Let’s just go ahead and clear something up: the devil is not some cartoon character with horns and a pitchfork. He’s real. He’s personal. And he’s powerful—if you let him be.
Now, don’t get it twisted. I’m not glorifying Satan. Jesus stripped him of his authority. But here’s the deal: he still operates where he’s allowed. And the church? A lot of us are walking around acting like he’s not even real.
That’s one of the things Jesus is concerned about—that we don’t take the enemy seriously, that we’ve forgotten we’re in a fight.
James 4:7 says, “Submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee.” You see that order? Submit. Resist. Then he flees. But if you’re not submitted, and you’re not resisting, then guess what? He’s not going anywhere.
There’s a story Brother Hagin told that’s always stuck with me. Jesus appeared to him once, and while Jesus was talking, a little demon came up and started making noise, blocking his view, clouding the air with this smoke. And Brother Hagin’s standing there, thinking, “Why doesn’t Jesus do something about this?”
Eventually, out of frustration, he commanded the demon to shut up and leave—and it did. Then Jesus said something that blew his mind. He said, “If you hadn’t done that, I couldn’t have.”
Now wait. Jesus couldn’t? Yep. He said, “I gave the church authority. You have to do something about the devil.”
And that’s where we’re missing it. We’re waiting on Jesus to fight battles He already handed us the weapons for.
We’ve got believers today trying to live for God while acting like the enemy doesn’t exist. Meanwhile, Satan is wrecking their minds, their marriages, their health, their joy—and we’re just letting it happen.
You’ve got to stand up. You’ve got to resist. The enemy is coming for you, your family, your peace. But you’ve been given authority. So use it.
Jesus isn’t concerned about the world not knowing this. He’s concerned that the church doesn’t. We have access to victory, but we’re acting like victims. Let me say this plain: if you’re waiting for Jesus to do something about the devil in your life, you’re going to be waiting a long time. He already gave you the power. It’s time to use it. God is with us!
