The Right To Trample

Read: Luke 10:1-24

[Jesus said,] “Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you.” Luke 10:19

IN WORD

Life isn’t easy. In some seasons, perhaps, everything falls into place naturally, but we have enough experience to know that’s not the norm. Few things in life come easily. Decisions are difficult, relationships take effort, plans don’t always work out, health is fragile, and pain is inevitable. And if we’re spiritually sensitive, we recognize that evil is hunting us down. Sometimes we give in to temptations, sometimes we’re attacked by words or circumstances, and sometimes we just lose heart. Brokenness is part of the human condition. In a fallen world, we feel defeated.

This is not the promise God gave His people. In Deuteronomy 28:13, He told them they would be the head and not the tail—if they followed Him wholeheartedly. If they didn’t, then they would be the tail and not the head. As we know from history, human nature doesn’t fully obey God, and we have to deal with the consequences. Left on our own, we’re trapped in a cycle of futility.

Jesus changed that. His promise of authority over the enemy is a gift to all who believe in Him. We can now claim the promise of Deuteronomy 28. We can be the head and not the tail. All those things the world once held over us are now under us. In the spiritual pecking order of the universe, we’re at the top, not the bottom. As children of the King, we are subject to no one but the King.

IN DEED

This doesn’t mean all our problems are solved. Sometimes they may even intensify. But they don’t weigh on us as though we are helpless and under their domain. With spiritual authority and resolve, we can overcome them, handle them, even turn them around for good. Instead of being victims, we become victors. We overcome. That’s the promise of the gospel. We may have to learn how to wield His authority, but we never need doubt that we have it. All the power of the enemy is infinitely weaker than the power of the One within us.

ADDITIONAL READING: Deuteronomy 28:12-14

Men ablaze are invincible. Hell trembles when men kindle.

SAMUEL CHADWICK