There are a lot of people in this world who think God and the devil are equal in strength and power—that Satan can do everything God can do. They think in the same way God can be everywhere at once, Satan can be everywhere at once.

They think because God knows everything, that the devil also knows everything. They think because God is a creator, the devil can also create things out of nothing. None of these things are true!

The devil isn't anywhere close to be equal with God! Let's review where Satan came from in the first place. God was the one who made Satan. His name was Lucifer, and he was the most beautiful of all the angels.

Full of pride, he thought he could overpower God, and take over the world. But God cast him out of heaven. Now we as believers in Jesus have been given power and authority over him (Luke 10:18-19). Not only is he not as powerful as God, but the smallest Christian child has power over him in the name of Jesus!

Satan is called the "deceiver." A deceiver is someone who pretends to be something they're not. Satan pretends to have our best interests at heart, but he's a murderer and the father of all lies (John 8:44). He pretends to give people certain powers, but there's always a "catch" in the end that causes destruction in their lives.

The future is dim for Satan and his buddies. The Bible is very clear that at the end of time as we know it here on earth, he and all his companions will be cast into the lake of fire for all eternity. He is a defeated foe!

What is the lake of fire? It is hell. The whole reason hell was created was to have a place of everlasting punishment for the devil.

Jesus defeated the power of the devil when He died on the cross and rose from the dead. We do not need to fear him, but we need to be very wise, cautious, and have a healthy respect for his ability to deceive us, confuse us, and lead us down the wrong path.

His kingdom is a kingdom of darkness, where God's is a kingdom of light. His is a kingdom established on hatred, revenge (getting even), pride, control, and selfishness. But God's kingdom is built on love, forgiveness, peace, joy, goodness, and mercy.

Source: School Of The Holy Spirit, p. 151 by Becky Fischer
Excerpt permission granted by Kids In Ministry International