God created Satan as the head of the Angels. He was at one time the most powerful, intelligent and beautiful angel in heaven. Known as Lucifer (Angel of Light), he was second only to God Himself (Ezekiel 28:12-15). But, because of the desire to be like God, Lucifer rebelled against God and was kicked out of heaven along with one-third of all the angels (I Tim. 3:6; Rev. 12:4). Thus, Satan and the demons are actually fallen angels. The Bible also mentions other "Principalities and Powers", (Rom. 8:38-39) which we do not know much about. They can be a different class of demons or even other created "entities" that the Bible does not expand on.
The Bible calls Satan "the god of this age" who blinds and deceives the minds of unbelievers to keep them from understanding and accepting the truth about Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4). He has seemingly been very successful over the millennia; however God is still sovereign!
Satan cannot create matter, he can only manipulate it. Just like a box of "Legos"; though we can make something, we did not manufacture the Legos! Satan is not omnipresent or omnipotent, that is, he is not all knowing, all present, and all powerful, only God is! Because of all of Satan's entourage (demons), it may seem like he is.
Satan is a powerful enemy of believers (Ephesians 6:11-18). Most people think Satan is only interested in causing disasters and drunk drivers. But his favorite weapon (that he likes to use most) is to cause Christians to bicker and disagree and sow discord. Thus, when Christians are fighting, they are not evangelizing or accomplishing the building of the kingdom!
He will not tell us that he wants to destroy us and manipulate us, nor does he give us his plans. He gives us what we want, so it fulfills what Satan wants. He deceives us by subjective truth and human reasoning that sounds appealing, but is a trap! Our human reasoning is very limited and cannot see the big picture that God sees, that is why we must trust and obey, because there is no other way! We must take him seriously, knowing that a very real spiritual war is being fought all around us. Yet, as Christians, we do not need to fear Satan. We do not need to be looking for him under every bush of problems. Let us not forget our own Fallen Nature!
What is Satan's position?
He has been defeated from the beginning, (Gen 3:14-15). He has been judged (Jn 16:8-11). He was defeated by Christ at the Cross of Calvary, this was Satan's final judgment (Jn 12:31; I Jn 3:8; Col. 2:15; James 4:7) His future is to be cast into the lake of Fire (Matt 25:41; Rev. 20:10) (Colossians 2:15). Even though he is now on the prowl, Satan's future is defeat! His future and final doom have been declared by God. As a cornered animal he will fight us with all the ability and tenacity he can muster! However, Satan has been defeated and He who is in us (Christ) is greater than he who is in the world (Satan) (I Jn 4:4)!
What can Satan do to me?
He can only do to you what God will allow for His glory. God will not allow anything to happen to you that you cannot handle and grow from to be better used to further Christ's Kingdom and Glory! (Job 1:12; 2:6; Luke 22:31, 32). In other words, Satan cannot do squat, unless it is authorized for our benefit (Rom. 8:28)! However we are to take Satan's malice and cunning seriously. We are to know his names and strategies so we can combat his attacks. We are not to fear him in terror like in some Hollywood movie, because he has been defeated (Matt 12:29)!
What is your response?
Satan is real and he is powerful. Unfortunately, most Christians go to one of two extremes: They either ignore his role in the world, or they blame him for everything from marital problems to bad luck, not taking personal responsibility. As a Christian you need to recognize Satan for who he is, as revealed in Scripture, and not from any other source. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is not a good source of information, nor are a lot of TV preachers. Satan is a created creature and not divine, he has great knowledge and power, but is not all knowing and all powerful. Satan is our enemy, but we have access to a greater power. You must stand strong against him and not cringe with terror, "because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). Thus we are to acknowledge his reality and the presence of his demons, knowing his strategies to manipulate so we do not fall prey, and be in prayer so our fellow Christians do not fall in deceit either.
Think It Through:
We don't want to become preoccupied with Satan, or live in fear of what Scripture reveals, or what we see in the media or by false teachers. We can know about him so we can be better prepared and equipped to stand against him by what Christ has done.
If you've been dipping into anything having to do with the occult; séances, tarot cards, crystals, astrology, Quija board, palm reading, stop now! This is strictly forbidden in the Bible for good reason, to protect you. (See Deuteronomy 18:10-13.)
But Satan does not limit himself to just the occult. Some of his favorite domains for dealing his deadly deceptions are politics, education, and the media. He uses good things to bring us down too. Anything that gets in the way of Christ and your growth in Him, can be from Satan, including sports, education, friends, TV, movies, cars, ETC. Too much of a good thing can be very bad!
Pay careful attention to what you hear in public school and from the news and the entertainment industry. Refuse all beliefs and practices that give the devil a foothold in your life.
Christians can stand against Satan by. . Ephesians 6:10-18; 1 Peter 5:8, 9; & James 4:7
God wants you to overcome Satan; you do not have to believe in Satan's deceptions and lies. You cannot only resist Satan; but overcome him! Revelation 12:11 says, "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto death." Jesus has already overcome Satan by Calvary's conquest, and that victory has been imparted unto us! If you have confessed your sins under the shed blood of Jesus Christ, you will be cleansed and no longer under the control of Satan.
You can overcome Satan by the Word, quoting and meditating on scripture. You can cast him off by claiming Christ as Lord. This means by verbally praying in the Name of Christ, and in His authority, and tell Satan to go away and not come back! Tell Satan that you trust in the Lord, that you know he is lying, and that you no longer have to listen to him because you belong to God. Finally, you can overcome Satan by completely committing your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, that is, you give Him total control of your life, total control over your will!
The saints in Revelation gave up their lives to serve Jesus because they knew Christ had conquered sin and Satan. There is no turning back in the Christian life. Either we live completely for Christ by surrendering our will to Him, or we fall into the traps Satan has planned in order to defeat us. Because we have kept some of our desires, Satan moved in on them! Believe in Christ and His Word, and you will continue to grow in His character, in Christlikeness.
Copyright 1987, 2000 Rev. R. J. Krejcir, Schaeffer Institute of Church Leadership, www.churchleadership.org/
