March 25, 2018

Is Satan Real?

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. – James 4:7-8a

I have a question for you: Is Satan real? Or is he merely a symbol of evil? What does the Bible say? Do you even know what the Bible says?

Last week in Sunday School class we discussed who Satan really is. Fortunately, all who were present believe that Satan does exist. That’s amazing because it really isn’t the case for many Christians.

It doesn’t stop Satan from wreaking havoc in our lives. I think he wants us to doubt his existence. That way we won’t be on guard, ready to use the power of Jesus to thwart his plans. We’ll just kind of amble into a trap. Peter told us to be wary of that.

All throughout the Bible we are warned about Satan. He is a liar, a deceiver, a murderer. He is a serpent, a tempter, a destroyer. He plots and schemes, turning Christians against one another. He convinces unsuspecting people that just a little step away from God isn’t such a big deal. It is. Remember Eve and the apple? Yeah. Satan can be convincing as he twists God’s words.

Sometimes Satan will attack us directly. Other times he will create adversity aimed at causing us to give up and stop trying to follow God. Satan doesn’t want us to do what God has called us to do. He’d rather make God look bad.

Yes, Jesus has already defeated Satan. The devil is headed to the lake of fire. In the meantime, Satan is over the world and he will do everything in his considerable power to take as many people to his doom as he can.

Ephesians 6:10-18 refers to the armor of God. We are to put it on. All of it. Because that’s how we defeat Satan. We aren’t powerful enough on our own. Please don’t think you can. That’s exactly what Satan wants you to do. He wants you to think you don’t need God because that’s the only way he can gain victory. Satan is no match for God Almighty.

Some people are confused about that. They believe that Satan is equal, or almost equal, to God. He’s not. Satan is a created being. God created Satan and all the angels. Satan is on the same level as, say, Michael the archangel.

Remember that Satan fell to his doom when his pride led him to challenge God. Satan wanted to be God but that led to an uprising that sent Satan and about a third of the angels to their ultimate doom. Ultimate but not yet.

Be wary and watchful. Satan prowls around looking for unsuspecting Christians to devour. He is real. He is powerful. Place your trust in Jesus and fight through His might. Draw close to God and demand that Satan flee from you. Use the mighty name of Jesus. Victory belongs to Him.