Reality #3: Even though we can't see him, there's another being who is part
of the landscape of our life—Satan. He is pure evil and hatred. He wants to
remain unseen and undetected . . . but the fight he leads is very real. He is
out to destroy us.
[READ]
God gives us bits and pieces of Satan's story in His Word. Satan was once an
angel, which means he is a created being—and therefore is limited, unlike God.
While he once lived in heaven, he was later cast out from heaven. Jesus
described it this way: ''I
saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven'' (Luke 10:18).
No matter how the heavenly scene went down, Satan was in the garden of Eden
with Adam and Eve. His temptation and his slander of God's character led to the
fall of the world. And that's what Satan does—if something is good, he sets out
to destroy it.
[MORE]
Satan is a liar. He is a manipulator of the truth, full of hatred and guile.
Jesus called him a murderer and the father of lies: ''He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to
the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native
language, for
he is a liar and the father of lies'' (John 8:44).
Satan accuses us before God day and night (Revelation 12:10). He is
deceptive and can make himself look beautiful (2 Corinthians 11:14). He holds
the power of death (Hebrews 2:14), and he makes bad things happen in our lives
(Revelation 2:10).
He is our enemy and is out to kill us. Your
enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour
(1 Peter 5:8).
[THINK]
The world is under the authority of Satan. Yes, God is on His throne and is in
complete control, but apparently, in the garden when Adam and Eve chose to
believe the serpent and disbelieve God, they submitted themselves to the
serpent's authority—and the whole world too, since God had put it under their
authority. Second Corinthians 4:4 calls him the god of this age. Ephesians 2:2 calls him Satan, the mighty prince of the
power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to
obey God (NLT).
[LIVE]
Satan is real. He hates God. And he hates you. There is a being in your life
whose main mission is to try to steer you away from God. He wants you to doubt
God's love and to doubt who you are as God's child and as a citizen of His
Kingdom.
Satan fights dirty. His most powerful tactics are to wage a battle in your
mind and heart. And as a spiritual being, he can speak to our spirits and
attack us from within. Satan can forcefully steal truth from you if you don't
defend yourself: ''The ones
along the path are those who have the Word sown [in their hearts], but when
they hear, Satan comes at once and [by force] takes away the message which is
sown in them'' (Mark 4:15 AMP).
Satan has the ability to shoot flaming arrows of lies into your heart and
mind, trying to mentally, spiritually, and physically destroy you (Ephesians
6:16). That means the thoughts that you have aren't always from you. He wants
you to believe lies because he knows that Truth is the weapon that can
ultimately defeat him.
Be aware of Satan. He is a major player in your life—even if you can't see
him.
[NXT LVL]
Satan isn't equal to God. Revelation 20:1-3 tells us that when Satan is finally
defeated, it will take only one of God's angels to imprison him.
