The Scriptures give us various descriptions of Satan, the “angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14). He is compared to a serpent, a roaring lion, etc. Of course, he does not fill all of these pictures at one moment, nor does he go about as a roaring lion all the time. The lion has a very stealthy walk. On his feet are soft cushions, which enable him to come very near to his prey before his approach is recognized. It is said that at this point, when the beast is about to spring upon his prey, he roars so loudly that the victim is paralyzed with fear and thus is easily caught.
Satan, the adversary of the Church, is strong and lion-like, vigilant and fully awake. He is always seeking to “get an advantage of us,” as the Apostle Paul declares (2 Cor. 2:11). He lies in wait, seeking to devour us. Although he is alert, yet he never approaches us with a roar, but creeps stealthily upon us in some unlooked-for place or time, to devour us, to overcome us, to crush out our spiritual life, and particularly to destroy our faith in God. As those whose ears are trained to detect the footfalls of the lion will hear his steps, while those who are unfamiliar with his habits will not hear the slightest sound, so should we, whose ears the Lord has opened, and whose eyes have been anointed with the eye salve of consecration and submission to the Lord’s will, be of quick perception (for “we are not ignorant of his devices”) to recognize the approach of our arch-enemy and to resist him.
As the lion uses fear to paralyze its victims, so it is with Satan. From personal observation, we see that fear is one of the most disastrous things for the Lord’s people to have (1 John 4:18)—except the “fear [reverence] of the Lord,” which is the proper fear. As God incites by love, so Satan incites through fear, through false doctrines, the root of error, which so terrorizes mankind as to the future. This kind of influence from the Adversary is what is meant by the Apostle. But we are to resist Satan.
Once the Apostles were under threat from the Jewish Sanhedrin; and they prayed, “Now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word” (Acts 4:29). Of course, this statement does not prove that the men of the Sanhedrin were devils, nor that they were viciously inclined of themselves; nevertheless, the Adversary sought through them to intimidate the Apostles. So today there are some who seek to intimidate the Lord’s people, e.g., by threatening them with dire consequences, such as sickness, financial losses of various kinds, unemployment, business reverses, the loss of God’s favor, etc., if they do not accept certain teachings, or if they give financial support to those who oppose their errors. But those who have “conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood” often suffer for themselves or their households the very things that they threaten to others, for it is written: “He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head” (Psa. 7:14-16).
The Lord’s faithful people are not to fear Satan nor his emissaries (whether they are wittingly or unwittingly so). If we have the Holy Spirit—“not the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7), we will be strong and of good courage. “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31.) When we hear the roaring of the lion, no matter from what quarter, we are to remember that the Lord is on our part and that He does not cause us to fear. The thought that Satan opposes us and that we are contending not merely with the fallen flesh, but also with wicked spirits in high positions of power (Eph. 6:12), would appall us if we did not, by positiveness of decision, acquire great help from other unseen powers (1 John 4:4). From the instant that we resist temptation and stand up for the Lord and His cause we begin to become strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Thus we resist the devil and he flees from us (Jas. 4:7). The careful follower of Christ will not give place to the devil (Eph. 4:27), but will keep himself so that the wicked one (Satan) will not be able to touch him (get a hold upon him—1 John 5:18). Thus Satan may roar against us and seek to devour us, but as we resist him, steadfast in the faith, God, who is faithful, will always through His Word, His Spirit and His providences overrule matters so that we are not tempted above that we are able to bear, but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, so that we can bear it (1 Cor. 10:13).
Satan, the adversary of the Church, is strong and lion-like, vigilant and fully awake. He is always seeking to “get an advantage of us,” as the Apostle Paul declares (2 Cor. 2:11). He lies in wait, seeking to devour us. Although he is alert, yet he never approaches us with a roar, but creeps stealthily upon us in some unlooked-for place or time, to devour us, to overcome us, to crush out our spiritual life, and particularly to destroy our faith in God. As those whose ears are trained to detect the footfalls of the lion will hear his steps, while those who are unfamiliar with his habits will not hear the slightest sound, so should we, whose ears the Lord has opened, and whose eyes have been anointed with the eye salve of consecration and submission to the Lord’s will, be of quick perception (for “we are not ignorant of his devices”) to recognize the approach of our arch-enemy and to resist him.
As the lion uses fear to paralyze its victims, so it is with Satan. From personal observation, we see that fear is one of the most disastrous things for the Lord’s people to have (1 John 4:18)—except the “fear [reverence] of the Lord,” which is the proper fear. As God incites by love, so Satan incites through fear, through false doctrines, the root of error, which so terrorizes mankind as to the future. This kind of influence from the Adversary is what is meant by the Apostle. But we are to resist Satan.
Once the Apostles were under threat from the Jewish Sanhedrin; and they prayed, “Now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word” (Acts 4:29). Of course, this statement does not prove that the men of the Sanhedrin were devils, nor that they were viciously inclined of themselves; nevertheless, the Adversary sought through them to intimidate the Apostles. So today there are some who seek to intimidate the Lord’s people, e.g., by threatening them with dire consequences, such as sickness, financial losses of various kinds, unemployment, business reverses, the loss of God’s favor, etc., if they do not accept certain teachings, or if they give financial support to those who oppose their errors. But those who have “conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood” often suffer for themselves or their households the very things that they threaten to others, for it is written: “He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head” (Psa. 7:14-16).
The Lord’s faithful people are not to fear Satan nor his emissaries (whether they are wittingly or unwittingly so). If we have the Holy Spirit—“not the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7), we will be strong and of good courage. “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31.) When we hear the roaring of the lion, no matter from what quarter, we are to remember that the Lord is on our part and that He does not cause us to fear. The thought that Satan opposes us and that we are contending not merely with the fallen flesh, but also with wicked spirits in high positions of power (Eph. 6:12), would appall us if we did not, by positiveness of decision, acquire great help from other unseen powers (1 John 4:4). From the instant that we resist temptation and stand up for the Lord and His cause we begin to become strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Thus we resist the devil and he flees from us (Jas. 4:7). The careful follower of Christ will not give place to the devil (Eph. 4:27), but will keep himself so that the wicked one (Satan) will not be able to touch him (get a hold upon him—1 John 5:18). Thus Satan may roar against us and seek to devour us, but as we resist him, steadfast in the faith, God, who is faithful, will always through His Word, His Spirit and His providences overrule matters so that we are not tempted above that we are able to bear, but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, so that we can bear it (1 Cor. 10:13).
