A Devilish Day…

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.”

–1 Peter 5:8-9

Imagine what it must be like for him. Our “adversary,” as he is called, the vile creature who lost his eternal life the moment he resisted God and was shot completely out of heaven. His “reign” on earth is all he has…and that goes on only until God calls an end to it.

We are not certain, but it’s doubtful he sleeps at all. He goes from one spiritual realm to another seeking whom he can trouble, derail, pull into his camp, completely ruin, destroy, and “devour.”

He does have a good number of “temptation tools” at his disposal on this earth. They seem to come from the nucleus of a few categories…we call them “the seven deadly sins.” They are:

1. Pride

2. Envy

3. Wrath

4. Slough

5. Lust

6. Anger

7. Greed

Of course, despite the power Satan wields as he hunts from among us, God is always in control of everything including the limiting of his power. So despite whatever delusion under which the evil one may labor, he knows he is restricted and insubstantial.

Nevertheless, he can and will cause many souls to sin, and a number of them will be Christians. So let us not underestimate what powers he does have. Were it not somewhat substantial, the Lord, the Savior, and the apostles would not have spent so much time warning us to be prepared against him.

All it takes is for us to remove our eye from the prize of heaven, and it can be easy to be eaten greedily by the “father of lies” and deceit. If this were not a continuous problem for humans on this earth, there would be no need for God’s grace! There would not have to be continuous grace from our Lord if we didn’t slip time and time again. ALL people sin…

So, my friends, be aware. No matter what delusions under which Satan labors each day, he does have the power to delude our thinking. He can woo us away from the Lord’s side in a minute if we are not resolute in our commitment to our Father.

Take the time to read the word of God, meditate on what it says. Be sure to arm ourselves with prayer, study, and discussion of the Lord’s will for us. Strive for deeper meanings in scripture, look for ways to be a better Christian and example for goodness. Look to God always for strength against our enemy.

The battle we fight never ends here on earth. It is not one of blood and bombs, but one for hearts and souls. Do not become a casualty of spiritual warfare and find you are unprepared to face Him who will judge everyone and everything!

God bless you in your Christian ways…

~Steve