23 August 2026

OUR THIRD ENEMY – THE DEVIL

(Spiritual Warfare: SW 18)

The devil – formerly known as Lucifer before his fall – is also known as Satan, the evil one, the wicked one, the tempter and the dragon or the serpent. Lucifer was a high-ranking angel in Heaven, but because of his pride he was thrown out of Heaven by God. He has since then become the arch-enemy of God and the Church.

God’s Word tells us what he is doing now: “The dragon was enraged with the woman (the Church), and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Rev.12:17). We are now at war – Satan is our enemy and is attacking the Church and the Christian all the time That is why we must be on guard all the time lest we fall into his trap and get defeated.

The Apostle Peter warns us: “Be alert, and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings” (1 Peter 5:8-9). The devil is not alone doing the attack; he has his cohorts – the fallen angels called demons or evil spirits – helping him to war against us. That is why the Apostle Paul warns us about them: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph.6:12). This speaks of the different ranks of the demons.

This is Spiritual Warfare and we are in it, whether we like it or not. We are soldiers of Christ and must endure hardship in the battle against the evil spiritual beings (2 Tim. 2:3). Like all true soldiers we must always be ready to fight, and the only assurance we have of protection and victory is to please and obey our Commander, Jesus Christ. In His Name we can overcome the enemy because He has given us Authority over all the powers of the enemy (Luke 10:19).

To prepare for this Spiritual Battle we are exhorted to be “Strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the whole Armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes…so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand” (Eph.6:10-13). The Armor of God is described in the following verses; they are the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, the Helmet of Salvation, the Shield of Faith, the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of Gd and the Gospel of Peace (Eph.6:14-18). Above all these, we are to persevere in praying in the Spirit for all the saints so that they might be protected and be given wisdom and strength to fight the battle.

Our enemy is strong and ruthless but we need not fear him. He is a defeated foe. At the Cross our Lord Jesus Christ defeated him and destroyed all the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). The saints of old “overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb and by the Word of their testimony and they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death” (Rev.12:11).

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