The #1 Deadly Myth About the Devil That’s Keeping You Defeated

Excerpted from Receiving Deliverance from the Courts of Heaven.

We are told in 2 Corinthians 2:11 that we are not to be ignorant of the devil and his devices.

Ignorance is one of the most strategic tactics satan uses. Through deception and wrong thinking, he takes advantage of us:

Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

The devil is constantly looking for anything that can grant him an advantage against us. We must arm ourselves with right thinking and information. Before I go into the myth that we believe about deliverance and demons, let me tell you a story.

Years ago, I knew a man named Oscar Roan. Oscar had played professional football before he became a traveling evangelist. He had played during the 1970s for the Cleveland Browns. I actually remember those days as I was in my teenage years. When Oscar began to tell this story years later, I had personal knowledge of the names he was using. This hilarious story makes a significant and valid point.

Oscar shared that at the beginning of his rookie season, their very first regular season game was against the Minnesota Vikings. As the teams were lined up on their respective sidelines, the national anthem began to play. While this was happening, Oscar leaned over to his teammate and asked, “Is Carl Eller as good as he used to be?” Carl Eller was the all-pro defensive end for the Minnesota Vikings. He was a legend in his time. It was going to be Oscar’s job to block him all day long as a tight end for Cleve- land. The teammate answered Oscar, “No! He’s just an old man trying to get his pension.”

Oscar said, “I went out on the field with that information. Brian Sipes, our quarterback, called the first play from scrimmage. It was a sweep around my end. My job was to block down on Carl Eller on that play. As we lined up in our formation, I made the deadly mistake of glancing down the line. As I moved my eyes to ascertain where he was, the line- backer standing behind him saw my eye movement. He patted Eller on the butt and said, “He glanced down, Carl.” Carl Eller then repositioned his body by angling himself out toward me.

Oscar continued, “The last thing I remember was the ball being snapped. When I woke up, I panicked, thinking I was blind in one eye. However I then realized I was looking through the ear hole of my helmet! The impact of my collision with Carl Eller had given me a ‘welcome to the NFL’ I would never forget.” Oscar then finished with this statement that I have never forgotten. He said, “Bad information can get you killed!” This is absolutely true.

When we make decisions, order our life, or just draw conclusions from wrong ideas, we can end up where we never desired. We must make sure the information we have is based on right intel. Wars have been launched because of incorrect intelligence. President George W. Bush launched a war against Iraq after the 9/11 attacks because of faulty intelligence. The intel said that Iraq had WMDs or Weapons of Mass Destruction. However, after the US invasion, it was discovered this was not true. In an article from The Guardian dated December 14, 2005, the president admits the intelligence was wrong.

The US president, George Bush, today admitted much of the intelligence used as the basis for invading Iraq had been “wrong”—but defended his decision to go to war because it removed Saddam Hussein.

In a speech at the Woodrow Wilson Centre, in Washington, Mr Bush also pledged that US troops would remain in Iraq until “victory is achieved.”

The war launched against the Iraqis actually destabilized the region and precipitated decades of struggle within that area. The war put the US in a conflict—one that the country should never have been involved, in my opinion. This happened because of wrong intelligence. Decisions were made that brought years of trouble on the world scene.

We must have the right intel concerning our enemy. Otherwise, we cannot make right decisions and operate in appropriate warfare. With this in mind, let’s investigate the biggest myth that people commonly believe about the devil and deliverance. There’s one big myth that satan uses.

The Big Myth

There’s a false idea that the devil is just a little less powerful than God. The devil is a legally defeated foe. When Jesus died on the Cross, He destroyed the right and power of satan to operate. First John 3:8 says that Jesus being manifested destroyed satan’s works:

He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

The manifestation of the Son of God brings destruction to the works of the devil. This is a statement about Jesus and His work on the Cross. It is also however a principle that we can operate in today, because of Jesus’ legal work on the Cross. God desires us to advance into mature sons and daughters of God as well. He wants to manifest His authority and power through us as His children. The word manifest is the Greek word phaneroo. It means “to render apparent.” It is connected to the word phanerosis in 1 Corinthians 12:7. In this Scripture the apostle Paul is speaking of the different manifestations of the Holy Spirit:

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.

There are nine different ways Paul declares the Holy Spirit can manifest Himself: 1) prophecy; 2) word of knowledge; 3) word of wisdom; 4) tongues; 5) interpretation of tongues; 6) gifts of healing; 7) faith; 8) discerning of spirits; 9) working of miracles. These are all manifestations of the Holy Spirit. This word manifestations is the Greek word phanerosis. The Vulgate (Latin translation of Scripture) trans- lates phanerosis as “the dancing hand of God.” Like a flittering butterfly, the manifestation of the Spirit “lights” upon an individual in the church to meet a specific need and then moves on.

My whole point is that God still wants to mani- fest His power and authority through His sons and daughters. When this occurs, there is a destruction of the devil and his works in people’s lives. This can only happen because of the legal work of Jesus completed on the Cross that destroyed the powers of darkness. Through the anointing of the Holy Spirit and His manifestations, God delivers people from demonic control. In these moments of time, the Holy Spirit takes the legal work of Jesus and undoes the devil’s operation. People are delivered from the demonic interference in their lives.

The word destroyed in 1 John 3:8 is the Greek word luo. Remember that this word means “to dissolve.” It can carry with it the idea of dissolving a contract or a divorce. It is used in 1 Corinthians 7:27 where Paul is speaking of the dissolving of a marriage:

Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife.

The word loosed in these verse is the Greek word luo and its derivative lusis. It clearly is speaking in legal terms of the dissolving of a legal agreement. When the Bible declares that the manifestation of the sons of God dissolves the works of the devil, it is saying that legal contracts that allow satan to work are annulled and revoked! We need the power of the Holy Spirit to revoke any legal claim of the devil. He is a defeated foe and can- not stand against the Holy Spirit’s implementation of what Jesus legally did on the Cross. When the dancing hand of God moves in power, it is the Holy Spirit manifesting into place what Jesus legally did for us.

Another place where we see that the devil is defeated is in Hebrews 2:14. Satan is not just a little less powerful than Jesus—he is completely defeated and destroyed.

Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself like- wise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,

Through His death, Jesus legally destroyed the one who had the power of death, the devil. Satan no longer can torment or harass us with fear concerning death. The fear of death is destroyed. Death is no longer dreaded for those who belong to Jesus. We are told in 1 Corinthians 15:53-57 that death no longer has a sting. It doesn’t threaten us any longer:

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Even if we die, there is a resurrection where we receive a new body that lives forever. Death no longer has a sting. It cannot hurt us. Jesus’ work in His death legally translated us from death unto life! This assurance should deliver people from the fear of death. We do not have to dread that day. In fact, death becomes the means of transitioning into even greater life! The one who likes to torment us with death is himself defeated and destroyed. My passion would be that anyone who reads this and is tormented with the idea of death would be delivered from that fear. If you belong to Jesus, death no longer is a threat to you. The evil one who had the power of death is defeated and completely destroyed!

There are four other myths satan uses that I go into more detail in my book, Receiving Deliverance from the Courts of Heaven. In this powerful resource, I empower you to revoke the enemy’s legal rights so you can break free from demonic oppression.