Satan's World

SATAN’S WORLD

By: C. Mason Davis

I like to start each message with a little “wake-me-up” story.

A few minutes before the church service started, the congregants were sitting in their pews and talking. Suddenly, Satan appeared at the front of the church. Everyone started screaming and running for the exits in a frantic effort to get away from him. Soon everyone had exited the church except for one elderly gentleman who sat calmly in his pew without moving. Satan walked up to the old man and said, "Don't you know who I am?" The man replied, "Yep, sure do."

"Aren't you afraid of me?" Satan asked. "Nope, sure ain't," said the man. "Don't you realize I can kill you?" asked Satan. The man said, "Don't doubt it for a minute" "And you're still not afraid?" asked Satan. "Nope." More than a little perturbed, Satan asked, "Well, why aren't you afraid of me?" With a serious demeaner the old man replied, "Been married to your sister for the last 48 years."

Will everyone who is able please stand while I read today’s scripture.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

1 Peter 5:8 reads: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."

Please pray with me…

We, as believers must learn to be clear-minded and watchful, as our enemy, the devil, is actively seeking to harm us, like a predator stalking its prey. It says in James 3:15: “This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, and devilish.” The wisdom of this verse comes from above, which is pure, peaceable, gentle, and full of mercy and good fruits. This "earthly" wisdom is characterized though by jealousy and selfish ambition, leading to disorder and every evil practice. 2 Corinthians 4:4; “In which the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." “The god of this world” is referring to Satan, signifying his power and influence over the earthly realm. Unbelievers and believers are blinded by Satan's deception, preventing them from seeing the truth of the Gospel. 1 John 5:19 says: “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.” Whether we realize it or not, we should all be aware that this is Satan’s world. Satan knows no boundaries. He is working constantly to keep us from a life of faith but instead to believe that sin and evil is normal, and that it’s the best way to success and getting everything we desire as long as it’s not a life in Christ. But as God is for you, Satan is against you. That's his job. You may think that every time you sin that Satan’s making you do wrong. No. You've just got a nature of sin that will do the job for him.

In today’s world, Satan has captured the medias of the world…all of which belong to him…the movies, newspapers, schools, educators, governments, social media, except those medias that are dedicated to Jesus Christ. There's no neutral ground. And every unsaved person in this world is controlled by Satan. Satan’s 3 most used tactics are deception, distraction, and discouragement. The moment you take a stand for Jesus Christ Satan declares war on you. That's why when Paul got to the end of his life, he took a great big gasp and said, "I have fought the good fight." It's when someone becomes a believer that Satan's greatest battles are fought against that believer. The Christian life is never easy but there's always victory. Peter says, "The victory was provided for us in the blood of the Lamb." The victory was already won at Calvary for all of us who choose to believe in Him. Because of this, sin has no claim on us. It states in Galatians 2:20, "I am crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

Do you ever ask yourself why God allows evil in this world? Some common explanations include the concept of free will, where humans have the capacity to choose between good and evil, and the idea that suffering can be a catalyst for growth, compassion, and spiritual development. It is our gift of having free will and cognitive thought that allows us to make decisions on our own. But to know what is good, there has to be bad in order for us to know what good is by comparing the two. The truth is, it takes more effort to be good than it does to be bad. Another truth is that those who believe and live by the Bible are much happier and content than those who don’t.