Satan’s devils/demons work “behind the scenes.”  Being unable to force man to do or not do anything, they affect human life through temptations, thoughts, impulses, etc.  However, as we will see, those are not the only ways in which they attack their human targets.  Demons are extremely powerful in that they know the individual weaknesses of their subjects and exploit them.  They “know which button to push” in order to get the reaction they want.  For example, if a man enjoys pornography a spirit of pornography will make sure that he “finds” a pornographic magazine when he does not expect it.  An alcoholic will “discover” a bottle of whatever he is addicted to where he least expects it.  A thief will be given the opportunity to steal something.  For mankind, life is war.  Two “walks” are presented from which man must choose for himself: God’s way or Satan’s way.  This choice has not changed since the Garden of Eden.  For mankind without the power of the Holy Spirit, the war is lost before it begins.  So-called “sinners saved by grace,” having rejected God and His Spirit, have already waved the white flag of surrender.  Demons–“powers of the air”–need not tempt them in that they have already proclaimed defeat and submission to their spiritual masters.  Truly, “Satan has deceived the whole world” (Rev. 12:9).

The Lord allows people to be tempted by Satan and his minions.  Though He does not tempt, He does test those who want to spend eternity with Him.  Adam and Eve learned the hard way that simply believing in Him and claiming to be His are not enough.  Man must prove himself to the Lord.  Man must prove that he loves Him beyond anything and everything else.  There is only one Biblical way to prove allegiance to the Lord.  Jesus voiced this Truth on several occasions.  For example: “If you (disciples) love Me, (you must) keep My commandments” (Jn. 14:15,23).  “If you keep My commandments you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and (therefore) abide in His love” (Jn. 15:10).  Even Jesus had to prove His love for the Father in order to become the Savior of mankind.  He was tested severely by the Father.  Being a human being and no different than any other man–HE HAD TO PROVE HIS LOVE FOR THE FATHER BY OBEYING HIM.  Just as He Himself was tested by the Father, Jesus tests those who want to be His disciples.  For example, Jesus made Judas Iscariot the treasurer for the group–he “had the bag”–even though “he was a thief” (Jn. 12:6).  Judas was a thief long before he met Jesus of Nazareth.  Jesus said in John 6:70: “I have chosen you (disciples), and one of you IS (already) a devil.”  Jesus tested him by giving him the opportunity to overcome his lust for money.  Jesus gave Him the same ministry as the other disciples.  He preached the gospel, healed the sick and cast out demons exactly as did the other eleven.  However, he failed the Lord’s test.  Great sermons, signs, wonders and miracles do not prove one’s relationship with the Lord.  There is only one proof: BELIEF IN AND OBEDIENCE TO HIS WORD. 

Jesus was tempted by Satan himself upon ending His 40 day fast.  Approaching Him at the point of death, the devil tempted Him severely.  But Jesus held up under the worst Satan could throw at Him.  There would be many more temptations, and God would allow them.  The ultimate tests came during the final hours of His life.  Jesus passed them.  Because He passed His tests and temptations He expects us to pass the tests administered by God as well as the temptations administered by Satan’s demons.

Demons afflict humans by putting thoughts in their minds, thereby tempting them to do, say or think sinful things.  But that is not the only method by which fallen angels show their hatred for mankind.  They also attack humans physically and mentally.  Let us briefly examine some of the ways they attack mankind, over two billion of whom believe themselves to be saved, born again and rapture-ready.  Everyone is attacked repeatedly by unseen forces.  The power of God within His true saints enables them to pass His tests and withstand the devil’s assaults–to “resist the devil” so that he “flees from” them (Jam. 4:7).  Let us now study some examples of demonic activity in the lives of those living during the early years of the New Testament Church.

