It is the written Word He ever uses, and Satan is powerless. What amazing importance Jesus gives the Scriptures! God now acts by the Word, and Satan is resisted morally in this way. A man cannot be touched by Satan while the Word is simply used in obedience. “He that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not” (1 John 5:1818We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. (1 John 5:18)). It was not as an exercise of divine authority He dismissed Satan, but the enemy is proved unable to grapple with obedience to the Word of God. If he cannot take out of the path of obedience, he has no power. What more simple? Every child of God has the Holy Spirit acting by the Word to keep him.
Jesus does not reason with Satan. A single text silences when used in the power of the Spirit. The whole secret of strength in conflict is using the Word of God in the right way. One may say, I am not like this perfect Man. It might be so with Christ, but how can I expect the same result? True, we are ignorant and the flesh is in us, but God is always behind us, and He is faithful and will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able. Temptations may be simply a trial of our obedience, as in Abraham’s case, not a snare to lead us astray. Satan presents what has no appearance of evil. The evil would be doing one’s own will. Now it solves every difficulty to ask, not, What harm is there in doing this or that, but, Why am I doing it? Is it for God or myself? What! am I to be always under this restraint? Ah! there the secret of our nature comes out. We do not like the restraint of doing what God will approve. It is restraint to do God’s will. We want to do our own will. To act merely because one must is law and not the guidance of the Spirit. The Word of God was the motive of Christ, and such is Christ’s guidance. Not fencing [in by law] the old man, but the new man living on the Word is our defense against Satan.
J. N. Darby (from The Man of Sorrows)