Do we ever really consider all the havoc and the problems that the evil one causes in this world?

Most of us probably are aware to some extent, but do we really think
about his destructive power, his nature, his schemes?

If we go back to the beginning of creation we know that it was satan's temptation of Eve and Adam that led to the "downfall" of creation and mankind.

He tempted Eve by "enticing" her with the fruit. He gave her a "wonderful picture" of how good the fruit looked and how she would "gain" from disobeying God's commandment:
                   
  "Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate."

                                                 (Genesis 3:1-6 NKJV)

What happend in turn? Well, we do know the rest, dont we? This world has never been the same!

Sounds familar doesnt it? Satan wraps sin into a "neat package" and
sells it to whomever he wills! From the man who steals to the woman who commits adultery, sin has "reigned" ever since. People denying God's authority, to denying His existence:
 

 "The fool has said in his heart,
          “There is no God.”
          They are corrupt,
          They have done abominable works,
          There is none who does good."

                                          (Psalm 14:1 NKJV)

This is nothing new of course! The world has always been "pulled in" by satan and his evil schemes.

The saddest part of all is when we are convinced that our sin is
"justifiable". We lie to ourselves and tell ourselves such lies as, "well, because Im not getting what I think I should Im going somewhere else" (says the person who is contemplating cheating on their spouse). Or things such as "well, I would not have done that if that person had not made me mad". We come up with all sorts of excuses to justify our sin don't we? Now, while we do have to "own"
our own sin (click here: Our own worst Enemy? If you would like to find out more about this), we must also understand that our "adversary" the devil, does play a huge part in the problems in this life:

 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."

                                                (1 Peter 5:8 NKJV)

He is basically in the business of destroying lives as he knows that
his time on this earth is short (and he will be judged). And he is angry, just wanting to take as many with him as possible. And that's just what he does! He "sows" bad "seeds" in this world:

 "The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels."

                                                    (Matthew 13:38-39 NKJV)

And He is also called the "father" of all lies. Why? Because from the
beginning he was a liar! Jesus put it best:

 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it."

                                                      (John 8:44 NKJV)

Its a terrible thing to think of, but the influenece he has had, has
caused much grief, pain and agony in this world! Trying his best to convince people that their sin is okay, and that they have a "right" to do just whatever they want!!

The sad part is when they do not realize that the only thing his advice will bring, is pain in other's lives, and in their own. And saddest of all,
destruction in the end, if it goes too far!

It's astounding how we let him "run" our lives at times. We do not
realize that the moment we begin to give into temptation, or bitterness, he has his "foot" in the door in our hearts. And all it carries with it will do nothing, but bring misery and harm!

He is so crafy and we hardly recognize when he is scheming against us. Using whatever means he can to discourage us and keep us from following the Lord! Not only that, but doing his best to destroy marriages, walks of faith, and our lives. And the destruction he has left behind is astounding and heart breaking to say the least!

Should we be surprised at this? Hardly, you see satan is quite good at
what he does! In fact the bible even says that he "disguises" himself even into an angel of light:

 "And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light."

                                                 (2 Corinthians 11:14 NKJV)

Why? That he may do his "thing", afterall remember, he is seeking to
seek and destroy whom he will, that's his "MO".

But how are we to react in all this? What are we do to? Well, first we
need to be aware of his scheming ways:

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves."

                                                    (Matthew 10:16 NKJV)

We should be "aware" of his tactics! "Wise" to them!!

What are some of the common tactics he uses? Well, for one he always hurts us at our weakest points. Such as the recovering alcoholic. He may, "help maneuver" this person into situations in which it may make this person become exposed to the one thing that really can put a "hold" on them (alcohol!). Or what about the person who struggles with following Jesus? He may surround this person with people who have no love for God, or His people, and drag this person back into the life they once lived. And how can he use people like this? Easily: 

 "Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”

                                    (1 Corinthians 15:33 NKJV)

Or the person struggling with depression. Someone is going through a
hard time and satan is right there, "whispering" in the person's ear! Such things as, "your life is not worth living", "things will never get better", or "you'd be better off ....!" Before long this person is considering suicide! Heart breaking isnt it? ...To say the least!

Or what about the couple that is struggling in their marriage. He may cause things to happen in which the couple is further "driven" from each other causing even more problems. He causes them to become "isolated". And with these he often throws in some more "enticment" such as bringing a person in who will give the spouse the attention the spouse feels they need (that the other person they feel has lacked giving them in their marriage). In turn this "unwholesome" relationship turns into adultery! Now is this sad to say, but I have often see these same kind of situations play out, over and over again! He islolates the husband and wife and before you know it, disaster occurs!!

