Jesus triumphed over Satan at the cross, and though Satan’s doom is sure, he remains dangerous even in his death throes. He is active in our lives, still the tempter, still the adversary of God and his people. “Be sober-minded; be watchful,” warns Peter. “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
If the God-given means of grace are the habits through which we enjoy Christ, and the habits through which we grow in knowledge and obedience, we should expect the devil to do all he can to keep us from them. He will do what he can to interfere or to influence us away from the Bible, away from prayer, and away from worship and fellowship.
As we fall away from the company of our brothers and sisters, as we grow distant from the voice of God through his Word, as we grow lackadaisical in speaking to God through prayer, Satan smiles, he laughs, he shouts for joy. Our sorrow is his pleasure. As Corrie Ten Boom says, “When a Christian shuns fellowship with other Christians, the devil smiles. When he stops studying the Bible, the devil laughs. When he stops praying, the devil shouts for joy.” But all is not lost, for “resist the devil, and he will flee from you,” says James (James 4:7). We must resist him, and we can resist him, for Satan has no authority over those who are in Christ.
