In the thinking of some in our modern, up-to-date world, there is no such thing as a devil let alone the monster of the hadean world that has complicated, shattered, and destroyed so many lives since the beginning of time. Genesis 3:1-8. What, today, is your sense of the nature and work of the person described in the Bible as Satan, the dragon, the deceiver, and the accuser of the brethren? As the ages have rolled by and the activities of men have been unchanged, we have seen the work of the prince of this world is also unchanged. He has so slandered, lied, and counterfeited his way into the minds and daily habits of literally thousands of minds and souls that, today, he is one of the most prolific forces of history. Satan, the Devil, personifies the most harmful and dangerous personality to ever grace the ages of time. Jesus, in John 8:44, depicts him as a liar and murderer. The best known of all the devices of Satan is trickery. He even disguises himself as God and, in doing so, captures the wills and hearts of unsuspecting victims to sift them as wheat. Matthew 13:24-30; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15. Satan is the enemy. Many are shocked to find out that the most lethal of sources for danger and fear are not original with man but with the subtle and powerful influence of man's greatest adversary, the devil.

There is an ever-increasing perspective that the work of Satan, the devil, is nothing more than myth, hype, and religious scare-tactics that are used by believers to coax and bewilder men and women into submission and mind control. The word Satan is found in the Bible 55 times; the word devil is used 59 times, all in the New Testament. Today there are men of every conceivable persuasion: some are Atheists; others are Agnostic; while others super analyze and are bound by the false messages and doctrines of men. Which are you? Do you think that the devil poses no threat to you and your family, job, or the world? Do you, as some, assume or think that there is a level of ungodly behavior that the creator of heaven and earth will tolerate without completely destroying you or the fragile world you call yours? Let us set the record straight and make the knowledge of Satan and his powers clear as recorded by the word of God.

Satan lied to mother Eve in the beginning, and he will not fail to use any means to destroy the relationship that God seeks to have today with men of every nation. Satan is not the cartoon character portrayed by artists - with a red suit, a long pointed tail, bearing a pitchfork. The devil is our most vile and often, unnoticed, menace. He rules the world. 2 Corinthians 4:4. He corrupts the minds and souls of so many. 2 Corinthians 11:3. He has the vast majority of the world so duped and pacified with the pleasures and lusts of daily life that his followers outnumber those in God's family by a vast majority. Matthew 7:13-14. The real danger in the modern world, as in the world of Adam, is that many are unsuspecting victims of the tricks and lies of Satan's message and messengers. Matthew 7:15-20.

I warn all to be on the lookout for Satan's traps and his snares. He affects the way we think and behave. What about your behavior before God? Would it please him? Give heed to the words of the apostle in Ephesians 5:11-16. -P.O. Box 335, Harold, Ky. 41635. jimopr@mikrotec.com

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