Copyright © 1982

All Rights Reserved

BT707
Printed in U.S.A.
Oral Roberts
Evangelistic Association, Inc.
1 How to Take Authority
Over the Devil

W hy keep on struggling and knocking

yourself out with extra worry and
anxiety just because something has gone
wrong and something is falling apart that is
precious to you? I ask you ... Why?

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 You say, "Oral Roberts, are you out of
your mind? Haven't you ever had things to go
wrong ... things to get bad ... bills to pile up ...
sickness to strike ... trouble to come in and
almost make you go under?"
Have I?
How many times!
And how often bad things hit at me now.
Sometimes the devil hits me so hard that I feel
like I can't raise up my head. My inner man
wants to lie down inside and there seems to be
no way out for me ... or for my family... or for
my ministry... or for the people I'm trying to
minister God's healing power to.
But I know JESUS.
I know who my SOURCE is.
I know Jesus Christ of Nazareth as my
personal Lord and Savior, as the Baptizer of
my soul in the Holy Spirit, as the ONE who
will supply all my needs with many miracles.
I know HIM!

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 In spite of having to struggle, of getting
weary with well-doing, I am learning the
greatest secret in the world ... and that is to
expect many miracles from my Savior.
And I am determined to do it. So I'm
going to talk to you real plain ... about you,
Jesus Christ and the devil. And I'm going to
show you how you can use the power of your
faith to take authority over the devil!
1. Believe the truth about the devil and
his purpose toward you, and the truth
about Jesus Christ of Nazareth and
His purpose toward you.
2. Believe you belong not to the devil,
but to God. Therefore, you are God's
property ... not the devil's.
3. Don't let outward appearances deceive
you. In other words, don't let the devil
trick you into believing something is
good when it's bad.

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 1. Believe the Truth

Believe the truth about the devil and his

purpose toward you, and the truth about Jesus
Christ of Nazareth and His purpose toward
you.
That truth is stated by Jesus himself in
John 10:10:
The thief [devil] cometh not, but
for to steal [from you], and to kill [you],
and to destroy [you]: but I [Jesus] am
come that they [you] might have life
and... have it more abundantly.
There is a devil and you've got to believe
that. Jesus called him a thief and says he
comes to steal from you, to kill you, to destroy
you.
Believe that. Don't shrug it off. Don't just
fall back and say, "I can't understand it." You
are not told to understand it. Jesus tells you to
believe it.

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 Then Jesus tells you to believe Him, that
the reason He came is to give LIFE to you...
and to give it to you MORE ABUNDANTLY.
Look. You can draw a line right down the
middle. Put the devil with all his badness on
one side, and Jesus with all His goodness on
the other, and you in the middle—like this:
|
The devil YOU Jesus Christ
of Nazareth
|

On one side of your life is the devil; on

the other side is God. And you are in the
middle.
The devil is a bad devil.
God is a good God.
There is no goodness in the devil, and no
badness in God.
The devil is totally bad ... and God is

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totally good.
On the one side is God with His infinite
goodness, and on the other is the devil with
his terrible badness.
The devil hates you but God loves you.
And God is greater than the devil and God can
command the devil to take his hands off you.
You need to grasp that with your
understanding. And you need to quit blaming
God and at the same time start putting the
blame where it belongs—on the devil.
Listen.
The devil comes to steal from you: your
faith, your love, your hope, your desire to trust
in God, your desire to give to God, your
talent, your time, your earning power, your
right relationship with your family and others,
your health and well-being, your expectation
for miracles. You name anything good in life,
or anything good coming across your path,
and it's the devil's business to try to steal it!
He's trying to steal from you right now.

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 I'm telling you on the authority of Christ,
our Lord.
Believe it!
Know what the devil is trying to do to
you.
The devil is trying to kill you—to actually
destroy everything good about you, to stop
any good from coming to you, to get you
down in your spirit, down in your mind with
depression, to get you down in your body with
weakness and disease. The devil is trying to
ruin you, to keep you from advancing, from
receiving the money you need, from
prospering and being in health physically and
mentally and spiritually. The devil hates you
and is literally trying to destroy your life. This
is why James 4:7 says:
Resist the devil, and he will flee
from you.
"Resist the devil." Stand up to him; don't
give an inch.
On the other hand, Jesus tells you the

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reason for His coming to this earth—dying on
the cross, rising from the dead, ascending
back to heaven and sending the blessed
Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who is Jesus' own
other self, the unlimited form of His presence
and power in the NOW—is to give you life ...
full and continuing.
Believe it.
Stop ignoring or doubting it.
Think on it.
Know it.
Say this great living truth:

Jesus came ...

Jesus came to give me life ...

Jesus came to give me life

more abundantly... me! ME!

Remember—the devil and Jesus don't

mix! Their purposes don't mix! Their works

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don't mix! Believe and know this so you can
doubt the devil and trust in God.

