To The Saints of The King's Church Jacksonville:

"If Satan Can't Steal Your Joy He Can't Keep Your Goods!" 

I awoke this morning with these powerful words stirring in my spirit. It was the Lord reminding me of certain great truths from the Word of God and encouraging me to stir up my faith (which is really the faith of Jesus or the faith of God) to resist the Devil's strategies and attacks against me and all those whom I represent as a spiritual father or elder in the Lord and to aggressively rise up and do battle to take back the things that Satan has stolen from us and from the Kingdom of God.

Several years ago Dr. Jerry Savelle preached a powerful message by this title. Over the years it has had a powerful impact upon Sandra and me in our Christian walk and our service for the King. The fact is that all of us have had Satan steal from us at one time or another (or at least attempt to do so), whether to be material goods (houses, land, money, and etc.), our health, relationships, our ministry efforts, our peace or our joy.

Our Lord Jesus taught that Satan is a thief, a liar, and a murderer, and that he comes to us from time to time to steal, to lie, and to destroy.  In His death on the cross, His descent into hell, and His resurrection, Jesus disarmed and defeated Satan. In His ascension and enthronement Jesus has been exalted to the right hand of God, the Father Almighty, and declared to be Lord and King. As Lord and King (the Hebrew word translated in our Bibles, "Christ", is Hebrew shorthand for "Anointed King"), Jesus has been given all authority and power in heaven and earth. All who truly believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ and have been baptized into Jesus' death and resurrection have been legally delivered or set free from Satan's dominion and authority over the world system. Because we have been baptized into Jesus Christ, we have also been given the right or the authority to use the Name of Jesus to resist the Devils attacks against our own lives and spheres of responsibility, and also to destroy his works that are all around us. The Holy Spirit is now fully available to each one of us as the promise of the Father and spiritual birthright to come and dwell inside of us, and to be with us to teach us and reveal to us everything that is ours in Christ, and also to come upon us in power as a Kingdom anointing to enable us to effectively use the name of the Lord Jesus not only to resist Satan's attacks against our own lives, but also to destroy his works of oppression in the lives of others

In spite of these spiritual realities, Satan still comes in various guises or forms to attack us! He does this in order to discourage us and undermine our confidence in the Lord. If Satan (or his demonic forces) can shake our confidence, undermine our faith, cause us to doubt or fear, then he can steal our joy, can keep our goods, and keep us from possessing our inheritance or entering into the fulness of our birthright as sons and daughters of the Kingdom of heaven.

If we steadfastly resist Satan's efforts and maintain our confidence in the Lord Jesus and His Kingdom, our confession of faith in our Heavenly Father, and the joy of our salvation (the spiritual or inner joy that comes from knowing that sooner or later the Lord will deliver us from all our troubles and that whatever we ask, desire, or command in the Name of Jesus, He will do it), then Satan can't keep our goods (the things he has stolen from us), and ultimately he must flee from us in defeat.

This is why Peter, Paul, and all of the early apostles continually admonished the early saints:

"...but believing in Him (The Lord Jesus), you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory." (I Peter 1:8)

"Your adversary, the devil, prowls about as a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in the faith (that Jesus is Lord and King and that whatever we ask, desire, or command in His name He will do it)..."  (I Peter 5:8-9)

"Consider it all joy, my brethern, when you encounter various trials..."  (James 1:2)

"Resist the devil and he will flee from you..." (James 4:7)

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. Put on the full armor of God (the Lord Himself)...and praying always, with all kinds of prayer..."  (Ephesians 6:10-19)

"Rejoice always; again I say rejoice...the Lord is near."  (Phillipians 4:4-5)

In the words of Jerry Savelle, "if Satan can't steal your joy, he can't keep your goods!"