GodReflection: Share It Again
. . . that ancient serpent called the devil or Satan who leads the whole world astray (Revelation 12:9) . . . the devil . . . He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding on to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8: 44) . . . the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8) . . . the devil has been sinning from the beginning (1 John 3:7-8) . . . The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work (1 John:3-8) . . . Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4: 7).
Evil is abundant. We see his tracks every day. Our “enlightened” society seldom calls him by his name. Each morning, not long after we open our eyes, he appears. He is so common we are tempted to overlook him in our own lives and our pulse doesn’t skip a beat as the media blast his evil before us and routinely sends the sound waves to our ears. Unfortunately, we tend to see him as an unnamed, every present, cultural phenomenon.
No, evil is not a cultural phenomenon, he is a real being with his own personality traits. Over eighty times in God’s inspired Bible, Holy God calls evil by his given name—Satan the devil.
Over and over, God alerts us to Satan’s danger and to Holy Protection that is at our disposal to deal with his attacks. Now for some news we can use—Jesus came as a man to show us how to stay clear of Satan’s reach. We received Holy Spirit-indwelt power at our baptism when we signed on to be disciples of Jesus. That Holy Resource is available for us to call upon to lead us safely through our life while on this earth.
The more I grow into the likeness of Jesus the easier it becomes to identify the voice of the Devil, turn my back on him, and swiftly move out of the sound of his voice and away from his reach.
Jesus came to show us how to deal with Satan. Every action of Jesus was right. The Devil is confronted by Jesus as he cares for people who hurt, feeds the hungry, and cries with the bereaved over the pain of death that Satan causes.
Jesus directs lost people out of Satan’s path and leads them toward the Father. He prays for strength to do God’s will and for power to overcome every barrier placed by the Devil. He treats the sick and identifies illness as Satan’s work. He teaches us how to live in a world where for the present time the Devil is active.
When I read his promise, “For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:8) I begin to see his invitation is more than a call to make my initial commitment. It is an offer to place my trust in the hands of Jesus for daily care.
After Jesus takes up residence within me during baptismal waters through the Holy Spirit, his desire is for me to love others, not out of my own strength but from the presence of Jesus within.
I have too much Adam in me to love some people on my own. From inside my soul where Jesus generates Holy Spirit Power, he waits with his hand on the doorknob for my knock to request his aid. He stands listening for my knock on his door again and again to ask for his provision of power to do what is right.
Jesus’ Holy Spirit-presence give me confidence that I’ve passed from death to life. With his life, and by the pens of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Jesus shows qualities and actions found in the lives of God’s children that are absent in the family of the Devil.
It is up to me to decide that I will guard against the Devil and trust Jesus and the Holy Spirit to truly set my heart at rest in the presence of Father, Son, and Spirit. Let’s be alert and watch out for the Devil for he is real.
And by the way, as we see the evil disaster of death, destruction, and destitution of the earthquake in Morocco, shouldn’t we lay the blame where it belongs as an evil of Satan rather than an act allowed by God? Let’s call Evil by His Real Name—Satan the Devil.
Stay tuned.
Dr. Gary J. Sorrells
A GodReflection on Let’s Call Evil by His Real Name—Satan the Devil.
God Reflection 
YES
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Spot on Gary! I’d comment, but cannot get onto WP. Best
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