(2018 Atlanta) 2. Overcoming The Prince Of Darkness - Zac Poonen

the devil is called the Prince of Darkness as God is light there is darkness and one of the questions that sometimes little children ask is why doesn't God just destroy the devil all the problems will be solved one of the things I've discovered as I've read the Scriptures is that God's way of thinking is very different from ours we see in a very limited view that God sees the overall picture and if you turn with me to a verse in Isaiah chapter 55 the Book of Isaiah and chapter 55 there's a word that says God says in verse 8 Isaiah 55 verse 8 my thoughts are not your thoughts very important to understand God says my way of thinking is very different from man's way of thinking and your ways are not my ways God's way of doing things is not man's way and if you want to know how much different his ways and his thoughts are the next verse says as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts it's very important for us to understand that when we try to understand the way God does things so many people ask this question why does God allowed this and why is God allowed and why does God permit this well I'll tell you this the more you walk with God the more your mind gets aligned with God's Way of thinking the more you'll understand it there are many things I couldn't understand when I was first converted I was converted in 59 years ago when I was 19 and a half years old and have lots of things I did not know but as I've walked with God and read the scriptures and allowed my way of thinking to be changed to be aligned with God's Way of thinking and to understand God's ways that many things I understood which I did not understand 59 years ago and it's progressive there are many more things I still have to understand but I think one reason God allowed the devil to still to exist is this you know just like our physical body we need food plus exercise if you only eat food you become fat if you also do some exercise you become strong and there's a world of difference between being fat and being strong so spiritually also God's Word is like food it's good read meditate listen to messages like this but you don't become strong unless you have some exercise and exercise the basic principle of exercise exercise whether you run or go to a gym is to subject your muscles to resistance you pull a spring or you take bars or lift yourself up it's always subjecting your muscles to resistance and the more you subject your muscles to resistance they become strong spiritually it's the same thing the devil resists us God permits it so that we can become strong if you just read the Bible you become spiritually fat but in addition to that if you face resistance and overcome it you become strong so that's one reason God allows the devil to exist because he's the one who's going to resist he's going to resist you with evil and that's why God doesn't destroy all the flesh the lust of the flesh in our body when we are converted you resist them you become strong and all those who just every time the attempted just yield to it however much Bible knowledge you have you're just becoming fat you're not becoming strong you don't become strong just by reading the Bible remember you need food plus exercise which means resistance so you need God's Word that's the food and God allows the devil to resist you you allows your own lusts in your flesh to resist you God the devil uses the last to resist us and when we fight that overcome that you become strong and just like you see a world of difference within a fat man and a muscular man there's a world of difference between spiritually a fat Christian and a muscular Christian most Christians I met our fact spiritually I mean obese if fat is not a good word to use when whether you like it or not is not a good thing but strong muscular and that's one reason God allows Satan to tempt us that's the reason God allowed Satan to tempt Adam and Eve in the gardener I mean it would have been the easiest thing in the world for God to keep Satan away you think that was difficult for God to keep setting away from the garden you think God didn't see Satan coming into that snake in Genesis 3 to tempt Adam why didn't I send an angel right then a couple of angels there and Adam wouldn't have gone anywhere near that tree but how would he be tested then you know God cannot make a man holy Adam is not holy he was innocent he could become holy if he exercised his will in favor of God against the devil if he exercised his will in favor of the devil against God it becomes sin he had a choice when he went into that garden he didn't all that I'm either going to be sinful or holy depends on how I make a choice right now and it's the same choice that you and I face so the devil is called the Prince of Darkness and Jesus lived his entire life and never allowed that darkness to come in to him he said in John's Gospel chapter 14 this is at the Last Supper just before he went to the cross John's Gospel and in chapter 14 and verse 30 the last body says the ruler of this world is coming Satan and he has nothing in me he tried for 33 years to inject something into me and he didn't succeed Jesus is utterly faithful now if he could not be tempted like us you know God cannot be tempted