Why Satan’s Broken Power Over Your Life Means You’re Free

Why Satan’s Broken Control Over Your Life Means You’re Free

Recently, I came upon a story that illustrates how Satan’s broken power over followers of Jesus. The story goes like this: “While visiting Grand Coulee Dam, my family and I were surprised to see that the visitor’s center was dark. It was a sunny day, so we thought the center might have tinted windows, but as we got closer, we realized no lights were on. We went in and saw that none of the displays were working. It soon became clear that there was no power to the center. Due to a technical difficulty, the visitor’s center that sat only hundreds of feet from a hydroelectric dam had no power. How could something be so close to the power source yet not be “plugged in”?¹ Now, you can take this illustration a number of different directions. You can focus on the ‘plugged in part’ — that we need to plug into God’s power and that would certainly be right and true. But, how about looking at this from another point of view. What if we saw that the power source is evil. What if I choose to stay disconnected from evil because as Jesus followers we are living in the world but not of it — believers who say, ‘No! Satan has no hold on me — I will not connect to the negative power that’s seemingly all around? I will stay disconnected. Jesus lived this way — he spoke to his disciples one day about this very thing. That conversation is recorded in John fourteen. We are going to take a look at it today. “Why Satan’s Broken Control Over Your Life Means You’re Free.” That’s our focus on this week’s Light on Life.

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Each week’s podcast contains a call to action. The Word of God will not produce in your life unless you put it into operation.
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All authority is given unto Jesus — therefore go. That means you are the authorized one — not Satan.

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Testimony is vital to a believer’s life. We overcome by it (Rev. 12:11). Each week’s podcast also contains a question designed to encourage testimony.
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Question: Share a Holy Spirit story on how the enemy tried to trip you up but could not. You can give your personal testimony in the comments section below.

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If you would like to know more about growing in faith, see the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

We are currently teaching in the Gospel of John. You can click on the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

About Emery

Emery committed his life to the Lord Jesus Christ over 48 years ago and has served as both a full-time pastor and an itinerant minister. He and his wife Sharon of 43 years emphasize personal growth and development through the Word of God. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is the focus and the hallmark of their mission. Read more about them here.

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Prayer

Well again, welcome.
Let’s pray.

Father God, thank you for the victory that we have because of Christ Jesus. You are the source of that — the master planner behind this victory. Forever we give you the praise and glory for all that you have wrought. Jesus victory is our victory — His dominion, is the basis of our authority and it’s all because of you. Thank you for this in Jesus Name, Amen.

Satan’s Broken Power: Who Is the Ruler of this World?

John 14:28–31 (ESV) — 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.

Okay, let’s begin to break this down.
Look at the phrase ‘the ruler of this world is coming.’
The precise term, “the ruler of the world,” occurs in only three places in the Bible.
First in our passage in John fourteen.
Then look at John twelve.

John 12:31(ESV) — 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.

Note the phrase again ‘the ruler of the world.’
Go now to John sixteen.

John 16:8, 11(ESV) — 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment… 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

There it is again — three different times John uses the term ruler of this world.
So this is John’s way of referring to the devil.
Paul referred to him by a different name

Ephesians 2:1–3 (ESV) — 1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

This being is called by different names: the devil, Satan, Lucifer, Prince of Darkness, the prince of demons, Beelzebub, the evil one, the slanderer, the accuser of the brethren, and the Anti-Christ.
Names are vital.
They mean something.
In the Bible, God changed certain people’s names.
It’s important what you are called.
But, it’s more vital what you answer to.
Beelzebub means ‘lord of the flies.’
That name gives you insight into who and what this being Satan, is like — flies are nasty, flies are annoying, flies feed on death and and so does he.
The devil is the ‘ruler of this world.’
The Greek word ‘ruler’ means one who has eminence in a ruling capacity, ruler, lord, prince. ²
Right now, President Biden is like our current president — but he is out even though he is in.
What I mean by that is that he is not going to be the next president — but he still remains for a short time [until January].
In a similar fashion, the human race has had elections as well.
Take a look at them.
The first president or ruler of Planet Earth was Adam.
God put him into office when he said — I give you dominion – Genesis 1:26.

