Ephesians 6:11-17 “Put on the whole armour of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (13) Therefore, take up the whole armour of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (14) Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, (15) and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (16) above all, taking the shield of faith with which, you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. (17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
We have seen in an earlier section that our Lord Jesus has delegated His authority in the earth to His church. And so in this section we want to discuss what the church is expected to do with that authority. In the natural, when authority is delegated to an individual, then that person is expected to exercise that authority. For example, a police officer is given authority to enforce the laws of the land. And so if a police officer is confronted with a member of society that is breaking the law, such as stealing a vehicle for example, it is expected of that police officer to arrest the individual and stop them from breaking the law. We would think it very strange if we saw a police officer in that situation telling the person stealing the vehicle that he was going to call the police. The reason we would think it strange is because he is the one who is meant to arrest the criminal, for he has that authority. In the spirit that principle remains the same, for the church has been given the authority of the Lord Jesus in the earth and it is expected of us to use that authority. What that means is that when we are confronted by the devil in any situation then we are to deal with him ourselves, because we have been given that authority. In the above quoted passage of scripture the apostle Paul admonishes the saints to stand against the wiles of the devil. In other words no one else is going to stand against the devil for us; because heaven has given us the authority and it is expected of us to exercise that authority and give no place to the devil in our lives.
1 Peter 5:8-9 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (9) Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”
In the above quoted passage of scripture the apostle Peter teaches us the same principle that Paul does i.e. the saints are expected to use their authority over the devil; for in this passage he tells the saints to resist the devil. The reason that Peter tells us to resist the devil is because we have been given authority over the devil, and it is therefore expected of us to use that authority. In other words no one else is going to resist the devil for us.
James 4:7 “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
Scripture teaches us that out of the mouth of two or three witnesses we are to let every word be established (2 Corinthians 13:1). We have seen what Peter and Paul have said on the subject, and in the above quoted passage of scripture we see that the apostle James teaches the exact same thing; for in this passage James teaches us that it is up to the saint to resist the devil. The reason that James instructs us to resist the devil is because we have been given authority over the devil. And so we see that all three apostles teach the same truth i.e. the saints are expected to resist the devil. In other words God is not going to resist him for us, because we have been given all the authority we need to resist him ourselves. I want you to notice from this passage what happens when the saint does resist the devil, for the scripture says that he will flee from us. The reason that the devil flees from the saint who resists him is because the devil recognises the power of the one living on the inside of that saint and that power terrifies him, for he experienced that power when Jesus placed His foot on the back of the devil’s neck.
Michael E.B. Maher
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