The Jurisdiction of the Devil

If you don’t have a lawyer as a friend, it’s time to get one. Legal matters are very delicate, and ignorance is no excuse. It’s the same in the realms of the spirit. God the Father sits in the office of the Judge, and Jesus the Son is our Advocate, our Intercessor. God the Spirit is “Allos Parakletos”, another Advocate, our Helper. Let me tell you something that can leave you in deep thought; there is NOTHING that happens without the legal authority of the Judge of All. Yes! Nothing happens in your life, good or bad, without passing through the courtroom of Heaven. Nothing. Even the money that got missing last month was, in a way, legally permitted—not by God’s delight, but by your negligence. Your sloppiness gave the enemy the jurisdiction to operate. In courts of justice, jurisdiction is everything. The easiest thing a fool can do is blame God. The best thing a wise person can do is understand the legalities involved and act accordingly. Let’s delve in!

The Right to Choose: the Foundation of all Jurisdiction

First of all, it is important to know that God created us with a will to choose. Angels also have a will as the Bible is very clear on that. Angels are not robots. In fact, God never creates anything as robots. Our ability to choose is not because man fell. Man had that choice before the fall and we will continue to have that choice throughout eternity. The devil didn’t have a devil to deceive him. So how did he become the devil? He had a choice. He fell by choice. If God stops everyone from having choices, it stops the possibility of having another devil in future when this devil is destroyed. It will, however, revoke our ability to love because where there is love, there is a choice. God is not a dictator. He is not insecure. He is not afraid of the possibility of a devil when He can use even the devil to fulfill His own plans. He allows the story to unfold.

God does not need to create sin or evil. Disobedience is an option because of the choice to obey. There was no sin in this realm until Adam sinned. By Adam’s sin, sin entered into this realm. Before that, God gave man just one law. The establishment of a law establishes the lawgiver as an authority. It’s only fools who will blame God for giving a law. Proof that God is Lord over your life is that you obey His laws. What did the law do then? It gave man a choice. God is never ambiguous. He clearly showed Adam what was legal and what was not. It didn’t end there. He explicitly told man what the cost of disobedience was.

Temptation is Legal. Occupation is Not!

This is where the jurisdiction of the devil comes in. Someone will ask where God was when the serpent came to tempt Adam and Eve. God is not insecure. If He is to make you more than what Lucifer was, then you have to pass the test Lucifer failed so you don’t become another satan. I am convinced there won’t be a new devil in the New Heaven because anyone who takes on even an iota of the image of the devil in them in this life will successfully make it to hell. Do you get it? The earth is a testing ground, and the devil itself has been employed. That is his jurisdiction. That’s why he was allowed to come in and tempt Adam and Eve although they were sinless. That’s why he was allowed to tempt Jesus although He is sinless. Don’t let it surprise you when he comes to tempt you regardless of how fortified you are. He is allowed to try.

A lot of Christians don’t like the idea that God will leave the devil to roam around. You don’t have to like the idea. God has His way. The devil, who was the first to disobey, also has his own way and has created his own civilization for those who don’t want God’s way. You can’t choose both. Not choosing God’s way of life is an automatic choice of death. The devil is allowed to come and tempt you. Why? Because that’s an opportunity to choose God’s way. Temptation is not an avenue to fail. It is an opportunity to choose God time and again. Change your perspective on temptation; it is an avenue for your elevation. Even when God became man, we saw that the devil was legally given an opportune time to tempt him. The prince of this world cometh, but he has nothing on me. He comes, but he finds nothing. That is the goal. Take note to understand what I say and didn’t say because your believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth is the basis for legal transactions.

What You Allow is Legal

If you believe and confess that the enemy can harm you, you give him the legal authority to harm you. If you believe he is supposed to retaliate and take back whenever you fight, you legally emboldened him. The moment you start believing that retaliation is inevitable after every spiritual victory—that Satan must come back and reclaim ground—you have legally authorized him to do just that. God did not give him that jurisdiction; you did. Be careful about the kind of legal transactions you are doing. Scripture says that when David sinned by taking Bathsheba, he gave the enemies of God an occasion to blaspheme (2 Samuel 12:14). Think about it—your sin doesn’t just affect you. It empowers the enemy and dishonors God. The devil cannot force you to sin. He cannot even command you to sin. The best he can do is to suggest it to you seductively, as if it’s such a good idea. But the final act will always be written in your name. That’s why, when you fall, Heaven records it as a willful rebellion. You didn’t just sin—you signed over rights. You gave the enemy legal access. That’s all he needs.

I said the devil is allowed to come and tempt you so don’t be surprised when you are tempted. He has legal permission to test you by temptation. What he is not allowed to do is stay. That’s why Jesus said “Depart from me”. When the enemy shows up, he’s testing your jurisdiction. If you yield, he stays. If you resist, he flees. You have been a greater authority to resist him for him to flee. One will say, if I can resist him that easily and sack him, why is he allowed to come and tempt me in the first place? It is an avenue that was created for you to use the authority you have over him. God didn’t have to take away the devil’s powers. He simply gave you greater authority over it. Authority must be enforced. Proof that you have authority is that you use it. Unused authority is as good as being ignorant of your authority.

The devil has never done any illegal transactions. Cherubs protect the Glory of God with jealousy. That means they bring judgement on any form of evil that seeks to contend with God for His Glory. He was once a cherub—one of the highest-ranking angels that guarded the Glory of God. As a cherub, he knew how to execute judgment against all threats to God’s Glory. When Lucifer fell, his role as cherub was corrupted. He became satan, which means accuser. he hasn’t stopped operating as a legal enforcer. Except now, his zeal is directed at bringing judgment against you.  He hates you and wants God to destroy you when you fall short of His Glory. He comes to tempt and deceive us. If we fall, he runs into the Court of Heaven to tell the Judge to punish us according to His Word. He will quote the Bible verse we disobeyed. He presents himself as precedent, asking for equal judgment on you.

In Ephesians 6, Paul lists the demonic hierarchy: principalities, powers, rulers, and spiritual wickedness. The lowest—principalities—attack first, probing for breaches. When they find one, “powers” (Greek: exousia, meaning delegated authority) come in to establish control. These powers don’t barge in—they’re invited. The moment you disobey God or violate divine law, you surrender jurisdiction. You give the devil receipts. He will turn a foothold into a stronghold. When they are able to find a foothold or a breach in the wall, the powers come to establish their authority to perpetuate more evil and influence cultures from their acquired jurisdiction.

God stripped the devil of all authority. So in order to have the right to torment you, use you or even speak through you, he needs your consent. That is why Ephesians 4:27 tells us not to give the devil a foothold. He will turn it into a stronghold. He will do all of this evil legally because you gave him the right. If you listen to his deceit, you give him authority. If you go where God didn’t send you, you give him permission to harm you because you are outside of God’s Will. If you do what God didn’t ask you or disobey God, you give the enemy the right to lord over you. This is how he secures authority to fool in your life etc because he has receipts to show that you consented to his thievery.

Never forget this: the devil needs your agreement. He cannot override your will. If you believe his lies, you empower him. If you obey him, you license him. If you walk outside of God’s instruction, you step into his jurisdiction. The devil didn’t need to take Adam’s authority by force. Adam handed it over. As a child of God, he cannot defeat you by power but he has defeated many by permission. Don’t fight blindly. Know your rights. Understand the laws. Resist with Scripture. Obey God fully. And when the devil shows up, let him find nothing in you. That is how we win. Not by emotional shouting—but by standing on legal ground.