“But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.” 

  - Matthew 12.28, 29

Moreover when he abandoned the blessedness of his Creator, that angel completely lost every good quality of his own nature which he had in his creation. But if he continues evil for himself, he always remains good for God while he complies obediently with the Lord’s command, though not of his own free will but because of God’s power. For of every good quality he had of his nature he now possesses only this: that he yields to God the Creator in all his commands.

  - Anonymous, Liber de Ordine Creaturarum, Irish, 7^th century

The Scriptures are clear that the devil and his ilk are a dangerous lot.

Dangerous, aye; but doomed.

Now we are engaged in a great spiritual warfare, to paraphrase Lincoln; and our adversary wants nothing so much as to cause us to doubt our salvation, deny the authority of our King, and depart from the way of righteousness.

So he strews our path with temptations, diversions, and trials, hoping to distract us from our walk of glorifying God. He suggests excuses, calling them “reasons.” He intimates futility, as in “this has never worked before,” or “what’s the use?” He reminds us that, after all, we’re “only human.”

Some Christian writers have puffed the devil more than they should, making him almost equal in power to our risen and reigning King, if only for now.

He’s not, of course, even though he can be a fearsome foe. Jesus declared that He had bound the devil – put him under constraints and restrictions – and would from that moment forward plunder and plunder the devil’s holdings until every lost and chosen soul was recovered and all of creation was restored to its good and upright condition.

The devil has no power to control or defeat those who understand his wiles, know how to avoid his traps and snares, and are busy about the Lord’s work of plundering him for all they’re worth.

The problem with most of us is either we recognize temptation too late, after we have tumbled through it into sin; or we crumble under our trials and fall into despair; or we aid and abet the enemy of our souls by bringing the fire of sin into our breast; or we practice a studied ignorance of the way of righteousness, so that we are easily distracted and diverted from our proper path.

We do not have to be defeated by the devil; Jesus has him on a chain. But we do need to understand what is required of us in resisting the devil, and to practice vigilance and continuous preparation against his every assault.

Satan is bound, friends. The spoil of souls and cultures and groaning creation lies open and vulnerable before us. Jesus is busy plundering.

Are we?

Psalm 35.22-26 (Creation: “Exalt the Lord, His Praise Proclaim”)
Stir up, O God, and wake to my right; defend my cause with all Your might!
And judge me in Your righteousness; let not my foes bring me to distress.
Let shame, dishonor be their gown who would Your holy ones bring down.
Let all who would themselves exalt be humbled, shamed, and brought to naught.

Embolden me, Lord, against the attacks of the devil and his ilk; grant me daily victories against the declining kingdom of darkness.