Now is the time for judgment on this world;
now the prince of this
world will be driven out.
John 12:31
I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is
coming.
He has no hold over me,
John 14:30
We know that Jesus won the victory over
the evil one. But we also know that the evil one is active to this day. We
struggle with the implications of the victory of the Cross, because we don't
always see them. Though we are inhabited by the Spirit of God, the spirit of
this world often grips our hearts. And what a grip! No living human has yet
fully been released.
Why not? Is the power of Jesus
insufficient? No, He is able to save us completely. We are beyond the enemy's
control. But he still attacks. If he can get us completely absorbed in the
battle, then we cannot be completely absorbed with our God. We cannot focus on
the war and maintain our focus on the Victor - unless we've learned to let the
Victor fight our battles.
Jesus claimed all authority over the
enemy - in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). That has profound implications
for us. When we are attacked, we know our source of victory. When we are
tempted, we know our source of resistance. When we are discouraged, we know our
source of hope. Everything the enemy threatens to do with us on the
battleground of this world is countered in the arsenal of Jesus. But there's a
catch. In order to realize this victory in the here and now, we must employ
faith in the Beginning and the End. The Alpha and Omega, our Savior and Lord,
gives us the key to every weapon. But we must take it and use it.
Are you battle-weary? Be encouraged.
This world is not an everlasting domain. Its ruler has been legally stripped of
power, and his apparent resistance is deceptive. He holds no real power over
the person of faith. The world and all that is in it is passing away (1 John
2:17). It's a dying and desperate regime. When we understand this - really get
a grasp of it - the temptations we face and the trials we endure become much
more easy to handle. Why? Because our faith is not in our ability to overcome,
it's in the Overcomer. Jesus is the only One to truly transcend this world, and
He brings us with Him into glory. Trust in Him. Know the victory that is His.
The exiled prince has nothing on you.
[An excerpt from "The One Year Walk with God
Devotional" by Chris Tiegreen]