In Matthew 17:14-21 we find Jesus casting a demon out of a boy suffering from “lunacy.”  He was “sore vexed” by a spirit that at times had caused him to fall into water and fire.  Jesus declared that it was indeed a demon that caused these things to happen to the child:  “And Jesus rebuked the devil (commanded it to come out) and it came out immediately.”  Recall that Jesus “rebuked” a storm on the Sea of Galilee and the water and wind immediately became calm.  A demon was trying to drown Him and His disciples by stirring up a storm that would sink their boat.  Jesus commanded the demon to cease and desist and it had no choice but to obey Him (Mk. 4:37).  Such is the case with God’s true saints.  In John 14:12 Jesus asserted this Truth, saying: “He who believes in Me, the things I have done he will do also, and greater things than these will he do.”  Note that in both of the above-mentioned cases Jesus rebuked the disciples because they had not controlled the situation.  He had to do what they were supposed to do–control the spirits causing the problems.  He said to them (and saints today) in Luke 10:19: “Behold, I give you power over all the power of the enemy.”  This included the power of the demons under Satan’s control.  Christ and His Father do not play favorites (Acts 10:34).  What He will do for one He will do for all who BELIEVE AND OBEY Him.  These are they who DO WORKS THAT PROVE THEIR LOVE FOR, FAITH IN AND OBEDIENCE TO HIM.  As James tells us in 2:10,14,17,18,20,24, 26–FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD FAITH.  MAN LIVES BY HIS FAITH (ROM. 1:17) IN THE WORD OF GOD (MAT. 4:4).  A MAN HAVING DEAD (WORKLESS) FAITH IS (SPIRITUALLY) A DEAD MAN.  MAN’S FAITH, REGARDLESS OF ITS SIZE, IS NOT ENOUGH TO SAVE HIM (VS 14).  Faith is believing God’s Word (10:19).  So-called “sinners saved by grace,” though they have faith, are spiritually dead because they refuse to do works of faith (obey God’s Word) which produce righteousness and holiness which, if maintained until the end (Mat. 10:22), produce eternal life (Rom. 5:21; 6:22).  FAITH=BELIEVING GOD’S WORD; WORKS=OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S WORD.  One without the other is worthless.  Remember that Judas preached God’s Word and worked miracles.  Though he believed, he failed to obey.

In John 8:30-44 we find Jesus speaking to a group of Jews who “believed in Him” (vss 30,31).  They believed in Him until He told them what they did not want to hear.  They then wanted to kill Him.  He then told them that they did what their father–“the devil”–told them to do (vss 41,44).  Note that they believed (had faith in) Him as long as He scratched their itching ears.  Their faith was dead because they refused to do the WORKS of faith, meaning to obey His Words.

In Acts 10:30 we find that “Jesus went about HEALING all who were OPPRESSED BY THE DEVIL.”  In Ephesians 4:27 the Apostle Paul warns us not to “give place to the devil.”  This proves that to do so is our decision.  In 6:12 he tells us to beware of the “wiles (sneakiness) of the devil.”  In 2 Timothy 2:26 he warns us to beware of the devil’s “snare (temptation trap).”  In 1 Timothy 3:6,7 he tells us that if we (choose to) fall for Satan’s temptations (sin) we will be condemned along with him.  In 1 John 3:8 the apostle tells us that to sin means that one is “of the devil.”  Unwittingly, sinning church members declare that they are “of the devil.”  By keeping them ignorant of God’s “fine print,” Satan keeps them in his camp while making them believe that they are saved, born again and rapture-ready.  Never underestimate his power over the church.

In chapter 4 verse 7 the Apostle James tells believers to “resist the devil and he will flee from you.”  We must resist his temptations using the power of the Holy Spirit which is given upon true conversion.  The Holy Spirit is like a muscle: If you don’t use it, you lose it.  If we do not resist the devil and His angels God takes His Spirit from us.  As was the case of Jesus, without the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives we have no chance against the “prince of the powers (demons) of the air.”

Satan does most of his work through his demons who continuously try to entice man to sin.  No one is immune from their attacks.  However, those in whom the Holy Spirit dwells can resist them by putting on the “whole armor of God” which enables them to repel the “fiery darts” (temptations) of Satan and his disciples (Eph. 6:16).  In the next posting we will examine some modern day manifestations of Satan’s fallen angels as they do their work in the lives of both the churched and the unchurched.  L.J.