The Devil is powerful!

[Tellyontellyon]

I hear some Christians saying that the Devil doesn't exist and that evil is simply the absence of good. I can't find anything in the Bible that convincingly supports that position.
The Devil is clearly an actual being.

I think it is also wrong to say that the Devil has no power against Christians.. that you just have to say something 'in the name of Jesus..' and he's been neutralised.

The Devil has got at least as much power as a human, and likely considerably more.

A human could certainly hurt you, take your life, or torture you.. even if you are calling on God. So why couldn't the Devil do at least that much.

He may not be able to take your salvation away, but he could tempt you, and certainly take your life if he wished.

Remember when some pastor got a cross thrown at him.. Begley? Why couldn't the Devil throw a knife or a boulder.

*How seriously do you take the Devil?

 

[honey badger]

we all must choose a devil, which is to say God puts a serpent in the path of every son ...

 

[Maria Billingsley]

I hear some Christians saying that the Devil doesn't exist and that evil is simply the absence of good. I can't find anything in the Bible that convincingly supports that position.
The Devil is clearly an actual being.

I think it is also wrong to say that the Devil has no power against Christians.. that you just have to say something 'in the name of Jesus..' and he's been neutralised.

The Devil has got at least as much power as a human, and likely considerably more.

A human could certainly hurt you, take your life, or torture you.. even if you are calling on God. So why couldn't the Devil do at least that much.

He may not be able to take your salvation away, but he could tempt you, and certainly take your life if he wished.

Remember when some pastor got a cross thrown at him.. Begley? Why couldn't the Devil throw a knife or a boulder.

*How seriously do you take the Devil?

Satan is the temper. He comes as an "angel of light to" decieve. Deception is his tool and our weaknesses is the flesh. We walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh as Christians however, we can and do quench His work in us allowing the adversary to have his way. This is all purely in our control. Satan has no power against His Holy Spirit. We either stay the course or veer from it and fall into temptation. Ultimately, it remains our choice. Blessings.

 

[d taylor]

-​

The devil is more powerful than a human. But like a human he is not able to be in more than one place at a time. But being an angel having the ability to fly can move from place to place quickly.

He can only take a life if God gives satan the ok.

Satan greatest ability may be as a counterfeiter (built on lies and deception), he takes what God states, creates and declares and makes a counterfeit to draw people away from God's truth.

 

[Laodicean60]

The Devil has got at least as much power as a human, and likely considerably more.

I believe it's his spiritual influence on mankind with the evil in our hearts. We are all influenced by it due to the lack of knowledge.

 

[Paleouss]

How seriously do you take the Devil?

The Scripture tells us that Satan is the "god of this world" (2Cor 4:4), "prince of the air" (Eph 2:2), "prince of this world" (John 12:31, 16:11). Jesus says that Lucifer is a "murderer" and a "lair" (John 8:44) and that he offered Jesus the kingdoms of this fallen world to join him (Matt 4:8-9).

There is no doubt that the Bible dipitcts this fallen angel as real.

The great dragon, that is the Devil, "deceives the whole world" (Rev 12:9 NKJ) and the saints were all "by nature children of wrath, just as the others" (Eph 2:3 NKJ) at one time. Sin is not to have dominion over the saved any longer, for they "are not under law but under grace" (Rom 6:14). However, the saved can still be tempted. We are told to "be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1Pe 5:8 NKJ).

But God is faithful, He "will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it" (1Co 10:13 NKJ)

 

[Unqualified]

You can make the devil flee by resisting him and rebuking in the name of Jesus.

The unsaved cannot do this but are influenced, but must endure somehow and can be tormented by his oppression. He will get his but is trying to take as many as he can with him from this wicked and adulterous generation.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

It is a scriptural fact that the devil possesses power. But take a look at how we should deal with it:

Luke 10:19-20 KJV
19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy:
and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice,
because your names are written in heaven.

The Revised and many of the more literal versions read thus:

(RV) Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and (authority) over all the power of the enemy...

We have exousia (authority) over all the dunamis (power) of the enemy. Spirits are subject to our words. "Devil, I have authority over your power, and in the name of Jesus, I reduce it to zero. Cease what you are doing!"

Devils have to obey you when you command in Jesus' name. They are "subject" to you. Just tell them to stop what they are doing. They have to obey. I picture this as a little puppy nipping at my heels and being a nuisance. I just stomp my foot and say, "git !" and it runs away.

James 4:7 KJV
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

The simple act of resisting the devil will fill him with fear and force him to flee away from you like a soldier fleeing battle. One commentator says this is military language, meaning the enemy becomes terrified knowing you have him in your grasp and seeks to escape from your presence.

Submit to God, and stand up against the devil.

So, while the devil does possess power, we can defeat Him simply by being humble before God, resisting the devil with words, and using the authority we have been given to rout him and send him running away.

 

[BobRyan]

I hear some Christians saying that the Devil doesn't exist and that evil is simply the absence of good. I can't find anything in the Bible that convincingly supports that position.
The Devil is clearly an actual being.

