THE devil is! Unquestionably this fact needs full recognition among God's people. Even among those who are supposedly orthodox, the idea of an orthodox devil smacks of superstition. We hear them say, "Let us hear the love side of the gospel; away with this devil and hell business — it is too dreadful." "He was a tradition that served many purposes while he lasted, but we can now explain sin and moral evil by more scientific devices than a personal devil." The devil has accomplished his end. The devil is a theologian with clearly defined doctrines, and his fundamental plank is, "There is no devil." When these ideas become common among God's children, a wide open field remains for him to work unmolested.

The devil is real and personal. Let this not be forgotten. Let it be written in black-faced caps and heavily underscored: Satan is all we can find out about him— and then some. The Scripture represents a personal devil who tested the patriarch Job. Likewise, a personal devil met the Lord Jesus in the wilderness, sifted Peter, tempted Ananias and Sapphira to lie, and hindered the Apostle Paul. And he is just as real an enemy and the conflict is just as real today whether the believer realizes it or not. May God awaken us to the fact of our infernal enemy. He is powerful, malignant, supernatural, cunning,' subtle, and persistent. He uses every conceivable artifice in his conflict with believers, and he does everything to keep them blinded to the possibilities of victory. It is well for us to study and retain in our minds the characteristics and tactics of our arch-enemy. We should know well the battle ground, be prepared for every attack, and know how to gain the victory.

THE TITLES OF SATAN ARE THE EVIDENCES THAT HE IS OUR ENEMY.

We are not dealing with a fool in our conflict. We have opposed to us a general, and forces profound in purpose, subtle in arrangement, bold in enterprise, undaunted in execution. Our enemy understands perfectly the law of adaptation. In the Scripture, different writers describe him differently.

To Peter, Satan is a roaring lion who goeth about seeking whom he may devour (I Pet. 5:8). And in this same verse Peter also calls him our adversary. Certainly these titles reveal to us the power and hatred of our enemy. He is mighty, as the mightiest of the wild beasts is used in the figure to represent him. He is a crafty and insidious enemy. He is fiercely malicious and has an inexhaustible appetite to devour souls. He is restlessly active. As our active and awful enemy, he is watching us with persistent and hellish malice, watching for one weak point at which to break in. Peter, impulsive Peter, is well fitted to represent Satan as a roaring lion, seeking to devour. Satan did not come to Peter as "an angel of light," but rather as a "roaring lion."

But Paul, the man of culture and intellect, picture: Satan as "an angel of light." To Paul, Satan was an "an angel of light" when he came with a new philosophy, a new culture, and a new religion, with nothing vulgar about him. The devil never reveals his hoof to some men. He roars at some men, but to others he shines as an attractive angel of light. But as "an angel of light" he is just as real and active an enemy, and though he doesn't roar, he is just as malicious; in fact, he is more dangerous because he is attractive, having fashioned himself as an angel.

The Apostle John gives to us another title of Satan which clearly' reveals him as the enemy of the believer. He calls him the accuser, "For the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them, before our God day and night" (Rev. 12:10). Satan is God's enemy and the believer's enemy. As the believer's enemy, he accuses him before God. Whenever the believer sins, Satan, as accuser, siezes hold of the fact and charges him with offense, making a complaint against him before God. As the enemy of God, Satan accuses God to us, making out God to be unloving and unjust. The passage in Revelation 12:10 gives us warrant to believe that Satan has access to the very throne of God, where he makes his complaints against God's people. Thus, we see that as accuser, he accuses us to God, and accuses and misrepresents God to us.

THE TACTICS SATAN USES IN THIS WARFARE.

Our enemy is spoken of as one who uses "devices" against us (II Cor. 2:n). We are also told to "stand against the wiles (literally, methods, or trickery) of the devil" (Eph. 6:11). So our enemy, in opposing us, uses tricks and craft. He knows the best weapons to employ, the weakest side to attack, and the opportune moment for delivering the attack. We should have a due knowledge of Satan's superiority, skill and cunning, for if we do not, we shall not have a sense of our need, and we shall fail to be panoplied in the Christian's armor. Let us consider Satan's various "devices" and "methods" which he uses to get our hearts away from God.

One of Satan's "wiles" is to induce believers to exalt life and attach little importance to doctrine. It is very commonly said, "It does not matter what you believe so long as you are sincere and live right." This subtle lie of Satan is upon the lips of many Christians. It is Satan's trick to get them to minimize and discard the precious doctrines of God's Word. According to the Word, creed is the basis of conduct. We are to build up ourselves upon our "most holy faith" (Jude 20). The faith here is the "faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3). Then it is very clear that the Bible inflexibly requires that we build upon the doctrines of the Book. The Bible is our rule of faith and practice.

It is equally Satan's trick to get Christians to exalt doctrine, and make little of practice. Many there be of God's people who lay great stress upon orthodoxy, who are concerned about correct definitions of truth, but who do not take heed to their own lives. God's Word says that we are to adorn th« doctrine of God in all things (Titus 2:10), in other words, make the gospel beautiful and attractive. Many know the doctrines in their heads, but have never applied them to their inner lives. This condition very much pleases Satan — it is just as he would have it.

Another tactic which Satan uses in his conflict with the believer is to cause friction with other members of the body or to introduce coldness and indifference between them. To bring schism between members of the same body seems to be Satan's highest purpose. Some of the many things which wrung the heart of the Apostle Paul were contentions, strifes, debates, variances, and divisions (Rom. 13:13; I Cor. 3:3; I Cor. 1:10-11). Particularly was this true among the believers at Corinth. To defeat this spirit Paul enforced the truth that believers are members one of another (I Cor. 12:12-27). Now another device of the adversary is clearly seen. If he cannot stir up open hostility between believers, he will seek to lull them to indifference. He endeavors to bring coldness and break the warmth of fellowship between Christians, and in doing so, he knows that it breaks our fellowship with God. God's Word says that we should endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3). And this not only applies to the frictions, criticisms, and divisions which Satan may produce between believers, but to any coldness or indifference toward one another.

