Be Watchful Satan Wants to Devour You -SATAN IS DECEPTIVE

The only way that Satan can turn people against our loving God, Jehovah is by deceiving them.  (1 John 4:8) Satan deceives people so that they are not "conscious of their spiritual need," that is, they do not realize that they need a relationship with God.  (Matthew 5:3) The Devil has "blinded the minds of the unbelievers" so that they cannot see the truth about Jehovah. -2 Corinthians 4:4. 

One of Satan's greatest ways of deceiving people is through false religion.  He knows that Jehovah "requires exclusive devotion."  ( Exodus 20:5) So imagine how pleased Satan is when he see people worship their ancestors or nature or animals,that is, anyone or anything other than Jehovah. Sadly, even many who think that their worship is acceptable to God are actually controlled by false beliefs and useless rituals and traditions.  Israelites in Isaiah's day were in a similar situation.  Jehovah asked them:  "Why do you keep paying out money for what is not bread, and why spend your earnings fro what brings no satisfaction?  Listen intently to me, and eat what is good, and you will find great delight in what is truly rich." - Isaiah 55:2.

Satan can fool even zealous servants of Jehovah. For example, think about what happened when Jehovah told his disciples  that would soon be killed.  The apostle Peter who loved Jesus, said:  "Be kind to yourself, Lord; you will not have this happen to you at all.  Jesus told Peter:  "Get behind me, Satan! (Matthew 16:22, 23) Why did Jesus call Peter  "Satan"?  Because Jesus knew what was about to happen.  Soon, Jesus would die as a ransom sacrifice and would prove that the Devil is  a liar.  This was a critical time in human history and not the time for Jesus to "be kind"to himself. Satan would have loved it if Jesus had stopped being watchful. 

The end of this system of things is near, so we too are living at a critical time. Satan wants us to "be kind" to ourselves by having us focus on being successful in this world.  He wants us to forget that we are living in the last days and to stop being watchful. Do not let that happen to you!  Instead, "keep on the watch." (Matthew 24:42)  Never believe Satan's lie that the end if far away or that it is not coming at all.

Satan tries to trick us in another way. He wants us to believe that we do not deserve Jehovah's love and that God  will never forgive our sins. But these are lies from Satan. Think about it, who is it that really does not deserve Jehovah's love? It is Satan.  Who is it that God will never forgive? It is Satan. But as for us, the Bible says:  "God is not unrighteous so as to forget your work and the love you showed for his name." (Hebrews 6:10)  Jehovah appreciates everything  we do to please him, and our service to him is never worthless.  (Read 1 Corinthians 15:58) So do not  be fooled by Satan's lies. 

As we have seen, Satan is powerful, cruel, and deceptive. How can we win our battle against an enemy like this? Jehovah gives us help.  His Word teaches us about Satan's methods so that "we are not ignorant of his designs. "  (2 Corinthians 2;11)  When we understand the different ways Satan attacks us, it is easier for us to remain watchful. But just knowing Satan's methods is not enough. The Bible says:  "Oppose the Devil and he will flee from you."  (James 4:7)  The next article will discuss three areas in which we can fight Satan and  win. 

Next time: Your Can Fight Satan and Win!

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