2. Remember That You Are God's Property

You belong not to the devil but to God;

therefore YOU ARE GOD'S PROPERTY...
NOT THE DEVIL'S.
Jesus said of the devil, "[You have]
nothing in me ...." (John 14:30).
So you say,

The devil has nothing in me.

Say,

The devil does not own me. I

belong to God.

Say,

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 I don't belong to the devil. I
am God's property.

Say,

I will resist the devil's efforts

to steal the good things of life from
me, to kill me with his oppression
of sickness, poverty, fear, anxiety,
a down spirit, a negative attitude.

Say,

I will resist the devil from

destroying th things God has for
me to receive."

Say,

I believe Jesus Christ. I

believe He has come to fill me with
His life, His love, His faith, His

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 hope, His Spirit, His power.

Say,

I believe Jesus has come to

bless me, to heal me, to prosper
me, to guide me, to open me up in
my inner man, to teach me to love
and give, to plant seeds of faith
...because—I AM GOD'S
PROPERTY!

Recently I preached a sermon on the

theme:
"I belong to God, therefore ... devil, take
your hands off God's property!... ME!"
I didn't know at the time there was a
young girl sitting there listening who would
soon be physically attacked by a rapist. I only
felt I had to say what God wanted me to say:
"You belong to God; therefore, tell the
devil to take his hands off God's property."

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 God anointed me to say this over and
over, my spirit and voice rising until you
could feel the presence of God all over the
place.
A few nights later this particular young
woman was approached in a dark area. As the
man put a knife to her neck, threatening to kill
her if she didn't yield to him, she remembered
who she was, who she belonged to, and said,
"You can't do this to me. I am God's
property!"
Suddenly three strangers appeared from
out of the darkness and the rapist ran. Later
the police captured him and while questioning
him, he confessed why he didn't go ahead and
criminally assault the girl before the three men
appeared and frightened him away. He told
the police, "It was strange but when she kept
saying, 'You can't do this to me. I am God's
property,' something came over me and I
couldn't do anything except threaten her.
Something happened inside me."
I personally know the power of stating in

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faith, "I belong to God. Devil, take your hands
off God's property."
When praying for someone, either in
person or on our television program, or in
praying through my letter back to one who has
written me for prayer, I often say: "DEVIL,
TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF GOD'S
PROPERTY!" Where's the scripture for this?
St. Paul says it clearly in 1 Corinthians
6:19,20:
What? know ye not that your body
is the temple of the Holy Ghost [Spirit]
which is in you, which ye have of God
and ye are not your own? For ye are
bought with a price [Christ's own shed
blood]: therefore glorify [honor] God in
your body, and in your spirit, which
are God's.
(Please read this scripture again
prayerfully and carefully—let it sink in.)
Don't you see God wants you to believe
you don't belong to the devil; you are not the

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devil's property, but God's? Don't you see the
Holy Spirit is IN you, and you don't belong to
yourself, but to Him? Don't you see that Christ
actually died for you and, therefore, in your
body AND spirit, which are God's, you are to
submit to Him and trust yourself to Him?
You, my dear friend, are unique and
irreplaceable. Did you know that?
You are God-bought, God-filled, God-
owned!
You may be tempted by the devil to
believe your battle is with God—that God isn't
mindful of you, or concerned about you, or
doesn't love you, or doesn't want to prosper
you, or to give you physical and spiritual
health and wholeness. Well, Jesus calls the
devil a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44).
Believe there is a devil and believe he is a
thief, a murderer, a destroyer, and a liar!
Your battle is not with God but with the
devil, your adversary (1 Peter 5:8). Your
weapons are not of the flesh, but they are

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spiritual (2 Corinthians 10:4). These weapons
God has given you are:
1. The power of the measure of faith
(Romans 12:3).
2. The power to love and the power of
hope (1 Corinthians 13:13).
3. The power not to fear but to believe (2
Timothy 1:7).
4. And He has given you the knowledge
that you are not the devil's property,
but God's! (1 Corinthians 6:19).
But don't ever forget—even though you
have these weapons, the devil is a coward and
he will not fight fair. He is not going to come
up to you and say, "Good morning, this is the
devil. I have come to tempt you today. I have
come to trick you. I have come to deceive
you. I am your adversary and I'm out to do
you in …."
NO!
His strategy is deceitfulness, cunning,

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craftiness, subtlety—he hits below the belt.
He is out to destroy you. And by yourself
you're no match for him. But let me tell you
something more precious than gold: You are
"mighty through God to the pulling down
of [the devil's] strongholds" (2 Corinthians
10:4). You don't belong to the devil but to our
God, the mighty Source of our total supply.
And our God is mightier than the devil.
I know it!!
And I want you to know it ... for yourself!

