A brief description of the devil. Who is he?
And is he a threat to you?
In cartoons and comics, the devil appears as a
cute, benign tempter, pushing you to do
something that's fun or a little bit wrong. In
reality however, Satan is anything but cute.
Who is the devil? He is not God's counterpart,
because God has no equal, no opposite. God has
always existed, and everything else that exists
now, including angels, were created by God.
The devil (sometimes referred to as Satan or
Lucifer) is an angel who rebelled against God. He
is the enemy not only of God, but also of
humankind, relentless in his mission: to kill,
destroy, or enslave us. We're warned, "...be
watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around
like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."1
The devil's power is laughable compared to the
power of God. Yet, he is a real threat to humans,
and has the capacity to ruin a person's life.
Satan has one primary tactic: to deceive us. He
seeks to deceive entire nations, the world, and
individuals. He twists and distorts what is true,
and there is power in his lies.
Dr. Neil Anderson made an astute observation.
He said the Bible describes Satan in three ways:
- The tempter
- The accuser
- The father of lies
Dr. Anderson noted, "If I were to tempt you, you
would know it. If I were to accuse you, you would
know it. But if I were to deceive you, you
wouldn't know it. The power of Satan is in the lie.
If you remove the lie you remove the power."
In what ways does the devil lie?
Here are just a few examples.
God created Adam and Eve with free will to
choose and make decisions, just like humans can
today. The Garden of Eden contained perhaps
hundreds of fruit-bearing trees. The only
instruction God gave to Adam and Eve was to not
eat from one particular tree. It was a
straightforward instruction to follow. Just don't
eat from that one tree or you will die. Simple
enough.
Yet Satan persuaded Eve, "You will not surely
die." That's the initial lie. Now he lies further,
"You will not surely die. For God knows that when
you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you
will be like God, knowing good and evil."2
Satan deceived Eve, convincing her that God was
withholding something wonderful from them,
that this fruit would make them like God. And
wouldn't that be a good thing? The problem was,
it wasn't true. Adam and Eve believed Satan's lie,
rather than what God told them, leading to
horrible consequences. That's exactly how the
devil operates. He distorts the truth in order to
harm the person.
How the Devil Accuses God
Satan's greatest desire is to keep people far away
from God. He will seek to either cause you to
deny God's existence or to slander, lie about
God's character. Here's an example.
God repeatedly affirms his love for us. "I have
loved you with an everlasting love, therefore I
have continued my faithfulness to you."3 "...not
that we loved God, but that he loved us..."4 "See
what kind of love the Father has given to us..."5
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only
Son, that whoever believes in him should not
perish, but have eternal life."6
But what does Satan say? "God doesn't love you.
Look at all the problems you have. If God loved
you, you wouldn't have these problems." Sounds
convincing.
Yet all people face problems. It's part of life.
What Satan neglects to tell you is that if you have
a relationship with God and depend on him, God
can lead you through those problems. You do
not need to shoulder or solve them on your own.
God can give you wisdom and real strength in the
midst of those problems. Not only that, but he
says while we face difficulties, "...my peace I give
to you..."7 Why? Because the person knows that
God can be trusted.
Without God, a person is described as "without
hope in this world." That is not God's desire for
anyone.
How the Devil Accuses You
Not only does Satan try to deceive you about
God's goodness, but Satan also slanders you to
God. Satan did this with a man named Job. Satan
said if Job suffered, then Job would curse God to
his face, which Job never did. Satan seeks to
undermine you and condemn you before God.
But not only that. Satan turns his slander and
condemnation toward you.
He convinces you, "God wouldn't want you. You
could never be holy enough. Look at all the junk
in your life, all the ways you've failed, the things
you do, the addictions you have. God would
never accept you or want you. You'd never make
it."
Again, all lies. God is very clear that none of us
need to become "good" in order to be accepted
by God, nor to become sinless in order to
maintain that relationship with God.
Jesus said of Satan, "He was a murderer from the
beginning...there is no truth in him. When he lies,
he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar
and the father of lies."8
The contrast between the devil and God is
stunning. Jesus said, "The thief comes only to
steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may
have life and have it abundantly."9
Jesus says of those who believe in him, "If you
abide in my word...you will know the truth, and
the truth will set you free."10
Instead of being deceived by Satan, there is an
opportunity to know what God says is true about
himself, about your life, about relationships.
While Satan would like you to be enslaved by his
deception, God wants you to know what's true,
to be free and experience real life.
In addition to being a liar and an accuser, Satan,
through his lies, tempts people toward slavery
and addictions. "Oh go ahead. One more won't
hurt you. No one will find out. You're not really
hurting anyone. And you'll feel so much better."
How to Deal with Satan
If you decide to begin a relationship with God,
you will still be tempted by Satan. You still have
free will, making whatever decision you'd like to
make. However, in many situations you would
also know what's true and be less likely to give in
to Satan's lies, less likely to feel helpless,
confused or fearful. Further, God offers his help.
We're told, "The temptations in your life are no
different from what others experience. And God
is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be
more than you can stand. When you are
tempted, he will show you a way out so that you
can endure."11
Who is Satan? A tempter, slanderer, and liar. His
intent is to keep people isolated from God, so
they will listen only to Satan, joining in his
rebellion and experiencing destruction. Nothing
he says about God or your life is true.
God desires a relationship with you and for you
to experience his love. He created you not to live
in darkness, confusion, but to know what's true.
Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever
follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have
the light of life."
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