1 John 3:8b

The reason the Son of God was made visible was to undo

(destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works of the devil.

     I've been focused a lot lately on the spiritual warfare that is becoming more evident throughout the world.  Satan and his servants know that his time is short, and he must increase the pressure on all of mankind if he stands a chance of winning the battle here on earth.  He has already lost it in heaven, as Scripture tells us in Revelation 12:7-9:  Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels went forth to battle with the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought.  But they were defeated, and there was no room found for them in heaven any longer.  And the huge dragon was cast down and out—that age-old serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, he who is the seducer (deceiver) of all humanity the world over; he was forced out and down to the earth, and his angels were flung out along with him.

     They were flung to earth, where today we battle and struggle against Satan's rulers and authorities, who use spiritual powers to tempt men to follow him, rather than God.  Whether you realize it or not, or will admit it or not, we are at war with these spiritual forces.  But there is good news!  The war has already been won!  First of all, the devil was dealt a blow (and a loss) when he was cast from heaven.  Secondly, he failed at his temptations of Christ, and continually had to submit to Jesus's Power and Authority when he came against Him.  And Colossians 2:15 says, "And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross."  So what might have looked like a victory for Satan when Jesus was crucified, was just another loss; this time at the Cross!

    The real significance of our featured Scripture is the ultimate and final losses that the devil will suffer -- first, at the Second Coming of Christ, when he is bound and cast into the bottomless pit for 1,000 years.  But upon his release, he once again deceives mankind, tempting them into thinking they can defeat Christ and His heavenly army.  But the final elimination of Satan and his evil spiritual forces takes place when he is cast into the lake of fire for all eternity.  

     So while we are still present here on earth, and if we are followers of Christ, then we should expect that we will be participants in this war between spiritual powers.  BUT, we must always keep in mind that the battle is not ours to win.  We need to be like David, who in his battle with Goliath, knew that he could not win in his own strength.  He announced that he was going into battle in the name of God Almighty, and that the battle was the Lord's to win!  (1 Samuel 17) 

     Just like Goliath, the devil is powerful, and so are his followers.  By ourselves, we are no match for the devil.  But part of Christ's mission here on earth was to show us that we are not on our own.  We can actually take on the battle, knowing that God and His Son go before us!  

     But when you find yourself under spiritual attack (physical illness, doubts and fears, depression, and attacks by other men, are just a sample of the warfare implemented by the devil) the best thing you can do is what Jesus taught us ... to pray that we are not "led into temptation, but delivered from evil".  And the power to win that battle comes from the Lord.  It is God's Power that was made visible in His Son that works in us, and through us, to deliver us from every attack by the Enemy.  His Power will be there for us today, tomorrow, and for eternity, so we need not fear the Spiritual War!