When we look through history, we see many wicked men who did great harm to the world around them. We think of men like Adolf Hitler who wreaked havoc on Europe during World War 2, or we think of men like Nero who burned Christians to light his parties. Even though these men were wicked, they do not even compare to the wickedness of our greatest enemy—Satan.
Satan is the exact opposite of our Lord. He is a liar; God is the truth. He is a murderer; God is the creator of life. He is darkness; God is the light. So why is it that many choose to follow a wicked monster rather than following a loving father who offers us life? The answer to that question is unfortunately simple: sin is pleasurable. The devil knows this. He has been deceiving humanity since the beginning of our existence. He knows our weaknesses, and he knows how to use them to serve his purpose. Just think about the sins with which we struggle. They are generally something that we want to do, even though we may know it is wrong. We should caution ourselves when we think that we have things under control (1 Corinthians 10:12). What we may think is our strongest point may be the very spot that the devil uses to trap us. The devil is the ultimate infiltrator, and there is no place that he will not try to get us. He is capable of getting to us in good times and in bad, and we must always be prepared to face him (1 Peter 5:8). He is able to use the world around us to distract us from God and to cause us to become entangled with the world. Satan is a notorious and dangerous enemy, but we cannot allow him to win the war in our lives.
Usually, this is a very discouraging topic. When we think about how powerful the devil is through his temptations, we tend to think that there is no way to face him; but the Lord has told us that if we resist the devil he will flee from us (James 4:7). The devil’s only power over us is our own lust (James 1:14), and we can control ourselves. We think that it is so hard, and that is when we allow ourselves to be tricked. The devil is a dangerous enemy, but he is only as powerful as we allow him to be. We choose who we fill our life with, and if we fill our lives with God, there is less room for the devil’s temptations. “All have sinned” (Romans 3:23), but this does not mean that all will be lost. If the devil was unbeatable, then we would have no hope; but our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ gave His life on Calvary so we could overcome the devil. We have the ability to resist the devil, and we have the ability to live a life holy to God; therefore, we have the ability to defeat our enemy. How is your war with the enemy?