Commentary on frustration cont’d
4. It’s does well for us to repeat that idea from point 3 above: “…the Devil and his angels have vested interests…” The devil… Let’s not be naïve about this.
a. I have a growing group of friends who don’t believe God exists. Many others don’t know if He exists. Another group conclude we can’t really know if He exists. Some say that even if He does exist, He’s not interested in me as an individual – He’s not a personal God. One common thread I find in all of these guys is they doubt the existence of infinite goodness (i.e. God). “I mean! Look at all the evil around us!” If I could tweak it slightly, I haven’t met anyone who doubts the existence of evil… of the devil.
b. The devil exists. Never doubt that.
c. Never doubt, also, that you are no match for him. The devil is an angel– a fallen angel, but an angel nonetheless. The greatest powers we have – those spiritual powers of intellect and will – come nowhere near his intellect or will. You can never match him or beat him in cunning or intelligence or willpower or persistence. It’s just not possible.
d. The author of the Chronicles of Narnia observed that whenever a good angel appeared to anyone in the Bible – even to the holiest of people (Mary, St. John the Apostle…) – among their first words was always something like “Do not be afraid.” Why? Because of the sheer awe-someness of what an angel is (and I mean awesome in it’s original sense of “awe-inspiring”, not today’s sense of “really cool”)! The typical reaction of even these holy guys in the Bible whenever they were in the presence of an angel was to prostrate themselves on the ground, to kiss the dust, not to dare look him in the face! That’s why angels always appeared as humans, to cloak some of their awesomeness (among other reasons); it’s why they spoke words of encouragement: “do not fear”. Now take all that, and add evil to it. That’s what a devil is: a malicious angel. You stand no chance. Speaking to the Prince of the Apostles – Peter the Rock - Jesus told them that the devil had wanted to sift them “like wheat” (Lk 22:31). “like wheat”: that’s how puny we are to the devil. You stand no chance against him.
e. Add to that the centuries-long experience the devil (and his angels) have in tempting billions of people since Adam and Eve… The guy is not a fool.
f. He also has nothing to lose. He’s already in hell - it can’t get worse for him. This makes him more dangerous.
g. Let’s not be naïve. You and I need not only to fight like men, but we desperately need to make good, constant and thorough use of the means available to us; topmost being prayer. With it, final victory is assured. (Please note: assured, not “easy” or “smooth” or “effortless”.)
h. I found the fight between Dr. Strange and Dormammu (Annex 64) remarkably analogous: without the means, we (and the whole earth) are doomed to failure. With the means, we can conquer.
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