and if Jesus lived on earth as God there's no virtue in saying that he was pure if temptation just rolled off him like water on a duck's back then he's no example for us he cannot say follow me you know Jesus very often said follow me but if he was not tempted like us there's no virtue in saying the ruler of the world comes and he's got nothing in me I mean if Almighty God says the devil's got nothing in me it doesn't mean anything he's God but the amazing truth is the Bible says Jesus emptied himself and you need to distinguish he didn't empty himself of being God but he emptied himself of the powers that God has when he came to earth for one reason so that he could be an example for us and therefore when he says the ruler of this world come he finds nothing in me is the testimony of thirty three and a half years of resisting temptation resisting the devil and letting the light shine unhindered in Hebrews chapter 4 this is the verse that changed my life when I was a defeated Christian 44 years ago and I was seeking desperately to overcome sin to which I was a slave after being born again like most born-again people I knew Jesus is my Savior I've taken water baptism but I lived in this endless circle of sin repent ask God's forgiveness be cleansed sin again repent ask God's forgiveness repent get angry ask God's forgiveness and sometimes ask the other person's forgiveness also and be cleansed an endless cycle year after year after year lust in your mind repent ask God to forgive you and again lest the next day has God to forgive you murmur and complain and then repent of it and again murmur and complain do something unrighteous confess it to God repent and again do something unrighteous maybe some other time it's an endless cycle that believers are ashamed of but they don't know what to do with it the unbeliever is not ashamed of it that's the only difference he's quite happy to live in that sin he doesn't confess or anything the believer is ashamed of it that's why he goes and repents but he doesn't need know how to get out of this vicious cycle that spoiling his married life and ruining many other aspects of his life but he doesn't know how to get out of it and that was my life after being born again for many years believe it or not for 16 years after I was born again I lived in that psyche I didn't know how to get out of it the thing that set me free was when I discovered that the secret of godliness was to see that Jesus came in my flesh and was tempted like me and the light was never dimmed in his life and you know to see that he came like me and was tempted and overcame liberated that's what it says in Hebrews 4:15 we don't have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness but one was tempted in every point as we are and did not sin that's like saying he resisted the darkness in every point all around all 360 degrees of the circle he resisted resisted resisted and the light shone on and he did not sin and the thing that helped me the most was to know that he was tempted like me so what did he give up he gave up all the power he had is God God cannot speak not only God cannot sin James 1 says God cannot even be tempted it's what it says in James 1 he read verse 13 to 16 God cannot be tempted but Jesus was tempted was he God of course he was but he didn't use the resources of God when he was on earth only for one reason because and otherwise he can't be an example for us an angel who uses his wings going across the swimming pool cannot teach me how to swim and if Jesus lived on earth as God he cannot say to me follow me all he can say to me is admire me and I will tell you this most Christians admire Jesus they do not follow him because deep down in their heart the devil has convinced them you cannot follow him they sing songs like follow follow I will follow but it's all empty works you ask them do you really believe you can follow in Jesus assist no not really he was God in his person he was God God can never cease to be God no matter what form he takes so when he lived on earth he was God the proof of that is people worshiped him and he accepted it we can't accept it we're not God but the resources and the powers he had is God he gave up when he came to earth it says he philippians 2:5 says he emptied himself not of his deity not of his being God but of the power of God one of the best ways I've you know I find an illustration always helps and I try to think of some illustration to help me understand this hmm supposing there's a a slum very poor people living in a slum and earning very little in daily labour daily wages and they don't know how to live within that income and how to keep their little house clean in that ghetto or slum supposing there's a very billionaire from somewhere who has compassion on these people and says okay I'll come and live with you and I'll teach you how to live on your limited income and keep your little house clean in that area and he's a billionaire he's got a credit card with which he can draw millions out of the bank but he goes there and he says I will not touch my credit card I live here just like you I work as an ordinary construction worker or labor laborer just like you or do some lowly job cleaning houses or whatever it is I'll do some lowly job just like you and earn