The apostle Peter wrote, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 NLT).
But then Paul warns us that “Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light,” showing his ability to disguise falsehood as truth. (2 Corinthians 11:14 NKJV)
These are two very different sounding definitions of an enemy. So which is it? Is our enemy Satan (the devil) a roaring lion or an angel of light? I believe it depends on what day/hour/minute it is. We have to stay prepared and alert because he is both.
Go all the way back to the beginning in Genesis – “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?’ The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ‘You will not certainly die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” (Genesis 3:1-6 TLB) That serpent (Satan) already knew the truth, but he was subtle with his first questions of Eve, laying the groundwork for the trap he was laying out before her.
Unfortunately, Adam, her husband must’ve been snoozing instead of protecting his wife as he should’ve, because we’re told he was with her and then chose to eat what was offered. That is testimony about how important it is that we recognize our responsibilities to others – if we see or hear something that is against the Word of God, we need to be certain to speak the truth to them. It might change their world.
Jesus said “‘…the Devil…from the very beginning…has never been on the side of truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he is only doing what is natural to him, because he is a liar and the father of all lies.’” (John 8:44 GNT) Right there in the Garden of Eden, he lied and had the audacity to accuse God Almighty of being a liar! But the trap had been set and Eve trusted and stepped right into it, followed closely behind by Adam.
“The Spirit makes it clear that as time goes on, some are going to give up on the faith and chase after demonic illusions put forth by professional liars. These liars have lied so well and for so long that they’ve lost their capacity for truth.” (1 Timothy 4:1-2 MSG)
It seems to me that the spiritual warfare in our world today is raging out-of-control. The blatant evil, rampant, open sinfulness is almost more than I can believe and comprehend. In too many situations Christians appear to be hands-off, instead of stepping up to do battle with the enemy. It reminds me of that old saying “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” (Author unknown)
So we need to remind ourselves: “For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against persons without bodies—the evil rulers of the unseen world, those mighty satanic beings and great evil princes of darkness who rule this world; and against huge numbers of wicked spirits in the spirit world.” (Eph 6:12 TLB)
“…submit yourselves to the one true God and fight against the devil and his schemes. If you do, he will run away in failure.” (James 4:7 VOICE)
Jesus sent out his disciples to minister to the masses and upon their return, this was their report: “The seventy-two men came back in great joy. ‘Lord,’ they said, ‘even the demons obeyed us when we gave them a command in your name!’” (Luke 10:17 GNT) We should remember that we have the same power that the disciples that walked the earth with Jesus had!
But we should be prepared. “…use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy whenever he attacks, and when it is all over, you will still be standing up. But to do this, you will need the strong belt of truth and the breastplate of God’s approval. Wear shoes that are able to speed you on as you preach the Good News of peace with God. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. And you will need the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the Word of God. Pray all the time. Ask God for anything in line with the Holy Spirit’s wishes. Plead with him, reminding him of your needs, and keep praying earnestly for all Christians everywhere.” (Eph 6:13-18 TLB)
Sometimes the things we face seem to be coming at us like a lion roaring, preparing to attack us – to devour us. That can be easier to determine what we’re battling versus when he comes like that subtle, cunning, lying serpent. Therefore, we cannot afford to let our guard down – we need to be prepared for battle by staying in His Word and faithfully praying. Then we need to be bold, remembering the power and authority we have in the name of Jesus.
Written by Karran Martin – October 3, 2026
[All bold emphasis is mine]
