How You Can Overcom The Devices Of The Evil One

First John 2:12-14 describes three level of Christian growth in relation to sin. 

12 I am writing to you, dear children,
    because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
13 I am writing to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
    because you have overcome the evil one.

14 I write to you, dear children,
    because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
    because you are strong,
    and the word of God lives in you,
    and you have overcome the evil one.

The first level is compared to “little children" (verse 12). Little children in faith are characterized by having their sins forgiven and passing a knowledge of God. In other words, they are in the family of God and have overcome the penalty of sin, but they haven't grown to full maturity.

The second level is "young man" (verse 13, 14), those who have overcome the evil one. These are aggressively growing believers who are strong because the word of God abides in them. They know the truth and how to use it to resist Satan in the battles for their minds.

They are no longer in bondage to uncontrollable habits, and they have resolved the personal and spiritual conflicts which keep many of us from experiencing freedom in Christ. They are free and know how to stay free.

The third level is "fathers" (verse 13,14), those who have developed a deep personal knowledge of God. Their faith is securely founded on a close, intimate, loving relationship with God, which is the goal of our spiritual growth. 

What about your faith? Are you a "child, a young man" or a "father"? Is it your daily goal to grow to maturity in your faith? Have you overcome the evil one?

Having challenged us to combat sin's power in our lives through a commitment to growth, John goes on in verse 16 to describe the avenues through which Satan tempts us:

"For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world"

The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life. You will be better prepared to resist temptation in your life when you realize that, according to the scriptures, it is only through these three channels that Satan will entice you to act independently of God. 

They are summarized in John's instructions to believers concerning our relationship to this world (1 John 2:15-17). The lust of the flesh preys on our physical appetites and their gratifications in this world. 

The lust of the eyes appeals to self-interest and tests the word of God, while pride of life stresses self-promotion and self-exaltation. Satan confronted both the first Adam and the last Adam through each of these channels of temptation.

The first Adam failed miserably, and we still suffer the results of his failure (Genesis 3:1-6): 

 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”


6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

But the last Adam Jesus Christ, met Satan's threefold temptation head-on and succeeded triumphantly (Matthew 4:1-10):

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[a] by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    and they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”

7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”


10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.

We have the resources and the power to conquer every temptation satan throws at us if we have Christ as our defender. Life without Christ, take it or live it, is full of numerous crisis. You need Christ to navigate this world.

You can Read: How To Overcome Life Battle With Mind Power Here

By Brother Fred Okpe