Christ Has Defeated the Devil (1 John 3:7-8)

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

                                                                                                            Date:  08-30-04

 

My Worship Time                  Focus:  Christ has defeated the Devil

 

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  1John 3:7-8

 

            Message of the verse:  “7 Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it is because they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous.

8 But when people keep on sinning, it shows they belong to the Devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy these works of the Devil.”  (NLT)  “7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.  8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”  (NKJV)

            John starts out verse seven by writing about deceit, and there were people in John’s day who were saying that it is okay to practice sin after you become a believer because God will forgive you.  When a person is born of God he will sin, however it will not be his desire to sin, and when he does sin he will feel badly about sinning, because that is not his nature anymore.

            John is saying in these two verses that those who follow the Lord will not practice sin; however those who do not belong to the Lord will practice sin.  He goes on in the last part of verse eight to say that Jesus Christ has defeated the Devil, and this was done at the cross when Jesus died for my sins.  Satan is still a powerful foe, yet he is a defeated foe.  The word destroy means to render inoperative, or loss of power, but it does not mean that Satan has been annihilated.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  It is good to realize that Satan is a defeated foe, even though he still has power, yet he can not do anything unless the Lord allows him to do it. God is still in control of planet earth, even though at times it does not seem like that is the case.

 

The Word of God was refreshing to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Trust in the Lord with all of my heart and lean not upon my own understanding, in all of my ways acknowledge the Lord and He will surely direct my paths.