2 Cor 4:4 calls him the "god of this world".

He is called the "prince of the power of the air" in Eph 2.

Peter calls him "a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour" 1 Peter 5:8-9

Rev 12 predicts woe to the world and those who live on Earth -- Rev 12:12 Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”

I think it is also wrong to say that the Devil has no power against Christians.. that you just have to say something 'in the name of Jesus..' and he's been neutralised.

The Devil has got at least as much power as a human, and likely considerably more.

Indeed he is far more powerful than a great many humans. But God is infinitely powerful.

 

[Hawkins]

Satan is a very capable person but he can do nothing when God disallows.

Though raised as an atheist, I started to know him since childhood from my mom's experience. She ever played a kind of demon board game with her teacher, where she kept asking the same question that the devil answer her question very much precisely. Her teacher later said that, "he's the devil, never take his advice no matter what as his advice is always the opposite of what truth is."

Satan can make use of a lie to fool all mankind single-handedly. I tried to burst the bubble of a lie of this kind, there could be more coming though. Satan casts subconscious influence to human souls, he formed education and social cultures this way. Satan was in control of the whole Canaan to fight against God's chosen people by his long time influence on the Canaanites spiritually and religiously, culturally and subconsciously. The same old trick is actually happening in today's world which gradually flips. Perhaps the reason why it's referred to as the End Time is because God allows such a flip to occur.

 

[Tellyontellyon]

Satan is a very capable person but he can do nothing when God disallows.

Though raised as an atheist, I started to know him since childhood from my mom's experience. She ever played a kind of demon board game with her teacher, where she kept asking the same question that the devil answer her question very much precisely. Her teacher later said that, "he's the devil, never take his advice no matter what as his advice is always the opposite of what truth is."

Satan can make use of a lie to fool all mankind single-handedly. I tried to burst the bubble of a lie of this kind, there could be more coming though. Satan casts subconscious influence to human souls, he formed education and social cultures this way. Satan was in control of the whole Canaan to fight against God's chosen people by his long time influence on the Canaanites spiritually and religiously, culturally and subconsciously. The same old trick is actually happening in today's world which gradually flips. Perhaps the reason why it's referred to as the End Time is because God allows such a flip to occur.

So is it the case that Satan has to trick you to hurt you? Surely Satan can hurt you even if you know it's him?
You say only if God is Willing... But God seems to allow quite a lot of killing and suffering in the world... of Christians as much as anybody... So I wouldn't count on being saved in a worldly sense... Even if you eternal soul is destined for heaven.

 

[Hawkins]

So is it the case that Satan has to trick you to hurt you? Surely Satan can hurt you even if you know it's him?
You say only if God is Willing... But God seems to allow quite a lot of killing and suffering in the world... of Christians as much as anybody... So I wouldn't count on being saved in a worldly sense... Even if you eternal soul is destined for heaven.

Satan can't hurt you physically. Instead he casts influence onto human souls to hammer a culture he wanted. Once such a culture is built, it's difficult for people under the culture to turn to God, except for the best who God wanted (those who are God's sheep).

God never meant to build earth as a paradise. Adam sinned that now we are on earth. The rule of thumb is, God is completely sin-incompatible. Where sin exists God is absent, where God is absent the most powerful and the most evil will naturally and eventually rule. God is doing a tough job here on earth to save humans while bearing with our sins. If it's not for the sake that God's sheep are still here, earth should have been a hell now, and should have been destroyed as a whole in Noah's days. God's job here is not to re-build earth back to a paradise like Eden. His job is working towards the salvation of human kind, while Christians are asked to endure to be saved at the end.

It's Satan who turned earth into a wilderness, Hades/sheol to a hell. God allows us to speculate what possibly a wilderness and a hell could mean. In such a wilderness God's sheep will look for the Shepherd to be their shalter.


A description of Satan,

Isaiah 14:17
the man who made the world a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home

 

[NBB]

The devil biggest weapon is deception, an unbeliever sees a christian preaching or something good about God, and the devils starts whispering in their being, "thats a joke", "God is not good", "look what happened to you is Gods fault", or other subtle or not so sublte lies, and unconscious about it if people don't fight those thoughts, or worse they listen to them, people get worse and worse against God.

The devils has a lot of people in his grasp, just with little lies and influences. And people don't see it.

You want the biggest true 'conspiracy theory' of all time, that the bible tells too?? well, the devil lies and deception are putting people on his side without them knowing about it, and separating them of all the good of God with petty lies. Is really sad and tragic.

 

[TruthInLight]

It is a scriptural fact that the devil possesses power. But take a look at how we should deal with it:

Luke 10:19-20 KJV
19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy:
and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice,
because your names are written in heaven.

The Revised and many of the more literal versions read thus:

(RV) Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and (authority) over all the power of the enemy...

We have exousia (authority) over all the dunamis (power) of the enemy. Spirits are subject to our words. "Devil, I have authority over your power, and in the name of Jesus, I reduce it to zero. Cease what you are doing!"

