Someone appeared at the door of a woman’s house. He was red, and had horns, and a long, pointed tail. His face exemplified pure evil as he wore an eerie smile above his sharply shaven gotee, and glared at her with eyes dark and sinister.

“Hello miss, I’d like to introduce myself. I am the one and only Satan. Maybe you have heard of me.” The woman, hardly believing what she was seeing, replied, “Yes, I have certainly heard about you!” He said, “Well, then, could I interest you in going with me for a night out in the bright lights of the city? There will be no pleasure we will deny ourselves. It will be the most enjoyable thing you have ever experienced!”

The woman, who was a Christian, said, “Are you out of your mind?! You are standing here telling me that you are Satan and expect me to go somewhere with you?! Go away!”

Of course we know that Satan doesn’t appear to us in this way. If he did we could overcome his vices much more easily. We know that Satan comes to us, not as the evil being he really is, but in the form of those things forbidden that appeal to us.

This is why it is vitally important that we familiarize ourselves with his deceptions and trickeries.

Do you know who Satan is and where he came from? Actually, Satan was formerly in the good graces of God. He and his angels lived in heaven with God, but they were cast out (Rev. 12:7-9). Other angels who had sinned were also cast down to hell (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6). Why was Satan cast out of heaven? Because of his pride (I Tim. 3:6). He was condemned because of his pride!

Satan is also a murderer and a liar and does not stand in the truth (John 8:43). Satan is our adversary—our enemy who is seeking to destroy us (I Pet. 5:8). Satan is the god of this age and he is blinding people to the gospel of Christ (2 Cor. 4:3-4).

But, there are ways we can overcome Satan. Did you know he is really a coward? How do we know this? James 4:7 says that when we submit to God and resist him that he will flee from us. Also, we learn from Jesus’ encounters with Satan, as He was in the wilderness 40 days and nights. With each temptation Satan set before Jesus, He replied, “It is written.” What was the result of this? The devil left him!

Satan can do no more to us than we allow him to do. We are free moral agents. We can humbly submit our wills to God’s will and stand upon the truth of God’s word, or we can go the path of least resistance and allow Satan to have preeminence.

May we not allow Satan to ‘take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices’ (2 Cor. 2:11).

–Becky Honeycutt