In 1 John 5:19 it is written, "The whole world lieth in wickedness." Why is that? Part of the explanation is that the devil, who is called Satan, deceives the whole world (Revelation 12:9). Satan really exists. He acts, he deceives, he works. The Lord Jesus said that the devil was a murderer from the beginning and the father of lies (John 8:44). We do not praise Satan, we do not glorify him, and we do not give him compliments. Yet, we admit that he has been very successful in history, and we want to know why. Why is it that his work is so effective?
The devil is successful in his work of deceiving men because he fully understands what he wants to accomplish. He has a goal, and he works very hard to achieve it. "Your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). He wants every soul to be lost! When Jesus explained the parable of the sower, He said, "Then cometh the devil and taketh way the word out f their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved" (Luke 8:12). Yes, Satan knows what his goals are. What about Christians? Should we not know what our purpose in life is? While on the earth we must do all to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). We must strive to please God, not men (Galatians 1:10). We must strive to bear fruit for the Lord's glory (John 15:8). None of these things happen by accident. We will do such things only when we make them our goals!
A second reason why the devil is so successful is he is very zealous. He not only acts, but he acts with great zeal and energy. Remember, he is compared to a roaring lion. The lion in the jungle does not wait for his food to come to him, but he goes and searches for what he wants. That is exactly what Satan does. Again, in explaining the parable of the sower, our Lord said that when the word of God is sown into a hard heart, then the devil comes "immediately" to take it away (Mark 4:15). Satan is serious about his work! What about you and I? Are we as zealous in our efforts to faithfully serve the Lord as Satan is zealous to destroy us? Jesus died for us that He might redeem us, and so that we will be a people who are "zealous of good works" (Titus 2:14). How zealous are we in matters of evangelism, edification, and benevolence? Some Christians are very zealous and energetic at their job, when they study in school or in the university, or when they are involved in music or sports, but they are not zealous and energetic in spiritual affairs. Is that not sad? Is that not a shame before the Lord who died for them? If you and I have not been as zealous in doing the Lord's work as we ought to be, then let us heed Jesus' words: "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous therefore, and repent" (Revelation 3:19).
Satan is concerned about the souls of men. That is a third reason why he is so successful. When we say that he is concerned about the souls of men, we simply mean that he does not want one soul to be saved and be with God for eternity. Instead, the devil wants all men to be lost, so that they will be cast into "everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41). Should not all Christians be concerned for the souls of men? If we truly love men, then we will want them to be saved. The Bible says that God desires that all men be saved (1 Timothy 2:4), and He does not want even one person to perish (2 Peter 3:9. If God has such a concern for men's souls, then so must we. How do we manifest our love for a person who is lost in his sins? Not by being quiet about his lost condition, and not by closing our eyes to his sin, but by trying to teach him the gospel of Jesus, for only the truth of the gospel can make a person free from sin (John 8:32). Brothers and sisters, Satan is having success in our lives if we see others living in sin and we do not show them how to be saved!
When we read about the devil in the Bible, we also see that he is very aggressive. He is not ashamed of who he is and what he does! Although his great success is undeniable, He is never satisfied with the results of his work. He always wants more and more people to be lost. If he can keep 99% of the people from serving Jesus, to him that is not enough. He wants more. He does not wait on people to come to him, but instead he aggressively seeks after them. What about Christians, should we be aggressive? Of course, we must be gentle people who teach and answer religious questions with meekness (1 Peter 3:15). But in the realm of evangelism, we have got to be more energetic and aggressive. Do you remember what the Jewish Sanhedrin accused the apostles of doing? They accused them of filling up the city of Jerusalem with the doctrine of Jesus Christ (Acts 5:28). Brothers and sisters, that did not happen by accident! The disciples must have been very actively teaching the good news of Christ. It is good for us to have a building in which we can meet, study the Bible, and worship. But, realistically how many non-Christians are going to come to our services without an invitation? Not very many. We must imitate the early disciples who taught the gospel publicly and from house to house (Acts 5:42). We have got to be more aggressive in evangelism. We cannot sit and wait on people to come to us. We must go and seek for them, for the love of Christ compels us to do so (2 Corinthians 5:14). If we say that we are too busy to try and teach others the gospel, then we are, in fact, too busy! Satan is never too busy to tempt and deceive men. Surely each of us can plan his schedule each week so that we can have time to do visitation and teach the gospel.
Another thing that we note about Satan and his work is his persistence. It seems that he never gives up. In Luke 4:1-12 we read of three ways in which the devil very strongly tempted Jesus. After Jesus defeated him the third time, then Satan departed from Him. However, Luke records that the devil left Jesus only "for a season" (Luke 4:13). Yes, Satan failed these three times in trying to get Jesus to sin, but later he came back. He kept trying, tempting Jesus in every way that he tempts you and I today (Hebrews 4:15). In Jesus' parable of the sower those people who are represented by the stony soil are those who at first receive the word with gladness, but later due to trials and persecutions, they become unfaithful (Mark 4:16,17). What does that show? Although Satan does not prevent these people from becoming followers of Jesus, he does not stop working. He continues to tempt them until, in the end they fall away. Satan never gets discouraged, he just keeps on tempting people through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). He knows that if he will just keep working long and hard enough, then he will have success. What about us? What should we do? "And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not" (Galatians 6:9). "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:58). In doing good to others, let us not be weary. In teaching the gospel to others, let us not be weary and discouraged if people do not receive the truth. Remember, the job of the sower is to sow the seed, believing in the power of the seed to bring forth fruit when it is sown in good ground. We must continue to preach the word, believing that it will produce fruit to God's glory when it is received into a good and honest heart (Luke 8:15).
Did you know that Satan is not prejudiced? That is another reason why he is so successful. Which people does he try to hinder from serving Jesus? Whom does he tempt? Whom does he want to cause to go to hell? Every person in the world! Satan severely tempted Daniel when he was a young man (Daniel 1:8), and again in about seventy years when he was an old man (when he was thrown into the den of lions because he prayed to Jehovah, Daniel 6). Satan tempts males and females (think about how he tempted Job and Eve), he tempts Jews and Gentiles, rulers or common people, those of every race, Christians and non-Christians. Satan is happy if he can cause any person of any race to be his servant. What about you and I? Are we prejudiced against people who are not exactly like we are? The Lord Jesus invites all men unto Him (Matthew 11:28), and wants us to go and preach the gospel to every person in every place (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19). If we are going to be successful in teaching the good news to all men, then we must remove all prejudice from our hearts, and instead let our hearts be filled with compassion and love for each person who has not yet had his sins cleansed by the blood of Jesus.
Satan never rests. He is always working all day every day. He wants you and me, and every other person in the world to be lost. May God help each of us to know his methods and resist him with a strong faith, so that he will flee from us (James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:9). Let each of us be more zealous in doing the Lord's work, realizing that all it takes for the devil to be successful is for you and I to sit and do nothing to fight against him!This item originally appeared in Truth #47 - 13 February 1998
