Darkness to Light

The devil is real and he is deceptive. He is powerful, too, but we have access to a far greater power - the power of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 6 tells us:
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
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.

The pieces of the armor are outlined in the subsequent verses.  We recognize that there is a real enemy and Jesus said that he saw him fall from heaven.  In the wilderness, Jesus did battle with the enemy and won.  After his death, Jesus defeated the power of the enemy and is victorious over sin and death.  But, Satan continues to tempt us and to attempt to wreak havoc in our lives - he will build strongholds in our minds that are counterproductive to the presence of Christ, if we allow him to. But, 2nd Corinthians 10 tells us we can tear those down through the power of God.

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The enemy is at work in our world today, but believers in Christ have been given the tools to walk in the victory that Jesus has won for us. James 4 addresses how we can position ourselves in that victory:
6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

It is important that we recognize that there is a spiritual enemy who is active in this world.  Jesus said that Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy.  Peter says that he is roaming about like a roaring lion.  And, Paul said that we are at war with principalities and powers, with spiritual forces of darkness.

We have to recognize that people are not our enemy, but the enemy can certain take hold of people's lives; and he will operate in our life to the extent that we allow him to.  So, we have to resist him.

Simone Peer became involved in occultic practices as a result of her mother's influence.  A CBN.com story relates:

Simone Peer never saw anything wrong with being a white witch. In her mind, it was the 'good side' of the occult.

"I was a 'white witch', and this was 'white witchcraft' that was divine and heavenly," Simone says.

Simone grew up learning about the occult from her mom, who consulted psychics, and spirits. She recalls, "Horoscopes, numerology, the Ouija Board, seeing ghosts, psychic phenomenon, was normal."

Her dalliances with the occult were combined with verbal and physical abuse.  Her life spiraled downward into substance abuse and sexual immorality.  Her desire to make things right in her life led her into more and more of an entanglement with witchcraft, and eventually, according to the article: "She would spend the next 30 years seeking enlightenment and attaining the highest level of 'white witchcraft' – the high priestess. Through Santeria and other forms of spirituality and the occult Simone participated in animal sacrifices."

But, as CBN points out, "Still, no matter how high she climbed or 'enlightened' she became, there was an emptiness she couldn't shake."

Then, several years ago, she came across a video that would change her life - a video of rock musician Alice Cooper, who was talking about his relationship with...Jesus Christ!  The real Savior who had given him a new life and delivered him from alcoholism.

The article says:

Simone shares, "I realized that I was an ambassador for Satan. I didn't even know what it meant to have Jesus. I didn't understand it at all, I just knew that my heart cracked open, I knew that He was there, and I knew I was a 'Yes.' When I went through that salvation prayer and there were points of repentance, what really stood out to me was the thinking that I was God, the thinking that my spells were not manipulations of other people and other things. And I just said it out loud and raised my hand to God and I pleaded and repented and prayed over myself."

Now, after experiencing freedom from strongholds in her life, Simone is a certified life coach and is devoted to pointing people to the Savior. 

I want to walk through some principles that we can extract based on this story.  For one thing, we have to identify the identity of the true enemy.  We are not at war with flesh and blood - there are those who would oppose us whom we regard as our "enemies," but the true enemy is the devil himself, and recognizing this can be very helpful in loving the people whom we are tempted to set ourselves against.

We have to reckon with the idea that there is a real devil. The Bible speaks of him and his operation - and Jesus dealt with him in the wilderness when he came to tempt the Savior.  Jesus said that he comes to steal, kill, and destroy: a contrast with the abundant life which He offers to us.  And, He has ultimately defeated the power of Satan, who is tied to the power of sin and death. 

But we know that Jesus defeated the devil through His work at Calvary and through the power of His resurrection.  And, we are instructed in Scripture to resist him. We can walk in that victory and stand against him when he comes to try to defeat us.