Staying Out of Satan's Range

 

 

"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:" Colossians 1:13

"Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?"

 Romans 6:16

 In the previous article, I discussed about “Understanding Satan’s Jurisdiction” If you have not read it, then Click Here; the legal aspect of Satan's jurisdiction in reference to our lives. We learned that we have been delivered out of his jurisdiction and placed into the jurisdiction of Jesus. Contrasting this legal side of our redemption, however, is the vital side. The vital side of our redemption is where we live every day. This is where the "rubber meets the road" so to speak. It is where we manifest in our everyday lives what God's Word declares concerning us. Daily demonstrating Satan's defeat is a desire of all who are redeemed!

 Though legally we have a position in the heavenlies outside of Satan's range, it is our responsibility to walk in that position. Though we have been legally redeemed from Satan's rights of lordship and from this world's system, we must "be on our guard" because we are still in this world.

Though Satan does not have the legal right to bind us, he does have the right to try. Because we are in this world he has the right to try to exercise authority over us. But though Satan has the right to shoot at us, if we will act upon the Word of God we will stay high above all the power of the enemy. We must learn how to stay out of the devil's range! We will learn in this chapter that it is one thing to have a place of refuge and safety provided and another thing to dwell there. We will also learn why Satan is able to successfully attack believers and bring defeat into their lives.

 How Satan Defeats Believers

When we "descend" in the spirit by violating Biblical laws, we come within the range of his authority and he becomes successful in our lives. When we get off the assigned flight plan of God's Word we begin to lose altitude. We descend within the range of Satan's fire power and sometimes get hit!

How does a believer fall into Satan's range of assault?

How does a believer get into the place where the devil has a right to exercise authority over his life? Let's begin to answer these questions.

Obeying the Law of Spiritual Jurisdiction

One of the scriptures the Lord gave me is from Romans 6:16. In this verse God shared with me a rule of thumb concerning the law of spiritual jurisdiction. The first part of Romans 6:16 says,

 "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are to whom ye obey..."

This principle is true of both God's jurisdiction and the devil's jurisdiction; "...whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness" [Romans 6:16b]. To whatever domain you submit yourself, that kingdom will have the jurisdiction over your life. An understanding of this verse of scripture helps us realize why Satan can operate his power in our lives.

 Once again we must consider the legal side and the vital side of our redemption. The legal reality of our redemption is that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil [I John 3:8b]. Well, did Jesus do that or not? Certainly He did! Colossians 2:15 states that Jesus brought Satan to naught. Why then can Satan still work? Why is he still putting sickness and disease on God's children and producing pain in their lives if his works have been destroyed?

The answer is simply this. Jesus did not destroy the works of the devil in the sense that Satan is completely disallowed to operate in the earth any more. Rather, Jesus destroyed the works of the devil by providing a place in Himself where the believer can be sheltered from Satan's destruction. If we live in the world we will have trials and tribulation, but if we live in Christ, though we be "shot at", we will still overcome!

 When the believer yields to any work of Satan's kingdom he places himself in Satan's jurisdiction and, thus, under his power. A believer is not under Satan's jurisdiction in respect to his legal status, but if he yields himself to the works of Satan's kingdom he will certainly at that time be under Satan's jurisdiction. Whenever a believer is disobedient to God he becomes subject to Satan's authority.

Let's look at two scriptures which illustrate this truth. I John 5:18 states:

 "We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not, but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not."

Notice that the believer, "keepeth himself." It is up to us to fly in the assigned flight plan of God's Word and keep our altitude high enough that Satan cannot touch us. God has provided everything we need to soar in those heavenly heights, but it is our job as "pilots" to keep our lives on course! Though we cannot keep the devil from shooting at us, we can keep our lives out of his effective range!

 Another scripture that illustrates our responsibility in staying out of the devil's jurisdiction is Psalms 91. Notice that in verses 1 through 3 and again in verses 9 through 16 God's Word emphasizes our responsibility in keeping ourselves outside the enemy's range,

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty... Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling ... Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name."

Psalms 91:1,9,10,14

Notice how divine protection is experienced. It was experienced by the psalmist only as he chose to dwell in the secret place of the Most High. In that place God had total jurisdiction and, therefore, the psalmist remained out of range of the enemy's attacks! Had the psalmist not chosen the secret place of the Almighty for his lodging, or had he not made the Lord his habitation, then he could not have experienced the assurance of this life of safety.

When the believer places himself in the protective jurisdiction of the Lord, he also places himself in the realm which is outside the activity of destruction. The believer is assured of total protection and safety when he has chosen the high altitudes of the presence of God to be his daily flight plan. If you walk in the light of God's Word and in obedience to the laws that govern God's jurisdiction, then you are under the rule of His Lordship. You are out of the devil's range.

