The Devil

The devil....
Some people want to define him as nothing more than an allegory.
Some want to say he exist only as a metaphorical example of evil.
That when we refer to the being, the devil, we simply mean the evil that exist in the world today.
The devil is a created being made by God, who allowed his own pride to remove him from a position he held in heaven.

Some ask, "Why does the devil seek to destroy mankind?" That is an easy one.
First off, it's his nature.
John 10:10 says that "the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy."
But why? Why creation in particular?
Because the devil knows that he cannot destroy or defeat God.
He knows that he is a defeated foe, but he feels that he can somehow get back at God by destroying as much of creation as he can. This includes mankind.

We don't see much of the devil in the Old Testament. We do see glimpses of him in Genesis and in Isaiah and Ezekiel but not like we do in the New Testament. Why?
The answer is found in I John 3:8 - The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. When Jesus came on the scene at the beginning of the New Testament, his very presence brought the devil out into the open and exposed him. Who could uncover someone except he who had more authority and power to do so?

One thing we need to realize as believers.
Know and understand who you are in Christ, and begin to feast and eat on God's word. Get it in your mine and heart. Memorize verses not for memory sake but for the life they can bring you. Fighting your enemy, the devil, isn't about power. It's about truth.
In Matthew 4 when Jesus is in the wilderness and the devil comes to tempt him, the first thing the devil does is to question Jesus' position and authority. "IF you are the Son of God!" He rails against Jesus' authority and wants Jesus to move from a place of obedience to the father, to a place of taking matters into his own hands by changing stones to bread. The devil's approach is always to get you to disregard your position in Christ and to try and take matters into your own hands. Don't fall for this trap!
Jesus came at the devil quoting Scripture. The, living, active, powerful, sharp Word of God. We would do well to do likewise when we feel attacks and temptations coming at us from the enemy.

Know whose you are.....
God on you............
mb