Having looked at two of our spiritual enemies (the world and the flesh), today we want to begin talking about the final – and perhaps the most sinister – enemy: the devil.

The very name of the devil declares him as our enemy! “Satan” is a Hebrew name that means “the adversary, or opponent.” “Devil” is the Greek word “diabolos,” from which we get our English term “diabolical”, and it simply means “a slanderer, or false accuser.”

In the Book of Job, we read about Satan coming into the congregation of the children of God (“sons of God”) and falsely accusing Job before God. “Doth Job fear God for nought?” he asked (Job 1:9). Essentially, the devil falsely accused Job of being a “paid lover” of God. In the very first encounter between Satan and man, he falsely accused God of both lying to Adam and Eve, and also maliciously keeping from them something good (knowledge that would make them “as gods”) (Gen. 3).

Beloved friends, he is still doing that today! He will falsely accuse you to God, but more importantly he will falsely accuse God to you! He will slander God by twisting God’s word, and impugning God’s motives. “God didn’t REALLY say that, did He?” “God must be keeping something from you that would be good and pleasurable!”

Let’s take an example from popular culture. Over the past sixty years or so, Satan had dominated popular culture! Hollywood CONSTANTLY promotes illicit sexual activity, both in its movies and in its lifestyle. God has declared that the physical union between a man and a woman is sacred, and reserved only for marriage. Yet, the world promotes fornication at every turn!

Satan has successfully formulated the message: first of all, he asked, “Yea, hath God said. . . .” That is, has God really said that sex is bad? It’s a natural function, it’s instinctual, and it’s pleasurable! And he accuses God of being “old fashioned” and trying to keep something good from you: SURELY God couldn’t have meant to keep sex from you!

The reality is that God did not stutter when He said, “Flee fornication” (1 Cor. 6:18). God was clear in His pronouncements, and pure in His purposes: He is NOT trying to keep you from sex, child of God; rather, He is keeping sex for you! God knows that the proper place for this activity is in the marriage relationship, not in the casual relationship.

We have more to say about the devil, but we’ll leave it here today: remember that the devil is God’s enemy, and he is therefore our enemy. He lies, and he steals, and he seeks to devour. The best way to fight the devil is to flee to the word of God!

May the Lord bless you is my prayer.

Elder Chris McCool, Pastor