What A Deception!

So that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes. II Corinthians 2:11 (New Living Translation, NLT)

We are to be knowledgable about the strategies and tricks of the devil so that he will not outwit us. One of the ways that the devil has deceived so many people is by using a lie so simple yet extremely effective. He has convinced millions of people that he does not exist.

The enemy has influenced people in Hollywood, the media, and in the academic world. He has used them to promote the lie that there is no such thing as a devil and that he is a make-believe character. Through movies, cartoons, and books protraying him as a fictional character, people have been programmed to think he isn’t real. Professors and intellectuals scoff at the idea of a devil. And the media simply ignores the subject. He is never reported on network news as being the source of natural disasters and other calamities- they actually call them acts of God. As a result, people, even many Christians, don’t believe there is a devil- and that is the way he likes it.

The easiest way for a foe to win against his opponent is for the opponent to be unaware that he even has an enemy. No one fights a challenger that does not exist- it’s a waste of time and energy. The devil knows this and as a result, he has encountered much less resistance because people are not only ingorant of his schemes, but they are ignorant of his very existence. He is able to get away with more than he should because people don’t believe he is, therefore, they don’t believe they need to stand against him. It’s a brilliant strategy, really.

As Christians, let’s not fall for the lie that the devil is just al little fellow in red pajamas with a pitchfork sitting on someone’s shoulder in a cartoon. The Bible says we must take him seriously. Then, we are to take authority over him and stand on his neck as a conqueror stands on the neck of his mortal enemy. The enemy is real- but we have the victory over him in Jesus’ name.