Satan has many methods of carrying on his evil work in this world, and it is beyond the scope of this article to describe all of them. It would require an entire book to do so. However, it might be helpful to our readers to mention some of the ways that Satan works, so that we may be on our guard.
First of all, Satan is a great imitator. Whatever work the Lord may do, Satan often seeks to imitate it, and then, if possible, to pretend that it is really the Lord’s work. In this way unbelievers and even true Christians are often caught off guard. Only later does the real character of the devil appear. One example of this is in healing. In the early church, divine healing was often done by the apostles and others, to authenticate the gospel as being of God. Satan too can appear as “an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14) and sometimes empowers his followers even to perform miracles of healing as a “false front.” Only later does the sting attached to it appear. Consider the following incident as an example of this:
“A woman who was seriously ill was given no hope of recovery by her doctors. She, along with her family, consulted an occult medium, and the woman’s condition immediately improved. Within a short time, she was completely healed. However, she later made three attempts to commit suicide. Because of this, she eventually sought the help of a Christian minister, who in turn helped form a prayer group to pray for her. By the grace of God, she turned to Christ and was completely freed from the awful temptation to try and kill herself.”
In cases like this, two things are almost always present. First of all, the subsequent sting after the initial healing is far worse than the original medical problem. Second, there is almost always some use of a Christian symbol in the healing process, such as an appeal to the Trinity, the symbol of the cross, or the use of the Bible.
Amulets or Charms
In the New Testament we find that healing was done through Peter’s shadow (Acts 5:15), and also through Paul special miracles were performed by the use of handkerchiefs and aprons (cloths) from his body (Acts 19:12). Satan also uses such things, sometimes referred to as amulets or charms, and even pieces of cloth. But again, there is always the thread of evil and tragedy in the wake of these types of healing, when Satan is involved. I knew of a Christian family who innocently bought a pretty second-hand quilt for their young daughter to use at night. Almost immediately the girl began waking up every night crying for no apparent reason. She had always been a sound sleeper and had never done this before. Eventually they realized that the blanket had probably been originally used in occult practices. When they got rid of the blanket, the episodes of crying immediately stopped.
There are several other areas where Satan sometimes manages to work his way into the Western mind. In the West, we are accustomed to looking at things rationally and materialistically, so that our minds are programmed to dismiss that which cannot be understood in this way. But just as there is much in the Word of God that cannot be explained in human terms, so Satan and his demons are connected with much that man’s logic cannot explain. Those in the other parts of the world have recognized this for hundreds of years and sometimes have a perception of things which is stunted in the West. We will mention three areas where this is true.
Yoga
Yoga is widely practiced in the West, especially in areas such as gymnastics, breathing exercises and relaxation exercises. Many do not realize that this is only the first stage of yoga, and once again may be Satan’s “false front” in order to attract people. But yoga has several higher stages, and ultimately involves the mastery of so-called magic and cosmic forces. It eventually involves pure demonic practices.
Yoga has its origin in a Far Eastern or Hindu system of thought, and it is atheistic in nature. It stands behind magic, mysticism and occultism, and it is impossible to harmonize with Christianity. While Christians may involve themselves with the first stage and get some benefit from it, it may be the front door to other stages which are more serious. Again, we do well to be our guard.
Speaking in Tongues
Another area which has gained ground in Western countries is the phenomenon of speaking in tongues. While this experience is by no means always connected with the occult, yet it certainly can be, and many have been able to attest to this. We hasten to say that many experiences of speaking in tongues are likely the product of excitement of the autonomic nervous system and have nothing to do with the occult. However, some who have become involved in tongues movements have found themselves falling unconscious and filled with terrible fear afterward. One woman who was a true believer went through this experience and reported that she lost her assurance of salvation and her peace with God. Only later were these restored to her with help from others who prayed with her. What she had experienced was not from the Holy Spirit but rather from the pit.
Finally, we feel compelled to mention the heresies that are becoming increasingly common in Christendom today. We do not wish to accuse any falsely, yet we must be faithful and say that the increasing incidence of serious bad doctrine concerning the Person and work of Christ, along with the toleration of immorality such as fornication, homosexual practices and same-sex marriages, has certainly opened the door to Satanic influences. Much of modern theology wishes to do away with anything that cannot be explained in human terms, claiming that Christians should accept only what their intellects can grasp. This eventually includes unbelief in the existence of Satan and his demons. Acts that are often the work of Satan are written off as merely psychological phenomena or flights of imagination. Satan then takes words from Scripture such as “forgiveness,” “the cross,” and “new birth,” empties them of their real meaning, and then fills them with new rationalistic ideas. People can believe that they are “born again” when they have merely had an experience which caused them to take a major turn in their life. Deluded souls can persuade themselves that they are truly saved, when they have merely an intellectual belief in the way of salvation.
Many true Christians today have been persuaded by Satan that they can belong to Christ, yet continue in the same lifestyle that they had before they were saved. This same worldly way of living opens the door to Satan and his influence, for since the Lord Jesus was rejected, Satan is now both the god and prince of this world. To be part of this world — morally the same world that Cain set up thousands of years ago—is to open the door to strong influences that can drag us down. Again, we need to be on our guard.
There are various other Satanic methods that we could mention, such as letters of protection, astrology, blood subscriptions, Ouija boards, black magic, fortune telling, Satanic hypnosis, and many others. However, with all the manifestations of Satan’s power, we can confidently remember that “greater is He [the Holy Spirit] that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). The best antidote to falling under the devil’s influence is a walk that is close to the Lord, separate from the world, and obedient to His Word. “He that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not” (1 John 5:18).
W. J. Prost