Satan whispers "I am not real"

When it comes to sin there can be no doubt that we, who are born into sin, must take full responsibility for the decisions we make that are contrary to God's will. There are those, however, who suggest we are the sole source of evil ... that Satan is a "concept" rather than an actual creature.

How ironic that Satan, the "great liar," has encouraged in man the inclination to deny that he exists. I can hear him say: "If they deny me even as I speak to them, the stage is set to deny God too, even as He speaks. If they deny me as a source of evil, will they not then be inclined to deny God as the source of good?"

I enthusiastically agree with those who point out how wrong it is to "blame" Satan for all of our sins. We must understand that he, his fellow fallen angels, and we mortals are all "creatures" -- created by the one and only true God. Angels AND men were given the freedom of choice, and Satan and his followers chose to deny God's sovereignty. Many follow his example, denying God's grace and refusing to surrender self. Sadly, we Christians also make choices on a daily basis -- even after accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior -- to "have our own way."

Although the victory over sin and death was made final with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Satan continues a deadly campaign to try to thwart God's perfect plan. That cannot happen, but there have been and will be casualties in the spiritual battle on this earth until Christ's return and the establishment of heaven on earth.

So it is that in Ephesians 6:10-18 we are encouraged to study and meditate on the word -- to "...take up the whole armor of God ..." in our life-long battle in the spiritual realm.
Jesus Himself confirmed Satan's existence. He asked in Luke 13:16:
"And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?"
And in Matthew 4:10, Jesus says:
"Go, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only'."

"We need to be ready for potential battle at all times," warns Pastor Charles Stanley in his book, When the Enemy Strikes.
"...we simply don't know when or where the devil is going to strike at us," Stanley writes. "Don't be lulled into thinking that because everything is fine today, everything will automatically be fine tomorrow. The devil never gives up trying to defeat you. He's always looking for your blind side and your weak moment. It is foolishness to wait until the enemy strikes to prepare for a potential battle. The truth is, it's often too late to get adequately prepared for battle after a battle has begun!"

Satan is very real. The spiritual battle is on. Don't be crippled by his lies. Arm yourself in the word, in the Truth, who is Jesus Christ the Messiah.