The opposite, however, is also true. If you walk in darkness [sin, strife, anger, doubt, etc.] then even though you have been legally freed from Satan's jurisdiction, you have put yourself back within his jurisdiction and within his range of attack. This is what Romans 6:16 declares: You become a subject in the kingdom to which you yield yourself servant. You become slave to the one to whom you yield your life. Though we are legal citizens of God's kingdom, the boundary lines that we choose to reside within will, by our choice, define the domain which has jurisdiction in our lives.

Give No Place to the Devil

Ephesians 4:27 says, "...neither give place to the devil." Evidently we, as believers, can give place or we would not have this warning from God.

We give the devil place in our lives and allow him to successfully attack us when we yield to the activities within his jurisdiction. We actually give the devil place when we choose to travel through or dwell within the domain of darkness that he presides over. Let's look at some of the ways we descend into the devil's territory and give him jurisdiction in our lives.

Attitudes

We can lose altitude in the spirit with wrong attitudes toward the things of God. I like what Dr. John Maxwell said in his book Be All You Can Be. He states, "Your attitude determines the altitude at which you soar in life." We can certainly see this truth in Deuteronomy 28:47,48:

"Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee."

 We can learn from this verse that even though we belong to the Lord, if we don't serve Him with the right attitude of joy we can open up the door to the devil. When we have wrong attitudes we lower our altitudes and descend within Satan's range of power!

The apostle Paul warned the church at Corinth about the attitudes represented by murmuring and complaining. In I Corinthians 10:10 he reminded them that when the children of Israel complained, fiery serpents began to destroy them. This record of Israel's sin was written so that we could learn from Israel's mistakes and not step outside of the blessings of God into the "fiery bites of serpents."

When we allow the wrong attitudes about life to overcome us, we allow ourselves to be lowered into the spiritual jurisdiction of the devil! This is, many times, how the devil is able to "hit" Christians. As elementary as these things may sound, it is amazing that many Christians are either ignorant of, or fail to live by, these very real governing principles of God.

 

 Works of the Flesh

When we yield to any work of the flesh such as pride, fear, strife, anger, or lust and, thus, get involved in sin through disobedience to the instructions of God's Word and the Holy Spirit, we veer off course and lose altitude. Consider the evil work of strife as an example. When a believer gets into strife, he actually places himself within the jurisdiction of the devil. James 3:14-16 says,

"But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work."

 Strife is not "from above", but is "devilish." Where strife is, there is every evil work. Strife pulls you out of your heavenly position in Christ down into the realm of earthly and devilish activity.

James also teaches in James 1:14-15 that lust leads to sin which leads to death, and we know that death is of the devil. Paul told Timothy in II Timothy 2:24-26 that those who entered into strife must, "...recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who were taken captive by him..."

 Descending into Satan's jurisdiction will also result if one yields to demonic spirits. When a person submits to a particular demon's influence, then that spirit gains a level of jurisdiction in their life.

When a believer walks in disobedience to God's Word and His will, they get on the devil's territory and he has a right to attack them. Yielding to works of the flesh or demonic influence, whether strife, lust, or anything else, gives Satan jurisdiction in believers' lives.

Satan cannot launch successful attacks against us unless we yield to fleshly and demonic works like fear, doubt, strife or sin. In fact, when we stand firm trusting God's Word, we can "pass through the fire and not be burned." There are so many beautiful scriptures like Psalms 23:4 and Isaiah 43:1-3 that teach us if we walk in the Lord we can pass through real storms and not even be fazed! Right in the presence of our enemies we can have a table of God's provision spread before us!

Ignorance of the Word

Another way that we give place to the devil and get over onto his "turf" is through ignorance of God's Word. When we are ignorant of the Word we are ignorant of God's will, ignorant of Satan's operations, and ignorant of our authority as believers. Hosea 4:6 says that God's people perish for a lack of knowledge. II Corinthians 2:11 says,

 "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices."

 Satan cannot get advantage over us when we are aware of his devices. Not being ignorant means that Satan cannot gain an advantage over us. But if we are ignorant it is possible for him to gain the upper hand.

 I Peter 5:8 reveals that if believers don't stay sober minded and aware of Satan's activity, then through ignorance he will take advantage of them. Ignorance of operations in the realm of the spirit is not bliss. Sometimes it can cost you your life!

The Word of God is like an earth suit that protects us from the "hostile" and contaminating environment we live in. The Psalmist declared in Psalms 17:4, "...by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer." In John 17:14-19, Jesus spoke this same truth concerning the ability of God's Word to protect us from the enemy while we live in his domain,

"I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil (one) ...Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth."

