THE POWER OF THE
BELIEVER
John 8:32
“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you
free”
When I was a boy on the farm, my dad, my brother and I
would visit our neighbor's farm to share produce and labor. The neighbor had a
yappy little dog that scared the socks off me. When it came barking around the
corner, my dad and brother stood their ground, but I ran. Guess who the dog
chased! I escaped to the top of our pickup truck while the little dog yapped at
me from the ground.
Everyone except me could see that the little dog had no
power over me except what I gave it. Furthermore, it had no inherent power to
throw me up on the pickup; it was my belief that put me up there. That dog
controlled me by using my mind, my emotions, my will, and my muscles, all of
which were motivated by fear. Finally I gathered up my courage, jumped off the
pickup, and kicked a small rock at the mutt. Lo and behold, it ran!
Satan is like that yappy little dog: deceiving people
into fearing him more than God. His power is in the lie. He is the father of
lies (John 8:44) who deceives the whole world (Revelation 12:9), and
consequently the whole world is under the influence of the evil one (1 John
5:19). He can do nothing about your position in Christ, but if he can deceive
you into believing his lies about you and God, you will spend a lot of time on
top of the pickup truck! You don't have to outshout him or outmuscle him to be
free of his influence. You just have to out truth him. Believe, declare, and
act upon the truth of God's Word, and you will thwart Satan's strategy.
I have learned from the Scriptures and my experience that
truth is the liberating agent. The power of Satan is in the lie, and the power
of the believer is in knowing the truth. We are to pursue truth, not power.
Prayer:
Father God, when Satan is badgering and confusing me,
remind me that Your Holy Spirit within me is greater than all the evil around
me.
-Neil Anderson-
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