12.07.2011

How Strong is Satan?

Contrary to the silly picture of a devil I've posted on this blog, Satan is actually not an ugly, scary looking creature according to scripture. The Bible describes Satan as being a beautiful angel of light. This was of course before his fall from Heaven and whether his appearance has changed or not we don't know. All we have to go on is what we read in God's word (which is plenty). 


Satan is a deceiver, a master of disguise, and a liar. His appearance didn't scare Adam and Eve in the Garden, so it probably wouldn't scare us today. 


Satan, as I heard one preacher put it, is that beautiful woman winking at you from the billboard sign advertising a bottle of hard liquor. Satan wants to entice you away from the great plans and purpose God has in store for you. To do this he must be cunning, and believe me - he is! The question is though, how strong is Satan?


I remember once when I was a young Christian telling another brother in the Lord that I wished Satan could become a physical being for just 5 minutes so I could kick his butt. Of course this was the foolish talk of a baby Christian, for if this could have occurred I'm sure Satan in the physical realm would have ripped me limb from limb. Yet I hear people under-estimate Satan this way all of the time. 


From a practical viewpoint Satan is an angel (although a fallen one).  


According to Isaiah 37:36:
And the angel of the LORD went out and struck down a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.

So one angel from the Lord killed 185,000 well trained soldiers in an Assyrian army... yeah, it is safe to say that Satan, being a fallen angel, could easily whip my tail in a physical fist fight here on earth, so enough of the foolish talk. Thankfully, we don't have to fight Satan for Jesus defeated him openly before all Heaven and earth when He died and rose again from the grave!


So what about spiritually? How strong is Satan Spiritually speaking? Satan as we know from the Bible was cast down to earth and he had one third of the angels from heaven fall with him. This means Satan has an army of angels (now known as demons) here on the earth with him. 


Some people may think that Satan is powerless, and while this is true in the sense that he has no power when compared to God, the bible makes it very clear to us that Satan DOES have power. It would therefore be foolish for us to underestimate him. 
"To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." -Acts 26:18
So to those who are offended by  me stating the obvious - that Satan has power, please understand that I'm not glorifying him or exalting him. My only point is that he is our enemy and it is always good to not be taken off guard by his schemes. To live in denial and call it faith by declaring our enemy weak is foolishness. 


So how strong is Satan? Some preachers would carelessly state that, "Satan is only as strong as you allow him to be", but this isn't true either. Most people, including myself, have known very strong Christians whose faith could move mountains, but they have come under the attack of the enemy through sickness, financial problems, and every other sort of attack from the enemy. 


Think about Job in the Old Testament. He endured great hardship including the loss of his children, business, and even his health. Yet the bible tells us he was a righteous man before God. By examining the life of Job we can see the answer to the question I have presented. 


How strong is Satan? Satan is only as strong as the Lord allows him to be. It would be foolish for us to think we could take on Satan within the limits of our own ability. If only one angel could kill 185,000 men then imagine how much destruction one third of the angels fallen from Heaven could do! If God allowed it then Satan and his angels could easily destroy the earth and all of the people on it within seconds. 


Also understand that if ALL of the angels fell and God was alone, He could still easily keep it all under control with His feet propped up, relaxing, and without even breaking a sweat. 


GOD IS IN CONTROL! 


Part of that control is that Satan has been granted some limited power here on the earth. At times life doesn't seem fair. Babies are abused, people get sick, evil people seem to prosper, and the good die young sometimes. We are sometimes left confused and questioning why things happen as they do. 


There are two kingdoms operating in the earth - One belonging to God and one belonging to Satan. Hopefully you are ahead of the game and have made a decision to be on the Lord's side. If you have not done so, then by default you are on the side of the devil. The evil in man can enable Satan in his power, or the good in man can advance God's kingdom. This is why it pays to know which side you are on. 


We don't want to benefit the devil by helping him with his work. Instead we need to be children of light working for God's kingdom in the earth.  However it is important to remember that God will prevail with or without you, but don't you want to be a part of the enemy's defeat? I know I do!