Dead But Still Deadly

Many people do not believe in the reality of the devil but the Bible makes it very clear, that he is real. His purpose on earth is to destroy everything God created: Mankind, the Church, and the family. "The thief (devil) comes only to steal and kill..." John 10:10

The Good News is Jesus defeated the devil by His atoning death on the Cross. "...The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." I John 3:8 When you place your trust in Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within you and you are able to overcome the attacks of Satan. Romans 8:37

However, as we read in 1 Peter 5:8, the devil still “prowls around . . . looking for someone to devour.” In many ways, he is like a snake with its head cut off. When you kill a snake, you have to be sure to bury its head, because even after death the serpent holds a lethal dose of venom in its fangs. If you step on a dead snake’s head, you can still get poisoned. In the same way, even though Jesus broke the power of Satan at the cross, he can still inject his deadly poison into our lives. He is dead but still deadly.

We must remember that WE are not able to overcome Satan in our own strength. Our dependency must be on the all-sufficiency of Jesus Christ.  Victory is all about trusting in Christ and not about trying to succeed. 

Unseen Forces

Recently a TV comedy aired called Ghosts. The premise is a woman is the only one that can see the ghosts that surrounds her. While I don't believe in ghosts, I do believe in spirit beings.

The Bible is clear that spirit beings DO exist. Ephesians 6:12 and they oppose people who are Christ-followers. The problem is many Christ-followers are not aware they have someone commented on their destruction. 1 Peter 5:8

While we shouldn't be paranoid and see a demon under every bush but we should be aware of their presence. 2 Corinthians 2:11 The ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu wrote in The Art of War that we should know our enemy.

While the Christian life is a battlefield and not a playground but we do not have to be afraid or discouraged. God has provided everything we need to overcome the enemy.

Romans 8:31-39 1 John 4:4

The Real Enemy

 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12

For many years, medical researchers thought stomach ulcers were caused by stress and spicy foods. Then, in 1979, researchers discovered rediscovered a bacteria that proved to be the real source of stomach ulcers. The National Institute of Health agreed and recommended treating ulcers with antibiotics instead of milk.

In medicine, the enemy has to be identified before proper treatment can be used. The same is true in spiritual life. Many Christians, while believing in the devil generally, have not identified him as being the enemy of their personal life. The Apostle Paul wrote that the Christian's struggle in life is against the spiritual powers under the control of Satan. Satan wants to destroy you physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Our society has tried to use human reasoning, with little success, to battle drug addiction. But when Christian values and principles are used, there is a greater success rate. “At Adult & Teen Challenge, we recognize that addiction can be overcome by the power of God. Secular programs often neglect this element of the disease and the results speak for themselves. By emphasizing a Christian recovery for addiction, Teen Challenge has achieved a 60-70% success rate, compared with a 3-10% success rate at comparable, but secular, programs. In a medical survey of Teen Challenge graduates from the Brooklyn program, 67% of graduates were still sober seven years later! These numbers are absolutely unheard of in any other program.” https://americanrehabcenters.com/adult-teen-challenge/

It takes spiritual defense to defeat a spiritual enemy. 

Guard Duty

In 1967-68, I served in the US Army in the country of Vietnam.  I served as a crew-chief on a CH-47 Chinook helicopter.

My duties included being a door gunner, supervising loading and unloading cargo and routine maintenance on the helicopter.  When we were not flying, we had to pull guard duty. The perimeter of the base is the outer limits of a military position. The area beyond the perimeter belongs to the enemy. During the night, you sat in a guard tower with a M-60 machine gun and watched for enemy movement outside the perimeter. The perimeter was several miles long and consisted of four rows of razor wire.

I have often thought how that guard duty experience compares to my life as a Christ-follower. That physical enemy and our spiritual enemy are similar. 

1. Both require extreme diligence. Proverbs 4:23 says "Above all else, watch over your heart; diligently guard it..." In the Bible, the 'heart' refers to the mind, will, and emotions; it is the true person. While in the guard tower, you could not be distracted. The enemy was very good infiltrating through the razor wire. Our spiritual enemy, Satan, is just as crafty. John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and destroy..." 
2. Both enemies use deception. The Viet Cong are masters in camouflage. When watching outside the perimeter, you have to remember where each bush and plants are. When you look back you might discover a bush that was not there ten minutes ago! 2 Corinthians 11:14 says, "for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light ."
3. Both enemies are to be taken seriously. It was dangerous to underestimate the Viet Cong. They did not have the sophisticated weapons we did but they made up for it with tenacity.  Many people do not believe that Satan truly exists but the Bible repeatedly says he is real. He is not a cartoon character with a pointy tail and pitchfork. While the Christ-follower should not fear Satan, we must realize he is a formidable foe.  

I encourage every Believer to be on constant guard.