Does it seem to you as if the world is spinning out of control? Most people would likely agree that it definitely seems that way. There are so many things presently challenging our peace and well-being, including widespread immorality, radical groups rioting, lab-created viruses, and political unrest. Not to mention organizations like the World Economic Forum pushing for depopulation of the earth and working hard to force us to live in fifteen-minute cities, own nothing, and eat bugs. They are very serious about this demonic agenda and are working hard to bring it to fruition. Out of control? I would say yes, or at the least, on the very brink!

Governments, rather than stabilizing conditions, are busy generating even more instability. Adding to the confusion, there is always a very loud and vocal group of naysayers who are quick to say that these are simply signs that the end is near. They propose that the devil will win as conditions get so bad that the Lord will have to come rescue us from the power of the devil.                                

This group seems to believe that the church should step back and give Satan free reign, insinuating that he is more powerful than the church. He is not; he can only operate successfully when Christians do nothing and let him have his way. When things get out of control, it’s because Christians have stepped back, moved over, and let the devil take the wheel.

His Methods Never Change

Many Christians today are troubled by a sense of uncertainty about the future and are fearful of the things that Satan is bringing to the earth. Fear and trepidation have become all too prominent in today’s world because of all the activity by Satan in this hour. He has been working overtime lately, and it shows. It’s not the first time he has tried to take control of God's people and thwart His plans for them.

In Numbers 13, the Israelites faced the same type of fear and uncertainty at a place known as Kadesh-Barnea, where they let their anxiety keep them from entering into the blessings and abundance God had promised. All the wandering Hebrews had to do was have enough faith in God to go forward, engage the enemy, and take the land, thereby expanding God’s dominion on the earth. Their apprehension and unbelief reversed their course and set them back another 40 years before they could enter the Promise Land of Canaan. They felt the enemy was just too strong for them, so they ran away, not realizing that the enemy was actually cringing in fear of them.

Satan deceived them into believing that he was stronger than they were and, by implication, stronger than their God. The end result was that he got to make the rules of engagement, which meant no engagement at all, which, in turn, meant no advancement at all.

We Cannot Allow The Devil to Determine Our Course

We are in danger of another major setback if we allow Satan to set the guidelines for humanity. We cannot allow him to use fear and intimidation to keep the Church from expanding the Kingdom of God, as He commanded in Matthew 28:18–20. We must realize that the devil is not in control unless we relent, fall for his deceptive tactics, and do nothing.

He is certainly going to try to rule, cause chaos, and disrupt society whenever and wherever he can. Jesus said that the devil only came to kill, steal, and destroy, and he is certainly steadfastly going about that business. However, he no longer has the authority to do so because he has been defeated. That is something we need to understand. He can only gain a foothold when we ignore or give in to his shenanigans and fear tactics.

Many Christians are under the impression that evil is encroaching to such an extent that we may never escape its grasp. With all the fierce disruptions that are going on, it's easy to assume the devil is winning. The part that is so exasperating is that so many assume, believe, and even teach that he will ultimately win and take over, so that Christians have to vacate the earth. Unbelievable! I find no scripture anywhere that supports this doctrine. But I do find scripture that tells us to go into all the world, make disciples and then “Occupy till I Come.”          

That weak and dismal strategy that believes our only recourse is to run and hide from the enemy, like the Israelites did at Kadesh-Barnea, has neutralized much of the Church. Friends, brothers and sisters, the enemy does not win, we do. The Bible plainly says in Isaiah 6:1 that God is on the throne, Jesus is at his right hand (Hebrews 10:12–13), and we are His representatives on earth (2 Corinthians 5:20). The devil is done! It’s our job, our right and our duty to help bring His will about instead of Satan’s, not to run from it. God’s people should run toward the battle, not from it.

While we can’t deny that Satan is stirring up a lot of difficulty, too many believers grant him undue statue, undue power, and undue authority simply because they haven’t fully comprehended that Jesus destroyed his power forever. The Bible clearly states that he is defeated. Hebrews 2:14 (NKJV) states that “through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.” We need to recognize that and stop viewing him as invincible!

Satan Loses, Both Now and In the End

Adverse circumstances can make him appear to be bigger and stronger than he is, but we need to realize that the devil simply does not dictate the broader agenda for God’s creation. That’s God's realm, but the devil tries to make us think it is his. It is not. It’s time to stop giving him a position that he does not have the right to possess.

The Prophet Daniel had some interesting insight into this reality. Under the direction of the Holy Spirit, he saw into the future of Israel and even into our day and began prophesying against the rising evil that he saw. In his word, he noted the devil’s arrogance and stated this about his activity in Daniel 7:25: (NIV)

"He will speak against the Most High, oppress his holy people, and try to change the set times and the laws."

Notice he said “try.” We always seem to assume that he will be successful in his weird endeavors, but he will not. He will definitely keep trying, and in trying, he stirs up controversy and trouble that does certainly challenge peace and disrupt society, but he simply does not have what it takes anymore to completely subdue the earth or the people on it.

