10月31日
标 题：被击败的敌人
经 节：既将一切执政的、掌权的掳来，明显给众人看，就仗着十字架夸胜。（歌罗西书二章15节）
基督徒的呼召并不是去击败撒但，因为神已经在基督里战胜撒但!我们的任务也不是去[捆绑]撒但，因为耶稣已经限制了撒但的活动范围和时间。撒但——我们古老的仇敌——已经被基督十字架的牺牲及复活彻底打败。对于撒但，我们的任务是：信任基督已得胜利，并且每日举起撒但已被打败的真理抵挡牠，诚如耶稣所做的一样。
撒但是说谎人之父和说谎者(约翰福音八：44)。倘若你被牠说服，认为神并没有击败牠，你就无法体验到耶稣的胜利。你会发现自己还在打那场基督早巳得胜的战争!你会惧怕撒但，虽然牠已经被彻底地打败。事实上，你的责任是去抵挡魔鬼，牠就会落荒而逃(雅各书四：7)。当你抵挡牠的时候，你知道耶稣已经战胜牠，并且你也战胜牠想掀起的影响。神已经赐给你属灵的军装，足以抵御撒但任何的攻击(以弗所书六：10—20)。
基督徒可能全心注意与撒但争战。如此一来，他们被欺骗，把时间及精力投资在基督已经做过的事。如果撒但使你分心，去打一场牠早被打败、早就结束的战役，牠会除去神要给你的效率。畏惧撒但，就如惧怕一个被囚的战俘一样。你根本没有需要或呼召去击败撒但；你只需将基督的胜利应用在生活每个层面，过得胜基督徒的生活。当你与其它人分享福音的信息时，撒但与牠的军团正面对一个事实，就是在每个属神国度的生命中，牠们早被打败了。
A
Defeated Enemy
Having
disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them,
triumphing over them in it. (Colossians 2:15)
Christians
are not called to defeat Satan. God has already done that in Christ! Nor is it
our mandate to “bind” Satan. Jesus has already set limits on the extent and
duration of Satan’s freedom. Satan, “our ancient foe,” was decisively and
completely defeated by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and in His resurrection.
With regard to Satan, our assignment is to trust in the victory that Christ
already achieved and daily resist him with the truth of his defeat, as Jesus
did.
Satan
is the father of lies and a master deceiver (John 8:44). If he can convince you
that God has not defeated him, then you will not experience Jesus’ victory. You
will find yourself fighting battles that Christ has already won! You will fear
Satan though he has already been utterly and humiliatingly defeated. Your
responsibility is to resist Satan, and he will flee from you (James 4:7). When
you resist him, you are acknowledging that Jesus has defeated him and given you
victory over his influence. God has provided you with spiritual armor that is
more than sufficient to withstand any assault by Satan (Eph. 6:10–20).
Christians
can become preoccupied with battling Satan. This deceives them to invest their
time and energy attempting to do something that Christ has already done for
them. If Satan can divert you to wage a warfare that has already ended in
surrender, he will have eliminated your effectiveness where God wants you.
Fearing Satan is fearing a prisoner of war. You have no need or calling to
defeat Satan, you need only to apply Christ’s victory in every area of your
life and to live the victorious Christian life. As you go about sharing the
gospel message with others, Satan and his forces face the reality of their
defeat in each life that is claimed by the kingdom of God (Luke 10:17–20).
