Won't the devil stop if I just rebuke him?
What is a rebuke? It is when somebody tries to stop the devil by just speaking out loud to Satan and saying something like "Satan you have no place here. I bind you. I rebuke you. You must stop." But it takes more than just words to stop the devil. The Bible makes this crystal clear in James 4:7, "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." God gives us a strategy to stop the devil in his tracts. It is a two-part plan to defeat the devil in any and every temptation situation.
It starts with submitting yourself to God. Before you can defeat the devil you need to make sure the Spirit of God is in control of your soul. When you face that temptation situation take a moment and ask God to take the steering wheel. Surrender yourself fully to Him. Confess any sins that are blocking your relationship with the Lord and let Him take full control. This gets you back in "the power zone". What is the power zone? It is when we are operating in God's strength and not our own. It is when the Spirit of God is calling the shots and not us. Ephesians 6:10 reminds us that getting in the power zone is the key to defeating the devil,
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power."
Trying to take the devil on in your own strength is like trying to beat the Incredible Hulk in an arm-wrestling match. Ain't gonna happen! But once you submit to the power of God his strength surges through your soul and you become an unstoppable force of unbelievable power.
The second part of the strategy to defeat your enemy is to "resist the devil." Now it's a lot easier to resist the devil once you are armored with the power of God. When you are operating in God's strength and not your own, you just say "no" to his roars and his whispers. You resist the temptation. You endure the trouble. You win against sin in the power of God.
God's promise in this passage is that when we are empowered by God and say "no" to the devil, then he will run away. He knows that he can't win against us if we are living a life that is propelled by God's power. So he runs away. But don't worry; he'll be back another day, hoping that you are not living in the power zone.
Defeating the devil doesn't start with a rebuke or shouting out, "Satan I bind you in the Name of Jesus!!!" It takes more than TV preacher tricks. It takes more than magic words or simple formulas. It takes resisting the devil by unleashing the power of God surging through your soul. It takes a strong relationship with Jesus.
