Sometimes we can get caught up in just reading passages of Scripture without taking the time to meditate on them to see the depth of God’s Word to us. I don’t know how many times I’ve quoted Bible verses and realized years later that there is more to the Biblical text than I originally thought. And this has happened to all of us because the Holy Spirit continually illuminates God’s word to us. After all, He is our ongoing Teacher, and God’s word is powerful all the time. It cannot be outdated, nor can it be overstated. No wonder God commands us to stay in His word.
For example, while meditating on this verse found in 1 John 4:4, “Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world,” which is a popular text, I can see that it is a verse that is like a special ingredient that can be added to almost all recipes. And upon meditating on it, the Holy Spirit highlighted a couple of things I need to consider as I continue to quote this verse.
One of the things to consider in this verse is that there is a ‘he’ that is in the world, and the ‘he’ is great. This ‘he’ is none other than our great accuser, the devil, as mentioned in 1 Peter 5:8. We have heard that we ought not to give the enemy of our soul too much credit or too much power than he has, which in a sense is true. However, I’ve realized that this concept can also lead us to the other extreme, which is to become completely unaware of what ‘he’ can do to us through something called spiritual warfare. For instance, we know Jesus didn’t talk about hell as much as He did about the kingdom of God. But if we take a closer look, we’ll see that Jesus’ instructions and teachings are to prevent us from going to hell, which is the devil’s destination (Matthew 25:41, Revelation 20:10). And just because He mentioned the danger of going to hell, we need to be cautious of it, because everything Jesus said was said on purpose. Therefore, Satan is this ‘he’ that is in the world, who is also great. The ‘he’ is not those people over there, the friend, neighbor, coworker, or the spouse acting weird as we often assume, but it is Satan. The Bible says in Ephesians 6:12, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
We must understand that there is one in the world who desires to kill, steal, and destroy us regardless of our gender, ethnicity, background, skin color, family bloodline, or status. No one is exempt from this, even if you choose to sit in a corner every day, not bothering anybody; he will still come after you. And if you ever doubt that Satan exists, find out how things were created at the beginning before sin entered this world, and then take a moment and look around you and see what is going on in the world today. God, the Creator of heaven and earth, wants human beings to live a peaceful, fruitful, and long-lived life. We were not created to live in a broken world, but in a garden to enjoy God’s presence, peace, joy, and many other blessings. Now, we understand why our children, finances, health, and most importantly, our connection with God are under attack. And Satan is great not because he is that powerful, but because he is good at what he does. For instance, you can easily spot the difference between a meal prepared by a Chef and a meal prepared by someone who just wanted to get dinner ready. It is not because the Chef is better than the other person, but because the Chef is more experienced and has become great at what he does. It is the same thing with Satan, who has been doing what he does for centuries. So, he is great at doing it. Therefore, you and I, and everybody else on planet earth combined, cannot have more experience than him. However, what you must never forget is that there is a ‘He’ that is in you who is greater. Not you, but the ‘He’ within you. That is why we must always pray in the Name of Jesus, because Satan is not afraid of us but fears the Jesus in us. “He” that is in us is Better, Bigger, and Stronger than he that is in the world.
Now, let’s consider what God could have done to Satan, but didn’t do. Just like our late brother, Dr. Myles Munroe, said once, that God could have resolved everything since Genesis chapter three and put Satan in his place for good after seducing Eve and taking away our first parents’ birthrights, but He didn’t. Let us not forget that this fight started way before Adam and Eve. Satan was already cast out of heaven by God when he tempted Eve and caused Adam and Eve to be cast out of the Garden of Eden by God. Therefore, he was no longer the angel of light by then. Have you ever thought of the possible reasons why God didn’t put an end to this madness from the get-go?
Let’s consider some of the reasons together.
Could it be that God didn’t stop the whole thing from the beginning because He is confident of His greatness? The thing is, God doesn’t need us to remind Him that He is greater than he who is in the world; He already knows He is greater than Satan and there is none like Him.
