“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” (John 8:44)
In America today, we don't call sin “sin” any longer. Now we call it a problem, a mistake. We’ll send a person to a psychologist and try to get them to diagnose their mistake. When you see that kind of thing happening in the world, you know there has to be a devil on the loose!
A murderer is no longer a criminal. He is just the victim of society, born on the wrong side of the tracks. Society now tells us that he is the real victim. There's a devil on the loose!
Adultery and fornication are no longer considered sins in Hollywood, or even in the church world for that matter. Why fight it when everyone else is doing it, right? There's a devil on the loose!
Now, it has become socially acceptable for church members to drink and to cuss like the world. There is no separation from the world any longer. There is no holiness unto the Lord in many churches in the land. When you see churches succumbing to such vile sins, you know there's a devil on the loose!
Each year teenage sexual activity will result in millions of pregnancies. And out of those, millions will terminate them through abortion. There's a devil on the loose!
Each year, millions upon millions of teens contract sexually transmitted diseases. There's a devil on the loose!
Marriage is no longer “till death do we part” anymore. It is now, “just until I find someone else.” Over half of the marriages in this nation end in divorce and the Church isn't much better. There's a devil on the loose!
Alcoholism is no longer considered sin. Instead, we call it a disease, while letting those hellish beer companies spend millions of dollars each year advertising their filth. There's a devil on the loose!
When the President of the United States promotes and endorses homosexual and lesbian activities more than trying to run the country, when he puts even some of them on Capitol Hill, you know there's a devil on the loose!
In a recent study, the rate of teen suicide has increased by over 400%. When we hear of such things, we know there's a devil on the loose!
When public school systems ban the Bible and put condoms in school instead, you know that there is a devil on the loose!
When an average of one and one-half million babies are brutally murdered in their mother's wombs each year, you know that there was a devil on the loose!
When churches want to spend more money on programs than they do winning souls, you know there's a devil on the loose!
When churches spend more time in the “supper room” than they do in the “upper room,” you know there's a devil on the loose!
Hear me! We don't need another program. We don't need another self-help book. We need to recognize that there is a devil on the loose! The devil is the root of our problem today. He is not our friend. He is not our buddy. He is our arch enemy. John 10:10 says, “the thief cometh not but for to steal and to kill, and to destroy.” Fellow warriors, we have been pushed around long enough. It is time to stand up to the devil and put a stop to this nonsense.
The devil will never loosen his grip on your life just because you think he should. The devil will never let go of your loved ones because it's the right thing to do. He will steal your children, ruin your marriage, wreck your body, rob your bank account and destroy your spiritual life unless you stand up to him. And let me assure you right now, you do have a right to stand up to him. You have been given the authority by the King Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ.
I don't know about you, but I'm tired of the devil's junk. I'm tired of the devil stealing our joy. I'm tired of him stealing our finances. I'm tired of him stealing our peace. I am tired of watching the Body of Christ roll over and become a doormat for the devil. Jesus did not shed His blood on Calvary for you to be defeated. It was not His intention for the Church to live substandard, defeated lives while the devil laughs at us. It is time for the Church of Jesus Christ to march forward and conquer. It is time to put on our armor and go forth in the power of God to subdue kingdoms, dethrone powers, trample the devil, and declare we are the Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail!
Jesus came to defeat the devil, and now it is time we follow in His footsteps. 1 John 3:8 says, “For this purpose was the Son of God manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil.” The question for us is, how? How are we going to do this? First through the authority of Jesus Christ Himself. And then, with the power of the Holy Ghost. Acts 1:8 says, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you.” Holy Ghost power defeats the devil!