It was late October when an officer commanding a platoon of American soldiers received a call from headquarters. Over the radio, the captain learned that his unit was being ordered to recapture a small French city from the Nazis—and he learned something else from headquarters as well. For weeks, French resistance fighters had risked their lives to gather information about the German fortifications in that city, and they had smuggled that information out to the Allies.
The French Underground’s efforts had provided the Americans with something worth its weight in gold: a detailed map of the city. It wasn’t just a map with the names of major streets and landmarks; it showed specific details of the enemy’s defensive positions. The map even identified shops and buildings where German soldiers bunked or where a machine-gun nest or a sniper had been stationed. Block by block, the Frenchmen gave a detailed report of the German units and the gun emplacements they manned.
For a captain who was already concerned about the mounting casualty lists, receiving such information was an answer to prayer. Although the outcome of the war wouldn’t depend on this one skirmish, to him it meant that he wouldn’t have to write as many letters to his men’s parents or wives telling them that their loved one had been cut down in battle.
Before the soldiers moved out to take their objective, the captain gave each man a chance to study the map. And wanting to make sure his men read it carefully, he hurriedly gave them a test covering the major landmarks and enemy strongholds. Just before his platoon moved out, the officer graded the test, and with minor exceptions every man earned a perfect score. As a direct result of having that map to follow, the men captured the city with little loss of American lives.
You know, before any commanding officer can expect to be victorious in war, there must be a detailed plan for how they will win the battle. To go into battle without having taken the time to determine a strategy would be setting themselves up for defeat, and not just defeat, but enormous loss of life. It is no different in the spiritual warfare that you and I are waging today. For us to enter into battle against Satan without having a strategy for victory would be suicide. Fortunately, the Word of God has given us a map, has given us a strategy for defeating the Devil. We can find this strategy in… 1 Peter 5:8… Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
This morning, we are in a spiritual battle. Paul says in Eph. 6… we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. He tells Timothy to fight the good fight of faith. We are in a spiritual battle and just like any other battle, we must have a strategy for victory. Yes, Jesus won the war when He died and rose again, but Satan is still fighting, and he still has the ability to defeat you and me. So we must be prepared for battle, we must have a strategy. And I believe Peter gives us a good strategy, a good defense in this simple verse. And I want to share with you the three things that I believe we can see in this verse that will help us to win the battle against Satan.
I. Defeating The Devil Requires A Correct Awareness
The first step for defeating the devil is to come to a correct awareness, a correct understanding about him. We must be aware of who Satan really is. Is he the little guy with red skin, horns, a pointed tail, and carrying a pitch fork? What is he really like?
When going into battle the importance of knowing your opponent cannot be overstressed. Commanding officers rely heavily upon understanding their enemy’s purposes, strengths, and weaknesses, tactics, weaponry, and any advantages that are available. The same is true in the sports world. Coaches and players spend hours, in season and out of season, watching film of their opponents; studying the strategies of the opposing coaches; finding the apparent weaknesses that their team could build on when playing against each team; watching for how the opposing team would react in certain situations. Why do they go through all that trouble? Doesn’t it seem like a better use of time to be out on the field working their own strategies? Not really. Why? Because they have learned that the best team is not necessarily the most athletic team, but the most prepared team, the team who knows their opponents.
So if it’s important for athletes and coaches to know the opponent in sports, and for officers to know the enemy in war, how much more vital is it to us to know the enemy of our souls in spiritual warfare. There are many views on Satan, on his existence, on his power, on his abilities. And I think that before we can really be able to defeat him, we must be aware of those things.
Many have the misconception that Satan is non-existent. Two young brothers were arguing about the existence of the devil. One boy said, “Oh, there isn’t any devil.” The other, rather upset, said, “What do you mean, there isn’t any devil? It talks about him all the way through the Bible!” The first replied, “Oh that’s not true, you know. It’s just like Santa Clause, the devil turns out to be your dad.”
Did you know that according to a survey done by George Barna 65% of non-churched Americans believe that Satan is not a living being, that he’s merely a symbol of evil? What’s worse is that 46% of “Christians” believe the same way; that Satan is only a symbol of evil and he really doesn’t exist. But folks, the Bible is clear in teaching us that there was a beautiful angel named Lucifer who sought to be “as the Most High,” Isaiah says. And as a result of his pride and his attempt to steal from God what did not belong to him, he, along with the angels who followed him, were cast out of heaven and he was made the prince of this world. He is real folks. He is not just a picture that God made up to symbolize evil, he is the author of evil. He exists. And for us to try to ignore him and hope that if we don’t acknowledge him he won’t acknowledge us is dangerous. He is alive, he is real, and for us to pretend that he doesn’t exist only gives him more advantage to defeat us.
