The Devil Wears a Tie (Intro)

According to a Gallup poll in 2016, most Americans said they believe in God. Close to eighty five percent of Americans believe there is a Supreme Designer of life. Although, opinions vary over the definition of God, and when asked about angels, hell, the devil etc. the number of people who believe dramatically shifts. The same Gallup poll records that only sixty percent of Americans polled say they believe in the devil. In 2009, a Barna poll revealed that over forty percent of professed Christians said they didn’t believe the devil was a person, but just a symbol of evil. It appears that the Hollywood image of a devious, red horned creature with a long tail and a pitchfork has been subtly engraved in our minds. In many cartoons, such a character of evil is almost laughable. Not every film portrays the devil like Legend does, but for the most part, this is the imagery that we have been spoon fed and have solidified in our minds. Our culture is stuck between a fire breathing beast displayed at a rock concert and a red devil of Hollywood.

There are extremes. On one side of the aisle, some are beating the gongs of trepidation and stuck on the evils of playing vinyl records backwards. Sadly, there is a growing number of scoffers, on the opposite side, who are willfully ignorant of satanic influences and undermine the fact that the devil is a real being. How one can profess to believe in the goodness of God but not in the deception of the devil, is beyond me. The scriptures are clear regarding Satan. He is real. He is not a symbol of evil. He is the Father of lies and the god of this world. He is powerful, but he is not all powerful. He is cunning, but he is not all knowing. So, how are we to approach the understanding of this vile serpent? Perhaps it is somewhere between the lines of sheer logic and extreme caution.

The apostle Peter declared, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). What is interesting is that I find many believers focus more on the devil’s roar rather than the call Peter gave for Christians to live from day to day! He said be sober and vigilant. The greek word for soberness gives the imagery of someone who is level headed and discerning, whereas vigilance imparts the idea of one being alert, watchful, and ready to defend. Is it any wonder that Peter’s admonition falls in line with what Christ told him in Matthew 26:41? Before His crucifixion, Jesus urged His disciples to “watch and pray” so that they would not be taken by surprise when trials and temptations arose. They had no clue what would happen that night. They were lethargic and tired, prideful and presumptuous, and because of this, Peter allowed anger to control his actions while everyone else allowed fear to consume them. All eventually forsook Christ that night.

The call for spiritual stability and steadfastness still echoes to all believers today. We must understand that the devil is a real person and he is not just invisibly floating around whispering to unsuspecting bystanders to do bad things. No, he is far more devious and is entrenched in the upper echelons of businesses, politics, and royalty. This is not a wild conspiracy, this is a hidden fact. Was Paul wrong in declaring, “This is not a wrestling match against a human opponent. We are wrestling with rulers, authorities, the powers who govern this world of darkness, and spiritual forces that control evil in the heavenly world” (Ephesians 6:12 / GWT)? No. He knew who pulled Nero’s strings. However, for the Christian, he must not wallow in fear and anxiety wondering if the devil’s noose will soon lasso around his own neck. When speaking about the spirit of the anti-christ that is manifested within the world, John reminded the saints that, “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

Lord willing, I will continue on writing about how we are to view the devil and what kind of walk we should maintain “in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation” (Philippians 2:15). For now, simply remember that though the “whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19b / ESV), as believers we are in the world, we are not of it (John 17) and in light of this fact, we can have the joyous assurance that we have obtained victory through the One Who has overcome the world (John 16:33).