Do you know your foe?

Know your foe

by Michael G. Mickey

As Christians, one of the wisest things we can do is learn the nature of our foe, Satan. Why? Because once we undertand what Satan is all about, spotting his tactics becomes much easier, allowing us the opportunity to honor God by resisting him.

What do we need to understand about Satan?

Satan is a deceiver

Genesis 3:1: Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Genesis 3:2: And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

Genesis 3:3: But of the fruit of the tree which [is] in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

Genesis 3:5: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

What God tells us not to do, Satan tells us to do, as seen in the Scriptures above. What God tells us to do, Satan tells us not to do.

Satan lies, lies and lies some more! In fact, in John 8:44, we're told Satan is a murderer and there is no truth in him! He is a liar and the father of lies! From the Garden of Eden until now, this has been true.

All of us have a God-given conscience that tells us right from wrong. When Satan tempts us to sin against God, our conscience usually warns us not to do it soon thereafter.

Immediately after our conscience reacts negatively to an idea Satan has planted in our head that runs contrary to God's will, Satan begins attempting to deceive us into believing his idea is better than God's.

If we don't immediately obey our conscience and the Holy Spirit that lives within us and end our dialogue with Satan the moment it begins, we will stumble in our faith and sin. This is a 100% true statement. Why is this true? Because Satan is immensely powerful. We're no match for him.

Satan is so powerful Michael, the archangel, couldn't stand toe to toe with him! Only through the power of the Lord could Michael, the commander of the armies of heaven, rebuke Satan.

Jude 1:9: Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee

If the archangel Michael had to call on the Lord to rebuke Satan, clearly we must do the same thing as none of us possess the archangel Michael's strength.

Not only is Satan an immensely powerful liar, he has an unquenchable hatred for God and mankind, who was made in the image of his foe, God the Father. Because this is true, Satan is constantly looking for victims to deceive and, if possible, destroy.

1st Peter 5:8: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

How should we face our foe? The only way we can - through faith in Jesus Christ! We must submit ourselves to God and resist Satan with all our might. If we faithfully do so, the Bible tells us Satan will flee.

James 4:7: Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

By wearing the whole armour of God, we can not only know our foe, but defeat him through the power of Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 6:13-17: Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: