through prepared vessels.
An example would help. A manager just lost his job. His duty was to collect money from people and hand it over to his boss. He could still do his rounds and take the collection. His boss has not put him away yet. He will go away empty-handed from a house only someone confronts him and tells him that he has lost his job. Only those who are in Jesus can confront the devil. Let me stress on the word 'can'. Many of us still do not. We have to become a proxy for Jesus.
He is defeated but not destroyed yet.
He is conquered but not crushed yet.
He is vanquished but has not vanished yet.
What do we have to see here? Well, the devil is a defeated foe but let us understand that he was defeated by Jesus not in mortal combat. He is not chained or bound yet. His power has not lessened but his authority through which he worked that power on earth was brought low. This means that he can still go around like a roaring lion but he has to submit or flee from anyone who wields the authority that Jesus has purchased. In other words, the battle that Jesus won was in the heavenly places. It has to be enforced here on earth or else the devil will act as if nothing has happened at the cross. Yes the Holy Spirit is enforcing that victory here on earth. But realize that He is doing it through the church through prepared vessels.
An example would help. A manager just lost his job. His duty was to collect money from people and hand it over to his boss. He could still do his rounds and take the collection. His boss has not put him away yet. He will go away empty-handed from a house only someone confronts him and tells him that he has lost his job. Only those who are in Jesus can confront the devil. Let me stress on the word 'can'. Many of us still do not. We have to become a proxy for Jesus.
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