Scripture : John 5:24
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”
According to the Lord Jesus’ words, there are two places in the spirit realm :
1) Death.
2) Life.
Death is the place where there is no God while Life is the place where there is God. The devil reigns in Death and God reigns in Life. When we believe in the Lord Jesus we pass from the reign of the devil in Death to the reign of God in Life.
There two ways by which the devil reigns in the realm of death :
1) By enslavement of sin.
2) By demon possession.
The devil always tries to make us sin against God because when we sin he will have more control over us. He wants to enslave us. The devil also tries to make us give way for evil to enter our lives because when we become evil he will completely control us. He wants to possess us.
The devil reigned in the life of Judas Iscariot because of the sin which he constantly committed, which is covetousness and theft. The apostle John wrote about Judas, “This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.” (John 12:6) The devil also reigned in the life of Judas Iscariot because of the evil which he gave way to enter his life, which is betrayal. The apostle John wrote, “And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him” (John 13:2) and “Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him (Judas Iscariot)” (John 13:27)
There are two ways through which God reigns in the realm of life :
1) Through righteousness by faith.
2) Through holiness by surrender.
God wants us to live by faith so that His righteousness may always be imputed to us. He wants us to walk in righteousness. God also wants us to surrender to Him completely so that we may be holy (set apart) to Him. He wants us to live for Him alone.
God reigned in the life of the Lord Jesus because He always practiced righteousness. When John the Baptist was reluctant to baptize Him, the Lord Jesus said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” (Mat 3:15) God also reigned in the life of the Lord Jesus because He always surrendered to Him completely. The Lord Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” (John 5:19)
The Lord Jesus said, “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.” (John 10:10) In the realm of death, the devil reigns as the thief, the murderer and the destroyer. He steals, kills and destroy. On the other hand, in the realm of life God reigns as the Giver of life. He gives life and life more abundantly.
The devil always tries to steal what God has given, to kill what God has made alive and to destroy what God has build. Therefore, we always need to be watchful. The apostle Peter wrote, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) God, on the other hand, always wants to give back what the devil has stolen, to give life to what the devil has killed and to rebuild what the devil has destroyed.