The Devil and His Demons
Controller of This World

Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:1-6

Key Verse: 1 John 5:19

We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.

The apostle John, under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, writes about the “controller of this world.” John lets us know that the devil has the world, the whole world, in his grasp. Of course, John is not telling us that God has no power or control over this world, but he is telling us that God has allowed Satan to have this world for his existence and influence. The evil influences, the wrong philosophies, the hurt and pain we experience here on earth can and should all be ascribed to the devil; this is his domain. God created it to be all good. The evil one has brought sin and evil of all kinds to it. The word “world,” that John wrote in our scripture for today, is from the Greek word: kosmos. “Kosmos” denotes the world as a sphere of humanity, rather than the material world (Lundell, pg. 68). In other words, the devil is much more interested in ruining people than nature, though he does both!

Our additional reading passage describes one way in which the devil destroys people; it’s a major weapon of his – he blinds people. The apostle Paul tells us that unbelievers are unbelievers because their minds have been blinded from God’s truth by the evil one. When we pray for unsaved loved ones and friends, we should start by asking God to “open their minds.” The “god of this age” must be defeated by the God of the “age to come.” Our prayers make a difference – our intercession for a particular person will release God’s power over that person’s mind. The lost person must be able to see the truth before he can possibly say “yes” to the truth!

Father, thank you for the weapons available to me to defeat the evil one and live in victory. I will use them to help others see the gospel of light. In Jesus’ Name, amen.