How long has the devil been a murderer and a liar?
It's in the Bible, John 8:44, NIV. "You belong to your father, the devil,
and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from
the beginning,
not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in
him. When he lies, he speaks his native language,
for he is a liar and the father of lies."
Where did Satan come from? It's in the Bible, Revelation
12:7-9, TLB. "Then there was war in heaven;
Michael and the angels under his command fought the
Dragon and his hosts of fallen angels. And the Dragon lost the battle and
was forced from heaven. This great Dragon--the ancient serpent called the
devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world--was thrown down onto
the earth with all his army."
Was Satan created sinful? No, he was created perfect,
with freedom to choose. It's in the Bible, Ezekiel 28:15, TLB. "You were
perfect in all you did from the day you were created until that time when
wrong was found in you."
What led to Satan's downfall? It's in the Bible, Ezekiel 28:17, TLB. "Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor."
Satan, known as Lucifer before he sinned, wanted to
be equal with God. It's in the Bible, Isaiah 14:12-14,
TLB. "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son
of the morning! . . .For you said to yourself, I will ascend to heaven
and rule the angels. I will take the highest throne. . . I will climb to
the highest heavens and be like the Most High."
In contrast to the pride and self-exaltation of Satan,
what spirit did Jesus have? It's in the Bible,
Philippians 2:6-8, TLB. "Who, though he was God, did
not demand and cling to his rights as God, but laid
aside his mighty power and glory, taking the disguise
of a slave and becoming like men. And he humbled himself even further,
going so far as actually to die a criminal's death on a cross."
Satan's supernatural forces are waging a war. It's in the Bible, Ephesians 6:11, TLB. "Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand safe against all strategies and tricks of Satan."
Satan dared to tempt Christ himself. It's in the Bible,
Matthew 4:1, TLB. "Then Jesus was led out into the wilderness by the Holy
Spirit, to be tempted there by Satan."
Satan is a defeated enemy. It's in the Bible, James
4:7, TLB. "So give yourselves humbly to God. Resist the devil and
he will flee from you. And when you draw close to God, God will draw close
to you."
How can I effectively resist Satan when he attacks me?
Whenever we feel attacked by forces of darkness, we can put James
4:7 into practice. This says: "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist
the devil, and he will flee from you." Our greatest defense against
Satan is a right relationship with God through the application of
Christ's sin-atoning blood to our hearts. We submit ourselves to God
by confessing to Him any known sin in our lives and by actively
standing on God's promise of forgiveness and cleansing; see 1 John
1:9. It is through sin that the devil gains a foothold in our lives. A
right
relationship with God protects us spiritually in much the same way as
an armored breastplate covers and protects all the vital organs of a
warrior in battle. Read Ephesians 6:10-18.
Having submitted ourselves to God, we can then effectively resist the
devil with truth. Our shield against Satan is our faith in God, which is
founded on the truth of God's Word. The only weapon the devil has to
use against us is deception. He tries to lure us into spiritual defeat
with lies and distortions of the truth. Christ was once led into the
wilderness to be tempted by the devil. But He defeated Satan each
time by standing on and quoting the Word of God. The devil finally had
to leave when Jesus said, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written . . .
." (Matthew 4:1-10). It is important for us to use God's Word actively
when we are faced with temptations or distressing situations. We
should saturate our minds with God's Word, dwelling on who God is
and what He has done for us in Christ.