"See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves."

Matthew 10:16 (NIV)

   A couple months ago while reading my Bible, this verse was impressed upon my spirit. I meditated on it for a few moments and couldn't figure out what the significance of this verse was for that moment in time. It was then that Christ asked me, "why? why those two animals in particular?" I thought for a second and remembered that in the Bible that a snake is the symbol, and a dove is the symbol of the Holy Spirit. That struck my spirit oddly. Why would I want to be as smart as satan? Then the spirit revealed to me this message.

WE MUST BE AS WISE AS SATAN

   So what exactly is there that satan knows that we should understand? If you meditate on that thought for a moment several items will come to mind. However, in this study I will only reflect upon the specific ones in regard to satan, himself. Let's begin.

1. satan knows who he is

   First of all, why should we want to know who satan is? The simplest reason for such is warfare. You cannot fight what you do not understand. The greater your level of knowledge on who you are fighting against, the greater your level of success over them.

   So who, then, IS satan?

a. he is fallen (corrupted) - Ezekial 28:12f

   satan once walked upon the mountain of God. satan once was perfect in his beauty, wisdom, and grace. It was through a twisting (a corruption) of his wisdom, a switch of focus from God to self, that led him to be cast out from heaven.

b. he is the lord of this world

   In the garden of eden satan tempted eve with the same pride and selfishness he fell with, and in doing so gained lordship over mankind. satan is the lord of, and source of, sin and when man became a slave (Romans 6:16) to sin, man lost his freedom.

c. he is a liar - John 8:44

   There is no truth in him! satan, from the beginning, has lied to everyone. From his message to eve, "you can be like God" to his message to Jesus, "forbid it be thee to die;" his every word has been saturated with his nature. You cannot trust a single thing he says!

2. satan knows what he can do

   It is important for us to understand the greatness of satan's power and influence upon humankind. It is importance to not understatement him. Just contemplate upon this list and find you have reason to be wary of him.

a. he can accuse you before God (Zechariah 3:1-2; Revelation 12:10)

   The Bible declares here that satan is ever before the throne of God, throwing condemnation and accusations to God about your evil attitudes, thoughts, desires, and actions.

b. he can tempt (Matthew 4:1-10; Mark 1:13)

   In 1 Corinthians 10:13 Paul says very clearly that ALL are tempted to do wrong, believe wrong, and miss the mark of Christ's blessed will in our life. This is shown to be true as even the perfect God-man, Jesus, was tempted.

c. he can bind you physically with sickness (Luke 13:16; Acts 10:38)

   Make no mistake about it, my friends. ALL sickness comes from sin and satan. He is shown to not only to be the source of it, but the benefactor of it as well.

d. he can hinder us (1 Thessalonians 2:18)

   Whenever we set out to do the will of God, or to submit an area of our lives to Christ, satan will do whatever he can to hinder us. This can include physical problems, emotional attacks, and situations which deter us from doing what is right.

d. he can sow weeds (Matthew 13:39)

   Right here, tucked neatly away in one of Jesus' parables, comes a great truth about satan's abilities. Satan can sow weeds into our lives; from love of money, over-confidence in self, to the desire for personal satisfaction. These can, as displayed in another parable, choke the seeds of the Truth that through Christ are planted.

f. he can steal God's message (Mark 4:15; Luke 8:12)

   satan can steal the truth! he has been lying for centuries and has became very adept at doing so. his lies, his lusts, and his twisting of the truth can steal the message that Christ has given.

g. he can appear like an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14)

   This, I believe, is the most dangerous ability in satan's weaponry. Basically this means that satan can APPEAR in forms, theologies, and actions perpetuated for positive reasons. he can look right, talk right, and believe right. he can appear in any position, and portray any image. satan can appear as a godly source and in the end lead you down the wrong road.

3. satan knows what he can't do

   There are many things that satan cannot do, but they are all summed up in the first 2 chapters of Job. The purpose, I believe, of this book, apart from showing that the godly suffer from the hands of evil as do the wicked, is to show the true light to the devices of the wicked one. satan here is shown as a prideful, fallen angel, who pleads his case at the table of God and asks God to allow him to attack. This is the correct view of satan's relationship to God. the key here is that satan cannot do anything on his own without direct permission from God to do so.