Genesis 1:26 (ESV) — 26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Adam had dominion over all the earth.
He was earth’s first ruler.
But, Adam listened to the serpent via his wife.

Genesis 3:1–5 (ESV) — 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Put this passage together with verse

**Genesis 3:17–19 (ESV) — 17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have [eaten of the tree] of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground] [because of you]; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

In doing this, yielding to his wife who took in the serpent’s theory, Adam bowed his knee to Satan.

Romans 6:16 (ESV) — 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

This ‘bowing of the knee’ to Satan meant Satan was lord over Adam.
So, Satan became the second ruler of Planet Earth.
Now, fast forward to the first century.

Luke 4:5–8 (ESV) — And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’ ”

‘All this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will’ is what the serpent said.
This was a legitimate temptation because retrieving this authority is one reason God the Father sent Jesus to the earth in the first place.
Now, we all know that Satan is a liar and the father of it.

John 8:44 (ESV) — 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

So, this statement by Satan to Jesus: ‘if you will fall down and worship me all will be yours’ is all a big lie.
What this is about is Satan providing Jesus with a shortcut.
Again, it was a legit temptation.
But the devil is a liar — he wouldn’t have kept up the deal
Instead, if Jesus worshipped him, he would have made Jesus a slave to sin just like he did Adam.
So you see, Adam put Satan in this position to be the ruler of the world.
But because Jesus was obedient to death on the cross.

Colossians 2:15 (ESV) — 15 He [Jesus] disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

These authorities? — they are demonic rulers.
The scripture says that Jesus dismantled the whole bunch — the entire realm of darkness by His obedience unto God.
The Greek word here is ‘disarmed’ which means to strip off of clothes³
Jesus stripped Satan naked.
We have a naked devil running around.
Satan has been stripped of his robes of ruling authority — the authority that was delivered to him by Adam.

Matthew 28:18 (ESV) — 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.“

Satan has been disarmed — the authority he stole from Adam was stripped from him — Jesus now has it.

Matthew 28:19 (ESV) — 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

The word ‘therefore’ is critical.
All authority is given unto Jesus — therefore go.
That means you are the authorized one — not Satan.
Now, the scripture that we looked at in Colossians also said that Jesus disarmed the rulers — we understand that means to strip naked.
But, Jesus also triumphed over them.

Colossians 2:15 (ESV) — 15 He [Jesus] disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Triumphing means to expose to public infamy and shame.
And with that thought, here is the Historical Background of the Day.
The word ‘triumphing’ is an allusion is to the custom of conquerors making a public demonstration of conquered enemies. Satan and his human agents made a public shame out of Christ by crucifying Him naked on a cross. By that they thought they would triumph over Him, putting an end to His new religion, but instead it was a trap and the cross turned out to be their public defeat and shame⁴

Satan’s Broken Power: Darkness Has No Claim on Jesus

Now let’s talk about darkness has no claim — has no rights over you.
Jesus said, in John fourteen, ‘the ruler of this world is coming and He has no claim on me.’
Focus on the phrase ‘has no claim on me.’.
What does that mean?
What do these words mean — ‘he has no claim on me?’
And with that thought, here is the Definition of the Day.
The Greek word ‘claim’ means to have, to own, to possess, or to hold.⁵
What Jesus is saying is ‘the devil does not own me.’
‘The devil has no hold on me.’
Nor, does he have me in his hip pocket — he doesn’t possess me as one owns property.
In me he has zip, zero, nothing.
The New English Bible translates this as “He has no rights over me.”
If that’s true, ‘he is not able to control me’ nor ‘is he able to command me.’⁶
“Satan is coming,” Jesus said Satan he has no claim — no power — no rights over me.

