Life is not easy. Whether you are a Christian or not… at one point we will experience hardship, loss, or sorrow. As Christians, we can be sure to encounter all kind of attacks from the enemy. He loves to seek us out and discourage us. But there is One who made all the difference…
When somebody is about to die, his or her last words are always important to hear and remember. With this in mind, it is quite revealing what Jesus is saying to His inner circle of disciples in the last chapters of the Gospel of John. Here He does not speak in parables any longer, but He is openly explaining what will happen to Him and why.
‘The prince of this world comes, but has no claim on Me.’
He tells the disciples to rise… it is time, they have to go. And this last sentence always touches me deeply. Jesus says: I will not talk with you much more, for the prince of the world [evil genius, ruler] is coming. And he has no claim on Me (John 14:30, Ampl. Version).
God’s hidden wisdom
Jesus knew very well that – although innocent – He would be sentenced to death. He was sweating blood, and within a short period He would be slain, tortured, and He would die at a cross and yet He makes this strong, mesmerizing statement: ‘The prince of this world comes, but has no claim on Me.’ For the looks of it, the Son of Man was utterly defeated and the prince of the world, the evil genius ruler seemed to have won his greatest victory. Yes, so it seemed… because after three days Jesus rose from the dead… But, although Jesus had spoken openly about what would happen, it was still a mystery to men. The Bible calls it God’s hidden wisdom.
Satan defeated
The apostle Paul describes God’s wisdom in 1 Corinthians 2: 7-8. ‘… we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. No ruler of that time understood, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.’ God’s wisdom was a mystery, not only hidden from men or earthly rulers like the Romans, but also for satan, the ruler of this world, because… had he understood, he would not have crucified our Lord of glory. Think about it… satan thought he had achieved the greatest victory when he saw Jesus being crucified, yet, it became his utter defeat!
A treasure within
And it does not end there. The cross was not the end, it became a new beginning for all who embrace this wisdom of God and put their trust in Him. Our Lord is alive; He lives in us! I have a favorite prayer when the enemy tries to attack me, and I want to pass this on to you, to encourage you. My prayer is often: ‘Please Lord, the enemy tries to discourage and defeat me, but I ask You, that his efforts will come to nothing, more so that what he seeks to destroy in my life will become so alive and strong that he wished he never had started to attack me… that what he thought would be a victory, will be his utter defeat…. Not because of me Lord, but because of Your resurrection power. Amen.’
In Him we are more than conquerors.
2 Corinthians 4:7 says: ‘But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.’ The enemy will always seek to discourage and defeat us, but although we are but jars of clay… The Lord did not leave us powerless, we have this treasure within, Jesus Christ, our risen Lord. Take courage: You are not alone. Jesus Christ has conquered the prince of this world. He will never leave or forsake you. He is with you every step of the way and in Him we are more than conquerors.
Read also: Compete with my demons
