The Powers of Darkness Recognizing Satan's Tactics in the Light of God's Word.

The intent of the Holy Bible is not to focus on Satan and his work. However, we do find much in the Bible that exposes his character and works. Satan was at one time an angel, but he turned against God, his creator, and want ed to be like Him. The practices of the dark kingdom of Satan are not new. They are typical of his efforts through the ages to rival the kingdom of God. He is o ffering an alternative to what God, through the power of His Holy Spirit, is acc omplishing.

We read in Exodus of the power of the magicians of Egypt who tried to reproduce the miracles that God did by the hand of Moses. In the book of Job, Satan is exp osed as very jealous of Job's faithfulness to God. He used cruelty and deprivati on to try to force Job to turn from God.

Satan's methods are characterized by: fear, threats, promises of pleasure or pow er, intimidation, and suspicion. Some of the first things he introduces to us se em very interesting and intriguing. He suggests, "Would you like to know the fut ure or have insight that others are not able to have?" He may offer cures that a re beyond the realm of science. Astrology or fortune-telling may seem innocent e nough, but this is soon followed with certain magic words or formulas, observing certain days and fearing unlucky numbers. The thought is introduced that there are certain spirits to be respected and feared because of the power they may hav e over us. Thus Satan snares the unwary into the realms of fear of him and his s pirits.

Too many individuals have been caught up in curiosity of things that, at first, appear to be rather innocent. By experimenting with the Ouija board, horoscopes, palm reading, and many other such practices, they have made themselves vulnerab le for evil spirits to further trouble them.

The goal of Satan is to erode and finally destroy the Christian's faith in God. The Christian experiences victory by having a faith in Christ and in Him alone. The desire for knowing the unknown or the lust of power motivates one to sometim es experiment with that which is of the Satanic realm. A simple trust is God put s one at rest with what is unknown and makes one completely confident in" the po wer of Christ.

That which is begun out of curiosity or experimentation soon entraps one in a we b of fear; fear of what might happen, fear of greater powers, fear of other peop le, fear of Satan himself. These fears envelop the individual who has allowed hi mself to become involved in dubious practices. In response to this fear Satan cl aims to have an antidote. He offers more power if one will subject himself to ce rtain rituals or other obediences. Fear of other spirits can be counteracted wit h a possession or greater power ourselves, he says. Thus a person is introduced to successive tiers of power that, rather than causing the individual to reach g reater levels of peace, cause a never ending downward spiral into the depths of

satanic abomination. The security promised by Satan proves elusive, being replac ed by the need of protection from a still higher power in this wicked domain. Th is is the system of Satanism.

Satan's plan is to supplant God. Satan was created to worship, not to be worship ped. He is not a supreme power; he cannot overcome the Lamb of God; he cannot gi ve security; he is not interested in our well-being. Nevertheless he continually works to exercise power over people to bring them into subjection to him. He tr ies to create mistrust toward God and His kingdom. He is endeavoring to establis h an organization with himself as the master. This is developed through a system of fear and illusions of power. He works marvels to create awe in people's mind s (2 Corinthians 11:14,15). The effect of this system is to destroy peace, and s ecurity in individuals, homes, and governments. It captures people, causing them to feel seriously threatened if they try to escape.

Satan is the bitterest, most malicious, most vicious, most terrible enemy you ha ve. He is totally without honor. He is a liar. There is no truth in him - "He is a liar, and the father of it [untruth]" (John 8:44). He is a murderer, a destro yer. He is the very embodiment of hatred and evil. He is totally wicked through and through, with absolutely no redeeming good.

Satan is the instigator of all evil. There is neither crime nor sin too evil or too filthy for him. He is the cause of all hatred, all murder, all child or wife abuse, all drug abuse, all immorality, all broken homes, all contention, all wi tchcraft, all dishonesty. He delights to cause crimes of passion and evil, crime s committed against innocent people who happen to fall into the hands of deprave d or perverted persons. He is ruthless and unforgiving. Suffering does not inspi re compassion in him. Bloodshed and death are tools he uses to gain his ends. He has come "to steal, to kill, and to destroy" (John 10:10).

Satan's eternal destiny is already decided. There is a place of eternal fire pre pared for him and his angels (Matthew 26:41). He is interested in getting as man y people as he can to suffer that torment with him. He knows he can do this by u ndermining and finally destroying our faith in God. He will do this either by op enly challenging God's Word or by subtly encouraging lukewarm, careless, permiss ive Christianity.

There is deliverance from the clutches of Satan. He would have you to believe th at there is no way out. The Bible tells us that Jesus has come to set the captiv e free. He has come to give life. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (Joh n 14:6). In His life on earth Jesus demonstrated His power over Satan by resisti ng the temptations of Satan and by casting out evil spirits by God's word (Matth ew 4:1-11; Mark 9:25,26). Jesus conquered the power of Satan by His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead.

Can we avail ourselves of this victory and overcome the arch enemy of our souls? . First, we must realize that we have been captured by Satan and are bound by hi s fear. We must admit that this is sinful and that we are lost if we remain in t

his state. As we realize that we are unable to deliver ourselves from Satan's gr asp, we must cry out to God for deliverance with all our heart. We must repent o f, and turn away from our sins. We need to accept by faith the atoning blood of Jesus Christ for our sins. We must yield ourselves to God, accept His forgivenes s and faithfully obey His Word. As we meet these conditions He gives us peace wi th Him, quiets the uneasiness in our hearts, forgives our sins, gives us a new n ature and makes us one of His children. This is what it means to be born again. Anyone who resists the call of God is still in Satan's kingdom, and the deceiver will eventually take that person with him to everlasting torment.

If you do not understand the plan that God has made for you, study God's Word, p ray to Him with an honest heart, and He will show you the way. God is calling yo u to Himself and wants you to escape from Satan's bondage. May God bless you. Re ad Psalm 91.

Additional reading:

Luke 11:20-23 One stronger than Satan Romans 6:20-23 Free from sin Isaiah 61:1 Liberty to the captives Romans 8:1,2 Free from condemnation

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