The Enemy of Our Soul

Apollyon. Abaddon. Belial. Beelzebub.

He has many names.

Tempter. Wicked one. Old serpent. Murderer. Liar. Enemy. Adversary. Devil. And the list goes on.

Accuser of the brethren. Angel of the bottomless pit. Father of lies. Great red dragon. Prince of this world. Evil one. Ruler of the darkness of this world.

He's described as crafty, wily and subtle. We are told he hinders us and sets traps for us. He masquerades as an angel of light. He displays all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs, and wonders.

In my opinion, Peter gives one of the best descriptions in 1 Peter 5:8, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

Plain and simple. Satan's our enemy. He hates us. He wants to devour and defeat us.

Most of the time, we focus on studying about God's love and grace, but if we fail to understand the ways of the enemy, then we position ourselves to be more easily snared by his crafty deceit.

I find the names listed above quite revealing of his personality and his goals. 

Don't you find him repulsive? I do.

The last thing I ever want to do is cooperate with Beelzebub.

As I read scripture, I add details to my mental file titled, "the snake." 

Why? Because a more complete sketch of his evil ways may prevent deception in my life.

After all, God has a reason for providing so much information on the wicked one in His Word. 

Wouldn't you like to thwart any goal Satan has for your life? 

How can we Christians do that?

• Listen to the Holy Spirit alert you when the father of lies is whispering in your thoughts. 
• Determine to stomp his efforts by running him out of your presence by quoting scripture. He's not a fan of God's word.
• Remind him of where his eternal home will be and how his story ends. 
• Turn on praise music. I can almost hear the door slam as he sprints away from me, a Jesus freak.

Because if he wants me to go left, I'm determined right is the way to go. 

If he wants me to give up, I persevere so I put a smile on God's face.

If the liar is watering my negative self-talk seeds, then I must pluck them out by the roots and plant God's Word.

After all, he's the enemy of our souls. How can we battle him if we aren't armed? 

Meanwhile, don't be his dinner—fight the good fight. Be self-controlled and alert. 

Stay tuned to next week's post and let's arm ourselves for battle.

What crafty ways have you discovered the old serpent torments you? And what do you do that makes him shake in his shoes?

Tammy Van Gils plants words and grows insightful stories blooming with hope. She is a thriving survivor of abuse, abandonment and adversity. How? By the Master Gardener's grace, the Vine's love, and the Advocate's renewal—emotionally and spiritually. She is sowing life with her husband of 35 years, a Yorkie Poo named Moose, and a dozen chickens. She enjoys gardening, quilting, and writing. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers. She's honored to be a guest blogger and also a contributor to The Wonders of Nature Devotion Book (Dec 2016) and So God Made a Dog (July 2017) Worthy Inspired.