“Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness” 2 Corinthians 11:14–15
The above passage contains perhaps the most important bit of information all believers need to remember concerning the nature of Satan and his work. Paul tells us in today’s passage that the Devil “disguises himself as an angel of light” (v. 14). Of course, Satan and his minions are often the direct source of much of the outright perversity and evil that we see on this planet. However, since he is the “father of lies” (John 8:44), the Evil One would much rather approach us in the guise of something good and not something wicked. If he came at us blatantly, Satan would be easy to resist. We are more likely to embrace his lies if he approaches us under the guise of the good.
With respect to his influence on believers, the Adversary comes at us to accuse us and tempt us, and he uses “religion” to accomplish his devious deception.
The Devil can often appear to us as an angel of light when he works to accuse us. The story of Job gives a good example of the accusatory nature of Satan. Appearing before God on His throne, Satan once accused Job of being upright only because the Lord had blessed him (Job 1:6–11). In like manner, the Devil likes to remind us of our sin, to tell us the Father cannot possibly love us because we always serve Him with mixed motives. Conversely, he likes to convince us that God is not too concerned about our sins and self-centeredness. He convinces us through false teachings and preaching of a distorted gospel that living “our way” is really okay with God.
Satan promotes the idea through various “prosperity-feel good” teachings that God wants us to be happy and wants to satisfy our every wish... much like a genie in a bottle. He influences the distorted interpretation of bible passages, such as “ask and it will be given to you” and “if you believe, you will receive...” (Matthew 7:7; 21:22) to cause people to think of God as nothing more than a granter of wishes regardless of how they live their lives.
Sometimes for the biblical illiterate this deception is very hard to distinguish from the genuine work of the Holy Spirit, who convicts us of our wickedness and makes us feel the pain of offending God as well as the terrible sense that we are absent from His presence. Yet the Holy Spirit always wounds us so that He may bring healing and restoration with the Father (Ps. 147:1–3).
Satan’s work of accusation only keeps us away from God and paralyzes us with the horror of sin, preventing us from serving the Lord and others. This is why we must remember God’s grace in the Gospel. True, every sin is deeply offensive to the Lord, but in light of our justification (Rom. 8:31–39) no charge can be laid against us. When we repent and submit to baptism, God really does forgive us. (Acts 2:38)
Our Creator is sovereign, not the Devil. As the story of Job also illustrates, anything that Satan does is done only because the Father has permitted it (Job 1:12). Sometimes God lets the Evil One tempt us and assault us, but even in these cases our Lord’s purpose is our ultimate good and His final glory (Rom. 8:28).
Characteristics of Satan
1. Created by God, but not equal to God. (Proverbs 16:4)
2. Defies God and despises truth. (John 8:44)
3. Was given limited power. (Job 1:8-12)
4. Commands a hierarchy of demons. (Eph. 6:10-12)
5. Masquerades as "an angel of light." (2 Cor. 11:14-15)
6. Plans to steal, kill and destroy. (John 10:10)
7. Rules the masses outside God’s protection. (Eph. 2:1-3)
8. Keeps seeking an "opportune time" to tempt us. (Luke 4:13)
9. Tries to hide the actual truth about our God. (2 Cor. 4:3-4)
10. Offers counterfeit promises he can't fulfill. (Gen. 3:4-5)
11. Twists Scriptures to fit his purposes. (Gen. 3:1-5)
12. Will suffer the fate he deserves. (Revelation 20:10)
"...the whole world is under the sway of the evil one." 1 John 5:19
"Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness..." 2 Cor.11:14-15
"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world...." 1 John 4:1
“...be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day....
"Stand therefore, having girded your waist with [God's] TRUTH, having put on the breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of PEACE; above all, taking the shield of FAITH with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the WORD of GOD; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints." Ephesians 6:10-17
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8
"Therefore submit to God.' Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands [REPENT], you sinners; and purify your hearts.... Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." James 4:7:10
“...do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place [lest you give a foothold] to the devil." Ephesians 4:26-27
"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death." 1 Revelation 12:11
We can rejoice, because the accuser of Christians has been cast down and defeated (Rev. 12:7–12). Even though he rages on the earth because he knows his time is short, none of his charges can ever stick against those in Christ because we have been declared righteous in Him.
So ask yourself... Who has authority over you? Think about it. If you are living under your own authority, then you are a sitting duck for the lures and schemes of Satan. You have no defense system on which to rely for help when confronted with potentially harmful choices.
To fully experience God’s genuine truth, His provisions and protection, we must fully and completely submit to Him and His authority and live in His zone of security, in His light... fully committed all the time. Submission is much more than superficial obedience, or as many do, living by a set of rules, attending church doing good things to others, but not really being fully surrendered and committed. Surrender can only come from a pure heart yearning for the transformative power of the Holy Spirit to lead and when needed intervene and protect along life’s journey.
If you feel as if God cannot forgive you for the things you have done, then your view of God is not based on biblical truth. He can and does pardon all those who repent and trust Jesus alone.