just the limited amount of money that you earn and I live like you in this dirty slum and I'll keep the little ha house I live in clean and I'll show you how to live clean in a dirty area with limited income is he a billionaire he is is he using his resources no and he lives clean there and he says to you have you seen how I lived here you can live like this that is an example which those people can follow more than if he came in priests say you fellow should live clean Jesus didn't come with a message he came with a life that demonstrated in this filthy slum called the earth he never used his heavenly credit card even once that means he never used his resources was he God yes but he never used it like that billionaire he's a billionaire but he never used his resources and he demonstrated how to live in purity with that limited income he earned just like them dear brothers and sisters ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to show you the simple truth written in Scripture that Jesus came and became like us we all accept him as God that's why we worship Him but many who accept him as God have not really accepted him as a man and that is equal heresy wrong teaching if you don't accept him as a man if you only accept him as God we think oh we're not heretics we believe Jesus is God but that's only one side of the truth the great truth is God became man in Jesus Christ because he's God we worship and we pray to him we trust in him that part is okay what about this other side because he's man we can follow him we can walk as he walked we can overcome sin like he overcame we can be the light of the world like he was you cannot be the light of the world if you don't believe that he was like you he says in Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 17 concerning Jesus he had to be made like his brothers in all things that's referring to us born-again Christians are the Brothers of Jesus Christ and he had to be made like us in all things so that he could become our high priest otherwise he couldn't be our high priest these are the verses the devil doesn't want you to see that he was made like you in all things and because verse 18 he was tempted and he suffered by denying his self life that's why he can run to help you when you're tempted did you see that why is it he can come and run to help you because he knows what it is to be tempted he knows what it is the pressure of temptation which you face the pressure on your mind to think dirty thoughts the pressure on your spirit to get angry with somebody who's shouting at you or provoked you in some way he felt that pressure and he overcame it by the power of the Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit that dwelt in him overcame it so that darkness could not come into him that's why he could come to the end of his life and say the prince of this world has got nothing in me no darkness could enter him I say Lord I want to walk like you walked I want to follow you you know that is a that is the word that comes to us in 1 John chapter 2 1 John chapter 2 and verse 6 the one who says he abides in Christ must walk in the same way as he walked or the Living Bible says anyone who says he's a Christian must live like Christ lived is that possible immediately I know the devil is telling you no that's what he wants every Christian to hear yeah it says in the Bible you got a little air but don't don't attempt it man he's not possible God's a liar God is a liar really but that's what you're saying if you don't believe that verse the one who says he's a Christian must walk every day of his life like Jesus walked and I used to read it I'd read it for 16 years before I took it seriously now there's a difference between walking like Christ and being like him in 1 John 3 where Stewart says we will be like him only when he comes so John's not confused 1 John 2:6 is you can walk like him now but he will be like him holy when he comes 1 John 3 verse 2 what's the difference walking is a conscious act we choose when we walk we choose to put one step after the other we don't walk in our sleep it's not normal people don't walk in their sleep we walk when we are awake and alert choose to take conscious steps so walking speaks of the conscious area of our life being refers to our total personality in the now total personality we will never be like Christ in every area until he comes again we must distinguish between the things that differ like they say distinguish between apples and oranges distinguished in grey and white there's a difference not just within black and white there's a difference within any color and white so to be like Christ will not take place in any human being til Christ comes again we are not perfect but we can press on to perfection but in are pressing on to perfection in our daily walk we can walk by the same principles that Jesus lived by that he would not allow darkness to come in so in our conscious area that's the only area God judges us in you know there's a whole lot of us we are unconscious off there are areas of darkness in your life and mine we are unconscious of and that God doesn't hold us responsible for it because we don't have light on it it's something like saying a child has gone into first grade in school there's a whole area of