27th July, 2021
Minister: Pst. Olusola Ogidan
Though man didn’t have the capacity to live forever at creation, death was never his portion. However, according to Romans 5:12, death came in as a result of sin. More so, in Hebrews 2:14, Satan is seen to have known the power of death, the more reason he pushes man to sin knowing fully well that when he sins, death will come automatically.
Furthermore, in John 5:1-14, we see that sin attracts sickness and every terrible thing that happens to man. It then implies that once you can deal with sin, every other thing can be dealt with.
Interestingly, the Scripture proves that every woe is not as a result of sin. For instance, the story of the man born blind in John 9:1ff establishes that sometimes woeful situations can arise to manifest the glory of God. However, the blindness of that man cannot be attached to God but to the Devil. Not because of his sin but for another reason which is to manifest the glory of God.
Luke 11:22 shows that a man can be overpowered by another man who is stronger than him. Acts 10:38 helps establish that there are two major grounds upon which the Devil operates in a man’s life: The Ground of Sin and the Ground of Weakness/Ignorance. Sometimes, when men are under the bondage of the Devil, it is not as a result of sin, it is as a result of oppression.
In James 2:6, the power of oppression is revealed. The Devil works either by oppression or by standing on a legal ground. Isaiah 49:24 further buttresses the issue of legality by differentiating between oppression and legal exertion on man. In Isaiah 49:26, the disparity between a Saviour and a Redeemer is revealed. A Saviour can save by might but a Redeemer needs to pay a ransom before a release can be done. Redemption is not by virtue of might but by virtue of a paid ransom. A Saviour will save the captive from the mighty but a Redeemer needs to pay a ransom for the release of a lawful captive.
In Proverbs 22:2, curse is seen as a legal matter; when a curse does not have a cause, then there is no legal ground upon which the curse can be activated. This was the case between the Israelites, Balaam and Balak.
Colossians 1:12-14 reveals that the power of Christ has delivered us from the power of darkness; so darkness has nothing us. Any edge the devil has over us is not God’s will; it is a result of our non-challance/weakness.
Everything to perfect man’s redemption has been done. As such, every ground that the Devil can stand on to afflict us as Christians has been secured. Hence, being able to enjoy this work of Christ lies with us.
1 John 2:1 already shows us that sin has no hold on us. However, we can, by our own carelessness, create new grounds for the Devil to oppress us. The redemption Christ gave us is for forgiveness of all sins, not just our past sins; it is more like an open cheque to cater for every sin in the past, present and future, once and for all. This forgiveness of sin does not mean we should keep sinning but if we sin, we have an Advocate.
Ephesians 4:26 differentiates between anger and wrath. Anger may not be seen as it can be controlled but wrath is not controllable; it is rage. Letting the sun go down on your wrath allows darkness to set in. In essence, confess your anger while it is still day because the moment the sun sets on your wrath it becomes evil. The Devil thrives in an environment of unconfessed sin; that is darkness.
To confess a sin means to acknowledge that you did it. To confess, it is important to voice it. To cover a sin means to silence your conscience. In the real sense, the blood of Jesus takes care of our guilt when we acknowledge our sins. A continual silencing of your conscience results in a seared conscience as stated in Romans 1:28. This is how we give room to the Devil. It is not because we sin but because we do not employ the service of our Advocate by confessing to Him.
How far the Devil will have a say in your life is dependent on two things: The level of your Faith in the Capacity of the Blood of Jesus for your Redemption and the level of your Faith in the Capacity of His Name for your Salvation.