You are from God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.     1 John 4:4 NKJV

My favorite stage of early childhood development is between the ages of 2-6 years old. During this time a child is learning so much they are like dry sponges thrown into a bowl of water. They are just soaking it all in. They also tend to speak straight from their heart. Last Sunday I was informed that my little five year old nephew told his sister that the devil had been in him, but his sweet angel took him away. In this precious 5 year old’s heart, he understands the concept of our scripture passage.

In 1John chapter 4, John is issuing a warning about testing the spirits to be sure they are of God. He warns that many false prophets have gone out into the world. He tells us in verse 2 that we test them in this way: every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus has come in the flesh is not of God. He goes on to warn that the spirit not of God is the antichrist which is already in the world. But he tells us not to worry because when we have Jesus living in our hearts, He is greater than the antichrist.

1 Peter 5:8 tells us that we must be alert because the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. The devil is like a reptile or a rodent trying to get into your home. He looks for one tiny crack that will allow him to slither in. If we crack the door just a bit, He will force his way in. God gives us free will to choose, he never tries to force us to follow Him, but the devil will use any trick or tactic he can to get us to do things his way. This is why Peter warns us to be sober and alert. We must be vigilant to guard against infiltration from the devil.

Just as my adorable little nephew said, our sweet angel can remove that devil. You see there is this spiritual war that goes on all around us. We don’t see it, but there is a fight going on for our soul. The devil wants it. If you are lost and not living in a way that pleases God, you are pleasing the devil. Things may be going well for you because the devil has no need to get you, he already has you. But the minute you decide that you want to follow Jesus, the devil begins his attack. I cringe when I see new believers get baptized, because it is then that they will face their fiercest attack from the devil and they must be prepared. They must nurture their newfound salvation. Mature Christians around them must guide them and help them to guard themselves against the devil’s attack. They are like a toddler just learning how to walk. Ephesians 6:11 tells us to put on the whole armor of God so we can stand against the devil’s schemes. James 4:7 tells us to submit ourselves to God, resist the devil and he will flee from us. Ephesians 4:17-32 talks about the new creation that we become in Christ once we surrender to Him. It talks of the things that we must remove from our life. You too can ask Jesus to send His sweet Holy Spirit to fill your heart and help you resist temptation.

I want you to understand that the devil wants you and wants to rule over your life. He wants to control the way you talk, dress, and behave. He wants complete control. The only way to resist him is to surrender to God. We must give God complete control of our lives. There is no middle ground, either the devil will control you or God will. The only difference is that God doesn’t force His way into your life, He allows you to choose. So what will it be? Will you be happy to live a life giving the devil control? Will you continue to disobey God’s commands or will you give it all over to God and trust in Him?

When the devil infiltrates our lives, he brings momentary happiness but heartache will soon follow. When we give our lives over to God we have everlasting peace and joy no matter what trials we may face (Philippians 4:7). I want you to experience the peace and joy that I have experienced and I can tell you that it comes only from Christ. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). Won’t you give it all over to Him and allow Him to remove the devil from you. When you have Christ living in you, He is greater than any temptation we will ever face. Allow Him to send the devil packing.

Have a great day!