Sarah Kawalsingh

1 John 3:8 (NKJV) – For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

If someone was to tell you that there is a battle raging right in front of you, would you believe them? You can’t see it, but it’s there. There’s no telling where the next attack is coming from. There are weapons being pointed in your direction and ready to take you out at any given moment. Would you believe them?

That is the reality of what is going on in the heavenly realm. There is a war that is raging around you, with an enemy who desires to take you out. John 10:10 is a familiar piece of scripture that I have heard being recited from the pulpit on many occasions, and even read myself from time to time. All it says is simply that: ‘The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly’.

The thief (meaning the devil) has a plan for the believer. If, even for a moment, you let your guard down by slackening off something as simple as reading the Bible or spending quality time with God, there is no mistaking that he will take that advantage and play it against you. If we forget to put on our armour, as instructed in Ephesians 6, then it’s to his advantage and he will try to take us down.

For the believer, we know whose side we are on. Because Christ died on the cross for you and I, we have the power to overcome (Revelation 12:11). God’s Word is something that we can hold onto in times of adversity. Someone once said that we don’t need to wait for the storms of life to pass us by; instead we need to learn to dance in the rain. God has equipped us for every storm that may head our way; we just have to remember how powerful our great God is, so when the storm comes it looks like a light shower!

It’s only when we put the Bible to full use that we can see God moving in our situations. If we go to the doctor when we are sick, we generally don’t ask them to explain the medication they give us – we trust them. When we take the prescription to the pharmacist, we don’t ask them what ingredients are in the medicine that they are handing over to us – we trust that what they are giving us is going to make us better. It’s the same with God’s Word; we may not fully understand all the scriptures inside-out, but we trust that what God says in His Word is true. The Bible tells us in Hebrews:

Hebrews 4:12 (NLT) – For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

How do we, as believers, know that we have the authority to overcome the adversity that the enemy may try to bring our way?

Luke 10:19 (MSG) – Jesus said, “I know. I saw Satan fall, a bolt of lightning out of the sky. See what I’ve given you? Safe passage as you walk on snakes and scorpions, and protection from every assault of the Enemy. No one can put a hand on you. All the same, the great triumph is not in your authority over evil, but in God’s authority over you and presence with you. Not what you do for God but what God does for you—that’s the agenda for rejoicing.”

This is how we know that we can overcome – because we have the Word of God to tell us so! And if we don’t pick it up, read it, and meditate on it, we will never fully understand the authority that Christ has given us by releasing the power of grace working in and through our lives. It’s this that allows us to dance in the rain!