why do we allow a defeated foe so much power in our life?

So the question in my head for the last while has been this:

Why do we allow Satan, an already defeated foe, so much power in our lives?

It came up in a sermon at church and in a couple of other places. And, of course, me being me, hasn't stopped thinking about.

And in that process, I've realized how much power we, as disciples of Christ, allow Satan to have in our lives. Jesus' death on the cross and resurrection defeated Satan! Satan knows that his time on earth is limited, as is his power, so he uses every possible means to try to defeat us. And we let him defeat us. But, the truth of the matter is that he is already defeated!!! We do not have to allow him any power. And we have the power on our side to defeat him in our own lives as well.

I read a quote the other day that put this all in perspective for me:

We may be at war with a very powerful enemy, but we who are in Christ are at
peace with a far more powerful God.

Isn't that Good News?!?!? Yes, Satan may be powerful, but Christ is even more powerful!!!

We may not be able to defeat Satan by our own strength and power, but we have a power within us that can defeat Satan. We do not have to live in the defeat he desires for us to live in! We are free!

But, when we have allowed Satan to have so much power and control in our lives for so long, how do we change this? How do we stop believing his lies and start believing the truth? It starts with knowing the truth. We need to go to God and His Word with the lies that Satan tells us and learn the truth to defeat those lies. When we declare the truth of God's Word (out loud) to Satan and his lies, he flees from us. This is what Scripture is talking about in James 5 where it talks about resisting the devil and him fleeing from us. When we refuse to allow Satan's lies to work because we know the truth, Satan flees.

Is this always easy? No. But, I promise it's worth it. As we learn the lies that Satan uses against us and then learn the truth that defeats those lies and then use that truth the next time Satan comes against us we will begin to experience, at least in small doses, the freedom that God desires for us to live in. God does not want us to live in defeat! He wants us to live in freedom and victory! And He offers it to us!

We serve a powerful God. Satan is defeated and we do not have to allow him to have power in our lives.

Why do we allow Satan, an already defeated foe, so much power in our lives?

Maybe because we've forgotten the truth contained in this simple statement:

We may be at war with a very powerful enemy, but we who are in Christ are at peace with a far more powerful God.