One of the keys to racing is getting to know your opponent, what he does, how he reacts. It is even more important to know and understand your opponent in Christian life.

Who is this opponent?

Our opponent is called Satan, the devil, lucifer, the evil one, among other names. Satan is talked about throughout the Bible, from the third chapter to the very last one. The word Satan means "adversary".

1Pe 5:8  Be clear-minded and alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

Eph 6:12  For our struggle is not against a human opponent, but against rulers, against authorities, against cosmic powers in the darkness around us, against evil spiritual forces in the heavenly realm.

Satan was one of God's angels. He decided to rebel against God, and got 1/3 of the other angels to join him.

Jud 1:6  And the angels who did not keep to their kingdom but went out from the place which was theirs

These angels are now referred to as demons. They assist Satan in doing his work on Earth, which is rebelling against God and getting humans to do the same.

He works on non Christians, putting doubts in their minds, creating confusion about Christ and God, even creating "better" religions that allow the person more freedom.

2Co 4:4  The god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe to keep them from seeing the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God.

Mat 13:19  When anyone hears the word about the kingdom yet doesn't understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.

Satan also works on God's people, tempting us to do wrong and turning them against God. It started when he tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), the book of Job is a great example of how Satan tries to pit us against God. He even went so far as to tempt God's son, Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11).

Actually Satan works best when you don't realize he's doing anything. He works behind the scenes.

He starts out small, tempting us to stray just a little bit. "One drink after work hurt, all the guys will be there", "one trip to the casino, that's not a big deal", "just a joint now and then, that doesn't turn you into a druggie", "we're just friends, we just talk about things", "this one little time, it aint hurting anybody and nobody will find out", "everyone else is doing it, and they're alright"

Yet when you talk to an alcoholic, a drug addict, a problem gambler, a marital cheater, anyone addicted to something bad, they will tell you it all started out very small. They never saw it coming. This is how Satan grabs you. Everybody knows somebody who has had an addiction that ruined their lives. "Addiction" is Satan using your weaknesses to tempt you.

Prov 5:22 The sins of the wicked are a trap. They get caught in the net of their own sin.

The best way to prevent an addiction is to steer clear of sin.

Homosexuality, while it may not always start out in the same way as the other sins, is also part of this.

Rom 1:26,27  Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

Some believe that Satan is too busy screwing with governments and churches to work on us individually. Why would he mess with me? I'm just an ordinary person, he's so busy with everything else. Well, remember two things. Being a heavenly body, he is not bound by time like we are. He can do millions of things in a blink of an eye. He also has his helpers, remember he got a third of the angels to follow him, and they are now down here working with him.

Satanism is a huge problem today, it's actually one of the biggest religions in the world. A word more often used today is the OCCULT.

There are three main areas of the occult. Fortune telling, magick, and spiritism.

Fortune telling is using astrology, tarot cards, kids board games, anything to see the future. The fake ones are just taking people's money, while the real ones are calling on demons.

Magick isn't the guy in a tux pulling a rabbit out of his hat. Magick (spelled with a K so you know the difference) is casting spells, obtaining supernatural powers, witchcraft.

Spiritism is consulting demons, and the dead.

This stuff didn't just come about with the Satanic Church or the New Age Movement. It has been around since the early days of the Old Testament. What does the Bible say about this stuff?

Isa 47:13,14  Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you. Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up.  They cannot even save themselves from the power of the flame.

The author is telling you to see if the astrologers psychics save you from hell

Jer 10:2  This is what the Lord has said: Do not go in the way of the heathens; have no fear of the signs of heaven, for the nations go in fear of them.

Deu 18:10,11  Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD

Just like the other things Satan uses to pull us from God and ruin our lives, he tempts us into Satanism with very small things that lead to bigger ones.

There are four levels of Satanism,
1. Fun and games
2. The dabblers
3. Criminal activity
4. Organized Satanists

How big is the occult? The Old Testament has many references to people worshipping idols, including animal sacrifice and prostitution. Remember the first commandment? In New Testament times, devil worship was a problem in three of the seven churches in Jesus' seven letters to Asia Minor. And after Christ's life, there are many references to Satanism throughout history, such as the Salem Witch Trials, and Neo-Naziism.

