Not only did Jesus’ death destroy the works of the devil in relation to our eternal destiny, but it provided for our personal sanctification. Believers have the gift of the Holy Spirit who indwells them and leads them into Christlikeness. The Spirit seals those who believe in Christ, and the devil cannot remove them from His promises (Ephesians 4:30).

All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.

1 John 4:15

When you accept Christ as your Savior, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in your heart, bringing with Him an entirely new life of love, relationship, and service to the Lord.

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the action by which God takes up permanent residence in the body of a believer in Jesus Christ.

The indwelling Spirit enriches the believer’s prayer life and intercedes for him in prayer.

The indwelling Spirit helps the believer understand and apply the Scripture to his daily life.

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

To fear the Lord is to hate evil

Though the pride of the godless reaches to the heavens

He breaks the spirit of rulers; he is feared by the kings of the earth.

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.

Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.

But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

Events prior to the Lord’s Second Coming

Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.

Don’t you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you? And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.

This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

For I am afraid that some of them have already gone astray and now follow Satan

so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.

Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.”

Satan replied to the Lord, “Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God.

Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.

Who's the ruler of this world?

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.