A recent post dealt with “How does God feel?” That post was a bit of a reach. As I said then, I don’t presume to speak for God………I was just making my best guess.
Today I’m going even further out on a limb.
First of all, let me clarify some “ground rules”.
Satan is real……..just look around…….. if you don’t believe he is real, you just aren’t paying attention.
Satan is not a metaphor, a hazy concept, an idea, a guy in a red suit. He is a living creature with a goal and the tools to pursue it.
Satan wants power and control……over you.
Satan looks out for Satan………and nobody else.
God will defeat Satan…..in the end…..and Satan knows it.
Because he knows that he will ultimately lose, Satan wants to do as much damage as he can before the end. He is not a “good sport”.
Satan was created by God. He was an angel. I think that he and God were once close. He rebelled against the power structure in God’s world and was “ejected from the park”. He now roams the Earth trying to set up his own kingdom. Unlike God’s kingdom which is based on love….. Satan’s kingdom is based on domination. He still visits and talks to God……..but, his access is limited and his power is limited…….by God. He will ultimately be destroyed.
So……..what does it feel like to strive to build a kingdom?
Satan is proud.
Satan is ambitious.
Satan is hopeful.
Satan has big plans.
Satan is organized……..he has a team that he manages closely.
Satan is powerful and he has extensive resources.
Satan loves his power and his resources and he uses them skillfully.
He builds his kingdom by separating us from God.
What does it feel like to strive to build a kingdom based on domination when you know that you will ultimately fail,?
Satan is frustrated.
Satan is angry.
Satan has an inferiority complex.
Satan wants to share his pain….because misery loves company.
Satan is vengeful……he can’t hurt his real enemy……. God……. so he attacks you and me.
He finds joy in our failures.
To sum it up……. Satan is a combination of ambition and angry frustration……..and he takes his anger out on us.
How should we deal with him?
Focus on the primary power structure…….. God.
Know that in the end ……….God wins.
Do not ignore Satan……..but know that he is a second tier operator…… ultimately, a bit player.
Know that he will try to pry his way into your world….. every day.
Know that you get to choose which team to join……..the winner who operates on love………or the loser who operates on domination.
“Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
Jesus, NIV
Be alert and of sober mind. 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 the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
Peter, NIV