The fifth principle is essential to help us see two things at the same time. There is a real devil, and he is extremely busy. We have seen that God controls all things and uses everybody to work out His ordained purposes. However, even though all sickness and affliction come from the hand of God, it is the devil that is the agent of the evil. In other words, we must see both the hand of the devil and the hand of God at the same time. I have a book entitled 65 Mistakes In The Bible. It was written by a liberal preacher. The only real mistake was that the man ever wrote the book in the first place. Let me give you one of the "mistakes" in the Bible:

"And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah." II Sam. 24:1

"And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel." I Chron. 21:1

It is obvious that both verses are referring to the same event (when Israel and David were punished for numbering the people). It is just as obvious that one passage says God moved David and the other passage says that Satan moved David. Which is correct? If we understand the principle that I am setting forth, then it is clear that both God and Satan were involved. It was God's purpose (unknown to Satan) and Satan's hatred (which God used) that accomplished the work. God used both David's pride and Satan's hatred to accomplish His own purposes. We must see Satan's hand as the agent who brings the evil, but we must also see God's hand as the sovereign Mover and Controller. Let me illustrate this principle with a story.

An elderly lady was praying out loud in front of an open window. She had neither food nor money, and she was pleading with God to supply her with something to eat. Two boys heard her and decided to mock her faith. They went down to the store and bought a loaf of bread and a quart of milk. Then they stealthily put the milk and bread through the window. When the lady opened her eyes and saw the food, she praised God for hearing and answering her prayers. The boys stuck their heads up above the window sill and said, "Woman, you are stupid. God did not send those things. We put them there, and we did it just to prove to you how dumb you are. God did not bring that milk and bread; we brought them."

What would you say in a case like that? The lady smiled, thanked the boys for the food, and then said, "Maybe the devil brought these things, but God sent them." I am sure you see the difference. When the mailman brings an electric bill for two hundred dollars, you do not get upset with him. He did not send it; all he did was deliver it. This is the principle that we must see in all of the difficult things that happen. Thomas Watson was a Puritan with the ability to put great truth into short, concise statements. If you understand the following quote, you have the whole message:

"God always has a hand in the action where the sin is, but He never has a hand in the sin of the action."

It does not matter what happened, where it happened, when it happened, or to whom it happened. If it happened, then God had a hand in it; He controlled it. However, God is not guilty of the sin or hatred in the hearts of men that caused the sin in the situation.

Few people realize how important this particular principle is in our Christian life. We are told in Scripture to "humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God" and to submit to Him. However, we are also told to "resist the devil" and never to yield to his wiles and temptations. The problem lies in knowing and recognizing the difference between these two things. Many Christians, under the guise of "resisting the devil," may well be actually fighting the sovereign providence of God. Other believers, under the guise of piously "turning it all over to God," may be deliberately ignoring their personal responsibility to obey clear principles and fight temptation. Until we learn to see both the hand of Satan and the hand of God, we may be fighting God when we think we're "resisting Satan," and vice versa.