The Voiceless Roar Of Satan (I Am Vigilant, I Am Prepared For Eternity)

Earlier I said that there is a big difference between “respect and honor”. For honor means give praise to a person by being humble. Our humility must be expressed through our words and actions and that includes humility.

Luke 6:45 “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

Satan is still dangerous to those who people who is dangerous over him. If our hearts are filled with goodness, then our words are full of humility which poses danger to Satan also.

Illustration:

I once saw a video of a man who was playing with lions and this man was not being attacked by the lions. I noticed why he was not attacked. It’s because what the lions do to their fellow lions, this man also do to them. So, this man was not a danger to them, that’s why they are not attacking the man. As the saying goes “if you can’t beat them, join them.”

Same with us with our relationship with God and our view of Satan. We honor God for His goodness to us and also we should respect the capacity of Satan, so we cannot be careless about it.

I remember the 7 sons of Sceva in Acts 19: we will read in verses 13-16…

13Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” 14Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” 16Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

These sons of Sceva doesn’t honor God by using the name of God indiscriminately and neither respect the power of the devil by rebuking the devil in the name of Jesus and Paul but they were powerless? Why, because they were full of pride considering they were sons of Sceva a Jewish high priest! It must be pride that drives them to do that!

2. Recognize him since he is a great deceiver.

Aside from being dangerous, Satan is also a great deceiver that’s why he is a subtle (banayad) enemy. He counterfeits whatever God does that’s why we are exhorted by Peter to be watchful and be sober.

Satan can use people against us and deceive us later on. According to the Parable of the Weeds, wherever God plants a true Christian, Satan seeks to plant a counterfeit.

Matthew 13:24-30

24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. 27“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ 28“‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ 29“‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”