At the family service on Sunday evening, we looked at the subject of the devil. Through a quiz and a sketch and then through Mark’s sermon, we looked at the enemy we all face so that we might be equipped to ‘take your stand against the devil’s schemes’ (Eph 6:11)
The devil (known by various names, such as the evil one, Beelzebub, Satan, Lucifer, the dragon and ‘god of this world’) tempts us and wants to destroy us. He is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). He is an accuser and opponent (Zech 3:1). We looked at the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4 and learned that the devil comes to us at our weakest points and is persistent, but that temptation in itself is not sin. Jesus used Scripture three times (Matt 4:4, 7, 10) to combat the devil’s temptation: Scripture is our ammunition and we should strive to memorise it as Jesus did.
Moreover, we need to submit ourselves to God and resist the devil, knowing then that he will flee from us (James 4:7) The way we live should in itself be a means of resistance, for we are called to live a life worthy of God (Eph 4:1-6). Jesus gave his disciples authority over demons (Luke 10:17-20) and by knowing and using Scripture, loving each other and putting on the armour of God, recognising the authority we have been given by Christ, we can stand against the spiritual forces of evil in the invisible realm. Prayer itself is the battle. We need not be afraid, because he that is in us is greater than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4) and because Jesus has promised never to leave us or forsake us (Heb 13:5-6).