²⁵ And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” ²⁶ Throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice and came out of him. ²⁷ They were all amazed, so that they debated among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.”  Mark 1:25-27

 We’re often surprised when the enemy makes his presence known in our lives through our circumstances, our thoughts, or even as he tries to prevent us from doing the will of God. Why are we surprised? Jesus encountered the enemy many times as told in the four Gospels. In the scripture referenced above, the enemy tried to side-track and disrupt Jesus as he taught in the temple. He identified Jesus as being the “Holy One of God” – Satan knew who Jesus was and today He knows who we are “in Christ” and as children of God. In this scripture, Jesus rebuked him, quieted him, and took authority over him. The people were “amazed”. Jesus gave us this same authority over our adversary through his death and resurrection. He taught us throughout the New Testament how to be overcomers and conquerors, and He gave us all the tools we need to defeat our enemy. It’s up to us to recognize the enemy as a real force in our lives and to use the power Jesus gave us to crush him.