   So when we go through trials, when the temptations are so deadly we think we will never be able to resist, we should remember that satan can only do what God has given him. We should remember, as Paul did, that God does not allow us to be tempted, to endure anything that He has not given us the strength to resist and stand up against (1 Corinthians 10:13). So take heart that satan is under the feet of God, that satan is on God's leash and that as His children we are given the same.

4. satan knows his weaknesses and how he is defeated

a. don't give him place

   In Ephesians Paul gave the formula for overcoming evil, and the devil with these simple words; do not make room for the devil. In other words satan needs room with which to work; a foothold in order to operate. There are two ways mentioned specifically in which to avoid allowing the devil to have this basis for his wretched work in your life. The first one is found just before the aforementioned verse in Ephesians 4:26; "Be angry and do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your anger." In other words anger must be dealt with swiftly and the situation let go else you find that anger used against you as you harbor it. The other is found in 2 Corinthians 2:10-11. "Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for the sake of the presence of Christ. And we do this so that we may not be outwitted by satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs. (NRSV)" In other words, forgiveness frees you from allowing satan to replay the situation, to pour salt in the wound, and to cast you down over a foothold of revenge. Forgiveness steals satan's ability to operate in your life in that manner.

b. put on the armor

   In the next chapter Paul speaks on perhaps the most popular image of all in the concept of spiritual warfare. However, most seem ignorant of the power, the spiritual greatness, and applicability of all of these pieces in the warfare of the christian against the devil. Since a large book series could be done on these, and I spare not the time to indulge in such, I will only briefly discuss each.

   The first piece mentioned is the belt of truth. This is what binds the armor together and without it you will fall for every trick of the devil. You have noticed that the defining characteristic of satan is as a liar, therefore to defeat him your life must be defined by truth.

   The breastplate of righteousness says that right living, that gift of God given for faith-based living, protects the most precious of your organs; the heart. We must wear the righteousness of Christ to keep us close to God. We must live right to avoid the pitfalls of turning our hearts away from God. For it is the heart, the seat of the emotions, where such a turning away begins.

   The shoes of the peace of the Gospel are necessary because the path of life is quite littered with traps for anger and materialism. The Gospel reminds us the truth that we are free from such and need not worry about what material goods we do or don't have.

   The shield of faith protects us with a resolution of knowledge that what God has told us is true. When we truly believe in our hearts and act upon it in faith that God will both supply our needs and prepare us and our way, then there is nothing that satan can do to make us doubt our status with God.

   The helmet of salvation protects us from mind attacks. When we are born again we are given a new mind, and one of satan's greatest attacks is to insert thoughts into our mind and twist the simple and great truths of the reality of our salvation. When we are protected by the helmet of salvation we think with our new minds of what our actions and thoughts mean in regard to our relationship with God, rather than simply what we want.

   And finally there is the greatest weapon of them all; the sword of the Spirit. The sword of the Spirit is the Word. The purpose of this is two folded; first as defensive and second as offensive. It has the power both to keep us from indulging our sinful fancies and to go into the world touching lives. So remember that when we are tempted, as Christ was and did, the words "it is written" will silence the devil.

   The combination of all these pieces of spiritual armor operating in our lives on a daily basis gives us the power of Christ over satan. This allows us to have the faith to know we stand upon the rock of Christ's Word, that He has us in His hands, and that nothing comes our way but to shape and mold us after His image. This submission and ultimate surrender of faith to Him to control our lives is the very key to unlocking the devices of the devil and destroying his every whim in attacks. So, my friends, stand firm and believe!

5. the balanced view

   There are two different types of people walking around in the christian realm that I find unbalanced. One of them says that he alone, that man himself, is responsible for the state of the world today. He feels no hatred for satan, instead points his fingers at other people. The other says that satan alone is responsible for every evil act. He, instead of helping and equipping people to face the demonic forces, becomes a superstitious fool who fears anything not "christian." Neither of these is a healthy and balanced approach to life.

   satan has perpretrated much throughout the pages of history, but we must not give him so much credit as to say that man has not played his part in the rule of satan and the destruction of morality. We must respect satan's abilities, not underestimate them. We must fear God and remember that he has overcome the devil. Therein is the key to a balanced approach. Don't fear satan, but see him in a sober light. he is real. but so is our God!