What Would the Devil Say?
Job 1:7-8 And the Lord said to Satan, From where did you come? Then Satan answered the Lord, From going to and fro on the earth and from walking up and down on it. 8 And the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who [reverently] fears God and abstains from and shuns evil [because it is wrong]?
Two things stand out in this passage: Out of all the people on earth Job gets God’s attention – through His faithfulness to God. Second, Job gets Satans’ attention. That is more profound than we often take the time to consider. A few examples from Scripture come to mind. In the Gospels Satan asks God the Father if he could have permission to sift Peter, and the other disciples, like wheat (Lk. 22:31). In Acts 19:15 it states: But [one] evil spirit retorted, Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you? The two words for the English word “know” are used in this passage: ginosko, and epistamai. Ginosko is used throughout the New Testament to describe eternal life (see Jn. 17:3). It also describes a relationship between a husband and wife – personal, experiential and progressive in experience. This is the word the demon is using to describe his interaction with Jesus. Which leads one to surmise that this demon had some “run in’s with King Jesus. On the other hand the word epistamai describes an acquaintance with and implies that they have your attention, and you are thinking about them often. This is the word used to describe this demons acquaintance with the Apostle Paul. Pauls relationship with Jesus, his ministry, and missionary endeavors had gotten the attention of this demon. That is extremely powerful.
Why does it matter? You cannot walk with God and run with the devil. If you are walking with God you will run into the devil. If you are not maybe you have found comfort in the devils shadows than in the Eternal Light of Jesus’ Life and Word. A.W. Tozer stated “A Spirit-filled church (and Christian) will invite the anger of the enemy.” Have you ever considered that every time you are attacked spiritually it is because you have drawn the attention of Heaven and Hell? There is an old Christian song by Steve Camp titled, What Would the Devil Say? The chorus asks, What would the devil say about your life, Do they know you in hell like they know your Christ, Are you boiling hot or are you cold as ice? In other words, Are you living a life that has the attention of Heaven and Hell? Another way of saying this is to ask, Are you living a life so devoted to Jesus that it is receiving Heaven’s applause and Hells’ derision, and jeers?