Some have a faulty understanding of Satan and believe that he doesn’t exist. Others believe that he is weak. A man was watching an attendant at a local zoo as he entered the cage of a ferocious looking wildcat. He walked through a door with nothing in his hands but a broom. Carefully closing the door, he proceeded to sweep the floor of the cage. The man looking on observed that the worker had no weapon to ward off an attack by the beast. In fact, when he got to the corner of the cage where the wildcat was lying, he poked the animal with the broom. The wildcat hissed at him and then lay down in another corner of the enclosure. The man remarked to the attendant, "You certainly are a brave man." "No, I ain’t brave," he replied as he continued to sweep. "Well, then that cat must be tame." "No," came the reply, "he ain’t tame." "If you aren’t brave and the wildcat isn’t tame, then I can’t understand why he doesn’t attack you." The man just chuckled, then replied with an air of confidence, "Mister, he’s old--and he ain’t got no teeth."
I believe a lot of people believe that the devil “ain’t got no teeth.” I have heard preachers tell their listeners that the devil is scared of them. I have heard people say that Satan is already defeated and God has him on a chain so there is nothing to worry about. But the truth of the matter is, as Peter tells us in our text today, that the devil is a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He is not weak, he is not afraid of us, he is not whimpering over in a corner of hell somewhere just waiting to be pitched into the lake of fire for eternity. He’s alive and well this morning and he’s got his sights set on you and on me. He’s a fierce adversary. He’s a deadly foe. Cotton Mather said that while “God indeed has the Devil on a chain, He has horribly lengthened out that chain.” Friends, the devil has got some teeth, and for us to discount or disregard him as helpless and powerless is to set ourselves up to get bitten.
Why am I saying this? Am I trying to frighten all of us little Christians to go hide out somewhere? No. But I am trying to help us come to a correct understanding of who Satan is. He is not powerless. He is not someone we can just overlook. But this morning, I am happy to tell you that Satan’s power is not inherent but permitted (Rom. 13:1). It is not unlimited, but controlled (Job 1:12; 2:6). It is not invincible, but broken (Luke 11:21-11). It is not assured of success, but it is doomed (Rev. 20:2-3). Satan knows well that there is no ultimate victory for him. The pronounced sentence has only been postponed. And while he isn’t necessarily afraid of us mere humans, he is terrified of our God. And while he may not be one to run from our petty defenses the Scripture tell us that “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (I John 4:4). So while we dare not discount Satan, we don’t have to run from him in terror. Satan does have power, but he does not have all power. And this morning, we can take encouragement in knowing that it is our God who has all power in heaven and earth. We can take encouragement in knowing that it’s only a matter of time before Satan will be banished forever to the pit of hell.
So what is the correct awareness/understanding of who Satan is? He is tempter, prince of this world and of demons, liar, angel of light, adversary, perverter of truth, deceiver, enemy, and roaring lion, who is desperately trying to drag as many of us to hell, his judgment, before his time is up. He is smart, but God is smarter. He is fast, but God is quicker. He is strong, but God is more powerful. And his hate for you is deep, but God’s love for you is deeper. And as we do battle against him it’s important that we understand our adversary along with his purpose and power, and it’s encouraging to realize that we’re on the winning side.
II. Defeating The Devil Requires A Careful Vigilance
Not only is it important that we have a correct awareness about Satan, but to defeat him also requires a careful vigilance. Peter says, “Be sober, be vigilant.” Now, most of our minds just raced to a drunk man lying in an alleyway somewhere, and we’re thinking, “OK, guy, the Bible says, be sober. So you need to quit drinking.” And while it is biblical for us to feel that way about drunkenness, I don’t think that’s exactly how Peter was intending these words to be used.
The word “sober,” here actually means to be prudent, or careful. Peter was saying, “Christians, be cautious, because Satan is out to get you.” Steve Green, a Christian musician, talks about his conversations with the “riggers,” the guys who would have to put up the lights for his concerts in the rafters, sometimes 100 feet above the floor, and sometimes on rafters that are only 4 inches wide. And he says that the guys that he talked to “weren’t bothered so much by the sight of looking down a hundred feet. But what they didn’t like, they said, were jobs in buildings that had false ceilings-- acoustical tile slung just a couple of feet below the rafters where they would be working. It made it seem as though they weren’t really that high, but if they slipped, their weight would smash right through the flimsy tile and send them crashing to an ugly end on the concrete below. And their minds seemed to play tricks on them, lulling them into carelessness.”
