Satan is always busy, never sleeping, and always looking to ensnare men and women in his traps. Satan has been a liar and deceiver from the beginning and is purely evil. Thankfully, his works are restricted today because of Jesus. Nevertheless. Satan works to deprive men and women of eternal salvation through powerful influence exerted in many ways. One of his most heinous weapons may be closer than you think.
Family
It is a horrible thought. Satan works through family members to attack the Christian. Our closest family can become tools of the evil one. Worse, I can become a tool of the devil to attack those I love the most. Remember, Satan knows no limit in his efforts to capture and destroy people. He will use any tactic, no matter how heinous, to enslave and condemn the righteous.
Notice the very first sin recorded in Scripture. Adam and Eve sinned because they ate of the forbidden Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil.
“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths“ (Genesis 3:6, 7).
Please notice that Adam sinned when his wife gave him some of the forbidden fruit. He failed to protect her from sin and she enticed him to sin.
It was the unnamed wife of Job who tempted him to sin. Job was sorely oppressed by devilish curses and could find no relief. His wife had an answer: “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die“ (Job 2:9).
We must not overlook the spiteful Jezebel. She was the daughter of a Sidonian King and a worshipper of the idol Baal. She was married to Ahab, a Jew and the king over Israel. After she is introduced, we see that the King suddenly erects an altar for Baal and an Asherah (an idol worshipping tool). She would also seek to kill Elijah (1 Kings 19:2) and she would connive, probably with Ahab’s tacit approval, to kill Naboth and steal his vineyard that Ahab coveted (1 Kings 16:29-34; 21:1-16).
The story continues until today. Husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, boyfriends and girlfriends often lure us into temptation and then into sin. Maybe we relax around people we trust. Perhaps we want to avoid an argument. Maybe we are already tempted and look for their tacit approval to sin. It doesn’t matter. We become agents of Satan working against the best interests of those we love.
How often have we seen weak spiritual lives harmed even more by a disinterested spouse? It normally not intentional but the damage is just as bad. Families are often the source of our greatest sin problems.
Jesus taught families to train children “in the way that he should go” (Proverbs 22:6). Surely we encourage our children to learn much about the world and to prepare for successful careers in adulthood. But why the emphasis on scholastics and sports but almost no emphasis on spirituality? People complain that our young people are leaving the church. They are quick to blame the preacher, the youth minister, and the elders. But the problem is usually at home. Parents who do not train their children are working for the devil. Harsh words to be sure but I think you will agree that they are true words.
Satan’s power is limited to how he can influence us. Do not give place to the devil in any way (Ephesians 4:27).