Satan’s Broken Power: A Deceived Enemy

Satan thinks that He is coming to put an end to Jesus but what He doesn’t realize is that it’s the other way around.
The enemy has plotted, maneuvered, found a way he thinks through Judas.

John 13:2 (ESV) — 2 During supper, when the [devil had already put it into the heart] of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, [to betray him],

The word ‘put’ — put into the heart of Judas Iscariot is the Greek word ‘ballo and it means to cast or to throw.
It’s an idiom, which literally carries the idea of ‘to fill the heart.’
Literally ‘to throw into the heart’: to cause someone to think in a particular manner, often as a means of inducing some behavior—‘to make think, to fill the heart, to cause to decide.’⁷
He’s working hard, the enemy is — and least God the Father let him think that.
But, he’s all the while the devil is walking into a trap.
Jesus already knew he was coming and what he would do.

John 6:70–71 (ESV) — 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” 71 He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.

Despite the fact that he knew the enemies plan just like Elisha knew what the King of Syria was planning in his own bedroom, He did not pray to stop this.
Jesus did not take authority over Satan.
Jesus knew that the Father God was using Satan like a puppet to bring about the greatest deliverance ever known to mankind, via the death, burial, and resurrection of his own person.
And with that thought here is the Testimony of the Day.
Sharon and I went to a one year Bible school in New Jersey before we came to Oklahoma.
There was an instructor who did something similar to what Jesus did here.
He was an overweight gentleman.
Now, I’m talking understanding your spiritual authority here.
This is not for the faint of heart.
This man developed a condition, a sickness in his body.
As a man of faith, he did nothing.
I remember him sharing this and the impression it had on me.
He said that the sickness he had caused him to lose weight and when he felt he had gotten to the weight that he wanted to be at, he said, “that’s enough!” — “I will have my healing now!”
That’s understanding authority.
Jesus said, ‘the prince of this world comes and has nothing in me.’
This man of God operated in the same fashion — the prince of this world came to him with a disease but he nothing on him.
Instead, this man used this attack of the enemy to get his body, which was out of control in one area, — back in control and then received his healing.
Marvelous testimony!
It’s been well over 40 years ago and I have heard very few men have an understanding of what it means to exercise authority like this man.
You see this pastor realized that sickness had no claim on him.

Satan’s Broken Power: Identified with Jesus

So, here is the picture that the New Testament paints of you.

1 Corinthians 1:30–31 (ESV) — 30 And because of him [God the Father] you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

The word of God speaks of each believer as being in Christ.
This is the principle of identification.
It states that we are one with Christ.
That’s a nice statement, but what does this mean for my life?
It means just as Jesus said the devil comes and has no claim on him — the same can be said for you because you are in Christ.
You are identified with Christ.
The scriptural word ‘identification means’ to consider and treat as the same.
Identification means two become utterly one.
Marriage is an example of identification.
The husband and wife become identified as one.
They have one name.
They are financially and legally one entity though they are physically two separate beings.
They are identified in the Bible as ‘one flesh.’
You can say it this way: “Jesus became what we were so that we might become what He is.”
Here it is in the Word of God.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV) – 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Jesus identified with your sin so that you might identify with righteousness.
My identity, therefore, is the righteousness of God.
You are righteous with Jesus righteousness.

Galatians 1:4 (ESV) – 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

Jesus identified with sin so that we might identify with deliverance.
Therefore your identity is a delivered child of God.
Satan has no claim on you.
The New Testament has tons of ‘in Christ, and in Him’ statements.
There are 55 of them listed up on the website emeryhorvath.com.
You can click on this link and find them: https://www.emeryhorvath.com/in-him-scripture-list/.
In this list, you can realize your true identity.

