Satan Walking in Dry Places
The Bible Says:
"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. "
(James 1:12)
SINCE THE FALL OF THE FIRST MAN, Adam, in the garden of Eden, all men have been plagued by a common enemy, the Devil. This is especially true of Christians, for Satan is the arch enemy of Christ. No true Christian escapes his attention but all, from the moment of the new birth, experience the sting of his fiery darts. Although this is true, Christians need not fear for power is available to each Believer not only to resist his attacks but to defeat him. There is a marvelous truth presented in the Word of God and experienced in the lives of countless thousands of Believers: a mind preoccupied with, and inhabited by, divine thoughts, cannot entertain an evil visitor, who will be forced to flee by the strong expulsive force of divine love and affection. Before getting into our story, Satan Walking in Dry Places, it may be well to first understand a little as to who and what Satan is.
First, we must understand that Satan is a spirit and, as such, is omnipresent. Therefore, his activities are not limited to one place or one person at a given time, but he is always in all places. Secondly, we should understand that his power is limited only by God and is second only to God's power. Thus, he is seen to be a powerful, wicked, and invisible enemy of the soul. In his work of undermining the faith and character of Christians, thereby preventing or hindering the salvation of others, he takes on various forms and characters - he is a master of disguise and deceit.
Not only does Satan adopt various forms and characters but he also has many names ascribed to him. Some of these names are terrible to hear or read, while others are deceitful in their beauty. Here is a partial list of his names as recorded in the Bible: Satan, the Devil, that old serpent, the dragon, the evil one, adversary, angel of light, angel of the bottomless pit,. father of lies, power of darkness, prince of this world, the power of the air, the god of this world, and many others. As indicated by some of these names and titles, Satan also has a kingdom.
Many people, some Christians and some unbelievers, seem to have the idea that Satan is only a figment of the imagination. Yet many of these are people who confess that they believe in the "being" of God, though they may not profess faith in Him. Just as surely as God, who is a spirit (John 4:24), is real, so Satan is real, too. The Christian, as well as the unbeliever who is seeking salvation, must never forget the reality of Satan. He is very real and is seeking right now to weaken some unwary Christian to prevent the salvation of some lost soul.
Yes, Satan is real, indeed! He has been pictured by some as soaring above the airways on indefatigable wings, and, somewhat like the fictional Cupid, carrying a bow and a quiver filled with an inexhaustible supply of poisonous darts. These darts are called "fiery darts" and Satan has one for each person, purpose, and place. He has overlooked no tricks!
In Ezekiel chapter twenty-eight we are given a very interesting description of Satan in his most glamorous role:
12 Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
It is said that on a certain day Satan soared through. the air on a routine flight seeking a dwelling place. He moved slowly first in one direction then in another and circled around looking for a likely candidate. As he passed over some low-lying farmlands his fiery, though invisible, eyes caught sight of a young man riding on the back of a truck driven by another. They were returning to the farm for another load of grain to deliver to the elevators.
Satan was highly elated at the prospect before him. "Ah", he said, "I've found one! Just look at him! His veins are full of red blood and his bones of marrow. Ah, he is a beautiful specimen." Then Satan planned his attack. The rosy cheeked young fellow was just riding along with nothing to do and this pleased Satan very much. "I will cast one of my darts into his mind", Satan said to himself, "then he will realize how unfair his boss really is and how unkindly he is treated. Shortly then, he will take from his employer that which I will tell him he has coming to him. Afterward, he will steal again and do worse until he sinks to the lowest possible degree. He'll rob, steal, cheat, lie, curse, drink, gamble, and sink, never to rise again, into the lake of fire.
With his great plan all formulated Satan sailed gently to the young man's side ready to cast a fiery spark, which was a fiery dart of temptation, into his mind. This temptation was designed to result in the lad's complete destruction. But as he drew nearer he heard the boy singing a song which, to Satan's great disappointment, was not one of his. Here is what he heard coming from the boy's lips:
'Oh, happy day that fixed my choice
On thee, my Saviour, and my God!
Well may this glowing heart rejoice
And tell its raptures all abroad.
Happy day, happy day,
When Jesus washed my sins away!
He taught me how to watch and pray,
And live rejoicing every day. '
What do you suppose that old snake did then? He cried out, as if in great pain,"Oh, how terrible! This is truly a dry (desert) place." Then he fled from that place as fast as he could.
But that old Dragon never gives up. He is persistent and, almost immediately, we see him soaring through the air again, just like a hawk or some vulture scanning the whole earth with those all-seeing eyes, for a likely target for one of his fiery darts.
