Marked

Who is Satan's equal?  Is it God? Or is it someone else?

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and locked and sealed it over him, so that he would deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be let out for a little while. Then I saw thrones, and those seated on them were given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. Over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him a thousand years. - Revelation 20:1-6

Satan may think that he is equal or greater than God, but in Revelation, we see that God does not battle this adversary directly.  He sends and unnamed angel.

And God does not defeat or destroy Satan completely.  He lets the devil live.  What does that tell us about God?

We might think God is weak.  He does not intercede to destroy the evil that thrives among us.  If not weak, then what?  Does he want us to suffer?  Does He not care?

If we listen to the devil who sits on our shoulder, those are the thoughts we will have.  It is what he wants us to do, doubt God, turn away, toss aside the Holy Spirit's strength and wisdom, and let Satan mark us as his.

All it takes is trust in God and love to place a shield between us and the devil.

God wants us to be like angels and defeat the lazy demon that lurks in the garden and waits for the opportune moment to let us lead ourselves into temptation.

Jesus taught us how to pray for God's help in that.

Maybe we should try to remember to pray once each day.  Then we will have no fear, no doubt, no chance of being marked.

More to come...