It becomes difficult for the enemy to defeat us if we know who he is and what he does. The Bible exposes him fully so we may fight him successfully. When missiles are sailing over our heads we cannot pretend to be safe. Satan is our superhuman enemy with highly organised strategies. His names reveal his person and programme.
1. Enemy (1 Pet 5:8)
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
Satan is our arch enemy. Sometimes he gets so close and is so nice that we take him for a friend. Our attitude towards him is pretty lax. We don’t take him seriously. Like Eve we strike a dialogue with the devil. Jesus did not allow the demons to speak (Mk 1:34). Once we recognise Satan in any form in our life we must snap ties with him. Bristle at his very shadow. Those who start a conversation with him often end up convinced that he is right. The time we spend in argument is used by Satan to break down our resistance.
2. Liar (Jn 8:44)
“There is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar, and the father of lies.”
Jesus said, “I tell the truth, you do not believe Me” (v45). When the Scripture doesn’t suit our purposes and allow us to fulfil our lusts, we prefer to believe the lie of the devil. If we decide to abide by the truth, that is God’s word, at any cost, then we can escape the onslaught of the liar. He doesn’t speak blatant lies, but white lies, just a little bit of altering of God’s truth as he did to Eve. She preferred to believe his lie because she was consumed by the lust for the fruit. Then she became the agent of Satan to hook Adam. Beware of the liar. He will hire you, tire you and finally fire you!
3. Thief (Jn 10:1,10)
“The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy.” Sure, he is a thief because he does not enter by the door,he steals away your most precious possessions and strikes you offguard. He is never straightforward. He is subtle and that was how he got the first woman (Gen 3:1). He steals away our godly convictions, peace and joy by offering cheap substitutes. If you are not prepared for him any moment, he is going to get you at the most unexpected time. You won’t have the time at the moment of temptation to decide for God. So before that critical moment make your decisions. The strength of a chain is that of its weakest link. Blockade your weak points by strong decisions. We grow by making decisions.
4. Murderer (Jn 8:44)
“He was a murderer from the beginning.” Note the word ‘beginning.’ Death was not in God’s original plan. But the institution of death was by the devil. When Eve ate the fruit and found herself still alive she would have encouraged Adam to eat. But one day when she saw Abel dead, she understood the sorrow of death and on her death bed experienced the suffering of death. Till today, this merchant of death is snuffing out lives that are flickering. He gleefully advocates suicide as a solution to problems, to anyone who would listen. Suicide is jumping from the frying pan into the fire. He spoke to Job through his wife and suggested, “Curse God and die.” But job withstood the pain, suffering and mortification to ultimately enjoy a double benefit. Be Mr. Tough when the going gets rough.
5. Accuser (Rev 12:10)
“... the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.”
He keeps accusing you of your past sins, present failure and future position. It is just a ploy to weaken you. If you keep on accusing a person he will become dull, depressed, unenthusiastic and finally useless. This is the state of affairs of many saints. Be doubly sure that your past is absolved, present and future assured. He even accused the perfect and upright Job predicting his fall. But Job proved faithful to God and put the devil to shame. Next time the devil reminds you of your past, remind him of his future! Tell him it is a family matter and you’ll settle it with your Father and he has no business to poke his nose in there. His spirit is seen in Eden, in Adam accusing Eve and she, the serpent.
6. Tempter (Mt 4:3; 1 Thess 3:5)
There are two major areas of temptation. One is the temptation to sin. “ The tempter came to Him and said: If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Another is the temptation to quit your faith: “For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter had tempted you and that our labours might have been in vain.”
Whatever temptation you may face, it will do well for you to remember that Satan has authority only to tempt. He can never force you to do something. The ultimate decision is to be yours and yours alone. God has given us a will to withstand temptation. If you yield to temptation, it is of your own free will. Satan could not pluck the fruit and put it in Eve’s mouth. He only kept encouraging her till she decided for herself. Remember it is never too late to backtrack, though the devil may keep telling you it is too late and you’ve gone too far. Hang tough to your decision. Be a sticker, not a quitter.
7. Angel of Light (2 Cor 11:13-15)
“For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising then if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.”
This is a tricky area. The devil is a deceiver and deception means it looks so genuine. Those who are not baffled by the tempter or liar easily fall a prey to the angel of light because he preaches in the garbs of the apostles of Christ, ministers of righteousness. Such preachers are the Pied Pipers of this generation who lead the innocent and ignorant to their spiritual doom. At a time when the world is witnessing meteoric rise of preachers, “Consider the outcome of their way of life.....Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings” (Heb 13:7-9). Paul says, “I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (2 Cor 11:3). Study the Bible simply, and simply obey it. Learn to rightly divide the Word of God (2 Tim 2:15).
8. God of this Age (2 Cor 4:4)
“Whose minds the god of this age has blinded.”
