Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought, but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was thrown out-the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the one who deceives the world.   Revelation 12:7 HCSB

When someone tells me, “I’ve got good news and bad news, which do you want first?” I always ask that they give me the bad news first. When I hear the good news last, I find hope.

I have good news and bad news. I will give you the bad news first. The bad news is that the devil exists. He is alive and well and ever evident here on planet earth. We see him hard at work in all the sexual immorality that is going on. We see him in the school systems, where they have removed Jesus. We see him in our politics and political realm. We see him in our news each and every day. He wants to destroy our witness. Misery loves company. He wants us to choose his way so that we will end up miserable in hell for eternity.

In Job 1:6 we are told that the sons of God came to present themselves to the Lord and Satan came with them. Wherever there are angels, Satan or his minions are there. In verse 7, God asked Satan where he had come from and he said that he had been roaming the earth. He still does the same today. We are told in 1 Peter 5:8, that we need to be sober and alert because the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. In John 10:10 we are told that the thief comes only to kill, steal, and destroy. The devil wants to kill our relationship with our Lord and Savior. He wants to have us spend eternity in eternal damnation. He wants to steal our joy and rob us of our peace. He wants to destroy our witness.

Each and every day there is a spiritual battle. God wants us to come to Him. He wants us to believe in Him and love Him and trust in Him. The devil wants us to be enslaved in our sin and spend eternity in hell with him.

But, I’ve got good news. Let’s go back to that scripture we just read. In Job, Job suffered great loss. But in Job chapter 1, we see that the devil could only do what God allowed him to do. The devil has no power to override God’s plans. He can only do what God allows. And if you read the end of Job, you see that God restored everything that Job had lost two fold. He gave him double what he had before. We are told in 1 Peter 5:10 that after we suffer a little while that God, Himself will personally restore, establish, strengthen and support us.

In Peter 5:8 Peter warns that the devil is prowling around looking to devour someone, but verse 9 tells us not to worry. We are told to resist him and be firm in our faith knowing that this same suffering is being experienced by believers throughout the world.

In John 10:10 Jesus warns that the devil only wants to kill, steal, and destroy, but in the second part of that verse, Jesus tells us that He has come so that we may not only have life but have it more abundantly. In John 16:33 Jesus tells us that in this world, we will experience trouble but that we should not worry because He has overcome the world.

The bad news is the devil is still kicking here on planet earth. He fought the angels and lost when he thought he could overtake heaven and now he is fighting them here on earth. He is fighting for souls of people like you and me. The good news is we have a choice. We can surrender to the devil and let him have his way with us or we can resist him and trust in God. We can enter into a close relationship with Jesus Christ and be protected from the devil and his schemes. We can suit up in the armor that God provides for us and conquer the devil with the sword of the Spirit which is God’s word and prayer (Ephesians 6:10-18).

If you don’t want to spend eternity in hell, it’s simple. Trust in the Lord. Seek Him with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind. He will help you navigate through this scary world.

The world gets scarier every day, but we are told in Isaiah 41:10 that we should not fear and should not be discouraged for He is our God. He will help us and strengthen us and uphold us with His righteous hand.

The bad news is the devil wants you. The good news is God will protect you, but you have to choose to live in His shelter. (Psalm 91:1). For many years I allowed the devil to lie and have his way with me, but no more. I am so glad I made the choice to live in the shelter God provides for me. I pray that you will do the same.

Have a great day!