The Devil is a liar.  In fact, the Bible teaches us that he is “the father of lies.”  The Devil, also known as Satan, is somebody you don’t want to know.  But you should know about him; you should know as much about him as you can because he is your enemy and key to winning any battle is knowing your enemy.

The cloven-hoofed one is smart and over the centuries he has been very successful at creating an image of himself that is not even close to reality.  He is an expert at branding.  So, let’s shine the light on Satan’s lies about himself so you have an accurate picture of just who your enemy really is.  It’s no sin to talk about Satan and you shouldn’t be superstitious about it.  Jesus once said:

“I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. Be as wary as serpents and harmless as doves.”  (Matthew 10:16  TLB)

The very best way to be “as wary as serpents” is to know as much as we can about our enemy, the Devil.

Lie Number One:  “I don’t really exist.”

The very first lie the Devil has been successful in peddling is that he isn’t real; that he doesn’t really exist.  Over the centuries, he has used superstition, ignorance, and even humor to convince people that he isn’t real; that he is a figment of the imagination.  Think about it.  We tell jokes about him (“the devil made me do it!”) and blame things he’s responsible for on warped minds or man’s inner impulses.  We have found ingenious ways to explain the Devil out of existence.  But thinking he isn’t real doesn’t make it so.  The Devil is real.  He is as real as God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.  He is as real as your neighbor.  And if you are a Christian, he’s out to get you.

Be careful-watch out for attacks from Satan, your great enemy. He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking for some victim to tear apart.  Stand firm when he attacks. Trust the Lord; and remember that other Christians all around the world are going through these sufferings too.  (1 Peter 5:8, 9  TLB)

The best way for the enemy to gain the upper hand is to convince us that he isn’t real.  The Bible, though, speaks of Satan as a real being.  It never tries to prove his existence, any more than it tries to prove God’s existence.  But like God, the Bible simply assumes its readers are smart enough to know the truth.

For example, the author of the book of Job assumed you’d know that Satan was real.   In fact, we get a rare glimpse into the heavenly realms to see how he operates:

One day as the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, Satan, the Accuser, came with them.  “Where have you come from?” the Lord asked Satan. And Satan replied, “From earth, where I’ve been watching everything that’s going on.”  (Job 1:6, 7  TLB)

Satan, an angelic being, is able to roam the earth and heaven and, like all other angels, is answerable to God.  God knows the Devil is real because the Devil “presents” himself to God, apparently, on a regular basis.  He’s referred to here as “the Accuser,” and if you read the book of Job, you’ll learn that his chief activity is accusing God’s people before God.

“You have always protected him and his home and his property from all harm. You have prospered everything he does-look how rich he is! No wonder he ‘worships’ you!  But just take away his wealth, and you’ll see him curse you to your face!”  (Job 1:10, 11  TLB)

Thank God we have a Mediator in heaven who intercedes on our behalf!  And speaking of Jesus Christ, He knows Satan is real because He’s seen him!

“Yes,” he told them, “I saw Satan falling from heaven as a flash of lightning!”  (Luke 10:18  TLB)

God knows Satan is real.  Jesus knows Satan is real.  Only man has the arrogance to think he knows more than they do!  But, Satan is an expert liar, and he’s convinced a lot of people he isn’t real.  Bob Hartman wrote a song back in the 1970’s that puts it all in perspective:

You got the clergy working overtime to widen the narrow way, You’ve got politicians everywhere listening to what you say.  

You’ve got false apostles teaching lies perverting the only way, You’ve got principalities and powers waiting to obey.

You’ve got philosophies and vain deceits lying to deceive.

You’ve got hate, and greed, ungodly lusts in the deadly web you weave.

Somehow you’ve got so many thinking you’re not even there.  One look is all it takes to get them blinded by your glare!

Indeed.  Satan is the “Angel of Light,” blinding all kinds of people to the reality of his existence.

Lie Number Two:  “It’s God Versus Satan.”

This is an insidiously clever lie that says simply there is a great, cosmic battle going on between God and Satan; a boxing match in the heavenly realms between the forces of light and dark; between good and evil.  The idea behind this lie is that Satan and God and equally matched; that good is at war with evil and maybe – maybe – evil might win.

Now, there is a grain of truth in this lie.  There is a war in the heavenlies, but it’s a battle being waged for your soul, not for dominion over the material and immaterial universes.  Satan is merely a created being, just like you are, except that he’s a purely spiritual being whereas you’re both physical and spiritual.  God and the Devil are not locked in an eternal battle.  And the fact is, God has already told us what the final destiny of Satan will be:

Then the devil who had betrayed them will again be thrown into the Lake of Fire burning with sulphur where the Creature and False Prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.  (Revelation 20:10  TLB)

The Devil knows this is his fate and that’s why he’s trying to convince people he’s just as powerful as God.  He aims to take as many people into the Lake of Fire with him as he can.  But Satan isn’t anything like God. He is not omnipotent.  He is not omniscient.  He is not infinite.  He is not omnipresent.

Christians need to stop giving Satan so much credit!

Lie Number Three:  “I look like a man in a red suit with a tale, horns, and a pitchfork.”

