El Dorado Park Community Church

Almighty and Eternal God this week marks the beginning of the fifth week of the Post Resurrection experience. Again we pray that you would give us to know the great joy of the women and the disciples who first found the empty tomb. We can only imagine how they lived in eager anticipation for Him to appear even more than the recorded times. Is it possible that there were other times that He showed Himself to them? One can only imagine them waking up each morning wondering if they would see him that day. Where would it be? What would He say to them? We have only to remember the words of the Apostle John who wrote: “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world, would not have room, for the books that would be written.”

While our minds inquire into the number of appearances, and our hearts wish to know what Christ might have said and did on those occasions, we do know, that each resurrection appearance brought great joy to all who saw him. They rejoiced because Christ was alive. They rejoiced because they knew that their sins were forgiven. They rejoice because they had an ever present Lord. This week we remember that they had the joy of knowing that Satan had been disarmed. The promise you made in the Garden of Eden had been fulfilled, for in Calvary’s cross Jesus had crushed Satan’s head.. Satan no longer had free reign of the Garden. Satan no longer could do what he wanted with the people of God. They now had power over Satan. He would never again hold the human race in bondage. Others may walk in a demon haunted world, but not believers in Christ. No longer did anyone have to be a victim of the merciless hold of Satan. Paul witnessed to the Roman powers that God had opened the eyes of the Gentiles and delivered them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God.

But Lord it is hard for us to understand how the devil has been disarmed and disabled when he is so busy, so active in our world. He is on Wall Street, he is on main street. He is in our halls of government and in our places of power. He is in our schools and in our homes. He uses our tools of communication and technology for his gain. But though he continues to make his presence known we have the ability to withstand his attacks. James and Peter both call us to resist the Evil One, and in Christ’s name we can order him out of our lives. Paul tells us to put on the whole armor of God. We need not be defenseless. It is possible for us to withstand the attacks of the devil. God, you have proven through the resurrection of our Lord that you have the upper hand. The devil has been defanged. Hallellujah, what a Savior!

Help us O God to claim the victory which is ours over death, the devil and every demon that seeks to wrest us out of the hands of our Savior. Give us that victory is our prayer. Amen.