Is His Bark Is Bigger Than His Bite?

I remember snorkeling in the ocean in Papua New Guinea. One day I dove down in an area beyond the coral. It was deeper than I normally dove and as I came around the edge of a reef, I saw a roundish spiny fish. From today's lesson, I realized it was probably a porcupine fish. My memory tells me it was about a foot long or more, although looking back, I might have over-exaggerated the size due to my fear. Yes fear. It was an ugly and intimidating fish. I think it might have been in the process of taking in a lot of water and expanding in size. I made it back to shore in record time. After reading about that fish, I realize that it is a defensive fish. It creates the appearance of danger and makes it difficult for another fish to eat it, but I was probably perfectly safe... at least from that fish. I couldn’t help but think of the Devil again. Is his bark bigger than his bite? In other words, is he made to appear more powerful than he is? The answer is both yes and no. We should never take lightly the power that the Devil holds. We are told that he is like a hungry lion looking for some soul to devour. There is good reason why we are warned against his power. To put it differently, without God, we are no match against the Devil’s power. For the believer, however, Satan has no power that God does not allow him to have. In Ephesians 6, we are told that our battle is not against flesh and blood. There is a spiritual battle that takes place around us between the Devil and his demons against God and the angels of light. It is not our earthly success that matters, but rather our faithful service to God. We are told to resist the Devil and he will flee from us. That takes faith. It takes a confidence in the power that God wields in the World. Do I have to fear the lion in a cage at the zoo? Probably not. As long as I walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, Satan is as powerful as that caged lion. I know that God has the power and authority to limit what the Devil can do, but the Devil will never stop trying to cause us to stumble and turn away from God. Live your life boldly in the confidence that nothing can happen to you outside of God’s will. If God allows the Devil power, if we are faithful, God will prepare us to stand our ground. Father, in the name of Jesus I bind Satan and his dominions from destroying the church and ask to be filled with the Spirit. Amen