Devils have to obey you when you command in Jesus' name. They are "subject" to you. Just tell them to stop what they are doing. They have to obey. I picture this as a little puppy nipping at my heels and being a nuisance. I just stomp my foot and say, "git !" and it runs away.

James 4:7 KJV
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

The simple act of resisting the devil will fill him with fear and force him to flee away from you like a soldier fleeing battle. One commentator says this is military language, meaning the enemy becomes terrified knowing you have him in your grasp and seeks to escape from your presence.

Submit to God, and stand up against the devil.

So, while the devil does possess power, we can defeat Him simply by being humble before God, resisting the devil with words, and using the authority we have been given to rout him and send him running away.

The Luke 10:19-20 thing is if you abide in Christ spoken of in John 15. The devil, Satan, is our enemy. But we can also be an enemy to God, when we rebel, be disobedient, or walk contrary to God. If we walk contrary to God, then God will walk contrary to us, see Leviticus 26. King Saul is a prime example of this. Jesus has to chasten and reprove members of the body of Christ (Revelation chapters 2 and 3). God can set enemies on us, see Leviticus 26, Judges 3, and other books of the bible. God can/will fight us if we rebel or walk contrary to him (Isaiah 63:10). If we obey God and walk in his statutes, then he may be an enemy to our enemies and an adversary to our adversaries (Leviticus 26:3-8 and Exodus 23:22). Sometimes we are enemies to God by our wicked works and of our mind (Colossians 1:21). When you repent or confess your sins, and strive against sin and the works of the flesh you are turning to God.

We're going to have our struggles. We're going to fall and rise back up again. It is a battle. That's why we must fight the good fight of faith.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

The Luke 10:19-20 thing is if you abide in Christ spoken of in John 15. The devil, Satan, is our enemy. But we can also be an enemy to God, when we rebel, be disobedient, or walk contrary to God. If we walk contrary to God, then God will walk contrary to us, see Leviticus 26. King Saul is a prime example of this. Jesus has to chasten and reprove members of the body of Christ (Revelation chapters 2 and 3). God can set enemies on us, see Leviticus 26, Judges 3, and other books of the bible. God can/will fight us if we rebel or walk contrary to him (Isaiah 63:10). If we obey God and walk in his statutes, then he may be an enemy to our enemies and an adversary to our adversaries (Leviticus 26:3-8 and Exodus 23:22). Sometimes we are enemies to God by our wicked works and of our mind (Colossians 1:21). When you repent or confess your sins, and strive against sin and the works of the flesh you are turning to God.

We're going to have our struggles. We're going to fall and rise back up again. It is a battle. That's why we must fight the good fight of faith.

Well, of course, do not be an enemy of God. That goes without being said. Then, when you have ceased to be God's enemy, walk in the light of our place in Christ and God.

 

[Bones49]

So is it the case that Satan has to trick you to hurt you? Surely Satan can hurt you even if you know it's him?
You say only if God is Willing... But God seems to allow quite a lot of killing and suffering in the world... of Christians as much as anybody... So I wouldn't count on being saved in a worldly sense... Even if you eternal soul is destined for heaven.

I wouldn't say so. Ideally, if you a perfect Christian, then perhaps it's true that Satan's only option is deceit and trickery. I guess firstly we should also establish what we are talking about, Satan is a created finite being, so can only be at one place at any time. It is very unlikely that you would ever actually draw the direct attention of Satan himself. Satan has demons, as God has angels, who do his bidding. So any attack on you would be from demons. They can affect your emotions, put thoughts into your head (that can't read your thoughts, but they can see what you do and hear what you say). However, any sin in your life gives Satan and his demons access to you, which can be of varying degrees.

I would say that the amount of demonic attention that you are drawing would be directly related to the amount of Christian work you are doing. Perhaps it is wise to add, that you can also do things to attract attention - if you get involved in spiritual warfare, i.e. praying/speaking against demons, principalities and/or powers. Then someone is going to notice and try to take you out if they can.

I have heard of missionaries working in some pretty remote areas, which are full of some very strong 'demonic' spirituality, having some very overt encounters with demonic powers, but these days Satan's strategy seems to be much more covert. Him making his presence known probably would be counter productive in an atheistic society.

 

[Neogaia777]

I hear some Christians saying that the Devil doesn't exist and that evil is simply the absence of good. I can't find anything in the Bible that convincingly supports that position.
The Devil is clearly an actual being.

I think it is also wrong to say that the Devil has no power against Christians.. that you just have to say something 'in the name of Jesus..' and he's been neutralised.

The Devil has got at least as much power as a human, and likely considerably more.

A human could certainly hurt you, take your life, or torture you.. even if you are calling on God. So why couldn't the Devil do at least that much.

He may not be able to take your salvation away, but he could tempt you, and certainly take your life if he wished.

Remember when some pastor got a cross thrown at him.. Begley? Why couldn't the Devil throw a knife or a boulder.

*How seriously do you take the Devil?

The Father has absolute power over him. So the best thing to do is to pray to the Father if you are struggling to much because of him, etc, for He is the only One who can limit him, etc.

God Bless.