Giving the Devil

Larry Jackson-Minister Contributed Article

Somebody noted that it’s invariably the little devil in your neighborhood who starts the fight with your little angel. While little devils may not be hard to find in our neighborhoods, the big devil that we read about in the Bible has all but disappeared from serious discussion. Comedian Flip Wilson, decades ago used to make us laugh with the phrase, “The devil made me do it.” Regarding sin, the Bible truth is, that while the devil is always around to help me do it, he does not and cannot make me do it. Sophisticated people that we are, millions no longer believe in the devil Jesus identifies in John 8:44 as a murderer and liar and as the father of all deceit and suffering which saturates the world. Instead many have come to believe in a new and improved devil, who is kinder and gentler and not nearly as bad as the Bible makes him out to be. This devil is a red-suited, long tailed, pitchfork-carrying, easy to identify character who often shows up in cartoons and costume parties. It apparently never occurs to some people that the idea that there is no devil or he is not very dangerous, is the devils own idea! Some people may not believe that the devil exists, but God does. The word “devil” occurs 61 times in the KJV of the New Testament and the word Satan occurs 34 times. In I Peter 5:8, the devil is described like a roaring lion that goes about seeking whom he may devour. Rest assured, the devil wants our soul. But God’s promise is that in the end the devil will get his rightful due for all the wrong that he has done.