And another tactic he uses is our anger! Our anger goes unchecked and before too long we "open" the door to bitterness and satans schemes! In turn we become his "playground" and open ourselves up to all kinds of sin!! That's why we are warned about not letting our anger go too far:

 "BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

  and do not give the devil an opportunity."

                                                  (Ephesians 4:26-27 NASB)

You see satan is NOT out to see us succeed, either in our relationships, marriages, and most of all in our walk of faith! You see his VERY scheme is to separate us from God's love and protection and see us "destroyed". We do make our own decisions, we must "own" them, but he has allot of influence and he is responsible for much destruction!

You see many do not understand this, but words are powerful:

  "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, 
     And those who love it will eat its fruit."

                                     (Proverbs 18:21 NKJV)

What you hear, and listen to, can cause much problems!

Not only that, but we must REMEMBER, the company we keep can be very dangerous! From the evil one "whispering" in our ears, to those around us who have no love for God! The harmful company we keep, CAN and WILL hurt us! And we must be aware of these things!!

He is very crafty, and we know ALL his ways to be evil. Saddest of all, its heart breaking to think that there ARE actually people out their who worship him! Very sad to think that the one who would see their destruction they have bowed down and paid homage to (the one who hates them!). But this is just another lie of his, to convince people that he is "more powerful" than God.

What also do we need to be aware of in all this? Well, second, and MOST important of all we must remember that God is much bigger than satan is!

Afterall, God created the heavens and the earth:

 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

                                             (Genesis 1:1 NKJV)

Not only that, but God's word is the only thing holding this world
together:

 "For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men."

                                                      (2 Peter 3:5-7 NKJV)

And also, that when we are children of God, NO ONE can take us from His hand:

  "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.”

                                              (John 10:28-30 NKJV)

And satan will receive his "just remards" for all the pain, destruction
and suffering he has caused:

 "The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

                                                (Revelation 20:10 NKJV)

And we know God is our father, the one who loves us, the one who gives us salvation, and the one who will never leave, or forsake us:

  "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

                                                                ^{(Hebrews 13:5 NKJV)}

You see as many schemes as the evil one "throws" at us, he has
A-L-R-E-A-D-Y lost! And what do those who have lost "miserably" do? They try to "bring down" as many with them as they can! Afterall, whats the old saying? "Misery loves company"! And the devil has lost....big time!!

He wants nothing more than to bring down as many with him as possible, but we have to realize that as God's children we are in his hand, we are under his protection!                      

Jesus Himself prayed for His disciples and for us! He knew what we would be "in for":

  "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

                                                    (John 17:15-16 NKJV)

Afterall, Jesus knew and had experienced satan's schemes:

 "Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” 
Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”

                                                                 ^{(Matthew 4:8-10 NKJV)}

You see when Jesus prayed in the garden, He knew that satan would try and destroy us! He had himself experienced his schemes!! You see none of satan's schemes are anything new!! But what we need to know is that our God is not only bigger, but His Son Jesus has already overcome satan and his destructive powers! First, and foremost of all, by abolishing the eternal death sentence of hell for all who accept Jesus as the payment for their sin:

 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

                                                       (John 3;16 NKJV)

Second, He has conquered satan's hold on our lives!! No matter what
schemes, destruction he may cause us, we are God's children and God takes care of His own!!!! Satan may try to lie and "convince" us that he has defeated us, but we need to remember the truth! We NEED to put our TRUST in God:

  "As for God, His way is perfect;
         The word of the LORD is proven;
         He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

                                              (Psalm 18:30 NKJV)

 "God is our refuge and strength,
         A very present help in trouble."

                                              (Psalm 46:1 NKJV)

 "The LORD redeems the soul of His servants,
         And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned."

                                              (Psalm 34:22 NKJV)

And we need to know the authority we have been given as believers:

"Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you."

                                                  (Luke 10:19 NKJV)

And just what kind of warfare we are in. And what we are to do about it:

  "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
  Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—"

                                              (Ephesians 6:10-18 NKV)

 So as you walk out this life in faith, remember who your enemy is, and what you are to do about it!

And heres some food for thought:

  "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:


      “ For Your sake we are killed all day long;
       We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

                                                   (Romans 8:31-39 NKJV)