Victorious Yet Imprisoned
Christ is victorious ... Christ has defeated the ruler of this world. (John
12:31)
“I have told you these
things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.
But take heart! I have overcome the
world.” (John 16:33) Jesus “disarmed principalities and powers, He made a
public spectacle of them, triumphing over them” (Col. 2:15).
Jesus said, “ALL POWER is given to Me in Heaven and
in earth." (Matthew 28:18) Satan
and his evil spirits were stripped of all their authority. The Lord Jesus
ascended back into Heaven victorious
over all the powers of darkness.
If Jesus was victorious by defeating the enemy then why are we still in prison?
Paul said, we “wrestle against ... principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of the age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12). We are still prisoners
because we are using our own words and thoughts to give the enemy the authority
God has given us. Satan has no authority over us unless we choose to give it to
him by agreeing with his lies. When discussing the ‘Armor of God’, Paul instructs us to use the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Eph. 6:17). When we speak the Word of God, it serves
as a weapon that cuts through every evil plot of the enemy. The enemy cannot
oppose the Word of God. We should never believe the fearful lies of the enemy.
We cannot be double-minded. We can only have one master. The only sure way to enforce
Jesus’ victory in our lives is to consistently wield the Sword of the Spirit by
trusting in God’s Word.
We must be victorious with Christ ... Christ's victory over the powers of darkness is also our
victory. We share in His victory over Satan. The Bible says, "God has
raised us up and made us sit in heavenly places with Christ Jesus." (Eph
2:6) We share His throne and we share
His authority over the enemy. The Lord Jesus said to His disciples, "Behold,
I give you authority…over all the power of the enemy…" (Luke 10:19). To have authority from Christ means
that we have the right to act and speak in His Name as His representative and ambassador.
How do we get back what was stolen?
Although Satan is a defeated
enemy, he is still very active.
Satan goes about "as a roaring lion", tempting, deceiving and
destroying. He is a liar, a thief and a murderer. No child of God is able on
their own to cope with this terrible foe. Only through Christ can we overcome
him. God's Word tells us, "Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His
might." (Ephesians 6:10)
Proverbs 6:30 says “Men do
not despise a thief, if he steals to satisfy his hunger; but if he is found, he
shall restore sevenfold.” God says he
must restore what has been stolen SEVENFOLD. What about a thief
who steals just because he enjoys stealing from people? Would God require him to
repay? The thief we are talking
about here is Satan and he’s a spirit.
How can we make him pay back?
Who has authority over him? Who has defeated him? if you are a believer
of Jesus Christ, you have a voice in two worlds, the natural world and the
Spirit world.
Jesus said, “So far you
haven't asked for anything in my
name. Ask and you will receive so that you can be completely happy. (John
16:24) The word “asked” can be interpreted to mean ‘demand back what was stolen from you’ from the enemy in the Name of Jesus.
Remember that Jesus has already conquered the enemy and has complete authority
over him.
“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who
loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor
principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height
nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the
love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38)
“Dear friends, never take
revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Lord says, "I will take revenge; I will pay them back." (Romans 12:19)
“Listen carefully, the Lord
says this to you: ‘Do not be afraid or dismayed, for the battle is not yours, the battle belongs to God.” (2 Chronicles
20:15)