by Robert C. Veil, Jr.
“Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking
whom he may devour,” (1 Pet. 5:8). These inspired words of the apostle Peter portend a very grave
and urgent threat which Christians need to consider seriously. Satan’s work is not limited to
defiling marriage and bringing discredit upon the American family. Nor is he content to sow
discord and division within the Lord’s church, although he is certainly doing these things. Satan is
also individual-specific in his work. His devious efforts are targeted at specific people. He knows
that if he can destroy a person’s effectiveness, he will achieve a great victory—and in many cases
he has largely already done it!
When one individual is destroyed or greatly reduced by Satan, many others are affected.
They see what has happened to the once great husband, or father, or mother, or elder or preacher,
or other member of the church. And as a constant reminder, such observations bring them down
as well in their enthusiasm, their energy levels, their general effectiveness. Thus, we need to be
aware of what Satan is trying to do in our personal lives, and diligently guard against his devices.
Consider a few examples of how this can play out individually:
- Satan is trying mightily to cloud your world with doubt. Doubt causes hesitancy,
instability and lack of consistency. “He that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind
and tossed,” (Jas. 1:6). A doubtful man is a “doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways,” (vs.7).
He is undependable, because he does not follow through with what he begins. He is no real threat
to Satan, because he never fully accomplishes anything for the Lord. When the apostle Peter began
to walk toward Jesus on the water, he was soon distracted by the wind and the waves, and he was
filled with doubt. And went doubt took over, he began to sink. Many Christians begin well, but
doubt springs up like thorns and thistles in their lives, and the good works they had envisioned
gradually seem impossible. We need a cure—an inoculation against the satanic tool of doubt! - Satan is also trying to fill your spiritual work with insincerity and resentment. If you
doubt the validity of your Christian endeavors, yet continue in them for a while, it is easy to act
with insincerity and hypocrisy. It is tempting to keep “going through the motions” in order to
impress others, or to satisfy some ingrained sense of duty. But the love of your labor has ebbed
away. You no longer really believe or are committed to the value of what you are doing, and that
is exactly what Satan wanted! - Satan has become quite proficient at filling the American mind with immorality. Appeals
to the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes are in media all around us. It is easy to minimize this
urgent threat. But a person’s thinking clouded by immorality is distorted and ineffective. The goals
and ends of his efforts are corrupted, and he is no longer pure in seeking first the kingdom of God,
(Mt. 6:33). His actions are full of selfish agendas, rather than the purity and childlike simplicity of
the Christian life. In seeking to satisfy his own thirst for physical gratification, filthy lucre, or
corrupt power, he has lost sight of his service to Christ. Satan has him exactly where he wants him! - Ultimately, Satan’s goal is to replace the godly dedication in your life with spiritual
unfaithfulness. Our Lord’s admonition, “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the
crown of life, (Rev. 2:10), carries a double meaning. It also implies that if we become unfaithful,
Satan will have us for eternity. The casualness with which so many brethren handle their faith is
truly alarming. If such lackadaisical involvement were typical of their secular employment, one
wonders how long that would keep their job! They are largely disconnected, uninformed, and
uninvolved in the work of the church. They are side-lined, and this is exactly where Satan would
have them.
You may not know it yet, but Satan is trying to bring you down, spiritually. He is trying to
destroy your Christian way of life. He is trying to cloud your world with doubt, your motives with
insincerity, your thoughts with immorality, and your life with unfaithfulness. These threats are
real, and they are urgent. May we consider them prayerfully, and take evasive action now!
