Defeating the Devil
“And I tell
you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates
of Hades will not overcome it.” (Matthew
16:18)
In ancient
times, cities functioned differently than they do now. Today, you might have a city council that
makes all the decisions concerning the running of the town. Two thousand years ago, all the important
decisions were made at the city gates where everyone would pass through to
enter or leave.
That bit of
information should change how we think about Jesus’ statement that “the gates
of hell” will never be able to destroy the church. Jesus isn’t just talking about an entrance
into hell; He’s talking about the authority structure of hell, namely Satan.
The implication
of this is huge! Remember, the church is
actually all believers; God’s children.
So this simply means Satan will never be able to conquer God’s children,
the church. That means that every
believer in Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, has the ability to
overcome the evil one! And God gives us
the weapons to accomplish this.
In the
summer of 2000, Alice and I began a new outreach into the village of Nenana,
Alaska. It was an exciting time. A team of youth from Grace Baptist Church in
Toccoa, Georgia came up to help go door to door; survey the community, and present
the gospel to as many as would listen.
We were told it would be a very difficult mission field, but we did not
expect the spiritual warfare we encountered that week.
I had never
had such a personal experience as this before now, but it will forever be
burned into my memory. We had planned a
community wide outreach and dinner in the hope of getting some people
interested in planting a new church in the village. That evening, God gave us a
taste of what He had planned for this new ministry when 130 people out of a
village of 420 showed up for food, preaching, and music. The youth did a terrific job, and the message
was powerful. There were 30 professions
of faith that evening and we knew God was working, so we decided to meet again
the next morning for another service.
That night, I awoke
about 2 am, drenched in sweat. My mattress
and blankets were soaking wet, and I was so weak I could not lift my head even
to take a drink of water offered to me by my wife. I felt sick, and there was a feeling of a
great pressure on my chest. I had no
doubt this was a spiritual attack by the evil one to prevent this new work from
moving forward. Satan was trying to
discourage us. Finally, Alice said she
was going over to the Bed & Breakfast where the mission team was sleeping,
and bring some people back to our cabin to pray for me. They returned after what seemed like an
eternity to me, knelt by my bedside and began to fervently call out to the Lord
God to remove the presence that was attacking me, and to heal me. Immediately, I felt as if a great load was
being lifted off me, and I was completely back to normal. No pressure on my
chest, no sweating, and my strength was returned. Praise God for His great mercies and
faithfulness! He always hears and
answers our heartfelt prayers. From that
day on, a new church began in that small village. Some days there as many as 50 people in our
small log house, and over the years we ministered there, many young people and
adults came to know the Lord Jesus as their Savior.
Satan is a
vengeful being, and does not give up his lost souls without a fight. But our God is sovereign, and all powerful! And Satan does not stand a chance in the
battle for God’s creation.
The
scriptures remind us to, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty
power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the
devil’s schemes.” (Ephesians 6:10, 11)
So, as you
battle daily against the “flaming arrows” of Satan, hold on with unwavering
faith, that the power of Christ in you will overcome the enemy at every turn.
Can God change
your life?
God has made it
possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in your own life.
Discover how you
can find peace with God.
