He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8 KJV)

Jesus, the Son of God, was manifested to destroy the works of the devil. This is good news for humanity, as Satan is the intelligence behind our suffering, whether directly or indirectly, beginning from the fall. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. But what are the works of the devil?

The immediate work of Satan which is the focus of the verse is sin. Satan has a vested interest in making humans commit sin, because sin opens the door for death to come into our lives and death is the realm where he reigns and thrives. Death here includes not just physical or eternal death but also the experience of darkness or absence of light such as depression, fear, sickness, bitterness, poverty, condemnation, etc. We must learn to recognize the works of the devil. Many believers are making a mistake and calling the works of the devil the works of God.

The Jews were making this same error when they asked Jesus about the person who had sinned for a man to be born blind ( John 9:2). In their religious minds, someone had, and God had judged their sin by inflicting blindness on the man. They thought the sickness of the man was the work of God. Jesus corrected their theology and showed them the work of God by healing the man.

Jesus came as a Man so that every work of Satan in your life can be completely destroyed. A prerequisite to enjoying this blessing is recognizing the works of the devil in your life. May every work of the devil in your body, mind, family, finances, relationships, ministry, etc be destroyed indeed! This is what  Jesus wants. This is what He came for.

MEDITATE

What does the phrase  “Son of God was manifested”  mean? See John 1:14. Declare that “the victory of Christ has destroyed every work of the devil in my life”.

APPLY THE WORD

How do you put this verse to work in your life from a practical perspective? Jesus was manifested when He came as a Man. You had no control over that. However, for this verse to apply to your life here and now, Jesus as the Word has to be manifested. Jesus becomes manifested practically through His Word, principally through faith and words of authority.  Each time you believe the Word and declare it over circumstances, you are manifesting Jesus practically in that situation. It is now your turn—destroy every work of the devil in your life!

PRAY

Thank the Lord for the wonderful blessing of victory over Satan and his demons. 

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