Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. (1 Peter 5:8-9)

He Can Be Resisted

Satan is a potent enemy that must not be underestimated. His goal is to destroy every soul in Hell, along with himself and his angels. The principalities of wickedness, powers of evil, rulers of the darkness, and spiritual hosts of wickedness align themselves in the war of righteousness against unrighteousness. Satan is crafty. He presents himself as an angel of light. Through deception and manipulation, he tempts the soul to follow his pernicious ways. Like fiery darts, the devil places the lust of the eye, pride of life, and lust of the flesh in the path of the righteous to bring them under his control. Satan is powerful. And he has great success in his evil plans.

As powerful and seductive as the devil can be, the child of God can resist him. It is possible to withstand the allurements of his crafty ways. The child of God can stand up to Satan and refuse to allow his evil influence to harm them. God has given His children the means to oppose the work of the devil. Fighting emboldened with the armor of God, the Christian can stand against and quench all the impositions of the great adversary. The power to overcome Satan does not derive its source from the feeble hearts of men. This can only come through the power of God.

Satan cannot make anyone do anything they do not want to do. It is imperative to understand that God has limited the power of Satan, and he has always been incapable of forcing his will on anyone. If a man sins and disobeys the word of God, the sin lies in the heart of man. Satan is the ultimate reason for sin, as in the garden when he deceived Eve, but it was Adam and Eve who made the choice. God’s wrath will be poured out on Satan in judgment when he is cast into Hell (he knows this), but God will also cast all those who follow him into the lake of fire. The tragedy of sin is that it did not have to consume the heart of man. Satan can be resisted.

One of the foundational elements of sin is pride. As the seed of evil, pride leads the heart of man to follow after his own will and desires. Satan feeds this desire by tempting the heart with the broken promises that are lies. The first thing that must be done to resist the devil is to remove the proud and arrogant heart. Victory over the devil begins with humility before God. A proud heart cannot stand before God. There is nothing God can do with a man who exalts himself until he humbles himself before the mighty hand of his Creator. Man’s heart must empty itself of pride so that he can learn how to resist the devil.

Humility is the first step toward resisting the devil. When a man humbles himself before God, the Lord will lift that man up. Casting all the care and concern of life to the will of God will bring about the joy of resisting Satan. It takes great courage to stand against Satan. A sober mind fortified with vigilance will defeat the wiles of the devil. Peter describes Satan as a lion, but a lion can be tamed and caged. Satan may be called a roaring lion, but that is all he can do – roar. A roar does not harm or destroy. When the weak hearts of proudful men allow the wiles of the devil to overcome their hearts, they will be devoured and destroyed by Satan. If they had stood against his roar and stood with faith in God, it would have only been a noisy event.

The most amazing part of resisting the devil is that James tells us the devil will flee from our faith. Imagine the puny creation of God on earth having so much power that he can cause the serpent of old to flee in fear. Drawing near to God with a humble heart will drive Satan away. It is possible (and needful) to live in such a way the devil is always running away from our faith. If you are looking for a goal in life, live in such a way you keep the devil on the run. The closer you are to God, the more the devil runs. Keep him running. The end of the road for Satan is Hell. Let him run at a furious pace into the abyss. Resist him. You can do it.