Jesus is God in the flesh. Many times, Jesus says He is God (John 10:30) and that those who have seen Him have seen the Father. (John 14:9) the Pharisees knew several times that He was claiming to be God – that’s why they always wanted to stone Him. And, the very term “Son of God” means “equal with God,” or “of the same substance.” Also, a term like the modern, “You said it!” was in use back then. So, when He answers “thou hast said” to a question about whether He is God, he is saying, “You said it!” This is all in addition to the many times His disciples proclaimed He was God. They knew the truth; it had been taught them by the Holy Spirit.
Because Jesus is God, He is more powerful than the devil. But, we aren’t. Jesus was made, in flesh, to be “a little lower than the angels.” (Hebrews 2:7,9) However, He had all power even then. He could have called down thousands of angels to destroy the world rather than be arrested. (Matt. 26:53) But, He had to die for our sins, then rise from the dead, to be the perfect substitute. He died in our place.
So, if he can defeat the angels, why doesn’t He just destroy the devil right away? because, then we would never learn of his great love, support, and guidance. If He just said, “You’re dead” and the devil disappeared, we wouldn’t be able to experience God’s goodness in nearly as good a way as we do now.
Think of your favorite story. Without something that the hero has to get over, it’s not as interesting, is it? With apologies to the guys, I’m going to use the classic fairy tale “Cinderella.” (Although if you’re a sports fan, you can always take this analogy and use it with a Cinderella team.) If Cinderella hadn’t been so poor, and bullied by her wicked stepsisters, it would have been a lot easier on her to get to the ball and meet her Prince Charming, right? But, a story where a young lady grows up with no problems at all, goes to the ball, and meets her prince isn’t as special. The “happily ever after” part isn’t as special, either, because it’s no different than it was before for her.
Our happily ever after in Heaven will be much more special for two reasons.
First, we will have been through so much, and it will be very apparent that it was God seeing us through everything.
Second, we will have made the choice to follow Jesus of our own free will. Yes, we had to listen to God the Holy Spirit’s calling in our lives. However, even then, we had to make the choice to follow Him. That’s where you come in, letting others see Jesus’ love and goodness in you, by avoiding those things that lead us astray so much.
I didn’t write much about the devil, other than a brief overview. There’s a reason for this. You must know the basics, so you know how to resist the devil, so he will flee. Hover, it’s very dangerous to study the devil too much, or to give him too much credit. That can cause your mind to focus too much on him.
Anything which makes you focus too much on the devil should be avoided no matter what. That includes magic, spells, and other things which use forces of evil.
Get them out of your house if they are there. Yes, some things you might be able to handle, but even if you can, others can’t. Scooby Doo, for instance - especially very early ones where none of the monsters were real – is fine for some, but the monsters will cause others nightmares and make them think about evil forces more. So, know the people in your family and what they’re susceptible to.
Other stuff is not for anybody. Things like spells are inviting evil spirits into your presence, and should be avoided at all costs! Even fortune telling is bad; many times we don't' want to know the future, and most “palm readers” and such are fake, anyway. As spiritual leader, you must take a stand against these. Get them out of your house, even if it means replacing a “game” with something else, or doing their chores in return for letting you throw it away. Having evil spirits around is just as dangerous, if not more so, as having a dangerous criminal in your midst. They can not only give nightmares, they can very slowly cause a person to lose control, and start acting mean. The devil is looking for any chance to wreck a person’s thought life.
If it sounds like I’m saying there’s a lot of spiritual warfare, that’s because there is. That’s why it’s vital that you let Jesus fight the battles. It may sound overwhelming at times. But, with Him on your side, you will overcome them.
