Believers don’t like to consider the devil and what he is like.  After all, he invents ways to bring devastation. But while his appetite is to kill and destroy, his greatest damage is inflicted on another battlefield, that of the mind.  The effect is tragic!  He skews our spiritual eyesight so that we can not see the glory of Jesus.  He destroys any possibility for us to be captivated by Him.  He knows that if we’re drawn to the Savior, love and devotion will be the results.  For this reason alone, we should know who he is and how he works against us.  To our peril, we ignore the topic.  

Why?  Let’s consider a couple of reasons. 

1. We’re afraid we will be imbalanced.

There’s an argument that goes like this. ‘To give the devil any thought at all is to be imbalanced, giving him glory that only belongs to God.’ When those in military warfare give thought to the enemy they are fighting, does it exalt them?  No.  It is part of the strategy to …..achieve victory.  The Apostle Paul said, “We will not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.”  2 Corinthians 2:11  If he wasn’t, we can’t afford to be.  

2.    We live insulated from overt manifestations of evil.

Middle-class Americans who have lived relatively peaceful lives find it hard to believe that taking the kingdom of darkness seriously is really important.  Perhaps you’ve heard a comment like, “I’ve never encountered a demon or felt attacked by one. So why learn deliverance?  That just seems too radical.”  Sound familiar?

We can’t afford to be ignorant about spiritual warfare. It touches every area of our lives—our families, relationships, church, neighborhoods, communities, and places of employment. There is no part of our existence Satan does not assert his influence.

3. We’ve adopted a Western worldview.

We believe that every effect has a physical cause; if you can’t see, touch, taste, smell, or hear it, it probably doesn’t exist.  We attest that every phenomenon can be accounted for scientifically.  If there is a spiritual realm, it has no impact on the physical whatsoever.

Here’s the biblical worldview.  Angels do God’s bidding; demons do Satan’s bidding.  They oppose God’s kingdom.  Miracles, physical healing, gifts of the Holy Spirit, and exercising spiritual authority are essential to impact the physical and spiritual kingdoms. 

Scripture explains much about the enemy and his kingdom of darkness.  We are inclined to study every topic but that one, but it is to our peril.  Becoming a casualty is the result, and it need not be.   Education is one means of protection.