You know, Satan a lot of times doesn’t work real hard at trying to get a mature Christian to go out and commit a raunchy sin. Most of us have never been tempted to go out and commit murder or risk trying to rob a bank. The devil knows that most of the time that kind of temptation will not be very successful. But he does work hard at trying to persuade us that the danger of little sins is only minimal. And you know how he succeeds at that? It’s because a lot of times we allow ourselves to get careless. Careless with our time in the Word. Careless with our time in prayer. Careless with our commitment to join together with other believers for fellowship and joint worship. Careless with our priorities. Careless with our entertainment. Careless with our thoughts. We begin allowing the little things to slip, and one thing leads to another until we are forced to stop and look at ourselves and realize we are losing the battle with Satan. It’s like Ben Franklin once said… For want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for want of a horse the rider was lost, being overtaken and slain by the enemy; and for want of care about a horseshoe nail. We get careless, and when we allow ourselves to get careless, we open ourselves up to be devoured by that roaring lion who has his eye on us. We must maintain a careful walk with the Lord.
Not only must we be careful, but we must also be vigilant, or watchful. We must exercise cautious alertness as one who is in danger, for the moment we lose that vigilance, we are in danger. We must always be on our guard because there is a lion out there who is watching us.
Someone once said that the lion and the calf shall lie down together, but the calf won’t get much sleep. Animals who could possibly be prey must always be on the lookout for the lion. Did you know that a herd of gazelle will allow a lion to walk within a hundred feet of them? As long as they have their eyes on him they will not be frightened. Because they know that a visible lion is a somewhat harmless lion. To be successful a lion will change its posture by lowering its head and body staying low to the ground while keeping a visual lock on the target prey. Whenever the prey looks away or looks down to eat, the lion creeps closer, and if the prey is to look in the direction of the lion, the lion will cease its movement and remain still. This “red light-green light” type of interplay continues until the lion gets within striking distance. If he can get within striking distance without being noticed, there’s a good chance he’s going to have an easy lunch. So it’s important for animals to be watchful. It’s important that they always be on their guard.
And this morning, it’s not different for you and me. If we want to be able to defeat Satan, we must be careful to be on our guard against him at all times. Our adversary is always on the alert, so we must be on ours as well. The moment we take our guard down is the moment that Satan will be able to strike successfully.
So how do we stay on guard? I think the Bible gives us several ways to keep our guard up. One way is to keep our desires in check. Rom. 13:14… Make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof. Col. 3:2… Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. In other words, don’t give room to any temptation to fulfill or gratify your unnecessary or sinful desires. But make sure that your desires, your affections are for the things of God.
Another way to be watchful is to keep our thoughts in check. Phil. 4:8… Whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think about these things. We must avoid allowing things to enter our minds that would give Satan the space that he needs to make a successful attack. Sure, Satan can put thoughts into our heads that shouldn’t be there, but there are ways that we can limit his ability to do so, by being careful what we look at or listen to or talk about. We must make sure that our thought life is such that it is pleasing to God.
Another way to be alert is to be careful who we spend our time with. 2 Cor. 6:14… Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. 1 Cor. 15:33… Don`t be deceived! Evil companionships corrupt good morals. When we spend time with the wrong crowd we are opening ourselves up to Satan being able to lead us astray.
No doubt there are more ways to remain watchful, but the point is, as Christians, we must always be on alert, on cautious alert, because there is a devil who hates us, who wants to devour/destroy us, who is attempting to get in close enough to be able to pounce. And the moment that we lower our heads, the moment that we lose our sense of carefulness and watchfulness, is the moment that he will have opportunity to make his move. And you better believe that he is just waiting for that moment, he will not miss it. We must be always people of careful vigilance.
III. Defeating The Devil Requires A Constant Resistance
Lastly, this morning, defeating the devil requires a constant resistance. If we are to be successful in our spiritual battle against Satan we must do like Peter says in verse 9 when he says, “Resist him steadfast in the faith.”
