A Dog Called Satan

Paul writes a lot about Satan in his letter. If you read this week’s devotion, you’ll see a list of passages that point to Paul referencing Satan’s hand in the sins of people within the church and the community. Specifically, in Ephesians, he says:

“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” –Ephesians 6:12 NLT

Jesus’ power in our life is much like a fence around Satan. In his book, Morgan described a time when he was walking down a street, and a German Shepherd was barking on the other side of a chain-linked fence. He knew the dog couldn’t hurt him, but that didn’t change his reaction. He says:

“I was so startled that as it lunged at me, I screamed and jumped backward. But between me and my would-be attacker, there was a chain-link fence. The dog struck the fence full force. My heart was racing, but I was utterly safe because of the protective fence.” –The Red Sea Rules, by Robert J. Morgan (Rule 3)

It’s much of the same way in our spiritual lives. Christ protects us from the dog named Satan, but when he lunges at us, we don’t see the fence of Christ. All we see is the attacks coming at us. This is even more powerful because we don’t see but feel because it’s in the spiritual realm.