To fail to acknowledge Satan’s power is one of the most serious and dangerous mistakes that a Believer can make. Christians have the weaponry and authority to resist his advances, but the issue is recognizing the difference between one’s carnal challenges and Satan’s direct attacks. Satan does use our carnality, but due to the Believer’s lack of spiritual priorities, he lets the Christian defeat himself. A life that is not totally surrendered to Christ will not need Satan’s promptings to lead a “lukewarm” existence. Christians in name only are usually left alone by Satan because they offer no threat to his agenda. What concerns Satan more than anything else is to see Believers living a life dedicated and committed to serving Christ. It is these people who are fully prepared to stand against Satan’s attacks that he fears and challenges the most.

To fully understand Satan’s spiritual and authoritative position, we need only to go to the Scriptures. The Apostle Paul pointed out that Satan is, “the god of this world.” (II Corinthians 4:4) Jesus called him the “Prince of this world,” (John 14:30) and the “Prince of devils.” (Matthew 12:24) In Ephesians 2:2, he is referred to as the “prince of the power of the air.” When Believers understand who the arch-enemy of God is and the power that he has, they should be concerned enough to take all actions that are available to them to meet his life-threatening challenges.

During Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, Satan threw his credentials in Jesus’ face by showing Him all the kingdoms of the world and stating, “All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.” (Luke 4:6) Jesus warned His disciples that there would be challenges to hearing His Word because of the “Prince of this world.” Jesus pointed out that Satan was also the ruling authority of demonic spirits, calling him the “Prince of Devils.” The last thing that a true Believer needs to do is underestimate Satan’s power and authority.

Satan attacks people who are serious about their faith, while leaving the “Sunday only” Christians, who are no threat to him, to play the game of church. The decision to read or not to read the Bible is not solely decided by Satan’s influence, but by one’s own actions based on personal choice. So many times Believers blame Satan for their actions instead of assuming responsibility for their own decisions. Satan gets far too much credit for people’s disobedience. Adam blamed God for his disobedience since God had allowed Eve to be part of his life. (Genesis 3:12) Aaron blamed the people for creating the Golden Calf. He told Moses that he knew that the people were set on mischief and that he was just appeasing them. (Exodus 32:22, 23) I believe people are limiting their spiritual growth by blaming everybody but themselves for their actions.

The flip side of these thoughts is that Satan will unleash a “compass” attack on every spiritually ranked Believer. He will attack from all sides with a determination to “decommission” as many Christians as possible to the rank of “label wearer.” Satan is not to be feared, but he must never be underestimated. His hatred for God is his driving force. Satan does not care about the lukewarm Christians, for they are already serving his purpose. His fear is that he knows his time is limited, so he will do everything he can to entice the true Believer away from God. To understand who Satan is, is to be forewarned. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. To be forearmed is to be prepared, not only to resist Satan but to send him fleeing! (James 4:7)