Recognizing Satan

Satan is real. Demons are real. Hell is real. Too often we walk around with the great misconception that God is real and all of His angels and all of the good things in life are real at puppies and cute cuddley kittens... but anything that is evil must never be talked about or recognized as reality.

Last Sunday I had opportunity to sit with a man broken and warn from the pressures that alcohol had placed upon him as he was enslaved to it for decades. It had cost him is family, his wife, and nearly his entire life. At the end of his rope he had found help through a local support group but knew it was time go beyond a support group and come face to face with God almighty. He didn't know where to start. After all, how could the God of the universe love someone who was so evil and irresponsible. The largest hurdle standing between this man and a true relationship with the Father was a relationship with Jesus Christ, but how could he be forgiven?

We all of a tendancy of putting God into a closet until we have the rest of the house cleaned up. Yes, we may even let him in unto salvation but quickly wisp Him away so not to reveal the mess we have occumulated over the years. This is an easy trap to fall into but also a deadly one.

While counseling this man he came to realize that we aren't to get our life in order and then come to God; we must go to God and let him get our life in order. I Corinthians 3.6 says "For I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase." What is to be learned here? We can't do anything on our own. God is the one who does the real work, we must let Him.

That man ended up giving his broken life to Jesus and with tears in his eyes he rose from that prayer a man who had a clean rap sheet in life. No matter was man could throw at him or Satan temp him with, he was free.

We all picture Satan to be an evil man who dresses in red and carries a pointy pitchfork, but the reality is, Satan is alive and active in trying to tell us things like, "You aren't good enough to go to God yet", "That isn't a big enough issue for God", or "Your wasting His time." Recognize Satan and cast him far away from you in the name of Jesus Christ.