The Devil is After Me
What is the Satan?
How do we approach it?
Growing up I have been surrounded by those having a narrative of Satan and its schemes.
If something went bad, it was the Satan behind it.
If I had an improper thought, yup, the devil planted it there.
If there were any kind of temptation, it’s the devil.
The devil this and the devil that.
As I have grown older, I have dismissed the idea of the devil attacking me.
The Satan is a title known as the Adversary.
He is anti-everything.
He is the deceiver and father of lies.
The prince of this air.
He doesn’t have the powers that God does.
He cannot know my future or be in many places at once.
And yet…
We have this amazing narrative within Christian culture of this looming beast trying to devour us.
I don’t give Satan a lot of credit or power.
Is the entity real, yes.
However, my God is greater than Satan.
He’s defeated.
God created the Satan for his ultimate purpose.
I may not understand why; however, I trust God knows what he is doing.
Below I listed the Scriptures that give a snapshot of who The Adversary is.
According to the Bible, some scriptures that reference the devil (also called Satan)
include
Genesis 3:1-5 (the serpent in the Garden of Eden)
Revelation 12:9 (the dragon)
John 14:30 ("the prince of this world")
2 Corinthians 4:4 ("the god of this age")
Ephesians 2:2 ("the prince of the power of the air")
these verses often depict him as a deceiver and ruler of the world.
Other relevant scriptures:
Job 1:12 - Satan appears before God
John 8:44 - Jesus refers to the devil as the father of liars
1 Peter 5:8 - Warning to be alert against the devil's schemes
Zechariah 3:1-4 - A depiction of Satan accusing the high priest
"Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil."
1 John 3:8 ESV
5 Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of suffering.
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus is with you.
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/satan-demons
In my opinion, there’s no reason to be afraid of Satan.
He has no power.
Yes, does he roam the Earth seeking to whom to devour?
At the same time, it is God to whom we should have a proper reverence for.
He is the one who influences and plants our steps.
He created me sanctified before I was born.
He knew I would be of Him.
I didn’t have a choice to follow Christ because before I was born he created me to be a vessel for holiness.
He set me apart.
And if he set me apart, then the devil has no power over me or you.
That’s another post for another day.