The Battle: The Enemy

When we talk about God, we use terms like Almighty, Omnipresent, Holy, Loving, All-knowing and Sovereign. 

These are what we call attributes of God.  They describe different characteristics that are true of Him.

In Isaiah 40:12-18 God says this about Himself:

12 Who else has held the oceans in his hand?

Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers?

Who else knows the weight of the earth

or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale?

13 Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord?

Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him?

14 Has the Lord ever needed anyone’s advice?

Does he need instruction about what is good?

Did someone teach him what is right

or show him the path of justice?

15 No, for all the nations of the world

are but a drop in the bucket.

They are nothing more

than dust on the scales.

He picks up the whole earth

as though it were a grain of sand.

16 All the wood in Lebanon’s forests

and all Lebanon’s animals would not be enough

to make a burnt offering worthy of our God.

17 The nations of the world are worth nothing to him.

In his eyes they count for less than nothing—

mere emptiness and froth.

18 To whom can you compare God?

What image can you find to resemble him?[i]

There is no one like our God.

When we say Sovereign we point to the fact that He rules.  He rules everything.  There is nothing outside the authority of His rule. 

When we say Almighty we point to the fact that all power comes from Him, is under His control and there is no limit to His power.

This is the God who is on our side. 

The enemy is not even remotely able to overcome, overpower, outsmart, trick, surprise, capture, harm, frustrate, confuse or in any way approach the greatness of God.

The enemy is a creature.

He was made by God.

This is what God says to Satan:

12 “You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and exquisite in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God. 14 I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire. 15 You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you. 16 Your rich commerce led you to violence, and you sinned. So I banished you in disgrace from the mountain of God. I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place among the stones of fire. 17 Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. Your wisdom was corrupted by your love of splendor. So I threw you to the ground and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings. 18 You defiled your sanctuaries with your many sins and your dishonest trade. So I brought fire out from within you, and it consumed you. (Ezekiel 28:12, 13, 14-18, NLT)

This passage explains the origin of the devil. 

He was a mighty angelic guardian.  He had access the mountain of God. Then his heart was filled with pride and his wisdom was corrupted because of his love of splendor. 

We know that God will expose him to ridicule.  

We know that God will seat Jesus on the throne of David in spite of the devil’s best efforts to keep it from happening. 

Why does God even allow a fallen creature like the devil to continue to exist?  I do not think that I know all the answers.  However, I want you to think with me.

In the book of Revelation, chapter 20 tells about a thousand years when Jesus will reign on the earth.  For this period of time the devil is chained and locked in a dungeon.  At the end of the thousand years, he is let out of the dungeon.  True to his nature the devil immediately sets about deceiving the nations.  He gathers a great army to fight against the Lord. 

Why would God do this?  

He has the devil captive.  

The earth is full of peace and prosperity.  Why would God turn the devil loose? 

We could ask the same question about why God let Job suffer.  

God does not answer all the questions.  But, if we look at Revelation and at Job, we see that God wanted Job to love and serve Him because He is God, not for the things He gives. 

God will turn the devil loose knowing the devil will deceive, and this has to be the point.  

Will people stand fast?  

Will people love God and not just love His gifts? 

Hebrews 11:6 tells us that the way to please God is faith.  

Abraham pleased God because of his faith.  

Hebrews 10:38 says, “And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.” (NLT)

From this I take it that part of God’s purpose in letting the devil exist is so we have to make a choice.  

I do not think that this is the whole story, and I believe when God wipes away all tears and does away with all suffering we will understand more of why He has done what He has done.  

However, in the present there will always be those who hate God and those that love God.

The point is that the devil is a creature and is therefore limited.  

He is not like God. 

He cannot be in all places at once.  He does not know everything.  He is not all-powerful.

We do know that the devil is organized. 

Ephesians 6:12 tells us: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (ESV)[ii] The rulers, authorities, cosmic powers and spiritual forces listed here are grades or ranks of demons.

In Daniel 10 there is recorded an interaction between an angelic messenger and Daniel.  Verse 20 says, “He replied, "Do you know why I have come? Soon I must return to fight against the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia, and after that the spirit prince of the kingdom of Greece will come.” (NLT)

There is a spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia and there is a spirit prince of the kingdom of Greece.  Here we see organizational structure and planning on the part of the devil. 

He also has helpers. 