3. Don't Let Outward Appearances Deceive

You

Don't let the devil trick you into believing

something is good when it's bad. As St. Paul
said, "We are not ignorant of the devil's
devices ...." (2 Corinthians 2:11).
For example, I am told that a shot of
heroin makes you feel very good, at least
seemingly... for a few hours. You think if it

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makes you feel good, why shouldn't you
continue it? But you see, the devil is a liar.
He's trying to deceive you. The truth is, you
may feel good for a few hours or for a few
times, but later you will feel wretched for
years or maybe your whole lifetime ... or it
may ultimately destroy you.
I've dealt with many who've told me they
knew this about heroin, yet believed the devil
and not God. The devil gave them an excuse
to trick themselves. And in every case I had to
start by showing them that the devil and Jesus
are different, that their works don't mix, and
that they had to come to the point of turning
back to God and telling the devil, "Take your
hands off God's property...ME!"
Something people are frightened of is
sickness, and now especially cancer. So many
prominent people's experience with cancer has
awakened a lot of people to this disease. What
I want to remind you of is that sickness of any
kind is not sent from God but from the devil.
It's the devil trying to steal your health. If the

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devil can't get your whole body he will try to
take a part of your body—an arm, or a leg, or
a vital organ.
If the devil can't take all your earnings
away, he'll try to take part. If he can't get your
job, he'll try to lay you off for a month or
more. If he can't get all your money, he'll try
to make inflation take it. In fact, there are so
many different and cunning ways the devil
tries to get at you. If you try to face him alone,
you can't possibly win—for the devil is
stronger and smarter than you are, or I am, or
anyone else in this world.
So your only chance is to remember that
you don't belong to yourself, or to the devil...

You're God's property. The devil knows

this too ... he believes and trembles (James
2:19). Did you know that? But if you don't

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know it, the devil is not going to tell you. The
moment he finds out that you know you
belong to God, half of your battle is won. And
when you say, "Devil, take your hands off
God's property... ME," you have begun to
drive the devil out of your life and away from
you, and to get yourself under God's great
protection.

How This Will Work for You daily...and Until

Jesus Comes!

In your day-by-day life, the little things

that seem so ordinary are really the
groundwork for bigger things from the devil...
or from God.
You need to know and remember things
like these:
Such as the devil putting in your mind the
thought of an unkind word about yourself
which he tempts you to say to yourself, or to a
loved one, or to someone else ...

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 Such as starting to develop a bad attitude
at your work which may cause a demotion, or
a layoff, or even the loss of your job or
position ...
Such as doing little things leading to the
beginning of a breakdown in your health: not
taking care of yourself, letting tension and
fear build up, being angry too long and too
often, not putting in the seeds of faith in the
form of your giving of love, kindness, time,
talent, money...
Such as forgetting about miracles and
God's great concern to give you many
miracles.
On the other hand, these are the little
things you can do toward God:
Such as being positive in your attitude,
believing for the best to happen ...
Such as seeing the good things in
yourself, your loved ones, and others ...
Such as keeping a good attitude which can

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lead to a promotion, or being kept on in bad
times, or even a new and better job or position
...
Such as keeping on a more even keel or
balance, not permitting the devil to steal your
peace of soul and mind, refusing his
suggestions to get mad and try to hurt
someone.
In short, you can:
Stop planting bad seeds which are
multiplied back in bad things, and
Start planting good seeds, however small,
every day.
Start believing Jesus rather than the devil.
Believe that each good seed you plant will be
multiplied and sent back in God's own way
and time and in exactly the way you need your
miracle from His hand.
I remind you, and will keep on reminding
you, to tell the devil:
"I AM GOD'S PROPERTY... YOU

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CAN'T TOUCH OR DESTROY ME."

Now Let's Pray

Devil, in the name of Jesus, take your

hands off God's property. This one who is
facing cancer, this one who is facing a
delicate operation, this parent who is
heartbroken over a son or daughter who has
lost the way, this young man or young woman
who is trying to overcome a deep problem,
Lord, give them strength.
And, Lord, supply this person's needs
today. Remember the people who are
desperate. Help them to say in faith, "I believe
God . . . Though I am down, I am going to
hold on ... I will never quit praying and
believing."
Now through Jesus Christ, be loosed!
Through Jesus Christ, be set free!
Through Jesus Christ, be healed!
Through Jesus Christ, become strong in

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the Lord!
Through Jesus Christ, overcome your
mistakes.
God, I ask this and I believe it through
your Son, Jesus, and I'm expecting many
miracles because we are Your property. Amen
and amen.

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 I Care About You

I want to invite you to write me. When

you tell me what you're going through, I can
know better how to write you back ... and how
to pray and help you believe God for the
miracles you need. I care about you. I want to
encourage you in the Lord and help you learn
to get your needs met. Simply address your
letter to:

Oral Roberts
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74171

In Canada write:

Oral Roberts
Toronto, Ontario M4P 2G2

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