mathematics and science and all the child doesn't know that's he doesn't know the higher realms of mathematics but he can learn that two plus two is four and four minus two is two he can learn those things and progressively as he goes from one grade to the other he learns more he learns out to multiply he learns out to divide and he learns algebra and geometry and there are different levels of mathematics has he gone through school you know that and so we can say that child is his conscious area and the first grade is very limited for in kindergarten is just addition and subtraction and a whole lot of other things of algebra and geometry and many other areas of mathematics is he's unconscious or he doesn't know one day he learned it as he progresses that is how the Christian life we had to progress in the Christian life that we are faithful in the area we see God will give us a little more light it's like being promoted to the next grade one year later that child is in the second grade he learned some more and then in the third and the fourth this is how the Christian life is to progress I'm not supposed to be defeated by sin forever and ever and ever that's like a child never learning that two plus two is four no matter how much you teach him he doesn't seem to know how to add he does not add where is he going to learn division and multiplication and all that and if I'm constantly defeated by elementary sins like getting offended I believe getting offended is one of the elementary things you got to overcome anger and sexually lustful ways of thinking a little more difficult they'll take a little time but getting offended that's one of the easiest things to overcome you just got to die to your pride that's all so if I don't learn addition I'm never going to learn multiplication and division now so God leads us step-by-step in this area of temptation and in every step jesus is our example he was tempted like us and he did not sin I can walk as he walked and as I overcome one area I can go to the next it's like that God will give me light on some area of my life I did not have light on God will never allow me to be tempted beyond my ability turn with me to 1 Corinthians 10 these are simple truths but I've discovered that one needs to repeat them how many of you were converted the very first time you heard the gospel pretty close to nobody I heard the gospel many years before I was really born again why do we need to hear it again and again again again then one day we are born again I don't know why it is but our nature is like that I've hardly ever met in my life a person who said the first time I heard the gospel I got converted that's rare the first time I heard about victory over sin I got it no you probably heard the gospel over many years before you were converted and you probably need to hear about victory over sin many times before you come into that life of victory I love to tell the story of deal moody that great evangelist who was preaching in the end of the 19th century in the United States in England he was preaching in England for one week on you must be born again till one chap got tired of it was not converted and he came to moody and said why do you keep on preaching you must be born again he said because you must be born again that's why so people ask me why do you keep on preaching you must have victory over sin because you must have victory over sin why do you keep on saying you must overcome anger because you haven't overcome it you need to overcome it when shall we stop preaching it if the doctor says take this medicine three times a day and your sickness will go when do you stop taking it when the sickness is gone you didn't say Oh boys the same old tablet duck that you gave me but you need it again because you're not you're probably not taking the tablets regularly and that's why you're still sick so we need to hear 1 Corinthians 10:13 no temptation has overtaken you but it's just common to man God will never allow you to be tempted beyond your ability if you believe that you'll never say oh this is too much for me when a teacher gives an examination in a school will he give it a question paper which is above the level of what they've studied in that class never they won't give a question paper designed for the 5th grade to a 1st grade student never no teacher is so stupid to do that that's all it's saying in this verse at your level God will allow you to only be tempted in that area if you progress he'll allow you to face higher temptations and that's how you become stronger and stronger and stronger and stronger but he'll never allow you to be tested above your ability so whenever you're defeated by sin any sin don't say that's too much for me oh I just can't overcome this is too much for me you're accusing God of being a liar you're accusing this teacher of giving you a fifth grade question paper when you're only in the first grade if a human teacher doesn't do that God won't do it and I want to see you to stop believing the lie of the devil next time you face that temptation which you cannot you think you cannot overcome say Lord I believe this is something I can overcome because you did not you will never allow me to be tested beyond my ability all these years I thought this is beyond my ability now I