Lesson 26

Overcoming Satan - Here's How!

I Peter 5:8-9

I'm finding it hard to finish I Peter! He keeps on saying so much! It's not me! It's him!

We have reached the closing section of this great letter from Peter to suffering saints of the persecuted churches in the first century.

Peter uses his closing remarks to remind these believers of the basic fundamental attitudes which every Christian should cultivate. Attitude is essential. 19th century philosopher Henry James (1811-1882) said, "The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes." The attitudes in this passage, then, are the practical path to spiritual maturity. Last week we observed the first three, found in verses 5-7.

1. An Attitude of Submission, v. 5.

2. An Attitude of Humility, vs. 5c-6.

3. An Attitude of Trust in God, v. 7.

Today, we begin in verse 8. There are actually three commandments in verses 8-9 that all have to do with our regard and attitude toward Satan.

We have a real enemy. He is not some mythical or mystical figment of our imagination. He is not some Halloween cartoon character with horns, a pitchfork and a long tail. He is Satan and he is real.

According to verse 8, Satan is not imaginary and he is not passive. He is aggressive and we should be on the constant lookout for him.

Notice, Satan is referred to here as "your adversary". He is indeed your enemy (actually arch -enemy). He is your opponent. He is against you. He is not on your side. He opposes you. Satan is also referred to here as "the devil" - the Greek word is "diabolos" from which we get diabolic. It has to do with slander and false accusation. The point is that Satan is a liar (John 8:44). He does not deal with you honestly and truthfully and fairly. He defeats by lying and cheating. He cannot be trusted.

The text tells us that Satan is "seeking whom he may devour". Satan is not some passive force. He is actively and aggressively seeking someone to prey upon. He isn't waiting for you to come to him, he is looking for you. In fact, Peter compare Satan to "a lion". ILLUSTRATION: Cats are always looking for their next meal. Selecting the most vulnerable.

That's what Satan is like. Finding the vulnerable and devouring him/her. Lions eat eleven pounds of meat per day in order to sustain themselves! Peter says not just a lion, but a "roaring lion". When do lions roar? A lion's roar can be heard up to a distance of 5 miles and is believed by zoologists to have a territorial function. Lions do not roar when they are stalking their prey. They are quiet. They roar after making a kill. There roar is intended to intimidate. Satan is like a roaring lion, fierce and intimidating.

Satan will attack you. At times, he will attack your physical body with illness, like he did Job in the Old Testament and Paul in the New Testament. He would desire to make you physically incapable of doing God's will. He will attack you emotionally with discouragement and depression. He will attack you spiritually with temptation and enticement. Luke 22:31 - And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. Satan attacks us personally and individually.

Satan will attack your family. Satan's attack may come against your home. There is a sense in which Satan's first attack was against the home. Satan led Adam and Eve into disobedience. In I Corinthians 7, Paul is addressing family issues, particularly the husband and wife relationship. And in verse 5, he says, "5Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency." Satan attacks marriages and families. In fact, I've often said that the most elite demons have to be the Sunday morning demons. Every Christian family seems especially under attack on Sunday morning - especially sleepy, running late, shorter fuse - keeps us from church and even if we go, we often arrive with the wrong attitude. Satan will attack your family.

Satan will attack the church. When Jesus wrote to those 7 churches of Asia in Revelation 2-3, he specifically mentioned Satan (the devil) 6 times. Jesus wanted His churches to know that they would be attacked by Sa tan. Revelation 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

II Corinthians 11 says that Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light (II Corinthians 11:13-15) and so his agents disguise themselves as ministers to deceive the church. I Timothy 3:7 warns pastors of the snare of the devil. Acts 5:3 reminds us that the problems brought into the church by Annanias and Saphira were Satan inspired. Satan attacks the church.

So what are we suppose to do about Satan? What can we do to overcome his attacks?

