Get ready to start a journey…a journey through the pages of the Bible and the pages of your life.
It all started in the Garden. In that perfect sinless environment, Satan came to Adam and Eve. There in the Garden, the deceiver twisted the truth and convinced Adam and Eve that God was holding out on them. They bought the lie. When God confronted Eve and asked, “What is this that you have done?” she replied, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Genesis 3:13). Through the deceiver, sin and death entered humanity. That’s why Jesus says Satan is a murderer and a liar “from the beginning.”
Peter wrote this passage around the time the Roman emperor, Nero, was persecuting Christians. Many followers of Jesus were led to the Roman Colosseum to be mauled and torn apart by lions. Peter used that relevant picture to remind Christians that Satan, our adversary, the one called the devil, the slanderer, seeks to defeat and destroy us.
“You are not worthy.” “You failed again.” “How could God ever love you?” “How could God ever use you?” “You might as well give up. You will never be anything but a second-rate Christian—if you are a Christian at all….”
Where do those voices come from?
Life is short. Everyone dies. Eternity is long. God offers the free gift of life. Why do people choose not to believe in the gospel? Why do some see the message of Jesus as unattractive? Why do others communicate that this free gift is actually not free at all, but one must work to attain it? The answer to all these questions is Satan. Here is what he does.
A good battle plan includes a study of the enemy. What’s their location? What are their strengths? What are their weaknesses? What is their method of attack? The list goes on. Now granted, our primary study must be about God. The Bible is his love letter to us, and we never want “to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest” in the devils and his demons. But we must be aware of who the enemy is. Today, let’s consider three passages from the Gospel of John where Satan is described as “the ruler of this world.”
Who is Satan? Where did he come from? Did God create him? Why did he fall? These are important questions that believers need to answer in order to be battle ready. Yesterday, we noted that Satan was created as a powerful and beautiful angel before his desire to de-throne God. We considered Isaiah 14, where Satan desired to make himself “like the Most High.” Let’s set the context for today’s passage.
The Bible is a book about God, his love, sacrifice, forgiveness, and redemption. Satan is part of the story, but he is not the focus. He is a defeated foe—but a foe, nonetheless. He is out to destroy us; we are no match for him. Let’s spend some time considering our enemy.
What if you were tempted in a way that you could not resist? What if the temptation was so strong that it pulled you into its grasp? What if you tried your hardest to resist Satan’s attacks, the pull of the world, and the desires of your flesh, but the combination of all three was too much for you to handle? Will God charge you with a sin that overpowered you? Paul answered that question for us in today’s passage.
Where does temptation come from? Does it come from our own desires that wage war within us? Does it come from the world, a culture that opposes God? Or does all temptation come from Satan? Do we blame our sin on ourselves, the anti-God culture, or Satan?
Our issue is not with people. Sure, life is lived in the realm of humanity. In that realm, words are shared, and events are experienced. People will inflict pain, and most of the struggles usually have a person’s name attached. But…our real battles, the deep issues of our spiritual skirmishes, are not “against flesh and blood.” Here’s how Paul says it.
Scripture is clear that our spiritual battle belongs to the Lord. We are not strong enough to fight and win it on our own. We saw yesterday that God is the Mighty Warrior who dresses for war with the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation, along with all the needed battle gear. When God is with us, we will win every time. So, why do I often lose the battle? Why do I give in to temptation and embrace sin? If the battle truly belongs to the Lord, why am I ever defeated?
The spiritual battle hits us from all sides. Satan desires to keep unbelievers blind to the gospel. He is at work to discredit and destroy us. The culture around us is opposed to God. Our fleshly desires rise within our souls. The battle rages within and without. And…we must never forget—the battle belongs to the Lord!