I love Thy cross, the Devil’s doom defeats him once for all
And touts o’er him the empty tomb: the stone that crushes all
Take heed, disciple, bear thy cross, False kingdoms cannot stand
And ev’ry rebel spirit will be judged at your command

The cross is the emancipation of all who embrace it. Growing up, one of my favorite songs was “Early in the Morning” by David Meece, an anthem of Christ’s victory over the Devil at the cross. This verse takes a victory lap over all spiritual forces in league with the Devil, and is meant to give courage to any intimidated by his schemes.

The Devil is a defeated enemy who keeps raging and destroying as much as he can on his way down. Anything he can do to dim the lights on Jesus’ triumph, he will do. But any devilish spiritual power, whether in heavenly places or roaming around, that seeks to undo us needs to be reminded of the victory in the cross of Christ for all of Jesus’s little brothers and sisters.

That being said, it is no guarantee that the evil one’s torment or oppression can be undone simply by verbally invoking Jesus’ name or holding up a wooden beam. (See Acts 19:11-16) This is no magic trick. This is about authority. Jesus’ death on the cross and subsequent resurrection are what defeat the Devil’s most powerful weapon and buy back all the faithful dead who have waited for their redemption in Him. He now has all authority on Heaven and earth, and this authority He extends to His followers in the world. The world, still under death’s power, did all it could to seal a rolled stone to prevent intervention. Still, just like the rejected stone becoming the chief of the corner, so the attempted seal of Christ’s entombed fate has become the final broken seal of His victory over that which holds the world in its clutches—over death itself.

In light of Jesus’s victory on the cross, there is only way to guarantee that we do not fall prey to the devil’s schemes, or oppressive tactics: we carry our cross with Him by totally surrendering ourselves in trust to our wise and loving Father. The Cross of Christ is the only thing the Devil cannot beat, and it protects the Christian from the Devil having any foothold. The Evil One can only gain a foothold in any aspect of the Christian’s life that he or she is trying “to save,” but the cross is where the Christian loses their whole life for His sake, and find it in the resurrection.

The victory is assured, because no kingdom divided can stand. And any kingdom divided from the truth has already forfeited any lasting presence. This goes for earthly kingdoms too reflecting the spiritual forces in high places that influence them to elevate themselves against the Most High. The Cross stands at a level place for all humankind to be redeemed in the midst of mountains of pride creating valleys of poverty. And these rebel spirits will be judged when their time is finished, because of the outcry of those of us who remained faithful to death. The more we share in carrying our cross, the more we can rightly step into the full authority of Jesus Christ, won over sin, death, and the devil. It’s already ours in Christ if we will walk in the power of His Spirit, which Jesus committed to the Father with His last breath.

Reflection Questions:

• What powerful forces of evil in the world today do you see shaping the current state of affairs?
• What are some areas of your own life where you sense the Evil One at work to undo God’s restoration of all things?
• How does the cross answer these?

Are you ready to carry your cross by surrendering all devilish footholds to obey God?