Our Lord and God of this universe has allowed Satan temporarily to rule this world. There is no place where he cannot go, though it be the garden of Eden. We cannot pooh pooh his power. He can work miracles, mobilise the forces of this world against you, unleash the most devastating weapons of persecution and prove his power to an awesome extent. If he cannot tempt you or deceive you, his biggest gun is to hassle you from all sides. Satan desired to sift Peter as wheat and sift he did. But oh, what an encouragement to the saint, the words of Jesus. “But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail” (Lk 22:32). The worst is, when bad things happen to good people, the world dumps them as bad people. The secret is to just keep on living, hoping, trusting (Isa 50:10). Brave the storms. The best Christians are often found in the worst of times. A young Christian in a trying situation declared, “I’ve never been more alive in this place full of death, never been so close to heaven as I am in this hell.”
9. Serpent (Rev 12:9; 20:2,3)
“So the great dragon was hurled down — that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.”
Satan is called a serpent partly because of various qualities of the serpent which seem similar to his; partly because he assumed the form of a serpent in Eden; and partly because the serpent was a common symbol of evil (Cruden). The outstanding quality of the serpent is subtlety (Gen 3:1,13). He showed Eve the brighter side of sin but completely hid from her the darker side. He told her of being like God knowing good and evil but spoke not a word about their nakedness, shame, curse, punishment and loss of innocence. Oh how subtle! Sin is enjoyable for a season. But, “In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper” (Prov 23:32).
10. The Vanquished (Rev 20:10)
“The devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown.They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
Oh, how wonderful to know that we are fighting a battle that has already been won, fighting a foe who is already defeated. Oh, how wonderful to know the thrilling conclusion of a nightmarish story! He is defeated, finished. His fate is sealed. He has but a little time to pour out his fury. Soon he will be no more, never more! He is a defanged old lion without teeth. He is thousands of years old with one foot in his grave. The count down for the villain and his underlings began at Genesis 3:15. Face him courageously. It would be a fight to the finish and we will have the last laugh.
Beloved, know your enemy. Put on the armour. Be alert. Then you will not fall for the trap that’s as old as the garden of Eden.
Dr. Lilian Stanley
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91 9843511943
lilianstanley@gmail.com
Blessing Youth Mission
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91-416-2242943, +91-416-2248943
hq@bymonline.org
www.bymonline.org
Click here for more options
To buy books written by Dr. Lilian Stanley, kindly reach to us in the follwing address
Blessing Literature Centre
21/11 West Coovam River Road,
Chintadripet,
Chennai 600 002, India.
+91-44-28450411, 8806270699
blc@bymonline.org
It becomes difficult for the enemy to defeat us if we know who he is and what he does. The Bible exposes him fully so we may fight him successfully. When missiles are sailing over our heads we cannot pretend to be safe. Satan is our superhuman enemy with highly organised strategies. His names reveal his person and programme.
1. Enemy (1 Pet 5:8)
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
Satan is our arch enemy. Sometimes he gets so close and is so nice that we take him for a friend. Our attitude towards him is pretty lax. We don’t take him seriously. Like Eve we strike a dialogue with the devil. Jesus did not allow the demons to speak (Mk 1:34). Once we recognise Satan in any form in our life we must snap ties with him. Bristle at his very shadow. Those who start a conversation with him often end up convinced that he is right. The time we spend in argument is used by Satan to break down our resistance.
2. Liar (Jn 8:44)
“There is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar, and the father of lies.”
Jesus said, “I tell the truth, you do not believe Me” (v45). When the Scripture doesn’t suit our purposes and allow us to fulfil our lusts, we prefer to believe the lie of the devil. If we decide to abide by the truth, that is God’s word, at any cost, then we can escape the onslaught of the liar. He doesn’t speak blatant lies, but white lies, just a little bit of altering of God’s truth as he did to Eve. She preferred to believe his lie because she was consumed by the lust for the fruit. Then she became the agent of Satan to hook Adam. Beware of the liar. He will hire you, tire you and finally fire you!
3. Thief (Jn 10:1,10)
“The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy.” Sure, he is a thief because he does not enter by the door,he steals away your most precious possessions and strikes you offguard. He is never straightforward. He is subtle and that was how he got the first woman (Gen 3:1). He steals away our godly convictions, peace and joy by offering cheap substitutes. If you are not prepared for him any moment, he is going to get you at the most unexpected time. You won’t have the time at the moment of temptation to decide for God. So before that critical moment make your decisions. The strength of a chain is that of its weakest link. Blockade your weak points by strong decisions. We grow by making decisions.
4. Murderer (Jn 8:44)
“He was a murderer from the beginning.” Note the word ‘beginning.’ Death was not in God’s original plan. But the institution of death was by the devil. When Eve ate the fruit and found herself still alive she would have encouraged Adam to eat. But one day when she saw Abel dead, she understood the sorrow of death and on her death bed experienced the suffering of death. Till today, this merchant of death is snuffing out lives that are flickering. He gleefully advocates suicide as a solution to problems, to anyone who would listen. Suicide is jumping from the frying pan into the fire. He spoke to Job through his wife and suggested, “Curse God and die.” But job withstood the pain, suffering and mortification to ultimately enjoy a double benefit. Be Mr. Tough when the going gets rough.
