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What happened on the Pan Island Expressway that Sunday in 1981 remains deeply imprinted in my memory to this day, something which I shall not forget to my dying day. It was about noon on a hot and sunny day. A recent convert of Calvary (Jurong) Bible-Presbyterian Church had requested to have his household idols removed.
After Morning Service, about 11. 30 am, I drove to his apartment in a Housing Development Board estate. Gathering the family together we prayed to God for His blessings and protection on the home.
“Almighty God and merciful Father in Heaven, may Thou look down with grace and mercy on these Thy children, whom Thou hast called out of darkness into Thy everlasting Kingdom. We rejoice that they have received Jesus as Saviour and Lord, and have renounced once and for all their household gods and ancestral idols to worship only the one living and true God. May Thou defend them against attacks of the evil one. May the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ protect over this home, to ward off every evil spirit and keep the family in Thy perfect peace. In the name of Jesus Christ our blessed Redeemer I pray, Amen. ”
Three dust-covered idols and several ancestral tablets, joss stick holders and paper charms were taken with the altar, and packed into several large plastic bags. The couple helping me, we loaded the stuff into the boot of the car, a 4-month old Ford Granada. Having said Goodbye, I drove off.
Home was twenty kilometers away. Being a Sunday, traffic on the Pan Island Expressway was relatively light. The ride was smooth and uneventful for the first ten minutes. Soon after passing over the Bukit Timah flyover Satan struck. Suddenly the vehicle began to sputter and jerk. Black smoke poured out from under the bonnet. The car rapidly lost power, obviously in trouble. Stepping on the accelerator made no difference.
Quickly I drew to the side of the road and the vehicle came to a dead stop. Lifting up the bonnet, black smoke was coming from somewhere under the engine. I stood stunned and helpless, wondering to myself what was happening. Then it dawned on me: the idols in the boot. Their master was not pleased. The “prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2 ) had struck at my car for taking away his idols.
Next day the vehicle was towed to the Ford workshop. The engineers were baffled: half the engine was totally burned up — something they had not seen before. A 4-month-old engine destroyed under normal usage in normal physical conditions. Satan is powerful, more powerful than you think.
This brings us to the story of Job, “... perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil” (Job 1:1 ). Job was an unusual man for his time and age, that he should live an upright and God-fearing life, when society was not known to be righteous and godly.
Now the plot of the story unfolds as the Scripture account opens up a scene in the heavenly domain. There, the Lord Creator was “holding court” and “... the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them” (Job 1:6 ).
It is amazing that Satan, archenemy of God and mortal enemy of men, should be allowed to appear before God to complain about Job, with a charge of “hypocritical conduct. ”
What was Satan’s charge? He said, “Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD” (Job 1:9-12 ).
Pause and ponder. What was Satan up to? He was on a mission of destruction aimed at breaking the faith of Job. To Satan, Job’s faith in God — his walk of obedience and refusal to do evil — was an intolerable provocation. Job’s righteous lifestyle was a grievous torment to Satan. He would unsettle Job and destroy his faith in God.
So off he went to present himself before the Lord, determined to prove that Job’s allegiance to God was only for the material benefits and favours he had received. “Touch his possessions and his faith will crumble! ” That was his boast.
The Lord accepted the challenge. “Satan, you may do your worst. Only touch not Job himself. ” God was putting Job to the test. As we shall see from the narrative Job passed the test with flying colours.
With royal consent granted, the adversary lost no time in venting his venom on all that belonged to Job. In one day, thousands of livestock and Job’s ten children — the entire establishment — was destroyed, completely razed to the ground.
Such a calamity in today’s language would be called an “act of God. ” Satan must have watched with glee, expecting that Job would curse God to His face, for that was his bold expectation.
But no, Job’s sterling faith went through the fire of trial, and came forth as gold. The Scripture says: “Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:20-21 ).
Christian reader, be informed: our mortal enemy Satan has power that is great and far reaching. He is the god of this world ( 2 Cor 4:4 ) and the prince of the power of the air (Eph 2:2 ). He rules supreme over fallen mankind, the “world system” of unregenerate men and its myriad organizations. But that power has its limits and it cannot harm a child of God-“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” ( 1 Jn 4:4 ). We have the earnest of the Spirit, the Holy Ghost who dwells within, our blessed Comforter ( 2 Cor 5:5 , 1 Cor 6:19 ; Jn 14 ; 16 , 17 ).
While Satan’s power may be great, the believer in Christ is safe from all attack, for God has given us the earnest of the Spirit who indwells every Christian. To Him let us constantly resort for comfort and protection. Satan’s wiles are many, his seductions are everywhere to ensnare the unwary. Our sure defence is the Word of God, the sharp two-edged sword of the Spirit (Heb 4:12 ), and the whole armour of God (Eph 6:11-18 ). God has provided us a complete armour sufficient to ward off any and every attack and seduction of a wily foe. But we must make use of God’s provision.
We are not to mount any sort of attack against Satan, for that is not our role or duty. Our Lord Jesus in the wilderness temptation merely repulsed Satan by the Word of God. So should we.
We are to be “... sober... vigilant; because... the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith... ” ( 1 Pet 5:8,9 ).
“Resist the devil” is our best form of warfare against the devil, for when we refuse to yield to his temptation, he is a defeated foe. When a Christian yields to God’s holy commandment, and refuses to do evil, as the tempter suggests, this causes great shame and frustration to Satan. Remember: no matter how great Satan’s seductive power, one little word NO, soft and firm, is sufficient to defeat him and put him to flight. Pray then for power to resist temptation, to say NO to the devil, and YES to the Lord.
What shall we say to these things? Weak and vulnerable mortals such as we are, against the Devil we have no protection except in the Lord. In Him we have full safety and victory over the tempter. He came, Son of God, “... that he might destroy the works of the devil” ( 1 Jn 3:8 ).
Satan is a defeated foe. When our Lord Jesus ascended the cross and there shed His precious blood, He destroyed him that had the power of death, even the devil (Heb 2:14 ). Today, Satan for a limited period is permitted by God to exercise his evil power over the world. But the day of judgment is due shortly when our Lord returns. Then Satan and his evil angels will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, to be tormented day and night forever (Rev 20:10 ). Our God is ever victorious.