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In our current national setting, there are many enemies our nation faces that we are naturally concerned about. Though our society enjoys numerous freedoms and additional blessings that many other nations do not have, we are still viewed by some in our world with anger and hatred in their hearts.
Nations don’t always get along with other nations. When we look back at the history of our great nation, we have faced abundant hatred from other nations that are now considered our friends and allies. The history of our world is constantly changing.
But there is one enemy that does not change. This is an enemy that has always hated you and me. We have no hope at all that this attitude toward us will ever change. Our greatest enemy of all is of course, Satan!
Satan (the Devil) has constantly been the enemy of mankind since the day God created us. Genesis 2:7 says, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” It is in the very next chapter our greatest enemy is seen for the first time.
Genesis 3 records Satan appearing in the form of a serpent and spoke to Eve, the woman God had created from the rib of Adam, to become the man’s wife (see Genesis 2:2-25). The narration that follows records the greatest tragedy known to mankind. Satan lied to Eve, she listened, and sin entered our world through both the man and the woman. Notice the following verses.
“Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?’ And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate” (Genesis 3:1-6). This was when sin began. It was because of this very act that Jesus, the Son of God, would need to come to this earth and suffer because of our sins. Christ would give His life and blood to provide the ability for us to receive God’s forgiveness.
There is nothing funny about this horrible enemy of ours. Satan is not a cartoon character wearing a red suit, having horns and a tail, invented from a childish imagination. Satan is very real! It is easy to see how real he is when you look at the world and its wickedness. But more than this, we can know Satan is real because the Bible tells us so. Please remember when the Bible says so, that always settles the matter!
In speaking about Satan being our enemy, the Bible gives us a very serious warning in 1 Peter 5:8. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
We must watch out for Satan, because he often works in subtle ways, just like a lion stalks his prey before he attacks. In fact, that is the very picture Peter gave us in the above verse.
In the early days of this country, vast numbers of wild horses grazed on the prairies in the west. Sometimes as they grazed, wolves would gather in the distance. But with their great sense of smell, the horses would soon put a great distance between themselves and their enemy. The wolves, however, had a clever way of attacking their victims.
Unhurried, they slowly came closer and closer to the horses. While doing so, they would romp and play, showing themselves to be no threat to the herd. This would cause the horses to become comfortable with their presence. Then the disastrous moment would take place. With unerring accuracy, the wolves would pounce upon a careless victim. A peaceful scene changed instantly into a scene of death.
That is like Satan works with us. With great subtlety, Satan presents his temptations to us. Everything seems all right. His enticement is cloaked so that we do not see the danger ahead. We become at ease and comfortable. Then without warning, the picture changes into a scene of sin and spiritual death. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
Jesus said of Satan, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44). Let’s take seriously the warning to watch out for Satan! He truly walks about seeking whom he may devour.
Thankfully, God has provided the remedy for our sin in Jesus Christ. The Son of God said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
