You know...that other guy...the enemy

In the church today I feel the focus is mostly on who God is, who Jesus is, how we should follow them and how we should live. And although these are wonderful things to preach on and hear about, I feel there is a very important topic the church has mostly neglected to talk about- and that would be Satan.

Spiritual battles are real. I know in our cozy, American life that doesn’t seem like a reality. Our lives are pretty great in comparison and we haven’t encountered mega disasters. However, in other parts of the world spiritual battles are very real. Just think about all the unrest in many of the Middle Eastern countries today. In America, we see things like that on the news and we can think… “How can God be good when things are so bad?” “Where is God in all of this?” 

Some will answer by saying “Well, people sin” or “Satan is at work, they need Jesus” very nonchalantly! I don’t think Satan should be something we should take nonchalantly! I know we have a tendency to separate ourselves from what is happening in other countries. It is hard to make it part of your reality when it is not near you. However, Sin is everywhere! And Satan is at work. He is fully present in America and in each of our lives….even though the effects of his efforts are not as obvious! 

There is always a spiritual battle going on! The war against “good and evil” is constant and the war is personal. God wants you….but so does Satan. God knows you….but so does Satan. It says in 2 Corinthians 11:14 – “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light”.  He is deceptive and knows your weaknesses. Satan can play you effortlessly and you have no idea you are being played with. 

When things are going great in our life, often times we don’t acknowledge God in it. However, when things are going badly, we see that as God “punishing” us. “Obviously I have upset God and he is making me pay.” Why are we so quick to neglect the reality of Satan? God is for us, not against us. All good things come from the Lord. He never brings us harm. Any trial we experience in life is not from God, it is from the effects of sin and Satan. However…God will use those trials to make you better, shape you into who he wants you to be and ultimately bring him glory. 

We have to be especially careful in life when things don’t turn out exactly how we planned. We can be very tempted to say “oh well I guess it wasn’t what God had planned.” That may be true, but another possible explanation is that Satan has found his way into that situation and used his tricks to tear down or detour what God was doing. Satan’s goal is to get us off course and cause separation. Of course, any success he has is short termed. God is ultimately in control and will get his way. See Satan will win the battle but he won’t win the war. So be extremely careful not to give up or assume it wasn’t meant to be. 

I think it is time we wake up and open our eyes to the reality that there is a REAL, CREATED BEING who is evil, manipulative, sly, full of darkness, hatred and who wants nothing more than to steal, kill and destroy us. He is the father of lies and leads an army of demons. We do have God’s promise that he will protect us and that he has plans for us that are good and not to harm us (Jeremiah 29:11). But don’t forget that there is still a man whose wicked ways impact our lives.