discover it's not it's a very important verse how do I have the confidence that I can face the future and be an overcomer because of this verse I'm sure there are massive temptations that the devil has to knock me down today but the God says I won't allow you to tempt him with that sorry sorry Satan I will not allow you to be to tempt sack with those temptations today is not yet ready maybe five years from now that's how my Christian life started their temptations I face now which I couldn't have handled fifty years ago God will allow me to face them don't ever say when you face any temptation to get angry or to watch pornography or to lust or to tell a lie or to steal or anything don't ever say again that's too much for me I cannot conquer that's the lie the devil wants you to confess and you keep confessing that lie you will not overcome even in a hundred years stop confessing that life from today onwards and say my God will never allow me to be tempted beyond my ability this temptation that I mean I'm being enslaved to is something I can overcome what we believe in our heart we read in Romans chapter 10 we must confess with our mouth it's a very important thing Romans chapter 10 do you know this principle Romans chapter 10 verse 9 if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart god raised him from the dead you'll be saved because verse 10 Romans 10:10 with the heart a person believes resulting in righteousness but when he confesses with his mouth it results in salvation do you know that something happens when you confess with your mouth to whom do you confess I'm not talking about giving a testimony in the meeting I'm talking about giving a testimony to the devil how many of you have given a testimony to Satan turn with me to Revelation chapter 12 see he's the Prince of Darkness trying to put darkness into your heart and you're trying to resist that darkness from coming into your heart and here's how to overcome him Revelation chapter 12 it says about how the devil's called in verse nine by a number of titles revelation 12:9 that great dragon and serpent and devil and Satan and one more title in verse 10 the accuser of the Brethren he's cast down and how did they overcome him in Revelation 12:11 by the blood of the Lamb not only by the blood of the Lamb the blood of the Lamb takes care of my past life cleanse blotted out I confess my sin and I can tell Satan I've been cleansed it's all gone and that's the first step like I heard of a godly man who was being harassed by the devil about his past failures you remember you did this ten years ago and you remember you did this 20 years ago like he harris's us you remember you did this and we know what he's saying is right you did this you did this you disobeyed God here and you sneakily did this and you cheated and all those things your dirty thoughts and actions and all that and this man kept on listening and he told the devil you haven't finished it a lot more things I did than that make the list complete and when the list is complete right across it the blood of Jesus has cleansed me from all my sins you say that - the devil next time when he reminds you of all the terrible sinful things you did in your past life tell him that's not complete Satan there's a bigger list than that and when you finish making the list right across it the blood of Jesus cleansed me from all sin that takes care of the past but what about the present they overcame him by the word of their testimony testimony not in the meeting that's different being a witness to the world this is testimony to the devil Satan you can't touch me you were defeated on the cross and God was never allowed me to be tempted beyond me I believe that's how confession we confess the Word of God do you know how Jesus overcame the devil he never got into a discussion with him you can do a discussion with the devil you'll never win he's too smart for you Jesus just said it is written Satan goes okay next I'm teaching it is written another temptation it is written and the devil fled don't try any other tactic just say it is written you're going to be defeated by this sin Satan it is written I will never be tested beyond my ability so this is not too much for me I'm going to be overcome by the word of our testimony I keep the darkness out of my life that's how I can be the light of the world I'm telling you from practical experience for many years can I think of the earlier years and when I was ignorant and I was defeated defeated defeated defeated as a born-again Christian don't live that life of defeat God wants you to be a victorious conquering Christian I want to tell you that in Jesus name and the example is Jesus why doesn't the Bible say we run the race looking unto Jesus I mean if he did if he was not tempted like me how in the world can I look at him it's like the angel flying across the swimming pool saying follow me I can't follow you I can admire you but I can't follow you and that's exactly what a lot of Christians are doing oh jesus healed of such a pure life wonderful of course I can't live like him why can't you live walk like him the devil says no the Bible says yes you can because the same Holy Spirit that dwelt in Jesus a man has come to dwell in us don't despise that the Holy Spirit's come to dwell in