1 Peter 5:8-11 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you. 11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

God’s Not Dead, And The Devil Is Real

The Devil is a real Being, with Real power. The Devil is not a friend, and cannot be befriended by humans. Satanists and Wicca think that the Devil can be tamed by incantations, by beads, by crystals, or by ornate crosses. The Devil cannot be tamed by man. He cannot be befriended. Satan despises the creation of God. He is an “adversary”, the Greek antídikos, {pronounced an-tid’-ee-kos}, your OPPONENT. If you are walking with him, he will give you little trouble. I heard Adrian Rogers say one time,

“If the Devil has never bothered you, it’s because you are
both walking in the same direction and on the same path”.

Someone wrote Billy Graham:

“I know you believe the devil exists, but how do you know? I think people just dreamed up the idea of the devil to try to explain all the bad things that go on in the world. Or maybe it doesn’t make any difference what we believe about him.”

Billy replied:

“It does matter what we believe about the devil — because if we don’t think he exists, or that he’s just a harmless cartoon character running around in a red suit with a pitchfork, then we won’t take him seriously.

And that’s exactly what he hopes we’ll do, because then he can sneak up on us and deceive us with his lies and temptations, without us even being aware of it. Sometimes the devil is open and direct but often he is subtle and deceptive, and we can fall for his schemes without even being aware of it. We’ll only make his work easier if we deny his existence or think he can’t catch us in his snares.”

I believe in God, but I haven’t always believed in God. But Beloved, I’ve ALWAYS believed in the devil.

It is hard to look at the news, on Social Media, or just walking around and watching people in public and NOT believe that there’s a devil. I see his evil every day. Our Lord Jesus believed in the devil. He believed that the devil often hid himself among the religious. Jesus told the Pharisees:

John 8:39-44 (ESV) Jesus said to {the Pharisees}, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41 You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Jesus saw the “Devil” as the father of false religion, that is, any religion that LIES and plans MURDER. Jesus’ favorite word for Satan is “Devil”, the Greek diábolos, {pronounced dee-ab’-ol-os}, which means “a trickster, one who loves to verbally attack another, someone who is slanderous or falsely accusing”. This is where the devil excels. When lying to Eve in the Garden of Eden, he slandered God’s goodness and veracity:

Genesis 3:5 (NLT) “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat {the forbidden fruit}, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

We already were like God, for we are made in His image (Genesis 1:27). The devil implied that God was holding back good from His creation – a patent lie!

The Bible gives many names to the Devil. He was originally called Lucifer – meaning “the Morning Star” or “the Bringer of Light” (Isaiah 14:12). Lucifer decided that – on looking at his beauty – that he was as good and powerful as God. He forgot Whose he was. Raising a revolt in Heaven, the Bible tells us in Revelation 12:9,

“This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth
with all his angels.” (NLT)

In the above text you see the other names by which the Devil or Lucifer is known.

1. He is called Satan 49 times in the Bible. This name is transliterated directly from the Hebrew śāṭān {pronounced saw-tawn’} and the Greek Satanâs {pronounced sat-an-as’}. The name “Satan” means “our adversary; the adversary [of the Kingdom of God]”.
2. The Devil is called “The Serpent” who deceived Eve, leading to the fall of humanity (Genesis 3:1-4, 13; Revelation 20:2).
4. He is called Belial 17 times, as in (2 Corinthians 6:15) “what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?”. “Belial” is a transliteration of Belíal, {pronounced bel-ee’-al}, which means “worthlessness, emptiness”.
5. Another of his names is “Beelzebub”, the Greek Beelzeboúl, {pronounced beh-el-zeb-ool’}, means “lord of the flies, lord of dung or filth”.
7. The Devil is also called “The Dragon” (Revelation 12:9), which is a beautiful and dangerous fire breathing beast. Out of a dragon’s mouth comes fire, and the Devil’s words are destructive as well as deceiving. The Bible tells us that the Devil led “the third part of the stars of heaven”(Revelation 12:4) to follow him in his rebellion.
8. Though there are many other names the Devil goes by, he is referred to as “the god of this world”,

2 Corinthians 4:4 … The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Satan is immensely powerful. I am so amused as many of the movies I’ve seen where “priests” have tried to “cast out” the Devil or his demons.

The Devil Is Never Lazy, But Is Focused On His Mission

1 Peter 5:8 … your adversary the Devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour

When the Devil is described in the Scripture, he is never described as lazy or as a procrastinator. The devil is described as doing four things on a regular basis:

Roaring
Walking About
Seeking
Devouring

The Devil ROARS: He uses FEAR and PEER PRESSURE to attempt to control us. A lion does not roar when it is stalking its prey, but ROARS once it’s spotted the prey and wants to spring on it. The ROAR of the lion causes fear and uncertainty, a lapse in judgment that allows the lion to get close enough to feed. The Bible tells us:

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

FEAR does not come from the Spirit filled Christian life. When the Devil began to whisper into Abram’s ear that perhaps he would NOT have a child, for Abram was 99 years old, God told him:

Genesis 15:1 …. Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

Fear is incompatible with the Christian way of life. When John the Revelator looked into Heaven, he was told:

Revelation 21:7-8 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

We all get afraid at times, and at times we all worry. But those who are FILLED WITH FEAR will always follow the Devil’s lead. I love the story and testimony of Gideon in the Bible. Gideon was hiding from the Midianites when God called him.

Judges 6:12-16 (ESV) … the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” 13 And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 14 And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” 15 And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” 16 And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”

Gideon was afraid, but kept his eyes on the Lord. This is what God calls us to do. We are not to be fear controlled, nor hate controlled, nor evil controlled. Peter tells us:

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober….