In Revelation 12:9 we are told the devil and his angels are cast down to the earth.  In verse 4 of chapter 12 in describing the dragon we are told, “Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth.” In combination with Daniel 8:10 we understand that possibly one third of the angels of heaven followed the devil when he fell.

In Matthew 25:41, Jesus tells us that hell was prepared for the devil and his angels, alluding to the fact that the devil has helpers.

While the devil is not all-powerful and present everywhere, his organization and large numbers of helpers make his presence felt everywhere and his power great by force of numbers.

1 John 5:19 tells us, “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” This is not because he is like God in any way.  

He controls the world by force of numbers, organizational structure and evil intelligence, in much the same way as humans might seek to gain control of the world.

The devil’s main tools are deceit and temptation.  

He works in our thoughts. He and his helpers are somehow able to whisper to us in our own voice so that we think the thoughts are our own. 

Along with this trickery, there is the fact that the devil and his helpers were originally angels. Therefore, they come to us acting like they are angels.

The Apostle Paul tells us this in the book of 2 Corinthians.  In the church at Corinth, there were men who entered in boasting of their own greatness so as to preach and teach for profit and to gain a following.  The Church in Corinth was soon in a mess.  

In writing to correct the problems, Paul says:

13 These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.” 

Here we see the fact that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.  And, we also see that his servants disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.

Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces of darkness.

No matter how great, powerful, clever and devious the devil is; he is not worth comparing to our God.

He is a creature. 

His rebellion has failed. 

Jesus rose from the dead and is seated at the right hand of the Majesty on High. 

Our victory is complete. 

The Bible in all truth says, “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4, ESV)

One final thought:

1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too. 2 We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey his commandments. 3 Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. 5 And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

Our faith in Jesus is the victory.  No matter what trap the devil has you in, God can deliver you today.  

Cry out to Jesus.

Talk to Jesus right now.  Where the battle has gotten too close to home ask Jesus to come in and take over.

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[i] Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved

[ii] The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles

The Battle: The Conflict

I get up in the morning and make coffee. 

Every morning I get up, let the dog out and make coffee.

Actually, I do not make coffee every morning, but letting the dog out is not optional. 

I like to have cereal for breakfast.  Another member of the family likes eggs.  Yet another prefers pancakes.  So, we have eggs or cereal or pancakes for breakfast. It does not seem like much of a battle does it.

Why talk about a battle?

Last week Robin Williams made the headlines by taking his own life. According to the World Health Organization 3,000 people commit suicide each day, and for every 1 that succeeds approximately 20 more attempt it. 

Even among those that do not attempt suicide there are many who succumb to drug and substance abuse.

Causalities also include marriages that end in divorce, children who run away from home and broken relationships of all sorts.

While I was enjoying my breakfast, rockets were being fired from Gaza into Israel, and ISIS was continuing its reign of terror. 

I believe that the suicides, social problems, murders, and wars are related.  These things all point to a battle that rages first in the hearts of people.

The Bible offers an explanation and the way to understand the tremendous battle that rages around us.

It is in the Bible that we learn that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Understanding this gives us a foundation for understanding life. 

The Bible tells us, “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1, ESV)[i]

God, and His part in His creation, is essential to our understanding of creation, the battle, sin, evil, sickness and also all the good things we encounter.

 In Genesis 2:8-9 it says:

8 “Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made.  9 The LORD God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (NLT)[ii] 

This garden was an ideal place.  There was only one rule that was:

the LORD God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— 17except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” (Genesis 2:16, NLT)

This is a brief description of what the world was like before the battle began.  God had placed a man and a woman into a garden that He had created just for them. 

Then in Genesis 3 we find the opening of the battle, and the foundation for our understanding of it. Genesis 3:1-6 says:

 1 The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”

2 “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. 3 “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”

4 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

6 The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.

In this passage, we are introduced to our enemy.

Here we are also introduced to the cause of the battle. 

Of our enemy, the devil or serpent in this passage, we learn in 1 Peter 5:8:

 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

There are plenty of movies and TV shows that depict wild and fanciful things about our enemy. 

Stories and myths exist in abundance and even we Christians get caught up in these. 

It is of greatest importance in considering the battle that we do not go beyond what is written in Scripture.

The first thing we learn about our enemy is that he is a deceiver.

The second is that he is a tempter. 

He lied to the woman in the garden and then he tempted her.

Look throughout the Bible and you will find that the devil consistently uses these same tactics. 

He deceives people and then he tempts them.  By doing this he gains control and/or power.

