Will the Devil Ever Stop Trying?

• Doubt causes us to question the goodness of God and His Word.

• Distraction and Diversion make the bad things look good, which makes us want them more than the good things.

• Delay is when we put things off and we never get around to doing the right thing.

• Discouragement forces us to focus on our issues rather than looking toward God.

• Defeat. When we lose, we feel like we failed, and as a result, we give up and stop trying.

As Christians, all of us will, or in no doubt have already, faced some type of trial, tribulation, or test. It is an inevitable occurrence that we will encounter in the service of the Lord. Why is that? some may ask.

For that, we can thank Adam and Eve for their sin in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1-24). We can read here the story of how the “serpent” (Satan) beguiled Eve and in turn she convinced Adam to partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

The Unrelenting Adversary

If we look at Ezekiel 28:12-19, a portion of the expressions in this section portray the human king of Tyre, or they may likewise depict Satan. Much consideration should be taken to decipher these sections with wisdom and discernment.

In any case, obviously, on occasion, Ezekiel portrays the king in wording that could not merely apply to that of a simple man.

This lord king had “been in Eden the garden of God” (28:13), had been “the anointed cherub” (28:14), and was able to approach “the holy mountain of God” (28:14), yet was “cast thee as profane out” and “cast thee to the ground” from that point (28:16-17).

In this manner, Ezekiel might have not only been denouncing the king of Tyre, yet also Satan, who had spurred the king to transgression.

Now in Isaiah 14:12-14, we can read the account of the beginning of Satan and evil. There are a few understandings of this section of Scripture. To start with, Lucifer is another name for Satan, in light of the fact that the individual here is too strong to be in any way any human ruler.

Second, this could be Sennacherib or Nebuchadnezzar, kings who had preeminent power. Their people viewed them as divine beings (gods) and these rulers wanted to control the entire world.

Third, this could allude to both Satan and a human lord, presumably Nebuchadnezzar since Babylon is envisioned as the seat of evil in Revelation 17-18. Pride was Satan's transgression as well as Babylon's.

Similar to each of the three perspectives is the validity that pride is against God and will bring about judgment. Israel tragically was too pleased with itself to even think about depending upon God, and we are at risk of making that same error.

In Luke 10:18, Jesus states, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” He could have been referring to Isaiah 14:12-17. Numerous commentators distinguish Lucifer from Satan and say that his pride is what prompted every evil that we witness here on earth today.

In Revelation 12:7-9, we read of the war between Michael and his angels against the devil, the deceiver, and his angels which were cast out of heaven into the earth.

In Matthew 4:1-11, we find the account of when Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness. The temptations that Satan presents are centered around three urgent regions: actual physical yearnings, power and possessions, and pride.

1 John 2:15-16 provides a few areas that are quite similar to these. However, Jesus did not surrender. Hebrews 4:15 says that Jesus “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”

He knows firsthand the issue we are encountering, and He is willing and ready to help us in our battles. At the point when we are facing temptation, we ought to go to Jesus for strength.

“Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).

Recognizing the Tactics of the Enemy

In this Scripture, Jesus is agonizing in the garden for He knew that His time had come. Jesus utilizes Peter's sleepiness to caution him about the various sorts of temptations that he would be facing.

The method for defeating temptation is to be prepared and aware of it, and also to pray. Being ready means monitoring the potential outcomes of temptation, being delicate to the nuances, and being spiritually prepared to battle it.

Since temptation strikes where we are generally powerless (vulnerable), we cannot avoid it single-handedly. Petitioning God is fundamental since God's power can support us defensively and defend against Satan's attacks.

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6:11).

“Put on” indicates an action that we must take. Depending on the type of job that we have, this is not like a regular uniform that we would put on. Militarily speaking, we must have all our issued gear, if we forget one piece, we will be vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks.

As soldiers always do, we ourselves should be periodically checking our gear. The devil uses underhanded tactics to slip us up and can use our goodness against us.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you(James 4:7).

In spite of the fact that God and Satan are at war, we do not have to hold on until the end to see who will win. God has already conquered Satan (Colossians 2:13-15; Revelation 12:10-12), and when Christ returns, Satan and all that he represents will be forever removed (Revelation 20:10-15).

Nonetheless, Satan is still here now, and he is attempting to prevail upon us to his malicious plans. With the power of the Holy Spirit, we can oppose Satan and he will have to turn away from us.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world (1 Peter 5:8-9).

Here, Peter tells us that the devil is wandering about, looking for more victims. Lions assault young, sick, and straying creatures. They pick those who are separated from everyone else or are not on guard.

Peter cautions us to look out for Satan when we are being persecuted or suffering in some way. When we are feeling alone, feeble, powerless, and cut off from other Christians, so centered around our own difficulties, we can neglect to be on watch.

We are particularly helpless against Satan's assaults during these times. We ought to look for different Christians for help during any time of anguish.

We should keep our eyes on Christ as we resist the devil. At the point when we do as such, James lets us know that “he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

The Final Triumph Over Evil

Finally, in Revelation 20:7-10, we read of the destruction of Satan. Satan's power is not everlasting. He will meet his destruction. He started his insidious work on humanity from the start (Genesis 3:1-6) and he proceeds with it today.

However, he will be obliterated when he is tossed into the Lake of Fire. Satan was let out of the abyss (20:7), but he will not ever be set free from the Lake of Fire. Never again will he ever be a danger to anybody.

Until then, we must be ready.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10).

For further reading:

Is the Devil Real Today?

How Can We Escape a Trap from the Devil?

How Do We Know That the Devil Is a Liar?

Photo Credit:iStock/Getty Images Plus/CasPhotography

Chris Swanson answered the call into the ministry over 20 years ago. He has served as a Sunday School teacher, a youth director along with his wife, a music director, an associate pastor, and an interim pastor. He is a retired Navy Chief Hospital Corpsman with over 30 years of combined active and reserve service. You can contact Chris here, and check out his work here.