Word Study: “Be sober” is the Greek νήφω nḗphō, [pronounced nay’-fo], which means “To be calm, collected, NOT in a state of panic or fear. To be temperate, GOD controlled, knowing WHOSE you are”. In this context, nḗphō does not mean the opposite of intoxication with alcohol, but to be prepared as a Spirit Filled Child of God for battle. We are actually told how to “Be sober” in:

1 Thessalonians 5:4-10 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. 8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. 9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

To “be sober” (nḗphō) is to first of all to know that you are not to be like the world. The world is in darkness. The world is satanically controlled. You might think that I am out of bounds or intolerant, but this is what the Bible says. Satan is “the god of this world” who has “hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:4). How has he blinded the world? By confusing people over human sexuality. By confusing people over human rights. I saw a photo of a young man protesting his student loans, holding up a sign that read:

“Education is a RIGHT, student DEBT is CRIMINAL”

The darkness heeds the roar of the Devil. The darkness basks in his evil, and teaches irresponsibility as well as godlessness. God teaches His Children to be responsible, and to be loving, NOT selfish. We are told in:

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

What else does the Devil do?

THE DEVIL WALKS ABOUT, SEEKING: The Devil never takes a day off. When the Angels came into the Throne-room of God, the Devil walked right in with the rest. We read:

Job 1:7 (NLT) “Where have you come from?” the LORD asked Satan. Satan answered the LORD, “I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on.”

Now the Scripture teaches us that God knows all things. “Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure” (Psalm 147:5). The reason God asked Satan, “Where have you come from?” is so that we can know what the Devil was doing. The Devil “patrol(s) the earth, watching everything that’s going on”. The Devil watches the Kingdom of God, watching for weaknesses. The Devil was watching David one day,

1 Chronicles 21:1-4 (ESV) Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel. 2 So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Go, number Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me a report, that I may know their number.” 3 But Joab said, “May the Lord add to his people a hundred times as many as they are! Are they not, my lord the king, all of them my lord’s servants? Why then should my lord require this? Why should it be a cause of guilt for Israel?” 4 But the king’s word prevailed against Joab. So Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came back to Jerusalem.

David was lifted up with pride, and wanted to have a count of how many trained soldiers he had. David, like Lucifer, began to think that his successes were because he was so good, instead of understanding all good comes from God. Joab tried to talk him out of it, but David as King prevailed. Joab got a count, and brought it back to David. God punished Israel for David’s foolishness.

Had David been out doing the work God called him to do, he wouldn’t be thinking up census taking and adulterous acts with another man’s wife (Bathsheba). The devil is constantly plotting – and we need to keep on doing what God has told us to do.

1 Peter 5:8 … {The Devil always} walketh about,
seeking whom he may devour:

How Do We Overcome The Devil? Jesus Shows Us How

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant

Word Study: As God’s people we are to “be vigilant”. This is the Greek grēgoreúō, {pronounced gray-gor-yoo’-o}, which means “to keep awake, to be watchful”. Jesus told us to be watchful for His return:

Matthew 24:42 Watch grēgoreúō therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

But also to be watchful for the enemy. The Apostle told us:

1 Corinthians 16:13 Watch ye grēgoreúō, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

Our focus should be on what Jesus told us to do, and we should be doing His will with all our might. The Devil loves a lazy Christian and a lazy Church. We are in a battle for the souls of mankind, and Satan is not backing down, no, not one little bit. But we are also to realize this:

1 Peter 5:9 Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

We are to resist Satan “in the faith”. Our focus must be on what our God has taught us in the Scripture. Some Christians have become the Devil’s playthings, because they are lazy in study of the Holy Scripture. The Apostle Paul wrote his emissary Timothy:

2 Timothy 3:15-17 …. from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

We resist the Devil not by our power, but through the power of God’s Word and His Spirit.

The Christian reliant upon God’s Word
and His Spirit cannot be defeated.

1 John 4:4 … greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth” (Psalm 33:6). Jesus Christ Him self DID NOT defeat Satan in His own power. How did He defeat Satan? When led of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested of the Devil (Matthew 4:1) our Savior DID NOT ONCE use the pronoun “I”. Not once. NOT ONCE. Listen to how Jesus defeated Satan:

Matthew 4:3-4 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

The Devil tempted Jesus with His need for food. Satan often tempts us with our natural, even normal, needs. It is normal for Jesus – God become Man – to be hungry after 40 days without food. Satan’s request seems quite reasonable. “You, Jesus, are the Son of God. Make these stones into bread”. Jesus didn’t reason with the Devil, but quoted Scripture:

Deuteronomy 8:3 {God} humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

But the Devil doesn’t stop here. We read:

Matthew 4:5-7 the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Again, this seems quite reasonable. I know a few years ago when LGBTQS² proponents demanded same sex marriage become the Law of the land, that which was being pushed was “We want our freedom – but it won’t effect anybody BUT us”. Many bought into that lie. Now the LGBTQS² movement has invaded our schools, our colleges, our televisions and movies, our sports, our businesses, and is even targeting our Churches. As the old saying goes,

Give the devil an inch, and he’ll be the Ruler!

Jesus knew better. He quoted out of Deuteronomy 6:16, “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah”. But the Devil was not finished. We read:

Matthew 4:8-10 the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

This time Jesus quoted

Deuteronomy 6:13-14 It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you

Three strikes and the Devil was OUT! Jesus did not use human reasoning nor His own abilities to chase Satan away. Jesus used the Word of God. The Word of God that defeated the Devil in the wilderness will defeat the Devil in the city. Learn the Word of God. Apply the Word of God. Live your lives by the Word of God. This is where the power of the Christian is – in the Scripture and in the Spirit of God. May God be glorified by this message, and may others be led to Christ through this His Word. Amen and Amen!