The devil is not a figment of one’s imagination, nor is he a mythical being that man has conjured up in his mind.   The devil is real.  If you believe in the Bible, you must believe in the reality of Satan because inspired writers constantly spoke of his reality.  One of the more familiar passages concerning the devil comes from the pen of Peter.

1 Peter 5:8 (ESV)
⁸ Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.   

While the devil is a most worthy adversary, he is not all-powerful like God.  He has his limits.  Tonight I want you to spend a few minutes thinking about what the devil cannot do.

• The Devil Cannot Keep the Willing from Obtaining Salvation.

If you are in an unsaved condition, you can change that situation whenever you want.  The devil cannot do anything about it if that is what you choose to do.  You see, as much as Satan wants all men to be lost, God wants all men to be saved even more (2 Peter 3:9).  As a result of this, God has set up a system of salvation whereby all mankind can be saved (Romans 4:12-16; 10:5ff).  Because of the love of God, and the willingness of Jesus to die on the cross, condemning sin in the flesh, anyone who chooses to escape the bondage of sin, can do so (Romans 6:7-18).

It is important to point out, however, that while the devil cannot keep the willing from salvation, he can deceive the unsaved into believing that they are already saved.  If you want to make sure that you are saved, look to the Bible and be sure that you have followed God’s plan of salvation (Romans 1:16; Acts 2:38; Mk. 16:16).

• The Devil Cannot Take Eternal Life away from Us.

Once we are in Christ, we are secure as long as we want to be (Romans 8:1; John 10:24-29; Hebrews 6:18).  This does not mean we cannot lose our salvation.  We can live in such a way as to voluntarily give it up.  Do not let the devil deceive you into thinking that salvation is something that cannot be lost.  The Bible clearly teaches that we can fall from grace (Galatian 5:4; 1 Corinthians 10:12).  However, if we are determined to obey Jesus and live by His word, the devil is defenseless to do anything about it (2 Peter 1:10; Jude 24).

• The Devil Cannot Make Us Disobey God.

As long as we are Christians, the devil will try to turn us away from God by causing us to disobey Him.  The devil will do all he can to influence us to make bad decisions that lead to sin.  He knows that sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2), and that is exactly what he wants.  The good news is we never have to be disobedient to God.  We can, instead, choose to be doers of God’s will like Joshua (Joshua 24:15).  Why not choose to serve God every day?  You will never be disappointed that you did (Romans 10:11).  You will enjoy fellowship with God right now and a home in heaven at the appointed time.  Do not allow Satan to trick you out of your reward. 

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.