Picture this with me… it’s a hot day in the plains of the African wilderness. The gazelle are all taking in the refreshing coolness of a lone oasis. As they drink from that pool of water they are careful to watch the group of lions that seem to be ever creeping closer and closer. But they just stay where they are. The water is too refreshing to move. And so they stay, always watching the lions getting ever closer. Then, in a moment, the lions pounce, but it’s too late for those gazelle, there is no hope now, so, they just lie down and await their demise.
Does that sound right? No. Because if those gazelle really had the desire to stay alive, they wouldn’t just stand their and let those lions make their move. They would watch until they began getting uncomfortable with the small amount of distance between them and their predator. And at that moment of discomfort they would scatter and run, and just with that little bit of resistance to being eaten, most likely they would make their escape. You see, a lion is very quick on the pounce, he has a very fast acceleration, but he cannot keep up in the long haul. They are not built for the chase. And so if the gazelle is quick to run before the lion gets too close they can get away and the lions will turn around and seek out other prey. But if they allow the lion to get within striking distance, they’re toast. There has to be some resistance. They have to run. They can’t just stand there. They can’t just lie down and wait to be eaten. If they want to survive, they have to resist.
James tells us to “resist the devil and he will flee from you.” How can we expect to defeat Satan if we don’t resist him? Does an army win a battle if they don’t put up a fight? Does a team win a game if they don’t make the effort to beat the other team? No. If a team or a military intends to win a battle they have to fight, they have to resist the opposition.
I have seen some people who seem to have no ability or, seemingly, even a desire to resist the devil. I’ve seen some people who are like the boy whose father told him, “Son, don’t swim in that canal.” “OK, Dad,” he answered. But he came home carrying a wet bathing suit that evening. “Where have you been?” demanded the father. “Swimming in the canal,” answered the boy. “Didn’t I tell you not to swim there?” asked the father. “Yes, Sir,” answered the boy. “Why did you?” he asked. “Well, Dad, I had my bathing suit with me and I couldn’t resist the temptation.” “Why did you take your bathing suit with you?” he questioned. “So I’d be prepared to swim, in case I was tempted,” he replied.
A lot of people seem to have no power to resist Satan when he comes at them. And as a result, they don’t even try, or they are constantly having to come back to God and ask forgiveness for doing the same thing over and over again. Other people are kind of like me in my diet sometimes. I feel like I’m doing so well if I resist the urge to give in when someone offers me something to eat that looks really good, but that has too many points. But the truth is, deep down inside I know I couldn’t resist again if they offered a second time. I did OK once, but please ask me again. Margarette Thatcher, former Prime Minister of Great Britain, once said, “You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” And it’s true. Because Satan does not just come once with his temptation, he doesn’t just try once to attack. He keeps coming back. He keeps pouring it on. So we must keep fighting. We must keep resisting. If we are to have any hope at all of defeating Satan we must first begin resisting him, and resisting him constantly. He’s not going to let up, so we must never let up either.
So quickly, how do we resist him? We resist him by making sure that we are maintaining a close walk with Jesus. Spending time daily reading from God’s Word and meditating upon it and memorizing it. Spending time daily talking with God in prayer. We resist him by being filled with the Holy Spirit and always listening for and obedient to the leadings of the Holy Spirit. We must make sure that we are avoiding the places or the people or the things that Satan can use in his attacks on us. I recently read the book, “The Prayer Of Jabez,” and in that book the author makes a good point. The last portion of that prayer says, “Keep me from evil.” The author says that we cannot expect God to keep us from evil and temptation if we are constantly putting ourselves in the place where we know we will be tempted. We must pray, “God, help me to avoid all the temptation that I can. And then the temptation that I can’t avoid, help me to overcome.” If we want to resist Satan, we must make sure that we don’t put ourselves in the places where we know he can attack us, and the places where he has attacked us before. We resist him by surrounding ourselves with godly influences. These are just a few ways to resist him. Whatever it takes this morning, make sure that you are constantly resisting the devil.
This morning, I trust that we all understand just how real Satan is. He is a real, created being who hates God and hates you. He is a powerful, smart, and cunning creature who has his eye set on making you fall. But I’m glad to be able to tell you that he is not all powerful, he is not all knowing, he cannot be in all places at all times, and he is not going to win. And today, you can defeat him. No, not in your own human strength, but the Bible says, “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.” We serve the almighty God who has already defeated Satan and who has the power to help us to overcome his trickery in our lives. How? By having a correct awareness of him, a careful vigilance towards him, and a constant resistance to him.
