One of the greatest challenges to Christianity today may not be that people are questioning the existence of God, but rather that many do not believe in the existence of Satan.
It’s dangerous to ignore the existence of Satan. Satan is our great enemy. If we deny Satan’s existence, we cannot protect ourselves from him. The Apostle Peter warns, “Be careful – watch out for attacks from Satan, your great enemy. He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking for some victim to tear apart. Stand firm when he attacks. Trust the Lord; and remember that other Christians around the world are going through these sufferings too.” (1 Peter 5:8-9)
Like God, Satan is of a spiritual realm. To avoid coming under Satan’s control, we should accept that he exists and protect ourselves from him. We need to understand that he and his servants are working against us – and against anyone who believes in God’s Son, Jesus.
Satan is dangerous. He lies and deceives as easily as we breathe. One of Satan’s greatest victories was convincing so many people that he doesn’t exist. When we deny his existence or lay down our guard, we are far more vulnerable to attack.
Satan can appear in many forms. Satan and his servants can be ugly and menacing — or beautiful and handsome. They can appear wicked and sinful — or as “messengers of God.” They can mislead and deceive us about other “saviors” than Jesus, other spirits than the Holy Spirit, other gods than our Lord God, and different ways to “salvation” other than through Jesus. (2 Corinthians 11:4-5) They may seem demonic or godly — even come in the guise of holy ministers. According to the Apostle Paul, “…Satan can change himself into an angel of light, so it is no wonder his servants can do it too, and seem like godly ministers…”. (2 Corinthians 14-15)
God knows that Satan and his servants are among us — tempting us to sin and trying to destroy our faith in God. God knows it too. God knows how powerful Satan is, how clever, how deceitful, and how scary to us. But God is more powerful than Satan, and God is beside us – always. We are never alone. The Apostle Paul writes, “… the Lord is faithful; he will make you strong and guard you from satanic attacks of every kind.” (2 Thessalonians 3:3)
So, don’t let Satan fool you into believing he doesn’t exist. Don’t let Satan lull you into a false sense of security from the consequences of sin. Don’t let Satan twist God’s Word to change right into wrong and wrong into right. Be aware and respectful of the danger Satan poses, but don’t be afraid.
For we who believe in Jesus are on the winning side. We are bound to lose a few battles, but with God on our side we will eventually prevail.
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