“You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him” (Acts 10:38). One could interpret this verse as everyone that Jesus healed was in some way oppressed by the evil one. And He healed them as One “anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power.”
Jesus has the power to overcome Satan, and defeating Satan and his work were part of Jesus’ mission on earth. “The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (I John 3:8).
Without Christ, the world is under the power of Satan. “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (I John 5:19). But we are not without Christ. As the verse states, “We know that we are of God.” Though we are no longer under Satan’s power, we are still affected by his power as we navigate this fallen world. So how do we overcome his power?
In a promise that seems too incredibly good to be true, we overcome with the same exact power that Jesus used to defeat Satan. This promise is just mind blowing to me. “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence” (II Peter 1:3). You have the same power as Jesus to overcome the evil one. His divine power has given us everything we need to live in godly ways.
So what does this look like in our daily lives? When Satan fills our mind with lies about our failures, our sin, our guilt, we have the power to say, “No, I am only listening to the truth about God’s love, acceptance, and forgiveness.” When Satan tempts us to sin, to follow after the flesh, we have the power to say, “No, this sin is not who I am. I choose to walk according to the Spirit’s leading in righteousness. I will walk by the Spirit’s power.” Do you see the pattern?
We are not helpless, we are not destined to succumb to Satan’s lies and temptations. Satan, our accuser, was defeated at the cross. His fate is sure. Our victory is assured. May you walk in that victory today and boldly say with the apostle John, “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (I John 4:4).