When I started this blog, I had three ambitions. One, give God my fingers and let Him use them. Two, I hoped it would be encouraging to others. And, three, I wanted to share things I learned that I thought were wow moments. This month’s blog has been a little hard to write. I’ve written it, and then I’ve rewritten it, and I never could get it to come together. Then I got a wow moment this week. I had a page and a half already written that got put into a file drawer because it wasn’t what He wanted.
This week, I bought myself another Bible like I needed another one. I recently learned from a Gideon speaker that the average person has seven to nine Bibles in their home in America. And I probably have that many in mine. Why did I need to order another one? I’ll be honest. I needed one that was in large print. The one I ordered is slightly different than any I’ve had before. It was a women’s study Bible.
I had my new Bible at school and thought I would do some reading during my planning. Before I started the reading, I flipped through it, checking it out. A page labeled Characteristics of Satan caught my eye, and my attention became focused. One of the descriptors said that satan was not omnipresent.
Growing up in church, I heard that initially, but it didn’t resonate. It certainly did this time. All I could think about was if satan is not omnipresent, then how does he torment so many people at the same time? It feels like he is breathing down my neck every day while I see him breathing down the neck of friends of mine, and I see him hard at work in Israel. How can that be when the Bible clearly says satan is not omnipresent?
So, I did what I often do when I have questions that I’m not satisfied with the answers I have found. I phone a friend. LOL! In this case, I polled four close friends. These are people whose walk with God I admire, and I know I can trust them. It’s also what the Bible says I should do. Peter writes in 1 Peter 5:5, “In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’” I don’t necessarily interpret this to mean age. I guess it could, but in my case, it’s more about my greenness with this topic. If I need something clarified, heaven forbid I get so prideful that I’m ashamed to ask someone more knowledgeable to help me understand.
The responses my “elders” gave me blew me away. I even told one of my friends that the scripture she had pointed me to was brilliant. After reading it, I was like, wow, God is just brilliant—not that I ever doubted Him. To keep things clear and simple, I will call these friends Friend 1, Friend 2, Friend 3, and Friend 4.
When I told Friend 1, I was struggling with understanding how satan could cause so much devastation without being omnipresent, he guided me back to the beginning of time. He asked me what happened in the Garden of Eden. Oh! Oh! I know that answer! Eve took the fruit satan offered her, and sin entered the world. Friend 1 agreed and explained that was how satan was everywhere. It wasn’t necessarily that satan was present with everyone, but that because sin is now rampant through our natural choices, it feels like he is right there. This friend gave me Ephesians 6:12 to add to my arsenal, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Satan has warriors in his army, and he uses them.
Friend 1’s next piece of evidence comes from Romans 7:19-25, written by Paul. In those verses, Paul wrestles back and forth with being a slave to sin. We often know what is righteous, and we aspire to do righteous. Instead, we find ourselves doing the evil we didn’t want to do. Paul mentions the war waging in my mind and how wretched we all are. None of us deserve Jesus. But, I’m deeply appreciative that God, in His infinite grace, sent Jesus to fight the sin battle for me, offering me the promise of one day being with God.
Friend 2 turned to Peter’s writings and quoted 1 Peter 5:8-9. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” If satan is walking about, then that’s proof he isn’t with everyone simultaneously like God is. It also attests to the fact that we are being sought, pursued, and are prey for satan. Are we easy prey or challenging prey? We must be on guard and armed with God’s word to recognize and battle satan. Lions are often characterized as being stealthy, meaning they can sneak up on their prey without being seen or heard. I believe Peter has done an excellent job equating satan to a lion.
Friend 3 also pointed me back to the Garden and how that was when satan sowed his seeds. In Genesis 3:4, satan tells Eve that she will not die. In that moment, he calls God a liar, and satan plants the seed of doubt in Eve’s mind and heart. From then on, Eve “waters” and “cultivates” the seed satan originally planted. How many times in my life have I watered one of satan’s seeds— the seed of doubt, worry, fear, jealousy, etc? Right there, I am alongside him, watering, hoeing, weeding, and believing everything he’s selling me.
Finally, Friend 4 weighed in with her responses. It took her a few days to respond, and I love that about her. She stews and processes before giving me what she believes is her best answer. Because of her, I have learned it’s okay to pause, study, and reflect before answering. Friend 4 pointed me to the writings of the Apostle John in 1 John 2:18-26. John writes about the antichrist being active in our world today. People who are saved and believe in God have received the Holy Spirit to guide us and to tell us the truth. Those who do not believe in God are known as an antichrist, and they are misleading so many people. They are one more tool in satan’s army.
After meditating and researching all my elders shared with me, I have a much better understanding. I’m also once again left in awe of the power of the omnipresent God I know. I learned so much from these four friends, and I hope you did too. I’m also interested in learning from you, as this is a mutual journey of growth. If you have any insights to add to the “Fabulous Four,” please add them to the comments section. I love learning and sharing about God and appreciate the knowledge you can share.