us to give us this ability to overcome sin just like Jesus overcame so that the darkness does not come in so that we can say the prince of this world comes but he can't get into me you know there's a tremendous power in confessing not just like some people say confess that you gonna get a Cadillac car and you'll get it that's a lot of garbage I never find a verse like that in the Bible that you'll get a Cadillac car or or a chariot or whatever they had in those days there's another thing God promises as he's promises something better than that he says you won't be tempted like tempted more than you can face that you can overcome those are the things we confess things which are written in the Word of God God will always stand by his word that's what Jesus quoted let me repeat when he was tempted by Sydney quoted the word of God and if you don't read the scripture properly you're not gonna know what God's Word says the Bible says that Jesus knew the Scriptures when he was 12 years old how did he know that you know he was born just like us he didn't have the Bible crammed in his head when he was born a little baby he was born exactly like us and he had to learn the scriptures and he had to learn the Scriptures in a time when there were no printed Bibles the only Bible in those days was in the synagogue and he had to go there as a little boy every day and ask the rabbi to read the next chapter and that's how we learned the Scriptures can imagine how diligent he was every day going to the rabbi and saying read me the next chapter meditating on it and today we have a generation of Christians who don't read the scriptures who spend more time watching television and they read the Bible and they expect to overcome Satan not in a hundred years never turn with me to 1 John and chapter to see what God's Word says overcoming the Prince of Darkness so that the light shines out through me 1 John chapter 2 it's the same verse we just read in verse 6 we had to walk as he walked turn with me to verse 14 verse 13 first the last part of verse 13 I'm writing unto you young men the middle of verse 13 because you have overcome the evil one you've overcome the Prince of Darkness but it doesn't tell us how go to the next verse verse 14 in the middle of Edwards I've written unto you spiritual young men that is you are strong the Word of God abides in you and that's how you overcome the evil one that's exactly how Jesus overcame the evil one that word of God that he had stored in his mind that he went as a little boy to the rabbi in the synagogue asked him to read the next chapter the next chapter the next chapter seven years he went like that every every day and learnt the scripture so that by the age of 12 he could confound even the Bible scholars he was diligent in knowing the scriptures and then when he was thirty years old and he was tempted the Holy Spirit would remind him what he had stored in his mind for 25 years from the age of 5 he had stored in his mind at the age of 30 it came forth in the moment of temptation and another temptation the Holy Spirit remind him of another verse another temptation he'd remind him of another verse and always there was a verse for every temptation and the devil left him what God did for Jesus he'll do for you but if you're not diligent to study the world then it's not going to come back to your mind God is not a rewarder of lazy people I'll tell you that no matter how much you pray if you don't read God's Word and meditate on it it's not going to be in your mind in the moment of temptation there is a solution but you won't know where it is and that's one of the great tricks of the devil to keep you so busy that you have no time to read God's Word man shall not live by bread alone but by every word of God that's what Jesus said do you know those are the first spoken words of his ministry at the age of 30 the first spoken words of his ministry what he said to the devil man shall not live by bread alone you know when the devil tempted him to turn stones into bread because he'd been fasting for 40 days he said foods not the main thing word is the main thing to paraphrase it food is not the main thing man needs but the word of God how many of you believe that everyday if you believe that food is not the main thing for me today but God's Word like the slogan some people have no Bible no breakfast no Bible no lunch no dinner imagine if you follow that every day do you think the devil wants you to follow that no no no no he just wants you to be a weakling be knocked down by saying I'll tell you the reason so many people are being knocked down by the devil is they don't know the Word of God they don't know that there is a word to fight every temptation the devil brings to me and the Holy Spirit if I allow him to live in my heart he'll remind me of that which word which I heard or read or meditated on five years ago or last week it'll come back to my mind at that moment but if you are too lazy to read God's Word you won't know think of the many things that you do know of who won the basketball final game or football all those things so many people got so much information in their heads and I didn't if that's okay you can keep that in one corner of your mind but what about filling the main part of your mind with God's