(DEMONS ARE DEFEATED)

1 JOHN 3:1-9

1How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears,[a]we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.
4Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
7Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. 9No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.

COMMENTARY

THE CHILDREN OF GOD (DEMONS ARE DEFEATED)

Jesus Christ, through His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead defeated Satan and his demonic forces. The Holy spirit lives inside of us when we belong to God. In Him we also have the power to defeat any influences of demons in our lives. God has provided us with resources that we can use daily to fight against spiritual enemies. Those include: · The name of Jesus (Luke 10:17) 17The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." · Watchfulness (1Peter 5:8) 8Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. · Prayer (John 15:7) 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. · The whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) 10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
If you are concerned about demonic activity, pray for wisdom and discernment and seek the counsel of a pastor or other mature Christians. Christians do not need to fear Satan or his demons: “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus Our Lord” (Romans 8: 37-39).

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