It’s one thing to know the Truth. It’s quite another to trust in it.
That was Satan’s fatal flaw. He knew God’s power very well, but he trusted in his own power more.
And it’s that trust in himself that he passed on to Adam and Eve in the Garden. He got them to exchange the Truth of God’s word for a lie; to trust in his version of the truth over the actual word itself. And that, in turn, led them to trust their own desires over God’s. And from there it’s a short trip to relative truth, moral decay, lawlessness, and the complete rejection of God.
Satan, of course, knew this. And he has many of these same arrows in his quiver today. Many people today, both inside the Church and out, have given in to their desire to be loved by men and joined in the world’s chorus denying the reality of Satan and celebrating the worship of the creation over the Creator.
But make no mistake. Satan is real. The Bible references him directly dozens of times (at least 5 by Jesus Christ Himself) and he knows God’s word better than you or me or any other created being. If you don’t believe that, check out Mark 1:24 and 5:7.
“And there was a man in their Synagogue in whom was an unclean spirit. And he cried out,
saying, ‘Ah, what have we to do with You, O Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know Who You are: even the Holy One of God.’
”And Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Hold your peace, and come out of him.’”
~Mark 1:23-25
“And when he saw Jesus at a distance, he ran and worshipped Him,
and cried with a loud voice, and said, ‘What have I to do with You, Jesus the Son of the Most High God!? Swear to me by God that You will not torment me!’”
~Mark 5:6-7
Satan knows what the Scriptures say and how to manipulate them for his purposes. And he’s just waiting to catch each of us alone and unprotected, like a baby deer in a clearing.
So, when he comes to you in your garden of comfort today and asks, “Did God REALLY say….?” regarding some political issue or personal lifestyle choice or even his own existence, make sure you have not been caught sleeping.
Don’t get separated.
Arm yourself with the Truth.
Pray for the courage to trust it.