Just a small number of praying Christians can change the course of events in a heartbeat. Even one person declaring the word of God in a situation can turn that event around. We need to realize that and utilize it to neutralize his attacks. How soon that happens on a regular basis will be determined by how soon Christians decide that enough is enough.

In this prophetic declaration, Daniel understood that evil would attempt to disrupt and destroy the earth. He even observed that there would be a fierce attempt to change the "set times" and "laws." But darkness is ultimately powerless to undermine the decrees of God. On the other hand, we can speak decrees as God's ambassadors; we can pray about a situation, personal or otherwise, and speak the desired results into the atmosphere in faith that God will do what He said He would do. We can speak it out before heaven and hell in faith and see the tide turn in our favor. (Job 22:28) Even though challenges from the enemy will certainly come, the righteous will simply not be defeated.

Daniel confirms this great truth in the next two verses. He declares:

In verse 26, "But the court will sit, and his [devils] power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever.” (NIV)

Did you know this has already happened? It happened at the cross. His power over us was destroyed there, and authority over his power was granted to us in Luke 9:1 “Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.” and Luke 10:19 “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

Satan has been fully conquered. We have been fully authorized to come against his evil actions without fear of harm. We have to claim our victory and stand on it to demonstrate the he is no longer in charge of the earth.

Our Enemy Is Still Attempting to Deceive Us

Jesus defeated Satan and gave us the victory, but he is still a thief, we have to keep the devil from stealing it away from us. Although he is defeated, he is not inactive and is still trying to deceive and steal from the saints. He wants to deceive us as he did the Israelites at Kadesh-Barnea and send us down the wrong road, away from our destiny. We have to speak out and declare our faith in God’s word and in His ability to give us victory. We have to believe it enough to go for it, and eventually we will walk in it.

Daniel revealed this in Daniel 7:27, when he declared, “Then the sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High.” (NIV)

He is not simply talking about the Jews in Israel; he is talking about us. He is speaking about believing Christians who have awakened to the fact that we do have power and authority over all the power of the devil. (Luke 10:18–19).

We are still in the process of that happening now. It is a continuing process and will be until Ephesians 4:13* and 1 Cor 15:24,25** come to pass, until we come to the full stature of Jesus Christ, until the Church comes together in unity in our faith and believes in God’s word enough that we take our rightful place as conquerors and defeat the enemy by frustrating his plans wherever we encounter them.

Satan Is Not In Charge

We need never be afraid; Satan is not in charge of the earth. Command over the earth is in the hands of the Lord and the people who faithfully serve Him. Evil shall never prevail for long! As long as God's people stand against it and declare it to be defeated. We must believe and accept Paul’s declaration in 2 Timothy 2:12, “We shall reign with Him.”

We need to adopt an “in your face attitude” toward the devil. Demons understand rank, and you outrank them. Jesus said in Luke 7:28 that, the least in the kingdom is greater than John the Baptist. In other words, we have more authority in the spirit realm than an Old Covenant prophet. John was an Old Covenant man. We have more authority than he did because we weren’t identified as God's servants as they were, but instead are proclaimed to be God’s children. Let’s learn to use that authority and position as part of God’s family to win some battles.

A popular saying among preachers is, “I have read the last page of the Bible, and we win." Well, it is true that we win, but it’s not on the last page of the bible; it’s in 1 Corinthians 15:24 and 25, as well as Revelation 11:15, which state that all kingdoms will be subject to Jesus, and he will hand them over to the Father. At that time the Lord’s Prayer will be answered: “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” and Habakkuk 2:14, “The knowledge of the glory of God will cover the earth as water covers the sea.” Both of these scriptures will come to pass.

That’s our future church, not escaping by the skin of our teeth, not defeated at the hands of the enemy, but ruling and reigning with Him. When? When all kingdoms submit to Jesus, every person bows to His name, and the entire earth recognizes God's glory. It may or may not come to full fruition in our lifetime, but it will happen just as God has decreed that it will, and we can have the privilege to be a part of that process.

We don’t have to be afraid of the devil; we don’t need to act like the Israelites at Kadesh-Barnea and run and hide from an already defeated foe. We have the authority given to us by Jesus to overcome anything the devil comes up with.

So, relax and enjoy your life on earth. Realize Jesus has brought us victory and enforce that victory on earth. Engage in efforts to root Satan out of positions where he has gained control. Demonstrate that power every chance you get in your life and in any place you see the need. Just always remember that Satan has no power over you, but you and I have the power to defeat him in all his efforts to enslave the world. “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you." (Luke 10:19 NKJV)

When we believe it and act on it, Satan will have to retreat back down to his hell hole. Amen! So be it! Amen!

*Ephesians 4:13: Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

  **1 Corinthians 15:24–25: Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 25 He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

Ray Cleghorn is a retired pastor with several books listed on Amazon.com and elsewhere. His books and articles topics range from theological and eschatological to contemporary issues facing Christians today.