Dead But Still Deadly

Many people do not believe in the reality of the devil but the Bible makes it very clear, that he is real. His purpose on earth is to destroy everything God created: Mankind, the Church, and the family. "The thief (devil) comes only to steal and kill..." John 10:10

The Good News is Jesus defeated the devil by His atoning death on the Cross. "...The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." I John 3:8 When you place your trust in Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within you and you are able to overcome the attacks of Satan. Romans 8:37

However, as we read in 1 Peter 5:8, the devil still “prowls around . . . looking for someone to devour.” In many ways, he is like a snake with its head cut off. When you kill a snake, you have to be sure to bury its head, because even after death the serpent holds a lethal dose of venom in its fangs. If you step on a dead snake’s head, you can still get poisoned. In the same way, even though Jesus broke the power of Satan at the cross, he can still inject his deadly poison into our lives. He is dead but still deadly.

We must remember that WE are not able to overcome Satan in our own strength. Our dependency must be on the all-sufficiency of Jesus Christ.  Victory is all about trusting in Christ and not about trying to succeed.