Word and you read it meditate on it your life will be completely different i prophesy in Jesus name in one year you'll be a different person if you just develop this habit of letting the Word of God abide in you and you overcome the evil one that is how Jesus ensured that light which is in God's Word became flesh it is the year I read that verse flaw in the last session thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path jesus meditated on that and in the moment of temptation as he used it it became in his life that's how the light shone out from his life there's no other way for the light to shine from from our lives so I want to encourage you dear brothers and sisters to take this seriously because I find we are living in a day and age where people are neglecting God's Word they don't read it they most of them don't even take a Bible to the church services and I know that if I only watch a verse on a screen like that's projected that's okay to project the verses are projected on screen in many churches that's for the lazy people I hope you're not one of them take your Bible with you and I I found in myself that if I take my Bible with me and I find the verse that really blesses me and I I remember my first Bible eyes to underline it or shade it with some color so that I could come back to it particularly strong promises in God's Word or commands I would get to know it that's what made me strong over a period of time so I want to encourage you to do that don't let anything prevent you from reading the Word of God every single day of your life and make a decision in your life I didn't read the Bible today so I'm not going to eat my food that will remind you pretty quickly to read the Bible I'll tell you it'll make a tremendous difference in your life if you make a simple decision like that today any day I don't read the Bible are not going to eat any food and then see the difference it will bring in your life as you live that so the Prince of the world God allows him to tempt us and we're not we're not to let him enter any area of our life that's the only way we can be the light of the world we read in Colossians sorry Hebrews in chapter 2 about what Jesus did to Satan on the cross it's very important because he's the Prince of Darkness hebrews chapter 2 it says here Jesus took flesh and blood just like us in verse 14 and the reason why he took flesh and blood with most people they say the reason is to die for our sins correct number one and number two to make the devil powerless Hebrews 2:14 he shared in flesh and blood so that when he died not only he took care of our sin that he might render Satan powerless he didn't destroy the devil but he made Satan powerless so that he could have no power over me do you know that Satan can have no power over you because he was rendered powerless on the cross he was defeated on the cross and I tell you Satan doesn't want you to know that he doesn't want you to tell him that whenever I ask a person to receive Jesus Christ as his Savior to repent of his sin and ask Christ to come into his life the next thing I tell him is tell the devil you were defeated on the cross I always tell him confess to the devil tell him given the word of your testimony I remember once someone brought a lady to my house my wife and I were sitting and talking to her and I told her to say this tell the devil you were never different you were defeated on the cross and she turned around to me and changed her face and said I was not defeated on the cross Wow there was a demon inside her I didn't know that a demon who was telling me a servant of God that he was not defeated on the cross so I said you demon you're a liar you were defeated on the cross get out of her right now in Jesus name one second the demon was gone then I told this lady poor lady she had been demon-possessed I don't know where she got that demon inside her but once the demon was cast out in Jesus name I told her it's just ten seconds later tell the devil now that he was defeated on the cross and she could say it you were defeated on the cross Satan I don't belong to you I learned something that day that the devil doesn't like to be reminded that he was defeated on the cross you know it's like these basketball games and all the fans of the team that lost they don't like to be reminded there's a team lost right it's like that Satan doesn't like to be reminded that T so I learned something I said I have to tell the devil you were defeated on the cross you can't touch me you don't have any part my Savior defeated you he made you powerless Hebrews 2:14 why is that so that verse 15 we might be set free who were subject to his slavery all our life I don't want to be a slave to the devil you know this is something that was not possible in the Old Testament that's why in the Old Testament nobody could be the light of the world it's an amazing statement what jesus said to his disciples in Matthew chapter 5 you are the light of the world and for four thousand years God could not say that to any human being on the earth the first person who walked on the earth was Jesus who said I am the light of the world and now he says to us you can be the light of the world too why because the Prince of Darkness was not defeated until Jesus died on Calvary it says