 In Luke 4:1-13, Jesus was shot at by the devil, but because He stayed within the boundaries of God's Word He was not hit. Though He was tempted by Satan, He responded each time by saying, "It is written." Not only did knowledge of the Word of God protect Him from Satan's authority, but His relationship and fellowship with the Father remained intact. By staying within the boundaries of the written Word of God, Jesus ran Satan off the mountain that day and also received blessings from the Lord in the form of ministry from the angels (Matthew 4:111.

 Jesus taught in Luke 6:46-49 that when we act on the Word, living within the boundaries of what God has said, then the storms will not be able to shake our lives. All our protection from the power of the devil and the work of his cohorts comes from abiding in the Word. I John 1:7 states,

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."

When we walk in the light, that is, when we walk in the revelation of God's Word, then the blood of Jesus operates in our lives not only as the cleansing agent, but also as the protecting agent.

 A believer who is ignorant of what belongs to him according to God's Word is a believer who is walking unprotected and unarmed in life's war.

Failing to Stand

Another way we give place to the devil is simply by failing to take a stand against him. James 4:8 states that as we resist the devil, he will flee. Satan does not have a legal right to devour the believer, but because he is an outlaw, he will "break the law" and function as he wills until someone exercises authority over him. It is not only important to have knowledge of God's Word, but to consciously and aggressively act upon that knowledge. It is not only important to have knowledge of Satan's devices and your authority over him, but you must resist him and refuse him any room to operate in your life.

I Peter 5:8-9 exhorts us to stand steadfast against the enemy,

"Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist steadfast in the faith..."

In Ephesians 6:11-14 we find this same truth,

 "Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil ... and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore..."

 Many believers fail to recognize the totality of what Jesus meant in Matthew 16:19 when he said, "...I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven." He went on to state that, "Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: And whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Jesus was simply saying that what we allow God allows. What we allow the devil to do, he has the right to do by default and neglect on our part.

Jesus said in John 17 that we are in the world, but are not of the world. In John 16:33 Jesus said that in the world we would have tribulation, but I John 5:4 teaches us that the victory that overcomes the world is our faith. Faith, which is an aggressive stand on God's Word, is a must if we desire to quench all the fiery darts of the enemy.

 Fear

 I John 4:18 says that fear has torment. When the believer succumbs to the force of fear he most definitely lowers his altitude within the range of Satan's jurisdiction. Hebrews 2:14 and 15 teach us that it is through fear that Satan holds men in bondage,”

Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same, that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."

Satan dominates the lives of those who succumb to the force of fear. God's Word calls this domination bondage. Fear imprisons one's heart and releases the power of Satan's destruction in their life. By yielding to fear believers descend into Satan's range of attack.

Un-Forgiveness

 Believers place themselves well within the range of the devil's fiery darts when they choose to walk in unforgiveness and resentment. In Matthew 18:23-35, Jesus taught a parable that explains very clearly and strongly this truth,

 "And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses." Matthew 18:34,35

It always troubled me that verses 34 and 35 of this passage seemed to teach that the Lord turns us over to the tormentors if we fail to forgive. It always seemed to contradict the loving nature of our Lord that he would deliver us up to the devil. But when I realized the truth of the law of spiritual jurisdiction, I understood what was really taking place. When we are in blatant and conscious rebellion to a commandment as important as the law of forgiveness, then through that act of disobedience we place ourselves into the enemy's territory of operation.

If I have a guest in my home that has committed a crime, when the police come and ask for him, I have to "deliver him" to the police. So also if we refuse to forgive and choose, therefore, to walk in unforgiveness, when Satan comes to attack us, God is obligated by spiritual law to "deliver" us to the enemy's demands. Thus, Matthew 18:23-35 is not a matter of God punishing us. God doesn't need the help of the devil to teach us lessons. It is a matter of God having to comply with the spiritual laws He has established. Though they were established to protect us, when we break them they result in negative consequences and even our own harm.

 

Disobedience to the Holy Spirit's Voice

We can readily see the importance of obeying the written Word of God. But we may fail to respect the personal instructions of God that are spoken to our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Deuteronomy 28:15 says,

"But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord the God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day, that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee."

 Notice here that we are not only instructed to observe all of God's commandments, but we are told to hearken unto His voice. Jesus clearly and specifically said of the Holy Spirit's ministry that He would, "...guide ... speak ...[and] show us things to come" [John 16:13].

Saints of God, hearkening unto the voice of the Holy spirit is an essential factor in remaining outside Satan's range of attack. God knows what lies in the future concerning us, and by His Spirit He will help us safely navigate around the snares of the enemy.

Conclusion

Though Satan may have the right to shoot at us while we live here on this planet, we can walk in the place where his attacks are ineffective against us. Living outside Satan's range of authority by abiding in God, His Word, and in obedience to His Spirit are vital to living the abundant, victorious life that Jesus came to give.

...