How to overcome Evil

Messages for December 2018: Our Month of: The Ingathering

Message for Monday 31^st December, 2018

Theme: Understanding Divine Evangelism

Topic: How to overcome Evil

Introduction: As we prepare for the return of the Lord in these last days it behoves us to be alert and to be ready for spiritual warfare all the time because we are the members of the body of Christ who would be responsible for closing the age of the gentiles and embracing the prophecy of one new man in Christ preceding the return of the Messiah. We are the triumphant Church prophesied of by John in Revelation 12:11. To this end, we ought to know how to take responsibility to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to fulfil the prophecy of the triumphant Church as shown us in Revelation 12:11.

Overcoming Evil is a commandment of God we must do: In the word of God, we learn many strategies of warfare as the Holy Spirit determines we need per time. The danger in trying to wage spiritual warfare without the Holy Spirit is that we would err attempting spiritual warfare without divine guidance.

In God’s word, we are commanded not to be overcome of evil but we should rather overcome evil with good. See Rm.12:9-21 which concludes with these words: “Be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good.” The sub heading of these texts of scripture is: The marks of a true Christian. Also, see 1Pet.2:1-25; 3:8-13 – these texts show us how to know we are walking in the spirit. Every walk in the spirit is a walk that overcomes evil. In all these cited scriptures, we see some things we do contrary to what our flesh would rather do that overcome evil.

How to overcome evil: To enable us overcome evil, we have to first understand that evil is a person. That person is known in the Old Testament as Satan and in the New Testament as The Devil. The word Satan means the one who resists, resister, adversary and opposer. The word devil means the slanderer or accuser. He is a created being created by God not originally as evil but who became evil by his choice of the negative attitude of pride because of his beauty and influence. He abused his place and led one third of the angels of God astray in his evil and today is trying to lead as many men as possible against God even though Jesus Christ has died for them. His stories are told in Isa.14:12-15; Ezek.28:11-19 and Rev.12:7-11. The Lord Jesus Christ refers to our archenemy as the thief who comes to kill, steal and destroy in John 10:10 – anywhere he shows up, it is to fulfil any of these three missions. He also referred to him as the murderer, the liar and the father of all lies and that when he speaks a lie; he is speaking his own native language. Jn.8:44.

How the Devil works: Rev.12:9 - He works through deceit. Only after he has deceived can he do against us what he has planned. The real antidote for deceit is the word of God.  

The tempter entices us to do evil. He sets before us something worthwhile or attractive with the aim of making us disobey God.

He accuses us and tries to prove us guilty. If he can keep us feeling guilty, we would never be a match for him because we would not be able to rise up and take up the offensive against him.

His three objectives are to steal, kill and destroy. He steals what belongs to you to deprive you of what God already gave you. He tries to kill you to stop God’s plan from being actualised in your life and he even desires to destroy you in hell. Jn.10:10

Our Victory in Christ: But the good news is that Jesus Christ already defeated him at the Cross of Calvary. Thus in Christ Jesus, we triumph over him. In other words, we do not need to do the defeating ourselves; we simply celebrate the victory in the triumphal procession of the Lord Jesus Christ against the devil. See Col.2:14-15; 1Jn.3:8; 1Pet.5:8-9 and Heb.2:14-15.

At the Cross Jesus triumphed over Satan depriving him of his weapon of guilt. He provided forgiveness of sins and took the law that brought guilt out of the way nailing it to the Cross. When we come by faith to the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved, we are credited with His righteousness because he did not sin but became sin for us. See 2Cor.5:21 and 2Cor.2:14.

At the Cross, Jesus Christ rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of God. Consequently, total transition is made possible for us only through the Cross. Then God has sent us to go forth as His army to administer this victory over Satan. See Col.1:13; Lk.19:12-13 and Acts 26:15-18. We are His occupation force!