This is often the way Satan is portrayed in cartoons and on TV shows.  Sometimes he comes across as funny little man wearing that kind of costume.  Sometimes he’s portrayed as a  hideous goat-like creature, not in a funny way at all.  But the Bible teaches us something very different.  Here’s how it describes Satan:

“Son of dust, weep for the king of Tyre. Tell him, ‘The Lord God says: You were the perfection of wisdom and beauty.  You were in Eden, the garden of God; your clothing was bejeweled with every precious stone-ruby, topaz, diamond, chrysolite, onyx, jasper, sapphire, carbuncle, and emerald-all in beautiful settings of finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created.  I appointed you to be the anointed Guardian Angel. You had access to the holy mountain of God. You walked among the stones of fire.  You were perfect in all you did from the day you were created until that time when wrong was found in you.”  (Ezekiel 28:12 – 15  TLB)

That doesn’t sound like a man in a red suit!  Or how about this:

God never sent those men at all; they are “phonies” who have fooled you into thinking they are Christ’s apostles.  Yet I am not surprised! Satan can change himself into an angel of light, so it is no wonder his servants can do it too, and seem like godly ministers. In the end they will get every bit of punishment their wicked deeds deserve.  (2 Corinthians 11:13 – 15  TLB)

The Devil can make himself look like anything you need and anybody you want.  That’s why you need to be aware of his tactics and his lies.

Lie Number 4:  “I am the ruler of Hell.”

This is such a common belief most people are surprised to find out that it’s not true at all.  This myth is common in much of the literature many of us have studied in high school or college.  This was Satan’s claim in Paradise Lost, according to Milton:

It is better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heaven.

Maybe so for him, but that’s not happening now nor will it ever happen.  Satan is not the ruler in Hell and he’s not in Hell.  When he finally gets there, he won’t be ruling over it.

So where is the Devil at the moment?  Revelation 12:12 gives us a clue:

Rejoice, O heavens! You citizens of heaven, rejoice! Be glad! But woe to you people of the world, for the devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time.  (TLB)

So he’s here!  He’s roaming the earth trying to make as much trouble as he can.  That’s what he does, especially in the lives of Christians.  He’ll do anything to cause you to doubt and make your faith weak.

When Satan is finally dealt with, he still won’t get into Hell.

Then I will turn to those on my left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.’  (Matthew 25:41  TLB)

But in the end, he still won’t get to be the ruler he aspires to be:

Then the devil who had betrayed them will again be thrown into the Lake of Fire burning with sulphur where the Creature and False Prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.   (Revelation 20:10  TLB)

Lie Number 5:  “The Devil made me do it.”

Back in the day, this was part of a hilarious Flip Wilson routine.  As funny as it was, that’s all it was:  a comedic routine without any basis in fact.  Satan tempted Jesus to sin, but it’s highly unlikely any of you reading this are so important as to attract His Dark Majesty’s personal attention.  In fact, the Bible teaches that, while the Devil is real and he is your enemy, even if there was no personal Devil you’d still have trouble staying on the straight and narrow.  It’s not Satan making you do anything, it’s your own sinful nature.   James says:

And remember, when someone wants to do wrong it is never God who is tempting him, for God never wants to do wrong and never tempts anyone else to do it.  Temptation is the pull of man’s own evil thoughts and wishes.  (James 1:13, 14  TLB)

We can blame the Devil for a lot of things, but most of the time, when we sin it’s our own fault.

But, what if you warrant Satan’s attention?  Can you resist him?  James again:

So give yourselves humbly to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  (James 4:7  TLB)

The Devil can’t make you DO anything you don’t want to.  You have it within you to resist him every time.  You may still sin, but you can win against the Devil.

Lie Number 6:  “I’ll make a deal with you…”

This is another lie:  You can make deal with the Devil.  Sometimes the deal goes like this:  A person is so desperate for something they need but can’t have, that they “sell their soul” to the Devil.  He gives them what they need, and when they die, he comes and claims their soul.

It’s a classic Hollywood scenario.  It makes for some great drama and lessons in morality.  But it isn’t true.  It doesn’t happen that way.  Nobody is capable of making a bargain with Satan.  The sad fact is, if you are unsaved, Satan already owns you.  Your only hope of gaining your freedom from him is coming to Jesus and asking Him to save you.

Satan hates God.  God is everything Satan wants to be, but can never be.  Because you are created in God’s image, Satan hates you almost as much as he hates God.  With Satan, it’s not personal.  It God’s image in you he hates.  Satan won’t strike a bargain you.  He hates you.  He is incapable of friendship.

Satan wants to lash out and strike at God but he cannot.  So he sets his sights on man.  He hurts the human race and causes strife and hatred and injustice purely as a way to get back at the God he hates so much.

He hates Christians most of all.  We’re privy to Satan’s schemes.  We know the truth and that offends him.  He will do what he can, when he can to disrupt your relationship with Christ and with each other within the Church.

But understand this:  Satan’s power is limited.  His hatred is limited.  His schemes are imperfect.  He can’t read your mind.  There’s no guarantee that any of his schemes against you will succeed.  He is, in reality, the saddest, most pathetic creature in existence.  But it’s the existence he chose for himself.  Satan doesn’t deserve your pity.  He doesn’t deserve your fear.  And he doesn’t deserve a second of your time.  If you’ve confessed Christ as Savior and He’s the Lord of your life, then you belong to God.  Beyond knowing about Satan, he’s of no concern to you.

The Devil’s time is limited.  He knows it. And he’s determined to do as much damage as he can before his time is up.  Let’s do what we can, as soldiers in Christ’s army, to disrupt his plans.  Let’s turn the tables on him and make life hard for the Devil for a change.