Better the devil you know

than the devil you don't. So the question is, how well do you know the devil?

I used to be terrified of the devil. I grew up with this kind of fear of evil. Was it the horror movies my brother insisted on watching, the murder flicks, the late night news? Who knows. The thing is, I was really terrified as a kid of the power and evil that I thought the devil had. The more I've grown in intimacy with Christ, the more I realized that the devil is a chained piece of trash and should be treated as such.

Mind you, the devil is scary, wicked ugly, ruthless, very determined and motivated to hurt God. I don't suppose the devil gives a care about me in general only so much as his hatred for God turns his attention toward me. He can't touch God, can't hurt him but he can hurt those God loves. His chains prevent him from hurting me unless I'm silly enough to wander in his territory. Ordinarily someone isn't silly enough to wander into his territory but some silly fools do this willingly. In this case the devil doesn't need to expend so much energy because he's already got the silly fool. For others who are wise enough to steer clear of the chained beast, he uses temptation. The devil is incapable of creation because only God creates but he is crafty. The devil will take God's creation and warp it in such a way so as to tempt me closer.

He really hates it when his cover is blown and I just laugh and take cover in God's infinite mercy.