Tag: Satan

The Devil is Real: Spiritual Warfare in a Believer’s Life

~ I'mAllBooked ~ 1 Comment

Spiritual Warfare in a Believer’s Life by Charles Spurgeon

“Behold your adversary. Though you cannot see his face and detect his form, believe that such a foe withstands you. He is not a myth, nor a dream, nor a superstitious imagination. He is as real a being as ourselves…I hate the devil worse and worse every day, and I have vowed, if it is possible by preaching the Word of God, to seek to shake the very pillars of Satan’s kingdom.”



Whatever the number of people is who don’t believe that there’s a God, I suspect the number who don’t believe the devil is real is even higher. The world in general doesn’t seem to take Satan too seriously, often lumping him into the same category as vampires and zombies. We see this evident in the growing number of TV programs and movies about the supernatural. On the other hand, amongst Christians, either the topic of demonic activity is almost ignored, or it’s given too much attention and credit. C. S. Lewis commented,

There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors.

Continue reading “The Devil is Real: Spiritual Warfare in a Believer’s Life” →

A Sneak Peek Behind Enemy Lines: The Screwtape Letters

~ I'mAllBooked ~ 9 Comments

screwtapeletters-bookcoverThe Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis

“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors.”
 

Martin Luther is quoted as stating, “The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn.” I believe that was one of C. S. Lewis’s purposes for writing The Screwtape Letters. In this creative literary work, Lewis has composed a series of letters from a chief demon named Screwtape to his apprentice, his nephew Wormwood, as he offers him guidance and advice.

Of course the entire work is for the most part based on speculation, for we know very little about how Satan and his cohorts operate or what goes on in the spirit world around. We do know, however, based on Scripture, that Satan is real and that spiritual warfare is ongoing and has been since the fall of Man in Garden of Eden (Genesis 3).  Continue reading “A Sneak Peek Behind Enemy Lines: The Screwtape Letters” →

Satan and Man: Same Fall, Different Landings: Paradise Lost

~ I'mAllBooked ~ 2 Comments

Paradise Lost by John Milton

Gustave Doré, Depiction of Satan, the antagoni...
Gustave Doré, Depiction of Satan, the antagonist of Paradise Lost c.1866 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Of Man’s first disobedience, and the fruit
Of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste
Brought death into the World, and all our woe,
With loss of Eden, till one greater Man
Restore us, and regain the blissful seat.


John Milton (1608-1674) is considered one of the most important English writers of all time, ranking with Shakespeare and Chaucer. Milton was a devout Puritan and was disowned by his Catholic father. Unlike many Puritans of his day, Milton did not condemn recreational enjoyments, like art, sports, and theater, and he loved music. Milton was probably the most educated of all the English writers up to that time; he knew five languages, and the Bible almost from memory. Milton became completely blind by the age of 44.

Milton believed he was called by God to speak out against society’s evils. He wrote pamphlets on topics such as marriage and divorce, censorship, and politics. Milton’s other literary works include 23 sonnets, several elegies and odes, a masque drama, and a dramatic poem. Paradise Lost (1667), his opus magnum and best-known work, is considered by some to be the greatest poem ever written. Continue reading “Satan and Man: Same Fall, Different Landings: Paradise Lost” →