5. Accuser (Rev 12:10)
“... the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.”
He keeps accusing you of your past sins, present failure and future position. It is just a ploy to weaken you. If you keep on accusing a person he will become dull, depressed, unenthusiastic and finally useless. This is the state of affairs of many saints. Be doubly sure that your past is absolved, present and future assured. He even accused the perfect and upright Job predicting his fall. But Job proved faithful to God and put the devil to shame. Next time the devil reminds you of your past, remind him of his future! Tell him it is a family matter and you’ll settle it with your Father and he has no business to poke his nose in there. His spirit is seen in Eden, in Adam accusing Eve and she, the serpent.
6. Tempter (Mt 4:3; 1 Thess 3:5)
There are two major areas of temptation. One is the temptation to sin. “ The tempter came to Him and said: If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Another is the temptation to quit your faith: “For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter had tempted you and that our labours might have been in vain.”
Whatever temptation you may face, it will do well for you to remember that Satan has authority only to tempt. He can never force you to do something. The ultimate decision is to be yours and yours alone. God has given us a will to withstand temptation. If you yield to temptation, it is of your own free will. Satan could not pluck the fruit and put it in Eve’s mouth. He only kept encouraging her till she decided for herself. Remember it is never too late to backtrack, though the devil may keep telling you it is too late and you’ve gone too far. Hang tough to your decision. Be a sticker, not a quitter.
7. Angel of Light (2 Cor 11:13-15)
“For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising then if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.”
This is a tricky area. The devil is a deceiver and deception means it looks so genuine. Those who are not baffled by the tempter or liar easily fall a prey to the angel of light because he preaches in the garbs of the apostles of Christ, ministers of righteousness. Such preachers are the Pied Pipers of this generation who lead the innocent and ignorant to their spiritual doom. At a time when the world is witnessing meteoric rise of preachers, “Consider the outcome of their way of life.....Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings” (Heb 13:7-9). Paul says, “I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (2 Cor 11:3). Study the Bible simply, and simply obey it. Learn to rightly divide the Word of God (2 Tim 2:15).
8. God of this Age (2 Cor 4:4)
“Whose minds the god of this age has blinded.”
Our Lord and God of this universe has allowed Satan temporarily to rule this world. There is no place where he cannot go, though it be the garden of Eden. We cannot pooh pooh his power. He can work miracles, mobilise the forces of this world against you, unleash the most devastating weapons of persecution and prove his power to an awesome extent. If he cannot tempt you or deceive you, his biggest gun is to hassle you from all sides. Satan desired to sift Peter as wheat and sift he did. But oh, what an encouragement to the saint, the words of Jesus. “But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail” (Lk 22:32). The worst is, when bad things happen to good people, the world dumps them as bad people. The secret is to just keep on living, hoping, trusting (Isa 50:10). Brave the storms. The best Christians are often found in the worst of times. A young Christian in a trying situation declared, “I’ve never been more alive in this place full of death, never been so close to heaven as I am in this hell.”
9. Serpent (Rev 12:9; 20:2,3)
“So the great dragon was hurled down — that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.”
Satan is called a serpent partly because of various qualities of the serpent which seem similar to his; partly because he assumed the form of a serpent in Eden; and partly because the serpent was a common symbol of evil (Cruden). The outstanding quality of the serpent is subtlety (Gen 3:1,13). He showed Eve the brighter side of sin but completely hid from her the darker side. He told her of being like God knowing good and evil but spoke not a word about their nakedness, shame, curse, punishment and loss of innocence. Oh how subtle! Sin is enjoyable for a season. But, “In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper” (Prov 23:32).
10. The Vanquished (Rev 20:10)
“The devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown.They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
Oh, how wonderful to know that we are fighting a battle that has already been won, fighting a foe who is already defeated. Oh, how wonderful to know the thrilling conclusion of a nightmarish story! He is defeated, finished. His fate is sealed. He has but a little time to pour out his fury. Soon he will be no more, never more! He is a defanged old lion without teeth. He is thousands of years old with one foot in his grave. The count down for the villain and his underlings began at Genesis 3:15. Face him courageously. It would be a fight to the finish and we will have the last laugh.
Beloved, know your enemy. Put on the armour. Be alert. Then you will not fall for the trap that’s as old as the garden of Eden.
Dr. Lilian Stanley
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91 9843511943
lilianstanley@gmail.com
Blessing Youth Mission
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91-416-2242943, +91-416-2248943
hq@bymonline.org
www.bymonline.org
Click here for more options
To buy books written by Dr. Lilian Stanley, kindly reach to us in the follwing address
Blessing Literature Centre
21/11 West Coovam River Road,
Chintadripet,
Chennai 600 002, India.
+91-44-28450411, Mob:8806270699
blc@bymonline.org
