By TONY HOSS

The Word of God describes the devil as the prince of this world, Beelzebub and Satan. He is characterized as one who is guilty of pride, wicked, crafty, and deceptive. All of the descriptions and characteristics of Satan are given to warn man to resist him. In 1 Pet. 5:8-9, we read, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist steadfast in the faith.” Paul said, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6:11). Everything we learn of Satan reminds us that he can harm man and eventually bring anyone who neglects the warnings to certain doom. We read in Rev. 20:10, “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Perhaps the greatest thing we should know about Satan is that he has three great desires that culminate in us sharing his eternal demise. Consider the following:
First, Satan wants to keep everyone out of the Lord’s church. This only makes sense when we understand that everyone in the Lord’s church is saved (Eph. 5:23). Satan understands that there is safety and continued salvation within the church. John teaches us that this is accomplished when we continue to walk in the light as Jesus is in the light. (See Acts 20:28 and 1 John 1:7). Satan wants people kept out of the church because it is the organization which Christ is the head of according to Colossians 1:18. The crux of this issue is that Jesus is preeminent among those in His church. Keeping people out of Jesus’ church places Satan in preeminence. We should know that Satan gains and maintains preeminence by preventing people from entering the church, and leading Christians to procrastination and hypocrisy.
Second, Satan wants to lead Christians back into the world of sin. This is why Christians are constantly warned, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him….And the world passes away, and the lust thereof: but he that does the will of God abides forever” (1 Jn. 2:15). We can avoid this by keeping our faith strong (1 Peter 1:5; 2 Peter 2:2-22). We can prevent Satan’s attempts by keeping the proper companions (1 Cor. 15:33). We can remain strong by not being so involved in this world that they forget to care for our own souls.
Third, Satan wants to make us worthless to Christ. Satan knows what every Christian knows: God’s people must be fruitful or be found lost (John 15:1-2). Perhaps Satan’s most valuable tool in this is the aforementioned procrastination that he attempts to foster in the lives of God’s people. Satan wants Christians to look at themselves with self-satisfaction. Satan knows when we become satisfied with our present level of service, and then we will never grow to future heights. He wants us to talk about plans without enacting them. He also wants us to have an overabundance of self pride. When Satan has accomplished his goals, members of the church begin to argue among themselves and become indifferent to the work of the church. He then wants us to become hypocrites and make excuses for what we do not do. All this leads us further and further away from God and eternal glory.
There is no doubt that the devil is busy and active to accomplish these three goals. Knowing this we must be aware of his devices and prepare ourselves for them. This is only possible when we have knowledge of God’s word and continue to grow in that knowledge. The question we must ask ourselves is how effective has Satan been in our lives.
(Questions & Answers is provided by Tony Hoss, minister at Centerview Church of Christ, Elizabethton.)