However, could it be that God wants us to know that He is greater? You see, God never told us to ignore the enemy or pretend he doesn’t exist, but He warns us about him, and He allows us to experience what it means to have His Spirit within us, who is greater than the devil. For example, we know that God is Omniscient, which means God knew Satan was going to seduce Eve and get Adam in trouble as well. So, why didn’t He warn them about him? And why does God allow certain things to happen in our lives?
What we must not forget also is that God never promised us that life would be sunshine and lollipops; in fact, Jesus even told the women lamenting over Him on His journey to Golgotha: “And Jesus said to them, daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and your children.” Luke 23:28. It was a way of telling us that things will not be easy. That’s why we need to be sober, be vigilant, because our adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8)
However, the good news is that the war has already been won because the death of our Savior on the cross gave us access to His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit who lives within us is greater than he that is in the world. That’s why our decision to accept Christ and to stand on the Lord’s side is vital. It is only when we accept, acknowledge, and call on Jesus in whatever circumstances we may be that we can be certain of Him being our present help in times of trouble.
And lastly, God didn’t do what He could have done to Satan because his downfall was already set from the beginning, and God’s word cannot return to Him void. We must remember that the plan of redemption was already set before the foundation of the world. Jesus didn’t decide to die for humanity when Adam and Eve sinned, but He knew and agreed to be the sacrificial Lamb and give up His life way before our first parents sinned. That’s why God didn’t scratch His head and wonder how He would fix the problem when it happened. And the prophecy in Genesis 3:15 sets the plan in motion. “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel,” because God already knew that He is greater than anything that Satan could ever come up with. When you read Genesis 3:15, you notice that God pronounced Satan’s defeat starting with the woman and ending with a ‘He’ … “He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel.” God was referring to Jesus when He said, ‘He will crush your head.’ Which means that Jesus would officially destroy Satan on the cross, because the whole problem started in heaven with Lucifer, who used to be the angel of light and who is now known as Satan, wanting to receive glory in heaven from creatures that he did not and could not create. Therefore, he was kicked out of heaven along with the fallen angels due to their rebellion against God. And again, here on earth, Satan is still seeking the same thing, which is worship from creatures that don’t belong to him. That’s why the Lord says to us that the battles that we face in life are not ours, but they are His. No wonder the enemy keeps coming after you and surrounding you like a flood when you have no idea why he is coming after you so hard. It is because of your faith in God. There is something the devil knows about you; he knows the hand and favor of God are on you, and that God is about to bless you. The thing is, you are getting all these attacks and don’t even know why, but the devil has been studying you all along.
In the Bible, Paul talks about the good fight of faith, meaning that we need to be aware that there is indeed a fight, it is real, and it is not against flesh and blood. In this fight, Jesus warned us that we will face challenges, setbacks, affliction, pain, persecution, and shed tears. However, He also promised not to leave us nor forsake us, and He also promised to be our Help during our season(s) of affliction and persecution. He will always show up and show us a way of escape or even create an exit door, if need be, because He wants us to witness what it means when we say, “Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.”
Today, I’d like to encourage you to take some time and acknowledge and worship the Spirit of the Lord, who is the He in you that is greater. You have been through storm after storm. The enemy has tried all he could to wipe you out from the surface of the earth. Satan came after you, your children, your finances, and your health in ways that you couldn’t even comprehend. You’ve been through things that you can’t even express to others, yet you are still clothed in your right mind because there is a Mighty hand that keeps pulling you through, and it isn’t because of your strength but because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. The fact that you are still breathing today makes you a threat to the kingdom of darkness because it is proof that Jesus is Lord above all.
Always praise the Lord for His greatness, remember that Jesus is for you, and He is unmatched!
SCRIPTURES
“No one is fierce enough to rouse it (speaking of Leviathan). Who then is able to stand against Me? Who has a claim against Me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to Me.” Job 41: 10-11
“Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
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