by Dr. Larry Ollison, Ph.D. 

           
In Romans 8:37 Paul said, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” What does this mean to be more than a conqueror? Well it means this.

A person who is “more than a conqueror” is someone who didn’t have to fight the battle but gets to enjoy all the benefits of the victory.  And, according to the Bible, if you are a Christian, then that’s you.

In the beginning, God placed Adam and Eve here on the earth in the Garden of Eden. He gave them authority over everything and only restricted them from one thing. And that was this. They were not to eat the fruit of the tree in the midst of the Garden. If they ate it, they would die.

Then Satan, in the form of a serpent, came into the Garden. He told Eve that God was a liar and that God’s motives were not pure. Unfortunately, Eve believed Satan and acted against God’s command. The result was that Satan, through his deception, separated man from fellowship with God. It looked like Satan had destroyed God’s creation. Adam gave up his authority over this world to Satan. It looked like all was lost, but God had a plan.

God the Father sent His Son, Jesus, into the world as a man. While He was here, He taught about the nature of God the Father and He went about healing the sick, raising the dead and proclaiming the good news.

Jesus said in John 8:44, that Satan is a liar and a murderer. And that’s what Satan tried to do to Jesus. The Bible tells us that on the night Jesus was betrayed that Satan himself entered into the body of Judas and betrayed Jesus. Satan was not leaving a job like this to one of his underling demons. Everything was riding on this one. He took care of it himself.

When Jesus died, I’m sure Satan thought he had just won a great victory, but was he mistaken. The Bible says that Jesus not only defeated death when He came out of the grave, but also made a public display of Satan. He humiliated him in the spirit realm and took away from him the authority that Satan had taken from Adam.

Now we are getting to the point. The authority that Jesus took from Satan, He gave to His church. That’s right. Jesus gave the authority over the earth back to those who believe, and along with that, He gave us authority over Satan and all the works of his kingdom. Every believer has that authority.

Jesus said in Luke 10:19, “Behold, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

Now, what does this mean to us? As Christians, the only way Satan can destroy our lives is if we let him. As Christians, Jesus has given us authority over the works of the devil. So, how does Satan get into the position to torment us? Once again, it’s because we let him. Remember, that’s what happened in the Garden of Eden. Satan didn’t pluck the fruit from the tree and put it into the mouths of Adam and Eve. He deceived them and they did it.

So, when Satan comes around with his bag of lies, don’t listen to him. Submit yourself unto God. Resist the devil and he will flee.