I remember reading about a boy who dealt with a bully by warning him that if the bully attacked him, he would send his big brother to deal with him.
That was enough to stop the bullying because the bully knew the big brother could beat him up.
In the same way, declaring the truth can stop Satan in his tracks.
Indeed, turning to scripture for God's truth can ignite our prayer lives. God makes his will known in the Bible. And we know that when we pray according to God's will, the Lord acts.
Many great Christians and many writers on prayer have underlined the value of praying God's word. The renowned American evangelist D.L. Moody said his prayer life changed dramatically when he learned to pray the scriptures. George Muller sought the promises of God in scripture as he prayed for the many orphans in his care in 19th century England.
Of course, Jesus is our best example.
In Luke 4, we read that Satan tried to destroy Jesus' mission even before it began by offering power and glory to the Son of God as long as he gave in to the Devil's temptations. The evil one even quoted scripture in his attempt to trip up Christ.
But, filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus fended off Satan's attacks by noting that scripture says "you must not test the Lord your God". Those words stopped Satan and sent him away.
The recent film "War Room" includes a scene where real estate agent Elizabeth Jordan is praying in her prayer room for her marriage. She has received a message from a friend who saw her husband with another woman.
She begins pleading with God, weeping as she prays. Then, she sees some scriptures on her prayer room wall, including James 4:7 where the apostle says: "So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
So she starts praying with confidence, ordering Satan to leave and telling him that he has no authority over her home and her marriage. The reason? Jesus defeated the devil on the cross.
Knowing the word of God builds faith as the apostle Paul notes in Romans 10:17: "So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the good news about Christ."
Neil T. Anderson also pointed out in his book Victory Over the Darkness that declaring God's truth is a potent way of fighting Satan's lies about believers. We know that one of Satan's greatest weapons is lying about who we are in Jesus Christ.
The devil is the great accuser - trying to undermine our faith in Christ by declaring that we are not good enough for God.
It is true that we are not good enough as human beings - but Jesus is. His sacrifice for us is what opens the way for us to step into the kingdom of God.
Anderson listed a series of scriptures which speak about who we are in Christ. These scriptures have played a major role in helping many people who came to Anderson feeling defeated and condemned by Satan.
I turn to these scriptures when Satan accuses me and I find hope and strength.
So, I am joining many others in Christian history in declaring God's truth.
That was enough to stop the bullying because the bully knew the big brother could beat him up.
In the same way, declaring the truth can stop Satan in his tracks.
Indeed, turning to scripture for God's truth can ignite our prayer lives. God makes his will known in the Bible. And we know that when we pray according to God's will, the Lord acts.
Many great Christians and many writers on prayer have underlined the value of praying God's word. The renowned American evangelist D.L. Moody said his prayer life changed dramatically when he learned to pray the scriptures. George Muller sought the promises of God in scripture as he prayed for the many orphans in his care in 19th century England.
Of course, Jesus is our best example.
In Luke 4, we read that Satan tried to destroy Jesus' mission even before it began by offering power and glory to the Son of God as long as he gave in to the Devil's temptations. The evil one even quoted scripture in his attempt to trip up Christ.
But, filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus fended off Satan's attacks by noting that scripture says "you must not test the Lord your God". Those words stopped Satan and sent him away.
The recent film "War Room" includes a scene where real estate agent Elizabeth Jordan is praying in her prayer room for her marriage. She has received a message from a friend who saw her husband with another woman.
She begins pleading with God, weeping as she prays. Then, she sees some scriptures on her prayer room wall, including James 4:7 where the apostle says: "So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
So she starts praying with confidence, ordering Satan to leave and telling him that he has no authority over her home and her marriage. The reason? Jesus defeated the devil on the cross.
Knowing the word of God builds faith as the apostle Paul notes in Romans 10:17: "So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the good news about Christ."
Neil T. Anderson also pointed out in his book Victory Over the Darkness that declaring God's truth is a potent way of fighting Satan's lies about believers. We know that one of Satan's greatest weapons is lying about who we are in Jesus Christ.
The devil is the great accuser - trying to undermine our faith in Christ by declaring that we are not good enough for God.
It is true that we are not good enough as human beings - but Jesus is. His sacrifice for us is what opens the way for us to step into the kingdom of God.
Anderson listed a series of scriptures which speak about who we are in Christ. These scriptures have played a major role in helping many people who came to Anderson feeling defeated and condemned by Satan.
I turn to these scriptures when Satan accuses me and I find hope and strength.
So, I am joining many others in Christian history in declaring God's truth.
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