“Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”  The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:17-20)

“This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small,
large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force;
never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” (Winston Churchill)

“Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us.” All the victories over Satan are obtained by the power of Jesus Christ extended to us through the Holy Spirit. But let us beware of spiritual pride, meaning it is through the power of Jesus, not our own power that we defeat evil. Our Lord rejoiced at the prospect of spreading his message to the ends of the earth, but he warned the disciples to be humble and to count their blessings in heaven.

Simply put, we are dependent on the teaching, help, and blessing of Jesus Christ, even when we are successful – successful to the point of rebuking evil spirits. All of our victories, all of our joys in ministry are victories only won through the Risen One – who sends us out to bring in the harvest, to cast out demons, and to heal the sick.

Pastor Dave