Salvation is God's family business. The Father has loved us, and the Son has died for us - so that all who receive the Son are also accepted as children of the Father (John 1:12), with Jesus Christ as our elder brother (Hebrews 2:11). The great enemy of God, is also at war with His children. So Jesus took the fight to Satan who wrongly assumed that a human being in a human body was safe territory for him to work his evil.  The devil thought that by destroying Jesus he would finally destroy God’s global and cosmic authority.

When Jesus was very young, King Herod was demonically inspired to slaughter all the little boys in Bethlehem in an attempt to kill Jesus. After His baptism, Jesus was led by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil, but the tempter failed. During His ministry, the religious crowd tried to throw Jesus off a cliff (Luke 4:28-30) and later tried to stone Him to death (John 8:59). In the end, Satan entered into Judas the betrayer (Luke 22:3-6), and the Son of God was crucified (Luke 23:32-33). But it was all part of God's plan (John 19:11; Acts 2:23) for Jesus to die as the substitute sacrifice for the sins of the world.

But Satan's victory was short-lived. The resurrection proved that even death could not destroy Jesus. The devil's confidence trick, of controlling people by stirring their fear of death, was exposed. The Evil One has power only through making people believe his lies (John 8:44). He manipulates people like slaves through their fear of loss and fear of death. But all who become children of God through faith in Jesus have an eternal future which death cannot remove. As our elder brother Jesus has passed through death gloriously, so will all who trust in Him. There is now no longer any reason to cower before Satan's lies and threats. We are free to serve the Lord and to enjoy all He gives to us.

Many lives are ruled by fear of loss and death. But in Christ all are made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22). So why fear? Some have never understood the curse-breaking power of Jesus' resurrection. Others live in the shadow of fear from their culture, their family or their own past experiences; and fear has become a habit. If Satan cannot stop us coming to Christ, his most common tactic is to try to paralyse us through fear. A fear-filled Christian cannot worship gladly, pray confidently, witness courageously or enjoy life in all its fulness (John 10:10). So, please grasp this teaching with both hands and ask the Lord to deliver you from fear: then step forward as the Lord leads you in the adventure of faith to His glory (Revelation 12:10-12).