Many founders and leaders of the Satanic Church were/are homosexual.

The three biggest ways that Satanism creeps into people's lives are literature, music, and movies. It is well documented how these three influences spread Satanism, we could fill web sites with examples.

Just looking at album covers, lyric sheets, even the lettering used to spell the group or the album name. Once you learn to recognize a few symbols and lettering systems, you'll see it all over. How much music do you know promotes rebellion and violence? Sexuality before marriage?

Look at many of the TV shows and movies out now. Want a couple examples? One of the Satanic church founder's name can be found in the credits of a very popular horror movie. On a cable children's network is a show about a "good little witch". Just watch some cartoons and see how often "powers" and "spells" are obtained and used.
 
 

There are several signs to look for. Anything dealing with fortune telling, magick, or spiritism is a given.

The Satanic symbol is called the Baphomet. It's a horned goat's head. A lot of times you'll see a star (pentagram) turned upside down which resembles the horned goat. Also prevalent is the number 666 and the inverted cross.

Other warning signs are dressing only in black, skull earrings, puncture wounds on themselves or animals, fixation with death and cremation, sexual abuse, cannibalism, kidnapping, a Satanic alter, black candles, collection of bones.

Satanists use several books, "The Satanic Bible", "The Satanic Rituals", and "The Book of Shadows".

Satan is trying to keep people from joining Christ's family, and to keep people who belong to Him from doing His work. He is getting more and more people to follow him, or to not follow Christ. Just look at the increasing violence and other crime, corruption, and the turning away from the church by the government.

1Ti 4:1  But the Spirit says clearly that in later times some will be turned away from the faith, giving their minds to spirits of deceit, and the teachings of evil spirits,

Mat 24:5 For many will come in my name and say, 'I am the Christ,' and they will deceive many people.

Mat 24:12  And because wrongdoing will be increased, the love of most people will become cold.

Mar 13:12  And brother will give up brother to death, and the father his child; and children will go against their fathers and mothers, and put them to death.

2Ti 3:1-5  But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

Wow, that pretty much describes society right now, doesn't it?

How long do you think God will put up with this? Not much longer. Christ will come back, and punish the people who do not follow Him. We'll cover what happens in the future in another study. To make a long story short, like the bumper sticker says, "I already read the last chapter in the Book, Christ wins".

That's why Satan is so frantic, he knows his time is almost over, and is frantically getting people on his side. He thinks he can beat God and Jesus and take over the earth. Not!!!

1Jo 4:4  You are of God, my little children, and you have overcome them because he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Mat 16:18 on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Joh 10:28  And I give them eternal life; they will never come to destruction, and no one will ever take them out of my hand.

Satan will try to keep you from doing what is right. God does not make us follow Him, it is our choice. If we were forced to love him, it wouldn't be love at all. If we were forced to follow Him, it wouldn't be the same as it is when we WANT to follow Him.

1Co 10:21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot eat at the table of the Lord and at the table of demons.

We must resist the evil influences. Remember, they start out small, trying to get us to do just a little sin, saying it won't hurt.

2Co 11:3  But I have a fear, that in some way, as Eve was tricked by the deceit of the snake, your minds may be turned away from their simple and holy love for Christ.

So why would God let Satan tempt his people? Why would he even put the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden? Jesus went through a terrible time being tempted and God didn't help. Because he watches what we do when we're tempted. To see how much we love Him and follow Him.

1Co 10:13  No temptation has taken you but what is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but with the temptation also will make a way to escape, so that you may be able to bear it.

Satan is your opponent. He is not in it to help you. He wants to destroy your family, your home, your career, you're whole life. The solution? Get saved and then make The Change, join God's team. We may not know which racing team will win the next race or be the next champion, but we which one will win the big battle. And you can be part of the Winning Team today!!! Just flip over to our Gospel page right now.