Many sincere Christians claim Jesus' promise..."You may ask Me for anything in My name and I will do it" (John 14:14). They ask and the answer doesn't come. Why? What is it that gets between believing Christians and God's blessing? If you take a moment to think, I'm sure you'd come up with the answer— SATAN!

God has given the devil enormous power so that we might have a mighty enemy to deal with during our earthly life. Few suspect the part that Satan plays in our growth. We could never be overcomers without him. Surely you know the priority God assigns to our being overcomers. Who can be an overcomer without something to overcome? So listen to this:

"To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with Me on My throne just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne" (Rev. 3:21).

If the highest reward cannot be obtained apart from being an overcomer, and you can't be an overcomer without Satan, then it is up to every Christian to learn all he can about this enemy. And don't think Satan is around simply because he is so powerful. God could destroy him with a whisper. No, he's around because God is using him to bring us to maturity.

WHAT EVERY CHRISTIAN NEEDS TO KNOW

In today's world, the Christian who cannot recognize Satan's working in his life is an easy victim. He doesn't know how to deal with this enemy.  He's a dead duck. Why? The devil can lay waste to his life and he won't know it. Years will go by with no changes and he will think he is getting along just fine. He won't know anything is wrong until he stands before the judgment seat of Christ. Then, of course, it will be too late. Once this life is over, no one gets a second chance. There are no make-up classes in Christianity.

Want to know how Satan's influence affects a person's life? If you are ever worried over finances or health, those are prime areas for his dirty work. If your children go off the deep end and your marriage crumbles, that's another indication of his work. There is a list of things Satan does to the unsuspecting Christian all the way from car wrecks to trouble on the job and the poor believer doesn't have the faintest idea WHY it is happening.

Few realize the place Satan occupies in the plan of God. When God says, "My people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge" (Hos. 4:6), that applies more perhaps to the knowledge of Satan than to any other Bible truth. The devil is the #2 man in God's program for "bringing many sons to glory." The Lord Jesus is first, of course. Our salvation is in Him. But when it comes to maturity, the devil is the OTHER MAN in God's plan. The biblical plan for bringing us to maturity won't work without Satan. It's a testimony to God's genius that He uses this evil character to make us overcomers!

WHERE SATAN GETS HIS POWER

If the devil were not operating as a spirit, he would have no power at all. In a body, there'd be very little Satan could do to anyone. He'd be but one man, limited to one place at a time, with very few paying any attention to his godless ideas. He would have a hard time selling himself to people and would be powerless to damage anyone. He might have someone get in a car and try to run you down, but that would be about it.

Since the devil operates as a spirit, totally free of the limitations of a body, he can molest as many people as he wishes—and all at the same time. That's the way things work in the spirit realm. This is why Jesus was eager to get out of the body and return in the Spirit at Pentecost. As a spirit, the Lord is able to indwell all those who want Him.

NO BODY — NO HINDRANCE

As a spirit, Satan has no hands with which to STRIKE anyone and no teeth with which to BITE. No one need fear him physically, for he lacks the physical means to damage anyone. Yes, he can induce people to hurt each other, but he can't do the damage himself. Today, Satan's dirty work is limited to the spiritual realm.

The apostle Paul refers to Satan's current role as the..."Prince of the power of the air" (Eph. 2:2). "Air" marks the boundary of his influence, the extent of his domain. It extends only to those places where people are breathing air. His target is the minds of men. That applies to every person on this planet. This is why the apostle John says..."The whole world lies in the power of the wicked one" (1 John 5:19 NASB).

We can define Satan's territory more sharply and say that his power is limited to people—and more particularly to the HUMAN MIND.  Without a body, that's the only avenue open to him. There is no other place he can operate. But don't feel sorry for him, his power in the spirit is awesome. Why? Our thoughts and imaginations are also spirit. So what? Satan lives where we live. You and I live in our imaginations.

THOUGHTS ARE SPIRIT

Have you ever seen a pound of imagination? Of course not. There's nothing PHYSICAL about a person's thoughts or his imaginations. Thoughts and imaginations are totally spirit. And only a spirit can see spiritual things. If the devil is spirit, and our thoughts are spirit, then obviously our thought-life is wide open to his gaze. THAT'S THE REAL SECRET OF HIS POWER. Satan doesn't listen to words from our mouths, he has no ears. He doesn't need ears, he watches our minds. Haven't you noticed how your mind tends to wander when you pray? Do you do that deliberately? Of course not. This is why Jesus said "WATCH" even before we pray (Matt. 26:41). The devil distracts us in prayer, often making us ineffective.

BUT IT TAKES PERFECT TIMING

If the devil didn't see the flow of your thoughts, there'd be NO WAY he could tempt you and get away with it. He wouldn't know WHEN to pop in suggestions...or what they should be. It is because your thoughts are open to him that it is possible for him to insert an idea into your thought-stream AND MAKE YOU THINK IT IS YOUR OWN IDEA. Without that ability he'd give himself away every time. His suggestion would be so glaring you'd react..."Hey wait a minute! How did that idea get in my head! I know I didn't put it there!"

Imagine how precise the devil's timing has to be to insert an idea into your thought stream and make it flow so naturally, you think it is your own idea. If he were off ONE SECOND you'd be suspicious. Isn't it obvious this is the real secret of his power over us?

HE IS A POWERFUL ENEMY

Few Christians realize the power of our unseen enemy. They like to study about the power of the Holy Spirit, but ignore the power of the one who can really hurt them. As a result, the devil leads most Christians by the nose. Consider a few things he does to Bible-believing Christians:

Leads them into debt through cravings for things.
Causes marital difficulties by focusing on faults.
Makes a person fat by pressuring the appetite.
Plants mischief in their children's hearts.
Gets us to watch the wrong kind of TV.
Drive our cars in a reckless manner.
Fuss over Bible doctrines.
Worry to the point of becoming ill.
Generates unclean scenes in the imagination.
Triggers tempers.
Inspires greed, jealousy and boasting.

         ...there's no limit to his wiles.

Are you tired of having dreadful things surface in your mind; tired of trouble on the job; tired of battling fear and finances? Do you know how to deal with the devil so as to make him back off? If you don't, you'll remain a helpless victim. The good news is you can change all that by learning how to recognize his attacks and deal with him. And oh, what a burden that lifts! Take the case of this brother:

Dr. Lovett, I'm so glad you wrote DEALING WITH THE DEVIL. Until I read that book, I thought all those awful things taking place in my imagination originated with me. What a relief to learn that the source of all that ugly stuff is not myself, but Satan! Now that I know how to deal with him and get free of his influence, my life has changed dramatically. I am now able to draw really close to the Lord and receive His blessings.

It is God's desire that we receive His blessings, but we can't unless we are in the PLACE OF BLESSING...and that place is reserved for overcomers. If you're not experiencing the thrill of putting Satan to flight and receiving answers to your prayers, you are living below your privileges in Christ. I know you want God's blessing, so get serious about being an overcomer and put yourself...

IN THE PLACE OF BLESSING!

This article is Copyright 2001 by Dr. C. S. Lovett and is found on www.cslovettbooks.com