“But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:3).
Usurpation by definition is the act of taking control of something without having the right to, especially of a position of power. In many instances, Satan piles pressure and applies the force of temptation to achieve this objective.
In this regard, Satan seeks control and authority over what legally belongs to a child of God, using all sorts of crafty methods to have the child of God cede his entitlements and power so he can assume legal control over the affairs of that child of God.
All these schemes are aimed at not just weakening the Christian’s relationship with God but also applying untold pressure in other to shipwreck his faith.
When unguarded Christians eventually cave in and cede their God-given powers or authority to the devil they often do it reluctantly due to persistent pressure or through lack of control on certain matters or through blackmail by the enemy.
We have seen countless of these instances in scripture where Satan or certain individuals usurped the rights of others in a subtle way.
Classic examples are seen in the case of Satan’s deception of Eve and Adam, Jacob playing a fast one on Esau over his birthright, Balaam’s evil advice to seduce Israel, and Delilah seducing Samson to uncover the secret of his strength, to mention a few.
It is important to note that Satan hasn’t changed his strategy over the years but has even become more subtle in his approach to make the children of God continually vulnerable to his wiles and attacks.
What can we learn about Satanic usurpation? The principal thing is that Satan understands God and he equally knows us more than we think. He understands the awesome power of our God and he equally understands our weakness as well, thereby having a two-pronged advantage.
Scripture underscores this fact saying “You have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble”. (James 2:19).
In some instances, many agents of the devil know what works with God but they just don’t have the divine privilege and revelation given to the children of God of whom the scripture says: “whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified”. (Romans 8:30).
Recognizing the attributes of God coupled with what God detests makes the devil a potent enemy who is able to manipulate the children of God to do his bidding, and this will become rife as we approach the end times. Concerning this situation the scripture warns, “ And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light”. (2 Cor. 11:14).
Through his campaign of usurpation, Satan often avoids a head-on collision with the power of God which is a banner over Christians but would rather have the Christian lured into sin and disobedience in order to break the edge of protection around him.
When we let our guards down we play into the hand of the enemy, we give power to his subtlety and allow him to weaken God’s protection over us. The Bible therefore expressly warns that “ he that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh a hedge, a serpent shall bite him”. (Ecclesiastes 10:7).
How do we escape Satan’s power of usurpation? We must know that we are in a protracted mortal battle and should never let our guards down even for a minute.
In 1 Peter 5:8-9: we are expressly warned and admonished to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings”.
Readings
Numbers Chapter 25.