Suddenly he was over a beautiful valley, watered by a lovely stream, a quiet and peaceful place such as an artist might paint. There on the front porch of a cozy cottage was a young girl, perhaps eighteen years old. As she helped her mother prepare the evening meal, Satan saw her as a flower of flowers and said, "This one will do for me. She is just the one I've been hoping for. I know that while she was in the village yesterday a certain young man said something to her that was not nice. I will whisper an evil thought, with one of my fiery darts, to her heart about what that young man said. Then she will begin to think about it and mull it over and over in her mind until it seems good to her, then she will seek an opportunity to meet him again. She will begin to love this evil more and more until she sins and leaves home in disgrace. She will then go far astray from my eternal and Almighty enemy and she will be my very own. By and by when she sinks far down, I will cast her over the precipices and she will fall into the furnace of divine wrath." Then as he swooped downward, the whole countryside seemed to burst out in song with a voice rising loud and clear:
'I am thine, 0 Lord, I have heard thy voice,
And it told thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith,
And be closer drawn to thee.
Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To the cross where thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To thy precious bleeding side. '
As the Dragon fled he said, “'Tis truly a dry place. “
In a hot rage the old Devil departed from the valley area, saying, "I will find a place in which to dwell." As he flew violently about, still speaking to himself, he said, "Somehow I am going to leap over the fences and hedges of the purposes, and covenant, and grace of God. It seems I've had no success with the young today so I'll try the aged." Down the road just a little way he saw an old lady. She, too, was out on the front porch enjoying the summer's breeze as she rocked and sewed. "Ah", said Satan, "it will surely be good to take hold of her gray hair, and make her taste of the lake that burneth forever with fire and brimstone." Then, as is his custom, he circled lazily over her, forming a plan of attack. Surely she would be an easy mark for one of his fiery darts to her mind. He began his approach but as he was ready to loose the chosen arrow from the bow, he heard her murmuring in a low voice. Then he came closer and heard these words, "For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee." (Isaiah 54:10). Not only was the Devil terribly disappointed at hearing her quote from the Word of God, but he was hurt by the words she spoke. As he fled from her he felt deeply wounded and was heard to say, "Another dry place. Oh, what am I coming to? "
Satan was usually quite successful in his efforts to wreck lives and destroy souls, but this had been a most unsuccessful day. Night had now fallen over the land for which Satan was glad. He loves the opportunities afforded him under the cover of darkness. He was scudding about upon his black wings like a bird of prey, pouring forth screeching screams of rage. Thus he came upon a small village, nestled among the low hills, slumbering peacefully and quietly. From a small upper story window of a small cottage was seen a faint, flickering light. "OW', said Satan, "Devil, you have done very foolishly today. There in that room from which the light escapes lies old Williams slowly wasting away. He is over eighty with not much mind left and he has borne the burden and heat of the day. Thanks to me, life hasn't been easy for him. He has received but little from life and, I'm sure, he has not found serving God very profitable. Come, Old Devil, cheer up! It will be a great thing to cause him to doubt a little, then to fall into despair, and finally to curse God and die. That will make up for the day's great losses. "
Satan entered the room. There on a poor, hard cot lay Old Williams. His long, slender fingers were motionless upon the covers and his silvery gray hair fell across the pillow. The Devil, fearing he might be too late, began to hurry. A strange hush seemed to be upon the whole house just as though the house itself sensed the soon passing of the old man. Just as Satan, standing at the bedside, was ready to cast a fiery dart into the aged mind, the old man rose slightly upon his bed, stretched forth a bony, trembling hand, nailed his enemy to the wall with these words:
"Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
(Psa 23:4-6)
With that the old man sank back upon his bed; it was all over. His dying words had beaten the old devil right down to the bottom of his own bottomless pit! The Devil, glad for an opportunity to escape from such confusion, said, "I will return to the place from whence I came, for this has been the driest place of all. "
This story could go on and on with such illustrations and this message could continue with many testimonies from real life experiences, but time (space) prohibits these.
I believe it is very apparent that the one great underlying theme of this story, Satan Walking in Dry Places, is that of VICTORY OVER SATAN. This message is primarily for Christians for we must understand that just as God depends upon Christians for the propagation of the Gospel; so Satan uses Christians (as well as other means) to prevent the spread of the Gospel. Dear Christian Friend, there is no middle road, you are being used today either by God or by Satan. God uses only those who will commit their lives to Him in dedicated service, while all others are used by Satan.
Christians and unbelievers alike need to recognize the fact that Satan is no respecter of persons. He doesn't care if you are rich or poor, educated or unlearned, brilliant or stupid, young or old, married or single, man or woman, listed in "Who's Who" or just a plain nobody, red or black or yellow or white skinned; none of these bother him. Satan even dared to tempt Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son! If God's Son was not spared the ordeal of temptation how foolish it is for the Christian to think he can carelessly live the Christian life and escape 'those fiery trials.
Since we have so often mentioned Satan's fiery darts, perhaps we should say a little more about them. It seems that Satan has placed a label on the shaft of each of his many arrows. These labels denote the temptation for which each particular arrow is intended. Here is a partial list: pride, greed, envy, hatred, sex, murder, theft, malice, gambling, strong drink, drugs, narcotics, cheating, lying, unkindness, discourtesy, disobedience, foul speech, evil thoughts, neglect of worship, and many others. Satan, being omnipresent is able to discern the circumstances and personality of each one being tempted, so that his selection of the proper arrow :is by no means guesswork.
