Don't Underestimate The Devil

By Gary Zimak in his blogpost mentions the Gospel of Luke 4:1-13) on the temptation of Jesus. He says that we are at war every day with the forces of evil. These are the key points he mentions about our enemy, Satan:

The Devil Is Real – The biggest mistake that many of us make is to downplay the role of the devil. The Church teaches that Satan is real, is a liar and always tries to trick us into committing sin. Nothing makes him happier then when people deny his existence. Doing so allows him to work more freely. If people don’t believe that he exists, they are less likely to fear him and his deceitful ways. That’s just what he wants!

The Devil Will Tempt You Where You’re Weak – In this encounter, we see that the devil initially tempts Jesus when He is hungry. And how does he tempt Him? With food. While the devil is not all powerful, he is very smart and tempts each of us in different ways. A person who struggles with pornography is going to be tempted differently than one who is prone to gluttony. Each of us has our own moral weaknesses and don’t think for a minute that Satan is unaware of them.

The Devil Will Try To Prevent You From Doing Good – In this Gospel reading, Jesus is tempted just before He began His public ministry. In Satan’s mind, stopping Jesus before He began His mission could put an end to the salvation of mankind. Have you ever been ready to begin some good work (teaching religious education, attending Bible study, doing some kind of charitable work) and had doubts or second thoughts? Maybe you felt unqualified or just didn’t feel like going. While it’s not always the case, often times it’s “you know who” trying to prevent you from advancing God’s Kingdom.

If The Devil Would Tempt Jesus, He Will Tempt You – If the devil has the audacity to tempt Jesus, do you think he will avoid you? He will try everything in his power to get us to commit a sin and then he will rejoice. He will lie and tell us that our sinful action “isn’t that bad”. He will tell us that the action will feel good. He will say that it won’t hurt anybody. Don’t listen to him, as he’s nothing more than a liar.

While it’s important to fear the devil, it’s equally important to remember that he can’t make us do anything. He can suggest things and try to fool us, but unless we go along with him, we can’t fall into sin. Also, don’t forget that God is more powerful than the devil. Pray each day for the grace to be able to resist the devil’s attack. In addition, pray the rosary daily to ask for Our Lady’s intercession. St. Padre Pio stated, “Love the Madonna and pray the rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today.” Above all, don’t panic. If we remain close to the Lord, especially during times of temptation, we will be victorious!

------------------------------------------
Gary Zimak is the founder of Following The Truth Ministries and teaches the Catholic Faith and its application to daily life.

Please post your comments.