By Martin Morisson
“I can’t believe it! You must be joking!! In this day and age, in this scientific age, you don’t actually believe in a real devil with red horns and a pitchfork?”
“I don’t. I know nothing about the red horns and pitchfork, but I have no doubt that there is a real devil, and by the way he has evil spirits at his disposal, and they have real power. But before you go, let me ask you a question! How do you logically explain Joseph Stalin causing the death of over ten million Russians; Idi Amin killing over one hundred thousand Ugandans; a young woman gang raped in a Chicago back street; unspeakable human rights abuse and torture in a North Korean prison? Seems much more plausible, that there is a real personal force of evil, desperately intent on destroying human life and God’s created order”.
The above conversation will be familiar to many of you, especially when talking to a white person or someone influenced by Western thinking. Most Africans have no problem believing in the supernatural. Yet, too often, they are not aware that in Christ they are completely safe and secure!
We will be spending a number of devotions, unpacking Ephesians 6:10 – 20, where Paul instructs his readers on spiritual warfare.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil”, Ephesians 6:10 – 11.
It is very important that we understand that there is a real devil, with real power, and that he has countless schemes to destroy the work of God.
When it comes to the devil, the human race has generally tended to two extremes. C S Lewis put it the best, when he said, “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall, about the devil. One is to disbelieve in his existence. The other is to believe, and to have an excessive and unhealthy interest in him and evil spirits. The devil and evil spirits are equally pleased by both errors”.
Too often, even as Christians, our greatest mistake is that because the devil is invisible and unseen, we live our daily lives as if there is no devil. Too often, we are atheists when it comes to the devil. We forget that beneath appearances there is an unseen spiritual battle. Someone said that the devil’s most strategic ploy is to convince us that he does not exist. Satan is forgotten by the vast majority of people, even Christians. The wiliest thing that the devil can do is to deny his existence!
Two principles from our passage.
Firstly, the devil is real and powerful. Paul assumes the reality of a personal devil. He is a person, not merely a force or a symbol of evil. He has a personal name. Jesus often spoke about him in personal terms. In the New Testament the name Satan is used thirty-four times. The Greek word, diabolos or devil is used thirty-six times. Elsewhere in the Bible he is called the ancient serpent (Revelation 20:2), Beelzebul (Matthew 12:24), the accuser (Revelation 12:10), the enemy (Matthew 13:39), murderer (John 8:44), the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4), the power of darkness (Luke 22:53), dragon (Revelation 12:3), the tempter (Matthew 4:3), the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2), the ruler of this world (John 14:30) and more.
The Apostle Peter says, “Be sober-minded: be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour”, 1 Peter 5:8. Jesus tells us that the devil, “When he lies he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies”, John 8: 44 (NIV). So what Jesus is telling us, is that the devil not only speaks the eleven official languages of South Africa, but his mother- tongue is lying! A twelfth!
Ironically, the first earthly being to recognize the true identity of Jesus, is in fact an evil spirit, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God”, Mark 1: 24. The evil spirit knows exactly what Jesus has come to do when he asks the rhetorical question, “Have you come to destroy us?” Well, of course, that is precisely what Jesus has come to do, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil”, 1 John 3:8. So here in Mark’s Gospel, we have the first hint of Christ’s superior power over the devil and his spirits, when he rebukes the evil spirit to depart from the man he has possessed, “Be silent, and come out of him! And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him”. Mark 1:25 – 26. Instant obedience. Instant submission to the sovereign power of Jesus, the Holy One of God.
Notice, that he is not only personal but also powerful. Notice the terms Paul uses when speaking of the devil. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places”, Ephesians 6: 12. Whether the rulers and authorities refer to different ranks or some kind of demonic hierarchy, we are not sure. But both titles allude to huge power and authority.
Power in and of itself can be neutral. It can be used or abused. Paul clearly informs us that our spiritual enemies use their power to destroy, they use it for evil. Furthermore, they are deceitful and cunning. The devil rarely attacks us openly. He prefers the darkness to light. He prefers to transform himself into an “angel of light”. Of course, he will use open temptation, open persecution or open attack. But he much prefers to seduce us into compromise, to deceive us into error.
Here are a few examples. In the life of a local church, if the devil cannot distort the truth or twist the Gospel, he may then dissipate our first love for Jesus. Failing that, he may bring division. It always starts small. Someone gossips about another member of the church family. It is nasty, but small. Then someone takes this gossip and expands it, distorts it, magnifies it. Before long there are two groups in the church who distrust each other. Not much later, the leadership have become divided. In no time, the church is consumed with a church split and division. It is nasty. It is toxic. The internal church politics consumes all the available energy and time, and there is no time or energy for evangelism or serving the poor.
And the devil is laughing all the way to the bank!! What an unexpected windfall!! A key battalion in the enemies’ army has been neutralised in that city. Says the one demon to the other, “Gossip is such a delicious morsel, I know very few humans who can resist it”. Some of you have been involved in such a church split. You know exactly what I am speaking about. Your heart rate still increases when you think about it, years later!!
One last example. You may be married. Think of your marriage. There is no perfect marriage. Because, not only is there one man and one woman, so different and often incompatible by design, but you are both equal sinners! What a recipe!
What you most often don’t think about, is that there is actually a third party in your marriage. When you argue, when you fight, when you misunderstand each other, there are not only two parties involved. There is a third. The devil, making hay while the sun shines. Causing further disagreement and division, trying to destroy your family. Remember that the next time you’re having a marital dispute, “that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil”!
Time has long gone! If you are still reading, well done! Secondly, the Lord is supremely more powerful than the devil. Therefore, we do not have to live in fear. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might”, Ephesians 6:10. Notice, our strength is not in our prayers or in our faith. Our strength is not in the church or a so-called, man of God. Our strength is not is some holy water or mumbo jumbo. No. Our strength is in the Lord, who stunningly showed his authority over evil spirits in the Gospels; who flatly refused to submit to Satan in the desert; who victoriously conquered sin, death and Satan on the cross. We need not fear the devil or his spirits, in any shape or form! We are safe. We are secure. Forever. Thanks be to God!
