Satan: January 17, 2011

TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY JANUARY 17, 2011

SATAN

DEFINITION:

The chief evil spirit; the great adversary of God and humanity; the devil.

SCRIPTURE:

“So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Revelation 12:9.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Satan is a person. Yes, there is a personal devil. We read in the scriptures that he appeared before God, he talked with God, and he deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden, he tempted Jesus, he performed miracles and signs and he tempts both the saved and unsaved to commit sin. Only a person can take part in an intelligent dialogue and reason, so Satan is a person.

He has been given many names and titles in the scriptures. Some of them are:

Satan --- (adversary) He does not have the capacity to love or to show mercy. He is called Satan 50 times in the Bible.
Devil --- (slanderer) this title is used over 100 times in the New Testament
Apollyon --- the Greek word for destroyer which is found in Revelation 9:11.
Lucifer --- (day star) or “morning star” he can transform himself into an angel of light. Isaiah 14:12

He is called “the god of this age” in II Corinthians 4:4, the “prince of the power of the air” in Ephesians 2:2, the “great dragon” in Revelation 12:9 and the “serpent of old” in Revelation 20:2. Jesus called him the ruler of this world in John 12:31. Remember he is not the ruler of creation but the ruler of the world system. God warns us: “Do not love the world or the things in the world.” I John 2:15. Satan desires that we all be caught up in his system and be lost. God desires that all accept Jesus Christ and be saved.

Two things you must be aware of concerning the devil. First of all, we are warned to be alert because the devil is our enemy and always looking to tempt us. I Peter 5:7 tells us to “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

Second, we have a defense against the deceitful ways of the devil. James tells us to: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7. Satan does have power in this world, but God has power over Satan. We give you this short study of Satan to warn you of the power that Satan has in this world and without God in your life, over you.

It was important for us to remind our children often that there is a devil. We constantly alerted our children that Satan would seek to tempt them and lead them astray. We warned them that he was tricky and would sneak in the back door of their lives. Along with warning them we taught them God’s plan of salvation, and we read the Bible and prayed with them daily. Our best defense against the devil is reading the Bible and praying daily to our Lord. Satan cannot handle this defense. It leaves him powerless.

We all have an on-going battle with Satan. Peter’s description of Satan as a prowling lion seeking to devour us is a perfect description of Satan’s character. Jesus defeated Satan when He rose from the dead after His death on the cross. By conquering death, Jesus destroyed Satan’s ultimate weapon against us. We cannot defeat Satan by our own efforts but Jesus can enable us to have the victory over Satan if we accept Jesus as our Savior. As believers it is important to daily prepare and arm ourselves against Satan’s attacks by growing in our faith through the reading of God’s Word and praying, not just once in a while, but daily. We trust that you are prepared for your battle with Satan today.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in John 3:17.

“For God did not send His Son into this world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

PRAYER:

Lord, I acknowledge that I cannot defeat Satan and resist his temptation by my own efforts. Give me strength and courage today to stand up against the attacks of the devil so that my life might be a testimony of my faith to You. May the joy of Jesus shine through me to my family, my friends and those that I touch in some way each day. Help me as I teach my children about Your saving grace and prepare them to fight off the Devil’s temptations.