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!
