JANUARY 8, 2010

THE DEVIL IS STILL A DEFEATED ENEMY!

Scripture Reading--James 4:7

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee

from you" ( emphasis added ).

Today, we consider one more reason there's hope for the family. If anyone wants our families to fail, it's Satan. He hates to see Christian families successfully living for the Lord. He hates to see husbands and wives content and happy in their relationship. He hates to see Christian parents training their children for God. He hates to observe children being respectful and obedient to their parents. He hates witnessing family worship and Christian service. Is it any wonder he attacks Christian families so hard?

There's one fact Satan doesn't want us to know--that he's still a defeated enemy. In scripture, Satan lost every encounter he had with God or Christ. First John 4:4 says, "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world" ( emphasis added ). Satan knows that God is greater than him, but he doesn't want us to believe that. Romans 8: 37 reminds us that "we are more than conquerors through him that loved us" ( emphasis added ). Satan gets the victory in Christian homes because we permit him to. Because Christ is in us and because we're more than conquerors, we can claim victory over Satan, too.

When Satan confronted Jesus in the wilderness ( Luke 4:1-13 ), Jesus was victorious over him three times because He used the "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" ( Eph. 6:17 ). He countered each attack with the words "it is written" or "it is said" ( Luke 4:4, 8, 12 ). If we know and believe God's Word, we can stand our ground against Satan, counter his attack, and experience victory.

We should rejoice that Satan is still a defeated enemy because that means there's still hope for the family.

DISCUSSION: Share ways you as a family can be better prepared to "withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand" ( Eph. 6:13 ).

--Jack Palmer--

READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN " 1 " YEAR: Genesis cc. 23-26