Luke 22:31-38
We learn, from these verses, what a fearful enemy the devil is to believers. We read that “the Lord said, Simon, Simon, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.” He was near Christ’s flock, though they saw him not. He was longing to compass their ruin, though they knew it not. The wolf does not crave the blood of the lamb more than the devil desires the destruction of souls.
The personality, activity, and power of the devil are not sufficiently thought of by Christians. This is he who brought sin into the world at the beginning, by tempting Eve. This is he who is described in the book of Job as “going to and fro in the earth, and walking up and down in it.” This is he whom our Lord calls “the prince of this world,” a “murderer,” and a “liar.” This is he whom Peter compares to a “roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” This is he whom John speaks of as “the accuser of the brethren.” This is he who is ever working evil in the churches of Christ, catching away good seed from the hearts of hearers, sowing tares amid the wheat, stirring up persecutions, suggesting false doctrines, and fomenting divisions. The world is a snare to the believer. The flesh is a burden and a clog. But there is no enemy so dangerous as that restless, invisible, experienced enemy, the devil.