Do You Know Him? by Shawn Smith

Editor’s Note: Today we have our very own Shawn Smith as our contributor. She has a message that we all need to take heed to. Enjoy!

I bet when you read (or heard) the title to this devotional you thought that the ‘HIM’ was referring to our Daddy God, right? Well, sorry to disappoint you. This ‘HIM’ is satan, our enemy, our adversary or whatever you call him. You see, satan knows us very well. The question is, do we know him? He’s been studying us for a very long time. He knows our weaknesses, our fears and doubts, our worries, our anxieties. He knows everything about us which makes it easier for him to play us. Just like in the game of basketball. I love the sport. I’ve always liked it, but I fell in love with it, once my daughter started playing. I started thinking of how her team (and any great team) would prepare for games. 

The better the team is, the more prepared the team wants to be so that they walk away with the victory. A great team practices running plays, shooting, handling the ball, passing, dribbling, rebounding. A great team exercises, runs and lifts weights in the gym. One particular thing that every great team does, which I find is very necessary, is to have film days. This is when the team and coaches get together and watch previous games that their opponents played. The team studies their opponent’s offense, which allows them to know who the best shooters are, who the best ball handlers are, who’s left-handed or right-handed or both. The team, also, studies their opponent’s defense which allows them to know who jumps high enough to block a shot, who watches the ball close enough to steal it, who’s fast and who’s subject to get into foul trouble. By the time game day rolls around, the team should know everything about their opponent. They’ll be able to use all of that knowledge, individual skills, the skills of their teammates and the guidance from their coach/coaches to win the game. My daughter just played in the last game of her college career yesterday, which was the conference championship. Sadly to say, they didn’t win the trophy. Some of her teammates may say that they lost because they didn’t practice enough. Other teammates may say that they lost because they didn’t study their opponent enough. Then, there are some teammates that may say that they lost because they were not focused (allowing the other team’s ranking and number of wins to distract them). The same thing applies to us Christians when we’re up against our opponent, satan.

In order for us to have victory over our enemy, we have to prepare for the battles. We have to study him. We need to know who satan is, how he operates and what his plans are.  All this information is in the Word of God. The Bible not only tells us everything we need to know about our enemy, but it tells us how to defeat him with scripture and prayer.

It tells us who he is:

This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world…..Revelation 12:9 NLT

…..He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.  John 8:44 ESV

NOW THE serpent was more subtle and crafty than any living creature of the field which the Lord God had made….Genesis 3:1 AMPC

It tells us what his purpose is:

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life and may have it abundantly. John 10:10 NET

It tells us what his strategy is:

Well, no wonder! Even Satan can disguise himself to look like an angel of light!  2 Corinthians 11:14 GNT

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 NIV

In addition, we need to know scripture so that we can use it AGAINST the devil when he tempts us, just as Jesus did in Luke 4:4, 4:8 and 4:12:

4But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.’

8Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say,‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’

12Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.”

It’s a must that we pray every day. We can’t defeat the devil alone. We need God. There are many examples in the Bible where Jesus prays (read John 17:1-26 and Matthew 11:25-26). Jesus even teaches us how to pray in Matthew 6:9-13. When we have an intimate relationship with the Father, we hear from Him. Like every great coach, God (the greatest coach of all time) will tell you what to do to secure the win.

You can bet that satan will bring his A game every time but praise God, the victory is already ours!

God bless,

Shawn Smith