Luke 4:8 “And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.' "
In a previous section we discussed the different spheres of influence over which saints could exercise their authority. We also discussed the two main weapons available to the saints in enforcing their authority over the devil, i.e. the name of Jesus and the word of God. And so in this section we want to discuss the different areas of life over which saints should exercise authority, and the importance of God’s word in enforcing that authority. So why is it important for believers to know God’s word in these areas? If the believer is ignorant of God’s word in these areas then Satan will take advantage of the saint’s ignorance and exploit them. As we discuss each area in turn, I have quoted a passage of scripture that is pertinent for that area. Obviously there are many more scriptures in the bible that deal with these areas, but one scripture is sufficient to deal with our adversary. And so whenever believers are confronted by the devil in any of the following areas, they are to follow the Lord’s example in the above quoted passage of scripture by commanding the devil to depart from them in the name of Jesus while quoting God’s word on the subject. When believers do that in faith, then Satan will depart from them every single time.
Romans 6:14-18 “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. (15) What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! … (18) And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”
The first area which we will discuss is the area of sin. Satan is called the tempter (Matthew 4:3). The reason Satan has that title is because he will always try to tempt believers to commit sin. Satan does that because he knows that if he is successful in tempting the saint, then he gains a foothold in the life of that believer. Nevertheless because of the substitutionary sacrifice of our Lord Jesus in this area, believers are no longer subject to sin and can thus exercise their authority in resisting the devil’s temptations. The above quoted passage of scripture teaches us that under the new covenant sin has no dominion over believers, and having been set free from sin they can now walk in righteousness. And so we see that whenever believers are tempted to commit sin then they should follow the Lord’s example by quoting God’s word on the subject i.e. “get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, 'sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”
Matthew 8:16-17 “When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, (17) that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.”
The second area which we will discuss is the area of sickness and disease. One of the very many devices that Satan uses to test the faith of believers is through the use of sickness and disease. Nevertheless because of the substitutionary sacrifice of our Lord Jesus in this area as well, believers are no longer subject to sickness and disease, and can thus exercise their authority in resisting the devil’s efforts to place sickness and disease on their bodies. The above quoted passage of scripture teaches us that Jesus has taken our infirmities and has born our sicknesses. Jesus did that for us when His body was scourged by the Romans before He went to the cross, for the scripture also tells us that by His stripes we were healed (1 Peter 2:24). And so we see that whenever believers are tested with symptoms of sickness and disease being placed upon their bodies, then they should follow the Lord’s example by quoting God’s word on the subject i.e. “get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ' He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.”
Isaiah 53:5 “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”
The third area which we will discuss is the area of worry and anxiety. Another favourite tool that Satan uses to test the faith of the believer is in the area of worry. For Satan knows that if he can get the believer to begin to worry about various issues in their lives, he can neutralize their faith from operating in those areas, for worrying is the complete opposite to faith. The above quoted passage of scripture teaches us that the chastisement for our peace was upon Jesus. In other words Jesus bore all of our anxieties when He went to the cross for us. In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus told His disciples that His soul was exceedingly sorrowful even to death (Mark 14:34). And so just as Jesus bore our sins and bore our sicknesses, so He also bore our worries. The reason that Jesus did that was so that we can walk free from them. That is why the scripture teaches the believer to be anxious for nothing (Philippians 4:6). As believers we can walk free from all worry and we can walk in His peace, for again our Lord Jesus has taught us that He has given us His peace (John 14:27). And so we see that whenever believers are tested with thoughts of worry and anxiety then they should follow the Lord’s example by quoting God’s word on the subject i.e. “get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ' the chastisement for our peace was upon Him.”
Galatians 3:13 “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree").”
The fourth area which we will discuss is the area of plundering and oppression. In describing our adversary, our Lord Jesus referred to him as the one who steals, kills, and destroys (John 10:10). God has stated that those who are under the curse of the law would be oppressed and plundered continually by their enemies (Deuteronomy 28:29). And so we see that as our enemy, Satan tries to oppress and steal from believers as much as he can. So how does he do that? One of the ways is that he influences people to act against the saints. For example, the saints may experience motor vehicle accidents or incidents of having things stolen from them, such as cell phones, etc. They may find themselves working for employers that begin to treat them harshly. Although in all of those instances it is people that are acting against the believer, nevertheless it is still the devil that influences those people to act in that manner. Another way that Satan attempts to bring destruction upon believers is through the use of the elements of nature, for you will recall that he used a tornado to kill Job’s children (Job 1:18-19). Nevertheless as the scripture quoted above states, Christ has redeemed the believer from the curse of the law. Therefore believers are no longer subject to the oppression and plundering of our enemy. And so we see that whenever the devil attempts to plunder or oppress believers in any way, then they should follow the Lord’s example by quoting God’s word on the subject i.e. “get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, 'Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law.”
Matthew 18:18 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
The fifth area which we will discuss is the area of opposition. Another way that Satan comes against believers is by placing stumbling blocks in their path. In other words believers may come across opposition when they attempt to do certain things, particularly things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Again, in all of these instances it is people that act against the believer, but nevertheless it is still the devil that influences those people to act in that manner. In the above quoted passage of scripture our Lord Jesus has given us the authority to bind the devil so that he cannot influence people to hinder us in our endeavours. You will recall that on another occasion our Lord taught us that in order for us to plunder the strong man’s house (in context our Lord was referring to Satan), that we must first bind the strong man and then we can plunder his house (Mark 3:27). Also in this passage our Lord gave us the authority to loose whatever resources we may need, that the devil would try to withhold from us. And so we see that whenever the devil attempts to hinder the believer in their activities in any way, then they are to simply bind him in the name of Jesus, thus preventing him from influencing people from placing hindrances before the believer. In the same manner, whenever the devil attempts to withhold required resources from the believer in any way, then they are to simply loose those same resources in the name of Jesus, thus releasing those resources from Satan’s control, to be made available to the believer. And so we see that in both binding and loosing the devil in the name of Jesus, Satan is rendered powerless to act against the believer in these areas.
Job 1:9-10 “So Satan answered the Lord and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing? (10) Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.”
There is one final aspect in this section that I want to discuss. There is a worldly saying “that prevention is better than cure”. In the context of dealing with the devil that statement agrees with scripture, for the scripture teaches us that we are to give the devil no place (Ephesians 4:27). So what do I mean by that statement? Instead of reacting to the devil when he brings adversities into the life of the believer, believers should be vigilant in these areas by constantly confessing God’s word over their lives and the lives of their households. In the above quoted passage of scripture Satan complained to God about the hedge of protection that God had placed around Job, which prevented Satan from gaining any access to Job, his household, or anything that he owned. Because of the authority given to the church under the new covenant, the saints are responsible for putting up their own hedges, thus preventing the devil from gaining any access to their lives, the lives of their households, and everything that they own. The saints put up hedges of protection in these areas by constantly confessing God’s word over their lives, the lives of their households and everything that they own.
Michael E.B. Maher
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