When he is mentioned, which isn't all that much because we're continually pressured to pretend that he doesn't exist, Satan is usually imagined to be big, strong, terrifying, a daunting and powerful force. He is the great tempter, the dark power that battles it out with God in an equal match of cosmic proportions. Basically, the Devil is usually depicted as essentially the god of evil and darkness.
I think it's important every now in then to remember a few things, though. While it is a clear article of faith that the fallen angels do in fact exist (i.e. they are not just myth or literary devices but real intellectual, spiritual beings), we should never put them on a level that is anywhere near the power and majesty of God and the heavenly angels. There is no comparison. They are truly dangerous and powerful if we fight them all on our own, but they are less than shadows compared to the love and light of God.I've always liked the image of flipping a light switch. Do light and darkness duke it out in UFC-style bloodbath before one of them wins? No. Light banishes darkness. The light of Christ banishes evil, and if I remain in that light, I have nothing to fear.
Just for some spiritual encouragement, I thought I'd throw a list together of a few things that the Devil CAN'T ever do:
- He can't create anything. Satan is a creature himself. All he can do in his permanently chosen state of rebellion and self-worship is to distort, to twist, and to lie.
- He can't read your mind. While he can know a lot about you, he is not privy to your most intimate space of communion with God. Your very existence comes directly from God himself, and Satan is not permitted to violate that connection against your will.
- He can't force you to commit even a single sin. Flip Wilson used to say "the Devil made me do it!" But this is also something that is out of his reach. Sin only comes into my life when I choose it.
- He can't stand to be mocked. He has no sense of humor because he chose to forever reject humility. Having the gift of full knowledge at his creation, unlike us, he had no excuse to do this. It was a completely free and permanent decision. This means that he is the most foolish rational being God ever created. Don't let him intimidate you. Bring your fears, your anxieties, and your doubts to God in a joyful spirit that always recalls how enormous the gulf between our God and the demons in fact is.
- He can't love. Mercy and love are not even in Satan's vocabulary. He doesn't get them. He can't do them. He is powerless in the light of Christ's love and mercy. The more I show love and mercy, the more it will utterly burn Satan off like the sun burning off an early morning mist.
