He
Lives… Satan That Is!
I saw the devil at work
and it shook me. The occasion was a strategic
meeting of a well-known foundation with people of
the translating and publishing committees for a
new translation of the Bible. It was a critical
session for bringing a new work to the world.
Momentous decisions were before the
foundation’s directors.
With remarkable timing, a
person present spoke words that stabbed the
president of the foundation with anguish. I saw
the hurt of his soul rise to his face. The spirit
of the meeting changed instantly. All decisions
were deferred.
Now the one making the
comment was a friend of mine. He is as gracious
and godly a Christian as you would hope to meet.
Those words from his lips did not sound like him
at all. When I saw how his wonderful spirit had
dramatically changed and beheld the great damage
wrought in the president, I was perplexed –
“How could such a thing happen?”
The rest of the meeting
slipped by. I sank into my chair to reflect on
this amazing disruptive spirit. What in the world
possessed ________ to say such a thing? It
sounded like someone else. But who? The Holy
Spirit moved within me. Indeed, someone else had
authored that comment – SATAN!
The instant that truth
struck, I trembled. The palms of my hands became
sweaty. A dreadful awareness swept over me. I
experienced something about Satan I had not
realized before. No one heard the gospel tune
that rang within me, but a shout was
echoing…
HE LIVES, HE LIVES
SATAN LIVES TODAY
HE WALKS WITH ME AND
TALKS WITH ME, ALONG
LIFE’S NARROW WAY!
I heard that. It began to
haunt me.
A SATANIC SLIP?
I drove from the meeting
practically overcome with the reality of Satan. I
am sure he did not plan that, for his
effectiveness requires absolute secrecy. However,
something happened this day to give him away. He
did not slip, he is too wiley for that, but God,
working in grace, directed my eyes to the Evil
One. For the first time in my life Satan was more
than a doctrine – He was a danger.
I thought back to
seminary days when I had to present the doctrine
of the devil on paper to my professors. How easy
it was to collect the Scriptures referring to his
person and work. It felt good to recite the
passages; a sort of protective feeling went with
it. Like most Christians, I took great comfort
in, “ … greater is He that in you, that
he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). I
regarded that statement as automatic armor
against the “wiles of the devil.”
Somehow, I felt shielded just thinking the
Almighty lived within me.
But then … He also
lived within the two brethren just fallen prey to
“the fiery darts of the Wicked (One)”
(Ephesians 6:16). That shielding could not be so
automatic. An inspired thought entered my soul:
“What would my doctrine of Satan look like
translated into experiences? Would I
recognize it?” Doctrines in action often
look differently. After the experience that day,
I was to get serious about Satan. He was more
than a doctrine now – he was a living
person!
Watching
For Satan
It is one thing to
discover Satan alive, another to know what to do
about it. Only one place I knew to go –
God’s Word, the rock of my life. I need not
tell you the Scriptures jumped. It is like when
you own a motor home, you suddenly notice all the
motor homes on the road.
The Word of God was
quickening my soul. It was getting clear. The
Bible told me to WATCH for Satan. However, of
course, I hadn’t. Nobody else was watching
for him. I had never heard anyone say much about
it one way or the other. Therefore, he simply
remained a doctrine to me. Besides, I would not
have known HOW to watch for him. Bible truths
loomed up describing Satan as:
An Angel of Light (2
Corinthians 11:14)
An Adversary (1
Peter 5:8)
A Tempter (1
Thessalonians 3:5)
A Deceiver (2
Corinthians 11:3)
A Hinderer (1
Thessalonians 2:18)
A Beast (Revelation
19:19)
A Restless Lion (1
Peter 5:8)
The God of this World (2
Corinthians 4:4)
Prince of the Power of
the Air (Ephesians 2:2)
If I had an enemy who was
all those things, it was time I found out what
his operation looked like. I had just seen him
work in an important meeting, but I had never SEEN
him work in me. At least not to recognize
it as it happened. How
fabulous it would be to catch Satan in the act!
If I could do that, I might learn something about
his methods. What a terrific thing It would be to
become skilled in anti-Satan methods! Wow!
That is big stuff!
So
I determined to become a Satan watcher
This was the beginning of
tremendous victory in my life. I did catch him
and still do. And through it, I have learned a
wonderful, practical way to deal with him.
Consequently, one of the most precious verses in
the Word of God for me, is …
“Resist the devil
and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
You cannot imagine what
it is like when Satan FLEES! It is glorious! Yes,
he comes back and there is no bottom to his bag
of tricks, but what a moment when he flees! If
you have not tasted it, you must. I do not want
any Christian God allows me to teach, to go
through this life without knowing the thrill of
that moment. I have found it to be the key to
victory in the Christian life.
For
Bible Believers Only
It is not my purpose to
write for those questioning or doubting
God’s Word. It is for those who yearn for
victory through Christ and accept the Bible as
God’s infallible revelation. In that Word,
the PERSON of the devil is as clearly revealed as
the PERSON of our Lord Jesus. If we accept its
mighty testimony of Christ and heaven, what kind
of folly ignores its unveiling of the devil and
hell? To question the revelation of Satan is to
attack the truth of Christ, for the same Bible
declares both – with equal force!
When the truths of this
study become operative in your life, you will
…
- Have
a healthy respect for our adversary.
- Know
how he operates.
- Have
a defense system for operating your
thought life.
- Be
equipped with the spiritual mechanics for
resisting him.
From the bottom of my
heart, I believe the Holy Spirit has victory in
store for you!
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