October 14

But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” — Matt 16:23 BSB

When your old self rises up, if you listen to it, fear it, or believe it, it will have the same power over you as if it were still alive. It will control and destroy you. But if you recognize it as no longer part of you, if you say, “You are not me, but Satan trying to deceive me into thinking the old self is still alive,” and reject it as a foreign enemy, it will lose its power over you.

Just as a divorced wife might say to her former husband, “You have no hold over me anymore,” you can say to the old self, “You have no power over me. I renounce you in the name of Jesus.” The evil presence will disappear, the shadow will vanish, and Christ’s risen life will stand in its place, backing up your faith and securing your victory.

Satan can’t stand being ignored. If you disregard him, he will eventually give up and leave. Jesus often turned His back on Satan and said, “Get behind me, Satan.” Let’s do the same, and we’ll find that Satan will have no choice but to obey our faith.