1 Peter 5:8 KJV
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Ephesians 6:10-18 KJV
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 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.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
James 4:7-8 KJV
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Since you may already be thinking it, YES this is another building block lesson on Satan.
Why?
We must never lose sight or forget who our spiritual enemy is and to what lengths he will go to deceive us.
Since the garden of Eden, humankind has had a choice.
God or Satan. Good or evil. Light or darkness. Friend or foe.
The choice belongs to each of us. To everyone who lives or has ever lived.
Why? My belief is that God wants us to worship Him because we want to and out of our own free will. He could have made us as “robots” who love and praise Him because that was the way He wired us. But, rather, God wants those who love Him to love Him freely.
Therefore, God allowed Satan to tempt Eve into disobeying Him. Since then, all humans have had a choice between God, or disobedience and sin.
Satan is our enemy and will do anything he can to keep us from God or draw us away from God.
Peter says that Satan, the devil, is our adversary. An adversary is one’s opponent in a contest, conflict or dispute. An adversary can be an enemy
He says rhetorically that Satan roams about as a roaring lion, seeking those he may devour. He is looking for anyone who will give him an opening. He is looking for anyone that he can cause to doubt God. Just as he did with Eve.
As we have discussed in other lessons, we must always be on-guard as to the tricks and deception of Satan, our adversary.
In fighting and defeating Satan, Paul tells us to be strong in the Lord and to utilize the power of His might.
Then, he tells us to put on the armor of God, as discussed in another lesson “The Armor of God.”
Again metaphorically, we are to clothe ourselves with truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace and the helmet of salvation. Then take the shield of faith to thwart the fiery darts of Satan and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.
With all of this armor, we are then instructed to pray always, with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.
And we must do all of this with perseverance. Never letting up. Never forgetting that Satan will try anything to get us to doubt or move away from God.
We Must Submit Ourselves Totally to God
Finally, James tells us to submit ourselves to God.
To submit is to be totally committed and consecrated. Complete and total submission results in resisting the devil, who has no power when God is in control.
As James says, he then will flee from us.
Let us do exactly as James instructs, in drawing nigh to God. If we totally submit ourselves to God, we will naturally grow closer to God in our spiritual walk. And we will definitely feel Him drawing closer to us.
Remember, the Holy Spirit lives within us as believers. He indwells us.
Satan may be a powerful evil force, but is no comparison for the power and majesty of God Almighty.
GREATER is HE that is in you, than he that is in the world!
1 John 4:4 KJV
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
RVH