The apostle Paul in writing to the church at Thessalonica said, "Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us" (I Thess. 2:18). We see here that it is Satan's purpose to hinder us — to actually obstruct and blockade our pathway in service. Satan actually and literally hedged up the way, — so that Paul could not go to Thessalonica to comfort and strengthen the believers at that place. Satan is an obstructionist. Volumes would be required to record the insurmountable hindrances which have happened to God's work and the efforts of God's servants. Many times obstacles come in direct conflict with the line of service. Are they just "happen-so.?" As Satan is the "god of this world," he must, to some extent, control physical phenomena. He therefore brings about physical obstructions as well as spiritual. He hates God's servants who proclaim the Word, and he does everything in. his power to hinder their service and break down their testimony. Many a young man has given his life to God for service, and was side-tracked by a position with enhancing salary — Satan hindered. Or else, the obstacle was a domestic one, the parents being unwilling to give their son to the Lord — Satan hindered. Perhaps the testings which followed the giving of the life to the Lord seemed more than was possible to bear, and the result was hoplessness and discouragement — Satan hindered.

Satan will do all in his power to hinder growth in grace in the Christian life. Spiritual growth comes through reading the Word, prayer and testimony. In these three realms Satan has again revealed his cunning trickery in cheating believers out of the very best in the Christian life. In appealing to Christians to read their Bibles and pray, we usually hear the retort, "How can I spare the timer" We are allowing the awful rush of the modern world to steal our minds away from God. "No time," you say. Oh, what a trick Satan has played on you. How can you afford not to take time to be holy? What has God given you time for? Oh, may we be convicted of this negligence of prayer and Bible study. No time, O God, to receive eternal mercies from heaven's gracious King! Time was not given us to waste, but its rigid monopoly by material interests is robbing us of the chiefest joys of life. Do not longer cheat yourselves out of these precious graces. Take time to read God's Word and pray. As to giving forth a testimony for the Lord, many believers are held back because of Satanic fears. Many will not speak for the Lord because they arc afraid of what others will think or say. Some hold back from testifying because they feel that they should not testify until they live better lives. These are some of the many snares that Satan uses to trip us. Dear reader, if your prayer life is throttled — then Satan has you bound. Are you daily going to the Word of God for soul-food? If not, Satan has you bound. Is your mouth closed in testimony? If so, Satan has you bound hand and foot. I plead with you — break with what holds and hinders! Let Him speak to you through His Word; let Him hear your voice in prayer; and let others hear your voice in testimony.

HOW BELIEVERS GET VICTORY OVER SATAN.

There is a serious danger in considering our enemy — that we are prone to magnify his strength, and forget about the Lord's power. Satan is strong in power, so strong that we cannot match swords with him. So long as we muster our intellect, self-strength, egotism and self-sufficiency, Satan will laugh at us. There is but One Who can out-general his maneuvers, know his oily approaches, understand his insidious schemes, and checkmate his diabolical acumen — and that One is the Lord Jesus. Satan is mighty, Jesus is Almighty. Jesus was never defeated and Satan cannot match swords with our Lord. On every battlefield where he met the Lord the defeat was stunning — Satan has met his Waterloo.

Now bear in mind, there is victory for every one who fights, — victory, complete, overwhelming victory through the Victor. In this fight we have the advantage of fighting a defeated enemy — one who has been many times defeated. The Scripture is very clear in telling us how to get victory over Satan. God has provided an armor for the Christian which is exactly adapted and intended to stand over against every characteristic and tactic of Satan. We are told to put on the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:11). The girdle of truth will protect us from his lies. The breatplate of righteousness will protect us from his accusations. The sandals of peace are the provision for us against him as hinderer. With them we can jump over every obstacle he puts in our way. The shield of faith may be used against him as tempter, and the helmet of salvation when he denies our security. These are the defensive weapons. Then, we have one offensive weapon — the sword of the Spirit — with which we can give our enemy a thrust, setting him off to his confusion and defeat. Now the Lord Jesus answers perfectly to every piece of this armor, and we are told to "put... on the Lord Jesus Christ" ( Rom. 13:14). The method of victory is further given us in James 4:7: "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." First of all, surrender to God, or put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and the devil will flee. Romans.12:21, literally rendered, reads, "Be not overcome of the evil one, but overcome the evil one with the good One." It means for us to appropriate Christ and His complete Victory of the Cross. Let Christ and His Cross stand between you and Satan and His every temptation. There is victory through the Victor!

Finally, there is a Name which has never lost its power and has never failed in its effectiveness. It is the Name of Jesus. It is a Name which Satan hates, because, when it is used, this Name shakes loose his grip on us. It is a powerful Name. Try the Name when Satan tempts you. Look unto Jesus and repeat His precious Name over and over. Satan will flee and the peace of Jesus will flood your soul. If we use the Name of Jesus our victory is as certain as our defeat will be without Him. Clothed in the strength of His might and using His powerful, victorious Name, it is our privilege to have victory over the devil moment by moment, every day and hour.

"Did we in our own strength confide, Our striving- would be losing; Were not the right Man on our side, The Man of God's own choosing; Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He; Lord Sabaoth His name, from ape to age the same, And He must win the battle."