Every year my husband likes to watch the Wizard of Oz. I love the line in the movie when the wicked witch of the west is threatening Dorothy and Glinda says “Be gone. You have no power here. Go before someone drops a house on you”.
That’s how we should talk to the adversary of our souls.
“Skedaddle out of here. You have no power over me. I’m bought with a price, covered with the blood of Jesus and protected by God. “
The key is James 4:7.
First, we submit to God through salvation.
Have you done that? It’s the first step.
We begin our process of submission to God by believing in Jesus as God’s Son who rose from the dead to give us eternal life. Romans 10:9 states, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
If you’ve already been saved here’s what is next in our surrender journey.
Next is to submit to God through obedience. How this works in us is, when we get born again, the very Spirit of God comes and lives in us. We are now the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus as stated in the Bible. He convicts us of our righteousness.
He lets us know when we are not lining up with who we are in Christ. He guides us in our everyday walk through life here on earth. As we become aware of things we adjust our lives to truth.
Amplified Bible 2 Corinthians 5:21
He made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness].
God loves us and wants to talk to us and help us learn how to live life victoriously.
That’s where reading the Bible for yourself comes in. As we learn God’s principles and promises we can operate our faith as we submit to the Word of God believing and applying what it teaches us . We learn to trust and obey God by what He has told us through the scriptures. I love that hymn TRUST and OBEY. There really is no other way. When we surrender to God’s good will and trust He has our best at heart He works in our lives in miraculous ways.
“He works all things together for good” as it says in Romans 8:28 and continues with “for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.”
It doesn’t say the devil/evil won’t come back. We all face evil in this world.
The Bible instructs us: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Satan will attack and deceive; he will be seeking an inroad into our lives.
The Bible says “no weapon formed against us will prosper”. In other words, the adversary of our souls will form weapons but as we submit to God, know His Word and STAND against him, he’s got to skedaddle.
So let me encourage you. Take your stand against the enemy of your soul and the souls of your family. Stand up to him and when he shows his ugly head tell him to Skedaddle. You have that authority given to you to make him flee by being in Christ. Use it.
Extra note – you can check out the weapons God has given us in Ephesians 6.
Ephesians 6:10-18 New King James Version
The Whole Armor of God 10 Finally, my brethren,
be strong in the Lord
and in the power of His might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the [a]wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of [b]the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—