There are people going around today claiming that we can bind Satan. They think that we can just use some magic formula and by claiming the name and blood of Christ, we can command and declare Satan to be bound. "In the name of Jesus and by the blood of Jesus, I bind you Satan." I don't understand that mentality. First of all, I don't talk to Satan. We're not on speaking terms. Further, if I did, when my words stop Satan? Does Satan say, "I was going to get him, but he said I was bound so now I can't." And ... how long does a binding last? Why couldn't someone permanently bind Satan on behalf of all humanity?

So how do we overcome our adversary the devil who is seeking to devour us? The three commands in these two verses express to us the key attitudes that will enable us to experience spiritual victory.

An Attitude Of Clearmindedness- v. 8a

"Be sober"

see also 1:13.

The sobriety being spoken of here, could be used to speak of abstinence from intoxicating beverages, but is used metaphorically to speak of being clear-minded and self-controlled.

There has entered into Christianity, in recent times, an emphasis on feelings, emotions and experiences and actually a disdain for thought provoking instruction. Most people don't go to church in order to learn. They go in order to feel better. Church has, in many cases, become more a place to affect your feelings than to impart truth to you. Teaching, which is two-thirds of our commission, seems dull and dry and boring. One observer said, "Whenever I go to church, I feel like unscrewing my head and placing it beneath the pew in front of me because I never any use for anything above my collar button."

We know God and worship God and get connected to God primarily through our minds. Psalm 32:8-9 - 8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding. There is no virtue in a lack of understanding. Psalm 73:22 So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee. Ignorance is characteristic of an animal, not a Christian. Isaiah 1:18 - Come, now, an let us reason together saith the Lord." Jeremiah 4:22 For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding. Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge.

We are called to know, to engage ourselves to teaching and learning the truth. The church doesn't exist in order to make you feel but in order to make you think. Christianity is a matter of the mind. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." The Bible tells us that we are to have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), that He as given us a sound mind (II Timothy 1:7), that we must constantly be renewing our mind (Romans 12:2). We, thusly, are commanded to think on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report; virtuous, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).

In order to overcome Satan, we must constantly fill our minds with divine truth, allowing it to saturate and change our lives and empowering us to overcome the enemy. The purpose of preaching / teaching is pour truth into your mind in a persuasive, convicting, passionate, clear, concise and definitive way. This truth becomes part of you just as food that you eat become part of the body and life and energy by which you live physically. The world system and the god of this world, will continually expose you to error. Thus, the church must continually expose you to truth to counter the error.

The way to overcome Satan is by clear and correct thinking, by being sober (soberminded).

An Attitude Of Vigilance, v. 8.

"Be Vigilant"

This word means to be watchful, on the lookout, alert. Jesus used the word 17 times. Sobriety and vigilance go together. Peter connects them here. Paul does in I Thessalonians 5:6 - "Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober."

Again, the vigilance, the alertness, the watchfulness spoken of here is not just a matter of the eyes. It is a matter of the mind being alert to strategy and subtle attack of our adversary, the devil.

An Attitude Of Resistance, v. 9.

Peter tells to resist Satan. So does James. James 4:7 Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

How do we resist the devil? "Stedfast in the faith" that is, by being firm in the faith. The faith is that body of truth that Christians believe. 1 Tim 4:1 n the latter times some shall depart from the faith. 1 Tim 5:8 He hath denied the faith. Titus 1:13 Be sound in the faith. Jude 1:3 Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. We resist the devil by standing firm in the faith. I Corinthians 16:13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith. Ephesians 6 tells us to "stand firm."

Let's look at II Corinthians 10:3-5. The text is speaking about our spiritual warfare against the forces of evil. Paul reminds us that victory is not by human means, not through human plans, human ingenuity, human words. It is by bringing every thought to the obedience of Christ. We resist Satan by standing firm on the truth of God's Word.

Peter wraps up this paragraph about Satan with a reminder that, in our battle against Satan, it helps to know that we are not alone. Others are fighting the same spiritual battle as you.

I John 2:14 - I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

So ...

think clearly - be sober.

watch alertly - be vigilant.

stand firmly - be firm in the faith.