Satan’s Broken Power: Jesus As Your Substitute

When you are talking about being identified with Christ, you can’t go very far without talking about Jesus being your substitute.
Substitution and identification go hand in hand.
What is Biblical substitution all about?
Well, a definition would certainly help us here.
Substitution is when one takes the place of another.
You can understand substitution by looking at athletics.
Teams have to have players in reserve so that substitutions can occur.
Substitutes are part of the game.
The game must go on.
If the substitute makes an outstanding play that wins the game, the whole team enjoys the benefits of the win.
Both the substitute on the field and the player that was substituted for gains the same prize.

1 Corinthians 15:3 (ESV) – For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,

You can see the work of substitution here in this passage.
Jesus became your substitute by taking your place and dying for your sins.
He gained the victory.
He made the winning score, and because He is my substitute, I enjoy the victory as well.
Now, let’s put both substitution and identification together.
Both concepts, identification, and substitution, appear in the following verse found in Philippians two.

Philippians 2:5–8 (ESV) — 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Note the phrase ‘taking upon Himself the form of a servant’ — that’s identification.
Note the phrase ‘becoming obedient to death on the cross’ — that’s substitution.
Substitution and identification are also found in the same verse Hebrews two.

Hebrews 2:17 (ESV) – 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

‘Being made like His brethren’ is identification.
‘Reconciling the sins of the people’ is substitution.
What all of these verses on identification and substitution show us is this fundamental truth: Jesus became utterly one with you because He identified with you, He qualified to take your place.
He could pay the price of your transgressions by substituting for you.
He took your place on the cross.
Saying this succinctly — Jesus became what you are so you can become what He is.
In this podcast, we are speaking of one specific way that He is — Satan has no grip on him.
Because you are identified with Him — He has no grip on you!
Glory!
Satan is judged.
The devil is defeated.
He has nothing in you.

Now, Father God, thank you for the great work of redemption — thank you that Jesus made us the righteousness of God in Christ and because you did Satan has no claim on us. You only get the praise, the glory and the honor for all these things in Jesus Name, Amen.

Why Satan’s Broken Control Over Your Life Means You’re Free.
You guys have a great God week and we will see you next time for another edition of Light on Life.

Are You Flowing in God Given Authority?

___________
References:

Paul Dawson, Pendleton, Oregon, Craig Brian Larson and Phyllis Ten Elshof, 1001 Illustrations That Connect (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2008), 409. ↩
William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 140. ↩
William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 100. ↩
Finis Jennings Dake, The Dake Annotated Reference Bible (Dake Publishing, 1997), Col 2:15. ↩
Ronald L. Trail, An Exegetical Summary of John 10–21, Exegetical Summaries (Dallas, TX: SIL International, 2018), 240. ↩
Barclay Moon Newman and Eugene Albert Nida, A Handbook on the Gospel of John, UBS Handbook Series (New York: United Bible Societies, 1993), 476. ↩
Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 353. ↩

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Why Satan’s Broken Power Over Your Life Means You’re Free

Podcast: Light on Life Season Eleven Episode Thirty-Two

by Emery Horvath

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Join the Conversation

Episode Resources:

If you would like to know more about growing in faith, see the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

We are currently teaching in the Gospel of John. You can click on the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

About Emery

Subscribe to the Podcast

Share the Love

Prayer

Satan’s Broken Power: Who Is the Ruler of this World?

Satan’s Broken Power: Darkness Has No Claim on Jesus

Satan’s Broken Power: A Deceived Enemy

Satan’s Broken Power: Identified with Jesus

Satan’s Broken Power: Jesus As Your Substitute

Listen to the Audio

Click to Listen | Right Click to Download |Subscribe in PlayerFM

Read the Notes

Accept the Challenge

Join the Conversation

Episode Resources:

If you would like to know more about growing in faith, see the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

We are currently teaching in the Gospel of John. You can click on the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

About Emery

Subscribe to the Podcast

Share the Love

Prayer

Satan’s Broken Power: Who Is the Ruler of this World?

Satan’s Broken Power: Darkness Has No Claim on Jesus

Satan’s Broken Power: A Deceived Enemy

Satan’s Broken Power: Identified with Jesus

Satan’s Broken Power: Jesus As Your Substitute

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