Prof. Biju Issac

They (saints) overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.­Rev. 12:11)

The greatest enemy we ever have is Satan - the destroyer and the killer of our soul. No human enemy can match his guile and deceit. He is wiser than any human being. If we compare the dictator Hitler, who slaughtered almost six million Jews, with person of Satan, we would have to say - "Hitler is a saint compared to Satan". That is just to show how wicked Satan is. His intention and joy is:

To see you sink in sin and defeat To separate you from God.

To make you become like him in character.

He offers poisoned milk and temporal leisures to entice weaklings. Many fall into his bait of illicit sex and pornography to be thus slaughtered by him. Once addicted to any evil habit, he won't let them go from it. This explains the condition of many children of God. I was horrified to hear of the live incidents into which he took some good believers and destroyed them..... taking away the sense of shame..... making them his slaves..... feeding

them with discouragement and hopelessness. I am addressing such demoralized people, over whom other men have erected tomb stone reading - "Hopeless cases".

If you are not a believer, do accept the free salvation offered by Christ Jesus and be saved from the tyranny of this taskmaster - Satan. How long will you argue..... "Weather God is there or not?.... "Will life become miserable if I surrender myself to God?" etc. Know that you are living in utter spiritual darkness and controlled by the prince of darkness, letting yourself to be eternally separated from God. You'll be liberated if you submit to the Lordship of Christ. He must be your Saviour and Master. He loves you dearly.

If you are a believer and still you are not aware of his schemes, then you are on a slippery ground. The chief interest of Satan is to dismantle your relationship with God. It is to achieve this end that he works subtly. He prowl around like a lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet.5:8). The more you desire and thirst after God, in an equal and opposing measure, Satan is having an eye on you.

Most importantly we should be walking in the light. What does that mean? God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all (1 Jn. 1:5). We should be ruthlessly honest and transparent before God as to what we are. As He points out some "unclean matters", repent and trust in his forgiveness. If only we come into the light of God's word and truth, the black spots on us can be seen. A few target areas ofhis attacks are:

Giving a false picture of Redemption:

Firstly, you have to be very clear of what God has done for you, as a sinner, in Christ Jesus. If this fountation is shaky, Satan will have the last laugh. Heavens and the earth may pass away, but according to the Scripture, the facts given below are immutable:

1. God has adopted you as his child, and He has put in you the Spirit of adoption, where by you can boldly cry out "Abba, Father", with the right of His son.

2. God has blessed you with all the heavenly spiritual blessings in Christ. You are indeed rich in Christ, because he became poor for you on the cross.

3. God has chosen you in Christ even before laying the foundations of this world, so that you become holy blameless.

4. God has predestined you to be in the place where you are, to have the physical appearance you have, to have the parents you were born to, to have the brothers and sisters you live with and to be in the community you are living in. There is no room for any complaints, for God has done it perfectly.

5. God has purchased you from the slave market of sin and Satan by the blood of his son, and you are thus redeemed.

6. All your sin the past have been fully forgiven and God would not remember it any more. It has been buried in the sea of "no­remembrance". Hallelujah!

7. You are fully accepted before God, in Christ, Don't try to gain acceptance for you are already accepted in the Beloved.

8. You can boldly approach God, by the blood of Christ. Confess your sins and be cleansed in the blood. Then you are as righteous as Jesus Christ is, in the eyes of God (which is called justification)

9. You have only one kind of righteousness or robe to wear now which is the righteousness of Christ or nothing at all. Your own righeous works will only stink in His presence.

Be strong in these foundations (Ephes. 1:2-7). Many times, Satan who is a thief, steals the sense of worth and value that we have before God (Jn.10:10) . Our total identification with Christ is the only `holy ground " on which we can approach God who dwells in unapproachable light. Remember that God has numbered the hairs on your head. You are of more value than many sparrows. It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. When angels fell into sin, God didn't provide a way of salvation for them. But he did that for man, who was made in His image, for man is precious in His eyes. Read the word of God and understand your position in Christ and the great promises you have. How can you confess a promise to Satan without knowing it?

Accusing you to discouragement:

As a soldier, you need to be alert. A discouraged soldier can never fight. In our spiritual tussle with Satan, we should be knowing what to do with the fiery darts (discouraging or accusing thoughts) of the wicked one. Learn to use the shield of faith to quench these darts. Give no room for any accusing thoughts, for Satan is rightly named as the "accuser of the brethren" (Rev. 12:10). His accusation maybe right. He may be pointing at some of your sins, but learn to go to God with honesty and repentance to be cleansed immediately. Be sure that God will not remember your sins and that you are greatly precious to Him. In fact God is "rich" because he got me from darkness and when he thus declared - "You are mine'! (Ephes.1:18 TLB, Ezek.16:9)

Making you ignorant of his defeat:

Satan never likes to hear about his defeat. He prevents the people of God to somehow be ignorant on this line. Some know it mentally, but it never seems to make any difference in their spiritual progress. When Adam sinned, the first promise and prophesy God gave to man was about the defeat of Satan - "He (Jesus) shall bruise your (Satan's) head"-Gen 3:15). Jesus was crucified publicly between heavens and the earth for the entire world to see. On the cross Jesus disarmed Satan and his evil hosts, making a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them (Col. 2:15). Before His ascension, Jesus said - `All authority in Hea ven and on the earth is mine " (Matt. 28:18). This should be an anchor on which we should hold on, for our Lord is the highest authority in this universe. In His name, Satan has to flee. You can resist him, as you submit to God in faith.

Tempting you to hold some sin: It is easy to give foothold to Satan, by petting some secret sins. Two of such sins are an unforgiving attitude and lying. Understand that you are greatly forgiven of God and there is no room for any bitter attitude toward even your worst enemy. It's like catching some one by the collar for a silly debt, on your way out from the king's court where you had been forgiven of all your debts (Matt.18:23-35) . God would give such people to the torturers (meaning to the hands of evil powers to torment them),

if they remain hardhearted after repeated warnings. Satan is called as the "father of lies" On. 8:44) and lying is in his nature. Telling lies opens our being to his domain of darkness. Hate lying and being bitter. It will only give a footing to Satan.

Dear saint of God, by the blood of the Lamb-Christ Jesus and by the word of your testimony (quoting the promises and confessing your position in Christ) you can overcome the deadly enemy - Satan!

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