“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”” – John 8:31-32
Scripture reading: Matthew 13:24-30; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 esp. vs 9
The Bible gives many descriptions for the evil one. Paul Levy (as quoted in Table Talk January 2024) reminds us “When it comes to the devil and his motivation, how are we to understand his ultimate aim? What is he aiming at? The way that the Bible describes him is helpful to us in this—the word Satan means “adversary.” He is the evil one, the prince of the power of the air; the prince of darkness, the god of this world, Beelzebub, the tempter, the old serpent, the dragon, the father of lies. All these titles show him to be the enemy of God. He is the opposer of all that is good and the great promoter of evil. His aim is to be a rival; his motivation was to displace God. Satan’s pride drove him to fall.”
Now we ought to be careful of two dangers—one is to take him too seriously—the angel of deception is not omnipresent—he cannot be everywhere. But a second danger is to treat him too lightly—we are after all in a battle “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12-13). Lucifer has his henchmen.
How wonderful to confess that Jesus sets free. That freedom can be expressed in many ways. He sets us free from the consequences of our sins and free to serve Him. And we must never forget He sets us free from the tyranny of the devil. Praise God!!
Suggestions for prayer
“Though Satan’s wrath beset our path, and world scorn assail us, while you are near we will not fear, your strength shall never fail us; your rod and staff shall keep us safe, and guide our steps forever; not shades of death, nor hell beneath, our souls from you shall sever” (TPH 475:2).
Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.