The warfare: The warfare we are engaged in is not Carnal or natural but spiritual. This is why we cannot put people’s faces in front of us as our enemies when we wage spiritual warfare. We are up against powers, rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness. These forces are beings without bodies. They only inhabit bodies of persons or animals when they are conjured by their human agents. But we are already victorious over them. See Eph.6:10-18; Lk.10:17-19; 2Cor.10:3-6 – we do not fight defensively, we attack bringing down Satan’s fortresses. The most powerful weapon we could use at any time is the one the Holy Spirit directs us to use at that time. See John 5:19-20 – this was the secret of the success of the Ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ; He was always led of the Holy Spirit; he did nothing of His own. See Philippians 2:5-11

The most powerful weapon of our warfare today: Rev.12:11 discloses to us the means by which the Church teaming up with the angelic host would defeat the devil in these last days. Here we are told that we overcome the devil by the blood of the lamb and by the word of our testimony. Please understand that this conflict would be between individual believers and the devil. The believer would overcome the devil by the following means from this text of scripture.

The believer who will overcome would be one who is totally committed to the Lord – “They love not their lives” even unto death. This total commitment is what gives the believer the authority to wield our weapons of warfare.

The blood of the Lamb – in the Old Testament, it was a lamb without blemish as provided on the Passover from Egypt. See Exod.12:21-24; Jn.1:29 and 1Cor.1:7.

The word of God: This is what the Lord used to overcome the devil during his temptations. see Eph.6:13-17; Mt.4:1-11 and Lk.4:1-12.

The application of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ in our lives to enable us overcome evil is done by expressing faith in the blood by declaring what the word of God says the blood does for us.

1.     The blood brings us redemption and even the forgiveness of sin. Eph.1:7 – in Ps.107:2, the bible tells us that the redeemed of the Lord should say so. Also, in Ps.91:2, we are told to say of the Lord. In the same way, our means of the application of the blood is by affirming what the word says the blood did and does for us through Calvary’s victory. This makes up the word of our testimony. we can thus declare as follow:   

By the blood of Jesus Christ, all my sins are forgiven by God – Eph.1:7 and Col.1:14.

By the blood of Jesus Christ, I am redeemed from the devil.

2.     The blood of Jesus Christ enables us to walk in the light as we fellowship with the brethren. We are therefore cleansed continually from all sins. See 1Jn.1:6-9. We can thus declare as follows:

As I walk in the light, the blood of Jesus Christ is cleansing me now and continually from all sins.

3.     Through the blood of Jesus Christ, we are made righteous. We are standing right before God as if we have never sinned. 2Cor.5:21 Therefore we can declare as follows:

I have been made righteous through the blood of Jesus Christ.

4.     Through the blood of Jesus Christ, we are justified and therefore have an imputed right standing with God. So we can approach God without any sense of guilt and condemnation.  Gal.3:11; Rm.8:30 and Rm.5:1

I am justified through the blood of Jesus Christ, without any guilt or condemnation. I have confidence before God through the blood of Jesus Christ.

5.     Through the blood of Jesus Christ, I overcome the devil and destroy all his evil speculations. Rev.12:11-12; 1Cor.1:27-28; 2Cor.10:4-5

Through the blood of Jesus Christ, I overcome the devil and destroy all his evil speculations.

6.     Through the blood of Jesus Christ, I am made holy, set apart to God and what is set apart to God, the devil cannot touch. Therefore, the devil has no place in me, no claims over me, and no unsettled claims against me. All has been settled by the blood of Jesus Christ. Exod.30:10 and Heb.10:5-18; 9:11-15 – declare:

Through the blood of Jesus Christ, I am holy, set apart to God therefore, the devil has no place in me, no claims over me and no unsettled claims against me; all has been settled by the blood of Jesus Christ.  

7.     The blood of Jesus Christ is always speaking on my behalf. Daily, He speaks the mercy and grace of God over my life and destiny. Heb.12:24; 1Jn.1:6-9 and 3:14-15. – declare:

The blood of Jesus Christ is always speaking on my behalf. He is speaking grace and mercy over me right now as usual. Here, you can include whatever the word of God has said the blood of Jesus Christ is meant to do for you.