Some people think of Satan as a being straight from mythology while others describe him as an impersonal evil force in the universe, but the Bible clearly portrays him as both real and personal.
He is a creature of God that chose to exercise his free will toward wickedness and to exert a negative influence over humanity. Jesus Christ was sent to the world to bruise his head and destroy his power, so that, as disciples of Christ, we might find victory over the sin that so easily ensnares us and gain Heaven instead of Hell.
It is appropriate that we comprehend Satan to be our adversary and that we recognize we are at war with him because he is certainly waging war upon us. Like Jesus, we want to cry out, “Get behind me, Satan” and back up that exclamation with action.
Satan
The Hebrew word, Satan, means simply “adversary” and so it is used throughout the Old Testament (see First Samuel 29:4; Second Samuel 19:22; First Kings 6:4; 11:14,23,25; Numbers 22:22,33; Psalm 109:6). As we think of God with his holy angels, we must also realize that Satan is the prince of demons and that the objective of the adversary is to remake our spirits in his warped image (1 John 3:4-10; see also Matthew 25:31, 12:24-26).
He is both the prince and god of this world, the spiritual rival of Jehovah God, even if his mission must ultimately prove futile (see John 12:31, 2 Corinthians 4:4). Whether he is termed Satan, the devil, the tempter or the adversary, understand that it is not possible or practical for you to declare a truce with him; his business is one of finding vulnerabilities and taking advantage.
Throughout history, good nations have sometimes succumbed to the urge to ignore evil dictators in the hope that they will either go away or at least be nice to the good nations. If there is some place inside of us that thinks we can ignore the devil and he will leave us alone, we are sorely mistaken, for we are at war and we had better fight to win (Ephesians 6:10-12).
The wiles of the devil include his capacity to wreak havoc in our lives and to lay temptation in our paths, but he is most powerful when he persuades us to work with him through self-deception and evil influence on others. Jesus called him the father of lies and from the time he persuaded Eve to sample a little forbidden fruit he has been poisoning the minds of men and women with falsehoods and convenient half-truths.
All along the watchtower, we must be aware that he never gives up (1 Peter 5:8-9). He will attempt to divide and conquer by spoiling the love that binds together families, churches and friends, but we hamstring his power when we refuse to be ignorant, exploited victims; we must not allow ourselves to be ignorant of his devices (see Second Corinthians 2:11). Paul warns that, “Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light” and his most effective ministers are often harmless looking, unwitting men and women among us (2 Corinthians 11:14).
As formidable as Satan seems to be, and with all the alliances and victories he can boast, it is not necessarily a harbinger of our own defeat, for the Bible says that faith brings victory (1 John 3:8, 5:1-5).
In the first century, demon possession was a common problem and so Jesus empowered his disciples to exorcise them; seventy disciples returned from such a mission and proclaimed, “‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!’ And he said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven’” (Luke 10:17-18). Obviously, this passage is not about the creation of Satan or even about his first foray among men, but rather it indicates that the tempter’s power was being curtailed. Obedience to the will of God completes the mission and helps to put Satan behind you.
His Tactics
As we learn in the book of Job, Satan is invisible but present, pulling the strings behind the scenes and provoking misery and doubt. Here is what the Bible says are his tactics:
- he tempts (see Matthew 4:1)
- he sows tares (see Matthew 13:39)
- he snatches away the word (see Luke 8:12)
- he incites murders and lies (see John 8:44)
- he provokes greed and betrayal (see John 13:2)
- he is an oppressor (see Acts 10:38)
- he lies in wait for opportunity (see Ephesians 4:27)
- he sets snares so that we will stumble and be trapped (see 1 Timothy 3:7)
Because of this, we are not ignorant of his devices, but can be educated and prepared for when and how he might strike, and instead of blaming God or excusing our occasional failures, we can secure victory on a regular basis instead of moaning and becoming accustomed to another defeat.
Early in his ministry, Jesus was tested by the devil and those tests are just extreme examples of the same kinds of tests we face, for they touch on the lust of the eyes and flesh and the pride of life that characterize this decaying universe that tries to take us down with it (see 1 John 2:15-17).
Satan tried to provoke the Lord’s hunger and make it seem as if a noble goal could be achieved through more convenient, but unauthorized means (Luke 4:1-13). Jesus replied to every temptation with an appeal to the authority of God, so Satan attempted to twist those Scriptures to suit his own purposes. Jesus was not about to betray his father by buying the devil’s bargain, nor was he willing to test God by putting himself purposely at risk, and so Satan retreated, but he did not give up, for he used the people of Judea and even some of the disciples to test Jesus.
We hear those words here in the midst of these temptations–“Get behind me, Satan!”–and that is what we desire. We seek victory and a respite from the daily battle so that we can enjoy the spoils, but even when we overcome, Satan is only retreating and regrouping and seeking another opportune time to attack.
Just as often, Satan is at work in the people around us, some of whom mean well enough and others who are given over to wickedness already. Consider Peter of all people:
From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (Matthew 16:21-24)
Peter meant well enough and would eventually back up his boast by using a sword on the ear of the high priest’s servant, but preventing the cross was to the benefit of Satan, not Jesus, whether Peter or the devil knew it or not. Suddenly, the good confessor had become Christ’s adversary, for he was unwittingly introducing to Jesus the notion that he could give up his trip to the cross in exchange for an armed insurrection against the religious and political leaders in the city.
How dangerous it is when those we love and respect unwittingly or intentionally tempt us and try our resolve; then we must love Jesus more than them and obey him whatever the cost, but how high the cost seems to be (see Matthew 10:28-39)!
Putting Him Behind Us
We look to Peter for an example of putting Satan behind. Peter boasted that he would never betray Jesus, even if all the others did, and for a while he was good for that boast (Matthew 26:33-35). Of course, he did end up denying Jesus when he realized that the Lord was under arrest and was not resisting the kangaroo court that condemned him (Matthew 26:73-75). Once he had failed, Peter had to choose either to put the tempter in front of him eternally like Judas did or to put Satan behind him; he chose to rejoin the disciples and was rewarded when the Lord was resurrected and the church was established.
If we are sober and vigilant, we can gain strength to put Satan behind us as well, rendering Satan’s devices much more transparent so that we resist sin more frequently than it overcomes us. Christians possess “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” and “all things that pertain to life and godliness” so that we can be victors, not victims (Ephesians 1:3, Second Peter 1:3). God will arm us for the fight (2 Corinthians 10:3-6).
Just as God told Cain, “And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it” (Genesis 4:7). Either Cain didn’t believe God or he didn’t care, but the next thing you know, Abel is dead and Cain is a vagabond. Sin crouches at your door and its desire is for you, but you can resist it and rule over it (James 1:12-16).
It is vital that we learn not to underestimate the devil, for while he cannot use demon possession today, he can appeal to our sense of pride, greed, envy, lust or resentment to provoke us to evil nonetheless (Acts 19:13-17). Never allow yourself to get to the point where you feel above temptation, because before you know it, you will be right back under it again: “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).
It is just as important that we refuse to overestimate him as well: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).
You have more power on your side than he has so that, nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39). Overestimating his ability to tempt and try leads us to faulty self-justification and ultimate surrender.
Conclusion
Put on the whole armor of God, which serves to protect your spirit while you fight (Ephesians 6:13-18). Never surrender (James 4:7-10). If our goal is to leave Satan in the dust, we can only achieve it by fighting back and choosing to submit to God instead of the adversary.