Our story, Satan Walking in Dry Places, has set forth three facts about him:
1) The Fact of Satan's Presence,
2) The Fact of Satan's Power, and
3) The Fact of Satan's Place and Position.
In the first place, Satan is capable of being in all places at one and the same time. He can inhabit the hearts of all people simultaneously. In the second place, his power is second only to the divine, even to the performance of miracles. Satan is, as may be noted in the Scripture quoted above, a created being. His power, or authority, then, comes from God and is subject to Him only. Thirdly, his place is the universe and his position is that of a ruler whose kingdom is the unseen world, a kingdom of darkness. Satan must have a dwelling place, however, or his power is ineffective and, it seems, man is his favorite place of abode. He is the sole occupant of the unbeliever's heart and from there directs the affairs of life.
But, praise God! When a person places his faith in Christ and surrenders his life to Him the main seat is occupied by Christ, and Satan is forced to take a lesser seat, as it were, in the corner of the heart. This condition exists, however, only so long as the life is surrendered and dedicated to Christ. There are many "lukewarm" Christians who permit Satan to sit on the throne of the heart, thereby forcing Christ into some remote crevice of the heart. But no true believer can be happy under such conditions for there is a continual struggle between these two powerful forces within him. Some Christians say, "I try to live the Christian life but just can't hold out. I try to do the best I know how. "
Dear Friend, the answer is not found in trying to live the Christian life. The answer is found when Christ lives and reigns in us. The Christian life is His life. If you are a Believer whose heart and life are not ruled by Christ, please notice these things carefully and obediently follow the instructions God has given us.
The Bible says, "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfastly in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” (1 Peter 5:8, 9)
In each of the four illustrations given in our story, Satan was defeated at the very outset of his attacks by the Word of God. Jesus, when tempted, used this defense, also, and Satan departed from Him. Here then, if we can but grasp it, is the key to a victorious Christian life. The Christian who is filled with the Word of God gives no place to the devil. To be well fed on the Word prior to Satan's dreadful attacks is to defeat him before he begins!
But please don't jump to premature conclusions about this matter. The victorious Christian life begins when the life is surrendered to Christ in dedicated service. The surrendered life is not one which merely attends the Sunday morning worship and doesn't darken the door of the church again for a whole week. But the surrendered life is one dedicated to the study of the Bible and faithfully attends all the services of the church. The Christian surrendered to Christ believes that Sunday, all twenty-four hours, is Gods. You can neither expect to avoid Satan's fiery attacks nor hope to resist and overcome him if you allow TV, movies, sports, social functions (even some church sponsored ones), and other Satan inspired activities to fill your mind and consume your time. YOU MUST HAVE THE WORD OF GOD with the fellowship and sympathy of the church to withstand the devil's fiery darts of temptation to evil. Neither can the Christian who desires a victorious Christian life neglect mid-week Bible study and prayer meetings. Daily personal and family devotions is aIso indispensable to Christian stamina.
In addition to these things pertaining to one's church life", there are many other facets of life which greatly influence a person and affects his ability or desire to overcome Satan.
Here are some things to think about which may be useful in checking individual, attitudes about Satan and one's awareness of him and his activities:
1. What kind of music do we usually listen to? God honoring and Christ exalting or Satan inspired?
2. The kind of conversation we engage in and the kind of "jokes" we allow to infiltrate our minds.
3. What kind of literature do we read? Do the TV programs we see give Satan an entrance into our hearts and minds? How do we see the opposite sex? The eye-gate is, no doubt, Satan's broadest avenue into the mind
4. As we go about the routine things of everyday life, what occupies our mind? Just what are we thinking of as we do the dishes, drive to work, talk to a friend, or while at worship?
This list could go on and on but I trust this is sufficient to stimulate our thinking to become more aware of Satan and the need of resisting him. Perhaps no better rule can be given than this: "neither give place to the devil." (Ephesians 4:27 ).
You may now be thinking, "But how can I have this victorious life? Once again, the answer is, LET CHRIST DO IT from inside your heart. I believe the following grouping of precious promises from the Bible can help us to trust Him to do this work in our lives:
"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer (allow) you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
“In that He (Christ) himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.” (Heb 2:18).
“For we have not an high priest (our high priest is Christ) which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities; but (Christ) was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb 4:15)
“Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial of your faith, being more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory, at the appearance of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:6,7)
“Beloved think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:” (1 Peter 4:12)
“The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly (the surrendered and dedicated life) out of temptation.” (2 Peter 2:9)
Dear Christian Friend, at the time of our salvation we eagerly accepted God's promise to save our souls. We did believe His promise and He did save us! Likewise, if we will give our lives to Him in complete surrender, He will enable us to live the Christian life.
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:1, 2)
Thus, we shall keep Satan Walking in Dry Places!