A Nugget from New Life Network
(by Dr. Larry Ollison)
Scripture for the Day (November 7, 2017)
Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. (James 2:19)
A few years ago a lady called me from the basement of her home. She was afraid and under great fear. When I asked her what was wrong, she began to tell me stories of strange things that were happening and of the voices she kept hearing. Although the lady claimed to be a Christian, she said she knew the voices were demons because she had once dabbled in the occult. I felt she was right. After all, Jesus said His sheep would know His voice (John 10:4,27) so it shouldn’t seem strange that the followers of Satan would recognize his voice.
I prayed with the lady and connected her with a Bible-believing pastor in her area. The last I heard, she had been set free from the demonic attacks and was active in her local church.
Now, first of all let me say this: Demons do exist. Demons are not a concept or a mental representation of evil. They are created beings that live in the spirit realm and follow the orders of their master, Satan. The Bible talks about them and several scripture passages tell of Jesus casting them out of people.
After speaking at a Christian convention one time where I touched on the reality of Satan and his demons, I was standing outside the auditorium on a balcony. One of the leaders in that church organization came over to me and complimented me on my message. He then proceeded to inform me of his true beliefs. He said he knew the Bible talked about Satan, demons, and angels, but in reality they were just stories to be used to help the less educated understand the personality of God. His monologue reminded me of the Bible verse in Romans 1:22 which says, “Professing to be wise, they became fools.” This man thought himself to be highly educated, but in the knowledge of the Word of God, he was foolish.
The lady who called me was in great fear. Many Christians fear the works of the devil, but this should not be. As Christians, we should never fear something or someone who has already been defeated. Satan has been defeated. When Jesus died on the cross, Satan thought he had won. He and all his demons probably rejoiced, but when Jesus conquered death and came back to life, Satan’s future was decided. He was defeated. Jesus took authority over Satan and was victorious (1 John 3:8).
Here is the Good News! Jesus gave that authority over Satan and all his demons to us. We who are Christians have the ability to walk through the kingdom of darkness without fear. We not only can resist the evil of this world, but can overcome it.
When the seventy who were sent out by Jesus to witness returned, Jesus told them in Luke 10:19, “Behold, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
Later, Jesus gave that same authority over the devil to all who believe. He said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16:16-18).
So, Jesus gave us authority over the works of the devil and He commanded us to use that authority. He said, “These signs will follow those who believe.”
Do you believe? Well, if you do, this applies to you. All you have to do is walk it out. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)
