“Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8 AMP)
The Enemy of God
“And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” (Revelation 12:9)
Disobedience to God originated in the world through the choice of a high-ranking angel named Lucifer, meaning “morning star,” who held the position of “the guardian cherub” with significant power and influence. Despite being created by God and initially “good and blameless,” Lucifer chose disobedience.
Through unrighteousness in the form of self-generated pride, Lucifer rebelled against God and was banished from Heaven along with his army of rebel angels who assisted in the plot. They were thrown down to Earth and ultimately condemned to hell.
Lucifer changed his name to Satan, which means “adversary,” and set his sights on overpowering God as humankind’s enemy by tempting God’s children, like you and me to abandon and reject God. The choices we make to believe Satan’s lies and deceptions and sin against God are made through our own choices.
Satan and his demons continue to wreak havoc all day, every day, all around the world in his attempt to keep us separated from God. The chaos and confusion abounds in every sector of life all around this world He created. If you don’t believe it, just take a look around.
As one man said, “Oh, I say and I say it again. You’ve been had! You have been took! You have been hoodwinked, bamboozled, lied to, led astray, run amok and flat out deceived!” He wasn’t talking about the devil, but this is exactly what Satan has done and millions upon billions of men, women and children have fallen for it… hook, line and sinker. That’s what they choose to believe and how they choose to live their lives. That is “self” minus God. “Self without God. “Self” rejecting God. Selfishness is the opposite of God’s goodness. That’s eternity without God. Your identity must be defined not by “who” you are and what you’ve done or will do, but defined only by “whose” you in Christ and by what He has done for you at the cross and by walking out of that tomb. Jesus is the only “Truth” that can set you free from the penalty of sin and death.
Satan focuses on your mind, using temptations, lies, deceit, and confusion as his weapons. His goal is to divert your thoughts away from the love of God, employing any means possible. The devil aims to deceive and lead the mind into disobedience, gradually darkening the hearts. When our minds are fixed on Christ, there’s little room for Satan and his henchmen, who surround us, to maneuver.
His power is limited, especially for those of us who are born again and use God’s words to push him away. Christ dealt a serious blow to Satan’s power and authority through His death and resurrection, but didn’t completely get rid of him. Not yet.
Satan’s final destination along with the Antichrist (the beast), the false prophet and all those who reject Christ is described by the terms Hell, the lake of fire, and outer darkness, where they will be in a state of complete separation from God which is never-ending and inescapable and they will be tormented day and night, forever and ever. (Revelation 20:10).
And for ever and ever is a long time to be wrong.
Previous Page – Next Page (The First Sin and the Fall of Man)
Rick Clarke's Diary of a Mad Baseball Coach 