he is called here in Hebrews 2:14 the one who had the power of death that is the devil geez had the power of death until Jesus defeated him on the cross and now he doesn't have that power anymore he doesn't have any power over me he's alive but he's been paralyzed it's like that it's a snake miss paralyzed not dead but paralyzed Satan is not dead but his power is taken away I want you to know this there's a lot of teaching on forgiveness of sins and our sins are cleansed by the blood of Jesus but I find very little teaching on the fact that Satan was defeated on the cross and you must confess that with your mind by the word of your testimony you overcome him and ensure that that darkness does not come into your life does not come into your home does not come into your children we had to protect our families we got to keep our home protected from the devil confess to him Satan you were defeated on the cross my Savior defeated you he has made you powerless you don't have any power over me he must I find so many believers scared of the devil I remember one pastor once in India who was had some type of paralysis and he said to me oh brother the people next door did some witchcraft and all that and I said where was Jesus all the time when the devil was attacking you well why do you allow the devil to attack you he can't he cannot do it I know there's a lot of witchcraft on the earth I remember once in Bangalore there was one lady in going to some Christian Church and there was some temple next door and they threw some pot into her room into her compound and near her house and he got a demon and those people in that church did not know anything about casting out demons so they called me to pray for her and I found some man who was there with gone in before me who was screaming at her and I said listen I don't know who's got the demon here is it the person I think that's not the way to cast out a demon Jesus didn't scream at anyone so I told the person who invited me you please ask him to leave we will deal with this poor sister so once he's gone I told this lady ask Jesus to come into your heart again the demon spoke from her saying tell her don't tell me ho as a demon telling me not to tell him to receive Christ were to tell this woman to receive Christ speaking from her mouth I said you demon get out of her right now in Jesus name gone and then I told her no sister please ask Jesus to come to your heart she received Christ and she was free there's no witchcraft nothing that can touch you if you believe that Jesus defeated Satan on the cross dear brothers and sisters he cannot touch your children God will be a wall of fire round about you and your family it's a wonderful thing to know not only that our sins were taken on the cross so that my past can't harass me anymore but Satan himself was defeated and don't be afraid of preaching it don't think if I preach that statement of trouble me again back to the same old story of being afraid of the devil no he's got to be afraid of you I'll tell you what the Lord showed me once from 1 John chapter 4 1 John and chapter 4 and verse 7 the last part 1 John 4:17 as Jesus is so are we in this world that blessed my heart so much in our church Hall we have this big verse put up there as Jesus is so are we in this world what does that mean what the Lord showed me from that verse was this that as the devil was scared of Jesus on this earth wherever Jesus came the devil the demons were scared the Lord said the devil be scared the devil will be scared of you like that you believe that think of the years when you're scared of the devil you believe that you can live a life where the devil is scared of you as Jesus is so are we in this world what does it mean that's the way it came home to me I can imagine when Jesus walked went from one town to out the other all the demons would good Road hey hey be careful he's coming here now he's coming here now imagine demons saying that about you when you go from one place to another hey be careful he's coming here now he's one of those people who knows that we were defeated he's not like these other useless Christians why can't you be like that why can't you be a testimony for Jesus everywhere in the whole world is the territory of the devil and he's put you as a witness in different places to be upright in your place of work the devil cannot touch you my brother's sister if you don't believe this I'll tell you in Jesus name you will never be the light of the world but if you can believe that the Prince of Darkness who brings all that darkness is defeated once for all on the cross there's nobody sitting here who cannot be the light of the world every one of you can be trust the Lord from today onwards say Lord fill me with the Holy Spirit help me to keep my conscience clear at all times and I can be an overcomer too let's pray Heavenly Father has been above before you please help us to understand this to believe it and to live in this victory all our days you pray in Jesus name Amen you

Channel: AtlantaCFC

Views: 2,681

Rating: 4.7209301 out of 5

Keywords: zac poonen, cfc, atlanta, Jesus, christ, church, God, light, darkness, satan, good news, gospel, truth, sin, overcome, bible

Id: YJwW9j5jaKc

Length: 53min 44sec (3224 seconds)

Published: Thu Aug 16 2018