The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to
destroy. I have come that they may have life, and
that they may have it more abundantly.
(John 10:10)
Thoughts… You have an enemy. His name is Satan. Jesus called him a thief and a liar. His main weapons are subtly and deception—and he’s pretty good at it, since he has been at it since the beginning of human history.
He hates God, and everything of God, which includes you. This enemy has a nefarious plan for your life. He wants to rob you of the abundance of God, destroy your identity and destiny as a child of God, and kill you, body, soul and most of all, spirit, keeping you from eternity with God. In fact, even right now he is strategically and specifically working to do you in.
The problem is, you may be oblivious to the work of this enemy. Out of ignorance, disbelief, or plain old lassitude and indifference, Satan goes about his evil work undetected by most.
George Barna, a Christian researcher and pollster, asked people to respond to this statement in a national survey: “Satan, is not a living being, but is a symbol of evil.” Among those who claimed to be born again, 32% agreed strongly, 11% agreed somewhat and 5% didn’t know. That means that of the total number responding, 48% of born again believers either agreed that Satan is only symbolic or weren’t sure!
Barna’s findings would suggest that half of you reading this blog today, in spite of what the Bible clearly teaches, think of the devil as a boogie-man from a spiritual fairy tale, not a real being bent on destroying you.
Here is the Biblical reality that I want to convince you of today: Satan and his demonic legions are alive and well on Planet Earth. Satan is the enemy of God, and because he can’t do anything to God, he chooses to attack what is most precious to God—that is, you.
But here is the Good News: Hebrews 2:14 says that Jesus came “so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil.” I John 3:8 reminds us, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”
In Luke 10:17-19, we are told, “the seventy-two returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.’ Jesus replied, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven. I have given you authority to…overcome all the power of the enemy, and nothing will harm you.’”
I like that, don’t you? I prefer a fight I know I’ll win! Our victory over Satan is guaranteed.
So here’s the deal: We win—but only if we stay alert to the conflict, wise up to the ways of the enemy, and take him on in the authority and power of Jesus name.
Keep that in mind today—and go give ‘em heaven!
Prayer… Lord, keep me wise to the ways of the enemy today. Lead me away from temptation and keep me from the evil one. Help me to walk in the victory over Satan that you secured at Calvary.
One More Thing… “The enemy will not see you vanish into God’s company without an effort to reclaim you.” —C.S. Lewis
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.