Deliver Us From Evil

17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” 18 And [Jesus] said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:17-20

When I began serving with my family among the refugees of St. Louis, one of the things that surprised me most was seeing how much the fear of evil spirits dominated their lives. People would go to great lengths to avoid their power. They would give their children embarrassing names, hoping to keep demons from realizing how much they loved and valued them. They would move to new apartments if they thought evil spirits were attacking them. Some would even shave their heads after an illness in the hopes that the demons would not recognize them and return to make them sick again.

The common theme in all of this is fear—fear of creatures who hate people and have the power to harm them. But living in fear hurts. It constricts your life—affecting everything you do, from what you call children to the way you speak or dress or celebrate. Who can set people free from this fear? Only Jesus.

He is the one who has power over all creation, good and evil alike. During his ministry on earth, he rescued many people from the power of demons, and he gave this responsibility to his followers as well. Jesus holds all power because he is God himself, come in the flesh to be a human being—and to rescue us from the power of the devil who hates us. He did this when he freely chose to suffer, die, and rise again from the dead, so that the power of evil would be broken and all of us set free. Now everyone who trusts in him becomes a child of God—safe, protected, and at peace.

Who do you know that needs to hear this message?

By Dr. Kari Vo