Power in the Name

"Jesus said to him, 'Away from me , Satan!' For it is written, 'Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.'" Matthew 4:10
 
There is power in the name of Jesus. Power to cast away the enemy. Power to speak His words of life into my life. Power in proclaiming who He is - and what His Word says He can do. If I am not taking my every thought captive in obedience to Christ, but instead, buy into the lies the enemy plants in my head, I am showing regard for, or attention to, the enemy - knowingly or unknowingly. My God clearly says HE is the only one I should be worshiping and serving.

I must fix my mind on the truth about who God is and what His Word says. This requires devoted time in prayer and His Word. As I am learning to speak His Word - which are words of life - into my life, my family's life, my circumstances and so on, I sense the power of Christ within me. I have learned to speak it out loud so the enemy can hear me, because only God is omniscient, or all-knowing. Only God can know my thoughts, not Satan. Keeping my eyes fixed on God crowds out the enemy and leaves less and less room for attack. I do this through prayer, scripture, meditating on a passage or the names and characteristics of God, through writing about Him, filling my ears with Christian music, etc. When the enemy does rear his ugly head, as a believer, I have power and authority to speak to him in Jesus' name. I might say to him, "In Jesus' name you must get away from me Satan! God's Word says that He will make my enemies a footstool under my feet. You must flee. Your rightful place is under my feet!"

In this world we are promised trouble. We are also living in a spiritual battle. The enemy will come. He will attack. He will accuse. He will condemn. He will confuse. But I must take heart, knowing I can come against every attack with power in Jesus' name and speak life by exercising the sword of the Spirit, which is God's Word. It is "alive and full of power" and "sharper than any two-edged sword" (Hebrews 4:12, AMP). This means it is active, energizing, operative and effective. It is one of my God-given weapons (Ephesians 6:10-18). The sooner I recognize the enemy's schemes and address them, the better off and the stronger I will be. And as a safeguard, I should daily and out loud be binding the enemy from my family, my home, my marriage and breathing words of life, not doom and gloom, so that my eyes remain fixed on my Jesus.

Father, the enemy has been relentless as of late. Thank You for the many ways You have been reminding me of the power that resides within me because You live in me. Thank You for giving me eyes to see and wisdom to recognize the lies. Please give me strength in You as I stand firm, sword of the Spirit in hand, rejecting the lies, praising You for who You are, and praying Your words of truth and life - the active, powerful Word of God - into my life. Praise You Father in Jesus' Name, Amen.