(1 Peter 5:8)

What is your greatest threat in life? Is it terrorism? Is it natural disasters? Is it a collapsing economy? While all of these things are serious threats you face, none of them are the most severe. Your greatest threat in life is Satan! Unfortunately, many refuse to believe in Satan. For those who do believe, they have a lot of misconceptions about him. The devil loves this!

Let’s make the devil mad and point out what the Bible reveals about him.

  • He is real.
    • We learn this in the Old Testament.
      • He is mentioned as being present in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1-5; Revelation 12:9).
      • He is mentioned as working in the lives of David and Job (1 Chronicles 21:1; Job 1:7-22).
    • We learn this in the New Testament.
      • He is mentioned throughout the gospels (Matthew 4:11; 12:26; 16:23; 25:41).
      • He is mentioned throughout the epistles (Ephesians 6:12; 1 Peter 5:8; Jude 9).
  • He is your enemy.
    • Peter calls him an “adversary” (1 Peter 5:8).
      • He was Eve’s adversary in the garden (Genesis 3:15).
      • The devil contributed to Eve’s spiritual death (John 8:44).
    • There is no greater enemy that we have in our lives than Satan!
  • He is liar.
    • Jesus calls him “the father of lies” (John 8:44).
      • He lied to Eve in the garden (Genesis 3:4).
      • He continues to lie to mankind today!
    • We need to constantly study God’s word so that we can recognize his lies and avoid believing them (Hosea 4:6).
  • He can be your father.
    • He was the spiritual father of those Jews who rejected Jesus (John 8:44).
    • He is the father of any of those who follow and do his will!
  • He will lose.
    • There is a huge sense in which he has already been defeated.
      • This truth is referenced in the first prophecy of Jesus (Genesis 3:15).
      • Through His death and resurrection, Jesus defeated Satan!
    • When the Lord comes again, the Judgment Day occurs and the devil will be thrown into the lake of fire where he will suffer forever (Revelation 20:10).
      • While the devil is powerful, he is not more powerful than God.
      • He has already and will continue to lose this spiritual battle.

Conclusion: Whose side are you on right now?