Legend has it that Satan once invited his entire host of evil spirits to submit proposals for the best strategy to deceive humanity about his evil schemes.
None of his arch-demons impressed him with their high-level approaches, until one weak and unassuming spirit appeared with his counsel.
“I will tell human beings that you don’t exist,” the young demon said simply and waited for Satan’s verdict.
As the father of all lies, Satan enthusiastically praised the young demon for coming up with a superb lie that perfectly resonated with his evil character.
Schemes and tactics
“Excellent!” Satan lauded the young demon. “Go and deceive humanity with this lie, and you will succeed in swaying them away from my schemes and tactics.”
It would appear that when the young demon left the presence of his master Satan, he came directly to Ghana to execute his lie.
For, imagine my astonishment the other day when I heard the head of a religious movement in this country tell his followers, “Don’t believe anybody who tells you about Satan and demons and witches and wizards, because those so-called evil spirits don’t exist!”
Misplaced applause
I was appalled to see the people listening to him applaud their leader and nod in agreement!
The listeners didn’t look like people who just entered planet earth from outer space.
Their tumultuous response of “Praise God!” indicated that they were church-goers.
If so, how can any church-goer applaud anyone who devises the concept (or deception) that Satan or evil spirits do not exist?
And how can anybody so clandestinely discount the presence of a spiritual world and the beings that inhabit it?
The world has witnessed many such religious celebrities who have dazzled their followers with strange teachings in the name of pious devotion to the Supreme God.
In Paul’s instruction to the church in Colossae, recorded in his letter to them (Colossians 2:8), he warns them about this kind of deception—
“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.”
Beware!
Indeed, throughout the Bible, the work of Satan and his evil schemes have been recorded.
The fall of man in the Garden of Eden, for example, was the result of Satan’s evil operating from under the skin of an old serpent.
So how can anybody discount Satan’s existence?
Beware of his diabolic tactics.
The reason for this deception is obvious.
One of the best ways to prevent people from seeking something, or from avoiding an evil, is to tell them that what they seek or the evil they dread doesn’t exist.
For example, if you were about to dive into a river and was told, “Crocodiles do not exist in this river,” you would not watch out for them. Then, in your recklessness, you would encounter a ravenous crocodile that would turn you into lunch!
The enemy
Apostle Peter called Satan our adversary or enemy: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."
Those who say Satan and his evil spirits do not exist should explain how they understand Ephesians 6:12: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
“Beneath the surface of the routine of daily life, a fierce struggle among invisible spiritual powers is being waged,” Bible commentators warn, and that no one should be deceived into thinking otherwise.
This “does-not-exist” mantra is the same reason atheists exist in our midst and people think there is no God or heaven or hell.
Once they discount their existence, they then seal their consciences to do whatever they please.
Our weapons
Our main defense against the works of Satan is prayer because we, humans, have no spiritual power and authority in ourselves to fight him.
Hence we must call on God to fight this spiritual battle.
One other potent weapon is God’s Word.
When Satan tempted Jesus to yield to his flesh, seek world fame, and put God to the test, Jesus used the written Word of God to defeat him.
If we know and believe in the truth of God’s Word, why would we clap for a religious leader who tells us Satan and evil spirits don’t exist when the Bible says they do?
Another indispensable weapon is the combined force of the name of Jesus and the blood he shed on the cross for us.
The devil dreads the Lord’s Name and his blood because they point to his defeat on the cross.
Follow Jesus, not any religious leader, for there is no other name (or person) under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
