The casting out of Satan to the earth resulted in an increase of wickedness in mankind that grieved the Lord. Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. (Genesis 6:5-6). This resulted in the Lord destroying the inhabitants of the earth, including the animals. Only Noah and his family were spared by the Lord because they found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
If the influence of Satan on the earth could have continued man was heading to destruction in the lake of fire prepared for the devil and his fallen angels. But thanks be to God who decided to send His only begotten Son to come and take the form of a man, born of a woman so that he may bruise the head of Satan and strip him of the authority that he had received from Adam in the garden of Eden.
When Christ dies at the cross, he triumphs over the devil. Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. (Colossians 2:14-15).
One of the reasons that Jesus Christ had to appear in the flesh was to completely destroy the work that the devil had done and offer salvation to mankind. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8).
Destroying the works of the devil doesn’t mean that the devil has been eliminated from this world. He is still in this world together with his kingdom but he is powerless and cannot exercise his authority on believers unless we willingly allow him to do so. God raised his Son Jesus Christ and gave Him the name that is above all other names a name that is beyond all powers of darkness.
And what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Christ's power is above all powers and principalities. Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority, He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” (Mark 1:27).
Although the devil is powerless that doesn’t mean that we live careless lives. The scripture says Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8). Our work as believers is to be always sober and vigilant. We do this through prayer and fasting.
We should know that as long as we are in this flesh, we wage spiritual warfare with the devil and his kingdom therefore we should always be found putting on the whole armor of God. We should be ready to resist him and he will flee. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. (1 Peter 5:9).
When we become alert and resist the devil, we will become wise and sensitive in the spirit and live a victorious life in Christ Jesus. We will pass through any temptation or challenge and emerge victorious because we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus.
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