I have been taking a look this week on the blog at different ways in which our enemy, Satan, comes at us in what is commonly known as spiritual warfare. It has been a good reminder to me looking over these things, and I hope that it has been beneficial to you also. Paul the Apostle encourages us to stand against the tactics of the Devil (Ephesians 6:11). We cannot stand against these tactics or schemes if we do not know what they are.
In this final post on knowing our enemy, I would like to examine the fact that Satan's plan is to destroy us.
Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8 HCSB)
Peter depicts Satan as a roaring lion looking for something to devour. This is an image of total destruction. If you've seen the National Geographic movies of lions on the prowl on the African plains (strange how most people have seen these), you know that a lion does not hunt just for sport. A lion hunts with the intent of complete destruction.
We cannot begin to fathom the hatred that Satan has for God. We are told in the Bible that Satan was once a heavenly host of heaven but was kicked out for wanting to overthrow God (Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:11-19). Since this moment, Satan has declared war on God and seeks to destroy everything that resembles Him. It does not take much to see why we are in the crosshairs of the Devil. Human beings are the only thing in all of creation that contain the very image of God (Genesis 1:27). The image of God upon each of us reminds Satan of his failed attempts of overthrowing God.
Satan will seek to destroy us any way that he can. He will go after your marriage, your family, your finances, your health, your testimony... anything. He is not looking to wound or hurt; he is looking to destroy. There is no mercy within him. It is amazing how people will toy around with this enemy. Do not be mistaken about this. He has one objective for your life which Jesus told us about in John 1o:10 - "the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy.
It can be a little intimidating realizing that you have an enemy that is so set on your destruction. The amazing thing is that through the grace and power of Jesus Christ, we cannot only have peace but stand (Ephesians 6:13). May we suit up and be ready for the war that we find ourselves in.
You can read the other parts of this series by clicking the following links: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.
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