The Apostle Paul wrote, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12) In the verse just before this, he wrote, “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.” (Ephesians 6:11) Yes, our enemy is the devil. His name is Satan, which is the Greek word for a false witness or a slanderer. Jesus called him “the evil one,” “the father of lies,” and a “murderer.” (Matthew 13:38-39; John 8:44) He is also called “the prince of this world,” “the god of this age,” and “the ruler of the kingdom of the air.” (John 12:31, 14:30; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2) Which means we’re not only engaged in a spiritual battle – we’re fighting behind enemy lines!

            What else do we know about Satan? Well, the Bible never gives us a complete description of him or his origins, and we only have hints about why he is the way he is. In the first book of the Bible, we meet Satan in the Garden of Eden tempting the first man and woman to disobey God’s command. (Genesis 3:1-6) We find him again in the book of Job making accusations and bringing disaster on an obedient man to goad him into rejecting God. (Job 1:1-9) He “rose up against Israel” and tempted King David to make a terrible mistake. (1 Chronicles 21:1) He is the one who “snatches away” the meaning of the gospel from the hearts of the unsaved and blinds their minds to the truth. (Matthew 13:19; 1 Corinthians 4:4) He interferes with the work of God’s people and is out to destroy them. (1 Thessalonians 2:18; 1 Peter 5:8) Even Jesus, the Son of God, was directly tempted by Satan. (Matthew 4:1-11) Don’t think you’re going to get off easy.

            Satan isn’t a myth, and he isn’t a metaphor for all that is evil in our world. He is real. Like God, he is a spiritual being, not made of flesh and blood like we are. But unlike God, there are limits to his power and his authority. (Job 1:6-12, 2:1-6; 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8) He could not stop Jesus from doing what he came to earth to do, and he can’t change the sentence that has been pronounced against him and he will one day have to serve. (Revelation 20:10) But for now, he has great authority on the earth and a mission to disrupt God’s plans to the best of his abilities.

            In the rest of this book we will talk about some of the specific ways Satan attacks and how we can be prepared to defend ourselves against him. But it’s important to not get overconfident in this spiritual battle. When Jesus was tempted by Satan he didn’t fight with him. He merely resisted the devil’s temptations by relying on and responding with the Word of God. (Matthew 4:1:11) The Archangel Michael, described in the Bible as “the great prince” who protects the people of Israel, also refrained from taking Satan head on. (Daniel 12:1; Jude 1:9) Our job is not to destroy Satan or to defeat him. We have been called to do other things, like taking the gospel into the world, making disciples of Jesus, and living a life that brings glory to God. In relation to Satan, we have only one mission: to stand firm.

            The Bible tells us:

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. (1 Peter 5:8-9)

Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. (James 5:7-8)

            And in the words of Jesus:

He who stands firm to the end will be saved. (Mark 13:13)

            Stand firm. That’s the goal. Although there are many things which can help us stand firm the most important is the hope we have when we trust in God. Just like God had plans for the Jews of the fifth century BC, he has plans for you, too, and he has the power to help you succeed in those plans. As long as you remember his promises and put your trust in him, he will give you the strength to stand firm against Satan’s attacks. Satan wants to turn your attention away from God, to get you to let your guard down, to separate you from the one who has promised to take care of you. If you want to win this battle, you’ve got to keep your heart and mind focused on God.