Do We Have Authority Over Satan?
Do we have the authority to approach Satan? While it is popular to say we have power over Satan and can treat him like a weak bully, we should take counsel with the Word of God to see what our attitude and posture towards Satan should be.
Peter speaks at length regarding how Satan works and how we should respond:
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you (1 Peter 5:8–10).
Peter says the devil prowls like a roaring lion on the lookout for someone to devour. What would you do if you saw a lion on the loose in your neighborhood? Would you approach it in an arrogant manner? Instead, Peter says to resist him. This is a defensive response, not an offensive one. This also means there will be times where Satan attacks us directly. In those cases where we suffer from his attacks, we are to wait for God to restore us.
Next, we look at what the apostle James says:
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded (James 4:7–8).
This passage is in the context of worldliness. Fighting the temptations of the world may not seem as frightening as a prowling lion, but conforming to the world makes us enemies of God (James 4:4), so worldliness is very dangerous. James says the same thing as Peter: resist. But first we must first submit to God. This is important because if we do not first submit to God, we will not be able to resist Satan, and the pull of the world will overwhelm us. Submitting to God causes us to acknowledge our weakness and dependence on Him.
After we submit to God and resist Satan, he will flee from us. When that happens, we do not chase after him but instead draw near to God. James then goes on to call us to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts meaning we need address our sinful desires rather than go after Satan.
Next, we look at what Paul says to the Ephesian church:
Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger and give no opportunity to the devil (Ephesians 4:26–27).
Paul says to be proactive and deal with our anger. By doing so, our anger cannot be used by the devil. Paul is making the point that the best way to deal with the devil is to not deal with him – “give no opportunity to the devil.” This again shows that we should not seek to attack the devil, and the wise approach is to behave in ways that would keep him as far from us as possible.
The clearest biblical example of our lack of power over the devil is in the book of Job. Here it is clear that God is in control of Satan (Job 1:6-2:10) and that Job had no power over Satan. God allowed Satan to take all of Job’s sons and daughters, livestock and health. Job did not confront Satan; instead, he repented (Job 2:10). Even in all the questionable advice given by his friends, they never suggested he go to Satan to take back what was lost. True, all that Job lost was restored; however, it was God who did the restoration (Job 42:10-17).
My aim in this short survey of the teaching about Satan is to give believers humble confidence. While we should not boldly approach Satan as though he is powerless and weak, we should remember that he is already defeated because of the obedience of Christ (Revelation 20:7:10). Let us be mindful that Satan does have some power but have more joy that God has absolute power over him and everything else in the world.
