“I have written to you, fathers,
Because you have known Him who is from the beginning.
I have written to you, young men,
Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you,
And you have overcome the wicked one.”
And you have overcome the wicked one
These young men did not conquer Satan in their own strength but through the power of the Spirit. This happened by allowing the Word of God to abide harmoniously, unhindered in their lives as an ever present source of prevailing power.
PRINCIPLE:
We overcome Satan by the power of the Word.
APPLICATION:
The Word of God teaches us the strategy and systems of the Devil. Satan transforms himself into an angel of light (not into an angel of darkness). Religion is his system for keeping people in the dark.
2 Co 11:14, “And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.”
We can resist the Devil by faith. When we exercise faith in the Word of God about a situation, we take God at His Word. Only on that basis can we resist him (Ja 4:7; 1 Pe 5:8,9). We cannot resist the Devil in the faith unless we fortify ourselves with the Word of God.
Eph 6:10-11, 10 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
Re 3:21-22, 21 “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Re 12:11, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”
When the Devil attacked the Lord Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus defended Himself by quoting from the Bible. He said, “It is written.” He did not read from a scroll. He quoted the book of Deuteronomy. He memorized Scripture. He had it on the tip of His tongue. He quoted three passages.
Mt 4:4-10, But He answered and said, It is written,
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:
“He shall give His angels charge over you, and,
In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
7 Jesus said to him, It is written again,
“You shall not tempt the Lord your God.”
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.
10 Then Jesus said to him, Away with you, Satan! For it is written,
“You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.”
Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