1 Chronicles 21:1 tells us, “Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census of the people of Israel.” (NLT) This ended up being a tragedy in Israel and 70,000 people died as a result of it. By the way, these were 70,000 innocent people who had not been complicit in David’s sin.

This is how the devil works. 

He has no pity.

A lion about to eat a Zebra does not stop to think about how the Zebra might feel. The devil also does not care how you and I might suffer.

What thoughts, what doubts, what fears will cause a person to commit suicide or murder for that matter? The devil plays on those doubts, fears and thoughts without pity or remorse.  People die as a result.

In Acts 5, we are told that Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold a piece of property. They brought part of the money as a gift to the apostles but claimed it was the whole amount.  In Acts 5:3 Peter asks, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart?” (NLT) 

This illustrates how the devil works in the thoughts of a person to deceive and tempt him or her.

In this way, the battle can be taking place inside the head and heart of a person while he is enjoying his breakfast. 

He may not even be aware that he is in a battle.

To Ananias and Sapphira it probably did not seem like a big deal.  Whatever they thought, it ended up being a big deal.

Jesus said, “I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.” (Matthew 5:22, NLT)

How lightly do we call people idiots and how easily do we get angry with people?

These things do not seem like a big deal to us, but apparently they are a big deal. 

Dare I talk about life choices that we make that God has warned us not to do. 

This includes things like sex before marriage, sex outside of marriage, lying, stealing, cheating, coveting and anything against God’s law.  

These things characterize the life controlled by the flesh or the appetites of the body, and the Bible tells us that being controlled by the flesh leads to death.

The devil is still in the business of saying, “You surely will not die.”

He deceives and he tempts.

David’s thought to number the people did not originate with him, but he thought it did. 

Ananias and Sapphira’s thought to lie about the proceeds of the sale did not originate with them, but they thought it did.

Your thought to be critical of your wife’s scrambled eggs may not originate with you.  However, like David and like Ananias you will be held responsible for your actions.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 says:

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” (ESV)

In this statement, we get a glimpse of what it means to be in a spiritual battle.  If we look at verse 5 we see that there are arguments and lofty opinions raised against the knowledge of God.  We also see that the battle takes place chiefly in the thoughts.  Thoughts have to be taken captive to obey Christ.

One human being listens to the wrong thoughts and ends up having revelations that he thinks are from God, and we have Islam.  How many have died and suffered as a result? 

One human being listens to the wrong thoughts and writes a book, and we have Nazi Germany taking over Europe and North Africa. 

How many millions died?

These are large scale examples of what happens on a small scale in our daily lives when we do not take our thoughts captive to Christ.

Sin and the fall have brought death, disease, weeds, thorns, thistles, deformities and the like. 

We have all been affected. 

My eyes have been affected by the fall. Therefore, I have to wear glasses. 

It is not that I committed a particular sin and so my eyes went bad. Rather, the fall has affected all of nature and all of our bodies.

I started out talking about Robin Williams and suicide as casualties of the battle, and they are.  But please do not think clinical depression is just about thoughts.  We know that there are physical, chemical imbalances that contribute to clinical depression and medications have been developed to help.

Medicine is imperfect and a lot of mistakes are made.  Even so, the Apostle Paul took along the physician Luke in his travels. Medicine has advanced considerably since that day.

I believe that clinical depression is something that requires medical intervention.  The insulin dependent diabetic should not feel guilty about using insulin, and neither should a person whose body does not maintain a proper chemical balance feel guilty about using antidepressants.

However, just because there is a physical component to depression does not mean it is not a spiritual battle. 

The devil has no mercy. 

If he sees a weakness, he attacks. We are all involved in the battle.  The conflict exists even when we are going about something as routine as getting our breakfast. 

This is why Proverbs 4:23 says, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

There is much to be learned about the battle, but there is a simple foundation that needs to be laid.   2 Corinthians 10:5 “5We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” (ESV)

This requires that we examine our hearts.  The Psalmist gives us an example when he asks of God, “23Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” (Psalm 139:23-24, NLT)

We are not on our own. 

The Bible tells us, “the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.” (1 John 4:4, NLT)

The good news is that Jesus has defeated the devil. 

The victory is already ours. 

We can live in that victory. 

I find that worshipping daily, spending time with God daily and asking God to examine my heart like the Psalmist makes a huge difference on my attitude and in my spirit. 

I highly recommend some sort of devotional mediation and worship program to strengthen yourself in the inner man.

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[i] The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles

[ii] Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved